I received a tidal wave of medical school rejections after I graduated from college in 2014. I spent the following several years earning money in whatever way I could while looking for a new professional path, including modeling, tutoring, and even working as a real estate agent.
However, I started uploading YouTube videos about personal finance in 2018. It wasn’t until the pandemic struck in 2020 that it became a successful side business. At that time, one topic—the financial impact of stimulus and relief efforts—hit home.
I signed up for YouTube Adsense when my videos started to gain popularity to monetize my channel even more. My road toward passive income started at that time. I earned $1.5 million in revenue in 2021.
And this year, with my videos, online courses, and social media posts, I’ve been bringing in an average of $114,000 each month in passive income.
Here are two businesses that you can also start right now for $0
1. Affiliate programs
When you share a brand’s goods or services on your blog, social media account, or website, you are engaging in affiliate marketing and earning commission. Each time a user clicks on the link or makes a purchase, you are compensated.
This form of business is incredibly accessible because it is free to create content. Making material that is specifically aimed at the proper audience is the true issue.
Consider starting a blog on your lifestyle. To find out what people are looking for in that category, use the Google Trends tool. For instance, you can discover that more individuals are searching for “best hair brands” on Google.
If so, you can think about writing a blog post or making a YouTube video where you test and evaluate several hair products.
I use management platforms like Impact Radius, Partnerstack, and Share-A-Sale to look for affiliate deals.
2. YouTube Adsense
The creator receives more than half of Adsense money, and many of my older videos continue to bring in passive income.
However, you must first build a following in order to register; your channel must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of viewing in the previous year.
I started my channel since personal finance was my favorite subject. You’ll be so committed in your topic when you have an intrinsic passion for it that you’ll know how to produce high-quality content.
Additionally, since you’ve previously read or watched everything there is to know about your chosen subject, you’ll be aware of what customers want. That’s priceless, especially if you use resources like Google Trends to improve your market research.
My last piece of advice is to upload movies frequently. At this point, I publish three to four times every week. On the other hand, I blogged virtually daily when I first started expanding my channel.
