You can only reduce expenses so far. The best way to truly fast track your journey to Financial Independence or early retirement, is to earn more. This can be accomplished through Business, Entrepreneurship, Side Hustling, or Investing in your Career. After researching nearly 100 income opportunities, we’ve narrowed it down to ensure you do not waste your time chasing promises of unicorns and rainbows…only to be disappointed.
Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links where theFIway.com receives compensation of some sort if you decide to utilize any opportunity. Any benefits received do not influence our decision to post the link as these money making methods are recommended to fast track Financial Independence. The links solely provide us a means to keep generating free content.
Earn Money as an Entrepreneur or Business Owner
Do you want to start, grow, and manage a successful online retail business selling goods or services? Shopify’s ecommerce platform makes it easy with a customizable virtual storefront, web hosting, payment processing, marketing, order processing, shipping, and customer services. The Shopify turn-key solution allows you to build your business all in one integrated interface without the hassle of managing external vendors for each area of business functions. You’ll pay a monthly fee for Shopify services.
Primarily geared toward independent creators looking for a marketplace to sell handmade or artisanal products. Shoppers around the world use Etsy’s global marketplace to find unique and extraordinary items you won’t find in typical retail stores. If you’re a creative person looking to connect with a community of buyers seeking imaginative products, Etsy is where you’ll want to setup shop. Starting off cost a minimal listing fee and a small commission on sales for use of the Etsy platform.
We’ve all heard the stories…”I make $1,000,000 a month blogging just 30 minutes a day“. That’s BS! Anyone truly interested in earning money through content marketing must checkout Pete McPherson’s Blogger U. He has demonstrated via his Do You Even Blog podcast and website to be one of the most honest and transparent experts in the field. The internet is full of irrelevant and outdated information. Save yourself from sifting through all that rubble. Join Pete and many other successful Bloggers in the community earning a full time income running online businesses.
Supplement Your Income with Side Hustles
Focusing on the gig economy, Fiverr allows freelancers to list their specialized skillsets up for hire. Are you a graphic designer, content creator, digital marketer, programmer, editor, translator, animations expert, or have some other creative talent? You’ll post a “gig” detailing what you offer and clients will reach out to you if interested. Fiverr is the ideal marketplace to list your freelance services for a fee.
Freelancers use the Upwork platform to pitch for various jobs and be monetarily compensated. This could be a one time gig, such as writing an article, marketing a product launch, or developing an app. You can also earn a paycheck at an hourly rate as a virtual assistant, social media manager, or web developer. The type of expertise you can offer and job requests are numerous. Upwork provides the tools necessary to communicate with clients and earn income for services rendered.
MTurk is Amazon’s marketplace to match humans looking to make money in their spare time with clients requiring various services. An Amazon Mechanical Turk worker can perform a variety of tasks with minimal expertise…and get paid for it. Make a little extra money by reviewing websites, identifying objects in photos, transcribing audio, verifying data, image searching, filling out surveys, writing articles, and other freelance opportunities with low barriers to entry.
Taxi services are going the way of the Dinosaur and Uber drivers are taking over the market. Do you have a car? Consider monetizing it by earning a little extra cash in your spare time. You can drive as little or as much as you want…you’re the boss and set your own schedule. The more you drive, the more money you’ll earn in fares each week. Compensation will vary by region and depend heavily on the cost of your vehicle. Don’t become and Uber driver if you’re piloting a Monster truck at 10 miles per gallon. If you’re a “people person” with an efficient car, go for it!
Forget being a pizza delivery guy and roll with DoorDash instead. Many busy folks don’t have time to cook or eat out. You can only stomach so much food from greasy pizza joints, but most decent restaurants don’t deliver. You can be a hero by providing this capability to local eateries and cure cravings for active families. Make some extra cash, on your own schedule, by utilizing the logistic services of DoorDash to accomodate local food deliveries on demand.
Invest in Your Career for Greater Returns
Aside from in-person relationships, the LinkedIn social network is the most valuable tool for connecting and communicating with career professionals. College degrees help, work experience is beneficial, and certifications are a plus, but if you do not have connections with influential people in your field… there’s little chance of reaching the top tier of your profession. This is the resume of the future.
If you’re looking to increase salary more than the measly 1% – 3% most companies offer annually, you may find Glassdoor’s tools ideal for job hopping and massive raises. You can evaluate a company, estimate salaries for various positions, and compare compensation for a given Career field. Glassdoor is one of the largest databases of transparent employee reviews, job listings, and interview prep questions to help you land a valuable and rewarding position at an organization you may enjoy working for.
Have you won the genetic lottery and have the talent to make it in Hollywood? For 50 years, Backstage has served actors, directors, producers, and agents as a casting resource for roles on stage and in TV or Movies. With over 100K members, consider Backstage the LinkedIn for the entertainment industry. The service has been used by the likes of Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson, Al Pacino, James Earl Jones, Sandra Bullock, Dustin Hoffman, and more. If you’re looking for a big break, leverage Backstage’s powerful network and casting call directory to find the next project in your area. You may also use the site as a side hustle to find open calls for extras.
