The silver lining of the Covid pandemic was a boom in working from home. All industries that could, adapted. 23.9 million Britons transitioned to working online. This makes up 60% of employees in the country.
We have heard many success stories. Workers bloomed in their new environments, all while saving money on commute. They became more productive. Experienced better mental health. That brings us to this conclusion: remote work is here to stay.
While working from home has surged in popularity, not everyone can do it. But, if you’re looking to switch things up… You can. There’s always the option to start working online. You might want to work from home as your main source of income. Or get some passive income from a side hustle. That’s all made possible by the internet.
There are many options to make money online. Some need a base investment, but others don’t. We know that initial investment isn’t possible for everyone. Especially not those who are looking to quit their 9 to 5. That’s why we bring you real ways to make money online without investment.
How to make money online with no investment?
You can be self-employed or start your own company. As long as you have a creative approach to filling any gap in the market, all you need is an internet connection.
There are also opportunities to work for others. This includes contracted digital jobs, like testing services. It also includes unconventional jobs you might’ve not heard of before. You could watch videos and shows for a living, or even complete surveys.
We’re here to tell you that your opportunities are endless. We have selected 12 ways you can make money online with zero investment for starters:
- Become a freelancer.
- Social media: become an influencer.
- Become a personal stylist.
- Write and publish eBooks.
- Photography and video.
- Music and audio.
- Start a small business.
- App/ website development.
- Online paid surveys.
- Tasks on smartphone apps.
- Watch others’ videos.
- Market stories to news services.
Become a freelancer
Freelancing jobs are the ultimate way to start earning money online. Why? Because you can sell any skills you have. With many platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, you’re already given the means.
You can teach, coach, tutor. You can also put your writing skills to use in a range of industries. On top of that, if you are highly organised, you can become a virtual assistant. Or social media manager. Are you a photographer? There’s also a market for you.
Some of these jobs can lead to committed work for companies. Regardless of working as a freelancer, or ending up with a contract, you can make good money. Freelancing is also a great way to start, and earn experience. There are so many pathways:
Teaching/Coaching/ Tutoring
Pass on your skills, whether they are in sports, algebra, or languages. You might think you’re not much of an expert in any field. But you would be underselling! You can teach English as a second language, or tutor students abroad.
If you do this, there are many perks that come with the job. You will have full independence, and make your own schedule. You can take days off. Move sessions. The flexibility allows for a great work-life balance. Just make sure to be considerate of your tutees’ own schedules.
Writing
If you can write in English, you can pretty much write for anyone around the globe. There’s a high demand for various types of writing. Other languages are a bonus! There are some niche areas that take learning, but once you’re there, you’re set.
Ghost-writing and marketing writing are a couple of good examples. For you to find your niche, you’ll have to consider your passions and interests. A few online courses later, you can start out as a freelance writer. That means a great flexibility and working hours for you.
- Copywriting
The art of writing copy is not the easiest to master. Yet, you should keep your options open. Once you learn its rules, this is a great job to have. It is similar to writing but does entail some extra steps. You’ll have to learn about SEO, gain good writing skills, and grow as a writer.
If you choose this pathway, there are many benefits. You’ll have full flexibility in terms of working hours. You can pick your clients, and work from almost anywhere in the world. All you’ll need is an internet connection and a PC.
- Subtitle writing
This is a type of transcribing, which is another great freelancing opportunity. You might enjoy these writing gigs since you can mix work and pleasure. Watching a film or video for work can be quite entertaining. Yet, you’ll have to get used to consistent pausing to jot down what’s being said.
Once you get good at it, freelancing as a subtitle writer is quite enjoyable. You get to enjoy all the perks of the other branches of freelance writing, like flexibility. You also get to watch things for work. It’s a win-win.
Virtual Assistant
Being a digital assistant could be the future of admin work. It sure seems that way, with increasing numbers of companies and individuals seeking out someone to help out from home. If you’re particularly organised and determined, this is a great opportunity for you.
You can earn money online as a virtual assistant by working in either business development or as a personal assistant. You should expect to take on various admin tasks. Diaries, meetings, analysis, marketing, updating companies’ websites and social media. But you can do it all from home!
Social media management
If you’re on top of all the latest social media trends, going into social media management will fit like a glove. You also need great marketing, management, and creative skills. People skills are a must too.
Businesses and individuals pass over control of their social media platforms to specialists. You’ll have to create more brand awareness through campaigns. Promote engagement. Closely analyse their performance.
Editing services
Are you good at editing anything from photos and videos to audio files? You might love this opportunity. You can learn and perfect your skills. Owing to software that lets you play around with its tools, you can build up your editing knowledge.
Make your own schedule. Book your own gigs. Pick clients and jobs. This can be an enjoyable way of earning money and experience. How cool is seeing your work up on someone’s website? As niche as this sounds, an example of this would be posting feet pictures on a feet fetish site.
Social media: become an influencer
If you want to be the face of a brand, or be your own brand, social media is the way. Influencer marketing is a thing, and it will earn you a lot of money.
Yes, you can earn money online by tagging an affiliate link on your picture. Or video. You can gain advertising revenue on top of your royalties. But, social media influencing is all about your following. You need to be engaging, relevant, and have fun while doing it!
The top-earning, most popular social media platforms for influencers are:
- YouTube
2.29 billion monthly active users. The top of the chain. YouTube offers you the chance to build an audience and make between £1.10 and £7 for every 1,000 views. This will depend on your channel’s popularity and YouTube videos’ engagement.
Your content is entirely up to you, and there’s absolute flexibility for working hours. You can do make-up. Record yourself playing video games. Tell stories. Paid posts. You will need to put in the time to build an audience and keep uploading videos though.
A hotspot for influencers, both micro and well-known individuals. Instagram has 1.22 billion monthly active users. There is a chance for anyone to become famous. With around 5,000 followers, you can get about £250 for each sponsored post. This can double if you have 10,000 followers. The greater your audience, the better.
If you pick your niche and put your own twist on making content, you can grow your following overnight.
- TikTok
You must’ve heard of TikTok by now. It’s not just a place for teens to share videos. There are now 689 million active users on TikTok every month, showing where this growing app is heading.
This makes it possible for you to become an influencer on TikTok. If you are creative and feel confident on camera, you only need to be there for a few seconds. TikTok videos really do only last a few seconds, but can make you up to £2,000 for every sponsored post.
Become a personal stylist
If you’ve got a gift for style and fashion, we have the job for you. Help people look good and feel confident! Styling others can be fun. There are many opportunities online, but you can always work for a company like Stitch Fix.
Or, you can set up your own business for styling people, and get creative with your business model. Big Sister Swap put their own twist on styling. They went for an eco-friendly alternative to fast fashion: styling with recycled clothing. What will your style be?
Start a small online business
Becoming an entrepreneur. You might think you’ll need to invest money, but it’s not always the case. You can start off with things you already have, and grow from there. Identify a gap in the market and start a small business online, from scratch.
This can be a great way to start making money online without investment. All you’ll be investing is time and patience. So, let’s look at some small online business ideas:
- Rental business
You can rent your home (or a room) on Airbnb. Or rent out your parking lot space to others. Even your clothes are good to go for the weekend.
You can develop this into a large business with zero initial investments. Your profits can be used to get more things to rent out. It’s a never-ending loop of passive income.
- Vintage fashion retailing
A lot like renting your clothes out. Instead, you’re selling them. You can start with your own vintage clothing, that being anything old that you’ve kept. Y2K fashion is in right now, and Depop is full of opportunities.
Once you’ve sold some items, you can grow your business. Buy vintage stock, fix up any issues, and sell online for more. Shopping online is very popular for vintage pieces.
- Ecommerce Dropshipping
If you prefer a passive source of income, you can become the middle person. This means you can set up a store and sell your products without taking on the actual stock. Instead, it will go from the wholesaler to the customer.
You don’t have to worry about paying for products that might not sell and storing them. All you need to do is identify a market and pick a niche. You’re good to go.
Online surveys
Have you got time to spare? You can use online survey websites that pay for your participation to make some money. Some legitimate websites for this are Swagbucks, Panel Opinion, Toluna, OnePoll, and YouGov.
You can pick your own working hours and surveys. Answer questions. Make money from home, anytime.
Watch others’ videos
You can get paid to watch videos and ads. This might be the easiest way to make money online. This is because creators hope that paid engagement implies popularity. If they are popular, their videos will get recommended to others. Websites like Swagbucks, Vindale Research, and TV-TWO are great for this.
Market stories to news services
Sell your story to a paper or news website for money. This can be any type of story worth reading, from celebrity encounters to fun events. All you need is an interesting life.
This can be especially fun. It’s no full-time job, but it will earn you some quick money. Easy money at that.
What to do when you start making money online
It doesn’t end with having an income. Making money will imply extra steps to make sure you’re not forgetting about any payments or fees. Even when you’re doing it online.
When you start earning money, you need to register as self-employed/sole trader with HMRC to be in the clear legally. Or, you can set up your limited company.
How to register as self-employed?
You should decide whether you want to register as self-employed, a limited company, or a business partner. There will be information on each on the government’s website.
Then, you should follow these steps:
- Choose your trading name and make sure it’s available.
- Find out what business records you need.
- Register for tax Self Assessment.
- Check if you need to register for VAT.
When to register as a sole trader?
There are three instances when you should register as a sole trader:
- You earn over £1,000 from your self-employment. That is your allowance, and anything above that must be registered.
- You need to prove your self-employment.
- You want to qualify for benefits.
How to set up a limited company?
You have two options when it comes to setting up your company. You can either run through the process yourself or have someone else help you through it. Since this can be quite time-consuming, it can be helpful to have some expert outside help.
If you wish to have some help, some accountant services charge a fee before you’ve had the chance to make any money.
How to set up a limited company by yourself?
You need to check a limited company is right for you depending on the services you provide. Then, you should:
- Pick a name for your company. It has to be in line with company name regulations and available.
- You must choose a director. You also have the option to appoint your company a secretary.
- Decide on who your shareholders or guarantors are. You will need at least one of them. This can also be the director.
- Find who has significant control over your company. These will be the beneficial owners.
- Create your ‘memorandum of association’ and ‘articles of association’.
- Find out what records you need to keep.
- Register your company.
Is it expensive to register a company?
It is not expensive to become incorporated. This will cost you £12, as that is the standard government fee. If you choose to pay other accounting services to assist you, the prices can go up slightly.
How to deal with taxes?
Once you are working as self-employed or within your own company, you need to learn how to deal with taxes. After you register for Self Assessment, you should keep track of your incomes and expenses. At the end of the tax year, you need to correctly submit them online on the Government website.
Alternative investment fund
Alternative investment funds are growing in popularity due to the growth of alternative financing. Contrary to traditional investments, which include assets like stocks, bonds, and cash, alternative investment funds mostly delve into physical assets and some financial tools. Quanloop is an alternative investment fund that allows individuals to earn passive income by investing from a minimum of 1 euro, with an annual return from 5.5% to 15.7%. The fund attracts capital from investors like you and act as the primary source of funding for commercial finance intermediary partners, such as leasing or factoring companies, crowdfunding platforms, etc.
Summary
We hope this article has helped guide you through the ropes of digital work. We have walked you through the advantage of working from home, as well as your many options. You can now earn money online without investing too. Please don’t forget to register once you do start earning money. You wouldn’t want to accidentally carry out illegal activities.
Disclaimer: This article contains sponsored marketing content. It is intended for promotional purposes and should not be considered as an endorsement or recommendation by our website. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and exercise their own judgment before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article.