Anyone got any ideas on how to make extra money via non traditional means? ie not via regular jobs.
YouTuber- BUT I don’t want to expose my face, so that limits both what kind of content I can create and income potential. Hell, I wouldn’t even know what kind of content to create. I’m not good with computer stuff, video editing, don’t have a good voice…. So…YouTuber probably not really for me unless I can find what content I can do without exposing my face that will draw a good size audience worth the time. We only obviously see YouTubers who make it but not the countless millions who try and don’t make it.
Blogs- not great with blogs as you have to be consistent with creating content, usually need to post 1x/day. I don’t know what blogs I can create that people would actually go to either…
Books- nobody reads anymore. Would like to publish something in the future but not sure what to write about.
Other Ideas?
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OOPS, forgot to add that I’m disabled…SO that limits a fuckton of what I CAN do. Can’t do anything physical. Includes driving, extended walking, lifting, etc.
-i am allergic to dogs, cats, environment, food, pretty much life- so can’t do dog sitting or babysitting
-i am a nerd, meaning I am intelligent and can do research, but not good with anything artistic- can’t draw, can’t paint, can’t play an instrument (at least not well enough), can’t sing, can’t dance, can’t do very much of anything that’s interesting on YouTube or social media.
-i am an introvert- ya, that limits a whole lot more. NOT a people person -_-
-bc i am chronically ill, i have limited energy.
not sure what I *can* do?? :'(
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Lyft, Uber eats, doordash, paper routes, donating plasma, (sometimes you’ll get $100 on your first few donations.
i can’t drive, can’t do paper routes, i’m disabled, and not healthy enough to be giving away my plasma. i watched a documentary on ppl who donate plasma and it’s apparently a hit to ones health if one regularly does it so ppl shouldn’t donate plasma if they can help it. thanks for the ideas though. life is tough when one is disabled.
I’ll only slightly argue the book thing. People read, some alot, I do. However, it’s high investment low reward for the vast majority of people.
can you make anything? Get a wood burner for example and you can open an Etsy store, though I imagine that’s a tough market given that a lot of people do that too.
How are your technical skills? If you can learn to code, there’s work in that. In fact, that’s what I’m doing specifically with database management, because I know just enough about it that A; it’s boring and not for everyone, B; it has enough technical challenges not to be boring. Go on Fiver and look for jobs that sound interesting, go learn the skills necessary. There are a ton of books open source out there. Alternatively, at least a few dozen times a year Humble Bundle will roll out a specialized coding bundle for under $30 for 20 books, an amazing deal. Also, Youtube has a lot of tutorials for that sort of thing.
you might be able to teach for an online charter, but that’s a bit wild west, not clear whether there is real money in that. Remote work is the way to go. I see a lot of customer service jobs out there working remote, of varying levels of activity. A large amount allow you to adjust your workload, hours, etc.
then we get into the really specialized, but astonishingly profitable flipping rare items. Of course, requires that you either be willing to delve deep into the dark corners of the internet, or spend a lot of time in thrift and pawn shops. I know a guy who does it for guitars, he used to be a musician and he just searches pawn shops for rare guitars. Sometimes he has to work on them a bit, but the profit is amazing. Tools are good for that too, especially power tools. The secondary market is I dare say better than buying from a store. You’ve got a lot of tinkerers like me looking for a specific tool, and if you can offer it for 20% below list you can make some serious money.
let me see, what else? If you like kids, there’s working for a daycare, also you need a clean record for that. My wife makes a little on the side doing graphic design. Oh! delivering pizza makes good money. My friend who used to work at AT&T makes more doing that than she did before, she gets good hours. Heck, working inside at a delivery resteraunt seems to do okay as well.
nope, not artistic in the least. i got no skills other than being book smart, which counts for nothing these days. i’m disabled so can’t do anything physical, even driving and delivering pizza. not technical in the least. not proficient with a computer other than the basics on how to use one.
do i like kids? i have to laugh at that one. i absolutely HATE kids. i also dislike most humans, big or small. yeah i know, not a recipe for success in life.
Ya you can create a channel on YT where you don’t show your face…ofc the key is to find a subject that will attract an audience and you have to be somewhat unique in a competitive field.
You can hire editors…just give them raw footage and they can make your vid for you. Ofc you’d have to be patient, sometimes people wait 2 years to get enough views to become a popular channel and then you make an income from it.
I’ve heard of legit online companies where you can work from home…like call centers or managing websites.
If you can make apps/games for phones, you’d be rich….but the catch is that it takes a lot of money to make those apps.
Ya it’s a bit tough to come up with ideas to make money though non-mainstream means.
i know, and that’s the depressing part. i have no skills other than being intelligent and book smart, which counts for nothing.
Actually, it counts for a lot…. You can create YT channels that you can use your knowledge on. For instance, you can do book reviews or talk about subjects that interest you and get an audience.
I also am a book-lover, before the internet the library used to be my second home. I realized after YT became big a lot of people created channels that discussed subjects they liked.
For instance, I knew about antimatter, superconductivity, renewable energy among other topics, long before the average person. I’ve seen people who’ve created channels focusing on these subjects and others and they’ve become huge now.
Once you get that audience then you can run ads/endorse companies, sell merchandise, your own books or others and get paid a lot.
So why not exploit that intelligence/book smarts and create channels that people would find interesting? Say you’re into food or hobbies or science (like me), then focus on that topic and pump out 1 or 2 vids every week.
Look at NDT (Neil D Tyson), Science Educator. I recall when he was a nobody who used to do some debates…but with his hilarious, charismatic personality and knowledge, he’s now a household name.
You can do it without showing yourself if you prefer, just your voice or a robo-voice…and in time if your content is good you could blow up as some have. Ofc there’s no guarantee in anything but you lose nothing by trying except the time invested.
As for skills, you can always pick them up. There are even YT vids on how to become a Creator, and all the tools/software you need to get going. Most people started their channels from home with a low budget cam in their bedrooms, just talking.
As you might recall from my other post, I have some ideas and I need to make a business plan, but in order to sell it to VC’s (venture capitalists), I need to create 3D models and do it up in PowerPoint.
So, I taught myself Blender, a free animation program to generate models (I also learned SolidWorks and other programs). Nowadays, people want to see what you’re creating…words and crappy sketches are not enough.
Ofc with everything there’s a learning curve, but once you have these abilities then you can turn them into money (eventually).
the problem is that channels that don’t show the host, their face, tend to not do so well. also, it takes around 2 years to work, make tons of videos, grow an audience, BEFORE taking off (if it takes off). so it’s a huge gamble.
i’m not much of a video creator and editor. idk how to edit anything, idk how to do lighting, idk how to create artwork or slides to go with the videos. it seems easy until you think all the work involved, and the payoff isn’t for ~2 years.
i know it works for a lot of ppl, mostly extraverted ppl who LOVE to be on camera and be seen by ppl. but idk. it SEEMS easy but then all the learning about lighting, camera work, camera angle, editing, etc. If I knew it would pan out I would try. But I don’t like trying only to fail after putting in so much effort.
I tried doing a blog once. It stopped after like 1-2mo bc being sick, I couldn’t keep up with posting 1x/d. Heck, eventually I stopped posting even 1x/wk. I’m intelligent but health and consistency is not my forte. Oh, and I had like next to 0 views lol.
I thought about writing a health blog, but that takes SO much effort, to research, to write, and oh the attacks will come bc I’m anti establishment medicine.
Well main reasons I am hesitant to do YT or blog bc 1- the energy required, which I have none right now
2- the payoff takes ~2 years to see, if it even takes off.
3- not sure what content i even care to write or video about every day or many days a week
4- i have very thin skin. anyone and everyone on social media gets attacked. and the comments are vicious. you could be the dalai lama or mother teresa and ppl will jump on you.
5- also, it’s just a LOT of work to constantly create content.
sigh, my lack of energy kills me. today i went out to get some food, not even grocery shopping, and i was out for a few hours, but took total like 6 hours if you count shower and all that. i just got done with shower and i’m fucking tired as shit.
i want to do something with my life but like fuck- HOW can I ever accomplish anything if I am tired from just going out to get some food?
I used to be SO productive too, before I became sick/disabled.
FML. I can’t take this shit life.
Sorry to hear about your health issues…and to hear it takes so long to get things done.
As for YT it all depends…2 yrs is what I’ve heard from some creators but it can happen in 6 months or so…it varies.
But basically if your vid gets 1 million views per month, you’d make about $5k for that one vid mthly…ofc building the audience is the challenge.
So if you need to make money right away then you can’t count on YT for that…consider it a longer-term project.
But if you’re passionate about something, then you might find an audience for it.
I’ve seen channels, take Food Wishes for example…the chef is very funny and cooks great meals…so it keeps you interested and he got huge over time.
But there are other channels where people don’t talk or show their face, like you can do visually interesting videos…like hiking through a nice forest.
Some people travel and they document that and that gets people watching.
But you can always tailor your channel to something ‘low energy.’ Cat videos for example…. or maybe you have a hobby like stain glass artwork.
These are all good ideas imo…and I’m sure you can think of something similar.
There’s a guy who is a book worm and he talks about books he read, that’s it and he’s doing great.
You can always mute comments, or leave them on and not read them if they get you riled up.
The main point is that YT is still a good avenue for someone in your situation to get an income…but ofc it’s about how well received it is on YT.
You will need to make adjustments to succeed on YT, people will watch if they like the content.
Ofc this is one idea and maybe not suitable for everyone…it’s also why I haven’t done anything with Youtube also…just haven’t had the time to work on it.
Plus I feel I may have better chances elsewhere and need more immediate money…but one day if I do get more free time I will try to create some YT channels for that extra income…assuming it works.
i guess my other main problem is that i no longer have a passion for anything, or care for much of anything. i mean, there’s lots of things that annoy the shit out of me, or piss me off, but what out there *inspires* me? Nothing.
i’m just so tired of life, so tired of myself. part of me wants to do SOMETHING but the other part of myself just wants to sleep cuz i’m always tired, every day. and i hate myself for wanting to do stuff but never having the energy to do it.
i don’t bother to start things anymore either bc i know i won’t be able to keep it up, just like the 2 blogs I tried to do years ago. as well as a website i tried to do at the same time.
**what CAN i do to make money with limited energy? maybe that is the better question.
sorry if i sound so negative rn. i just got back and showered from JUST going out to get a little bit of food and experiencing a HUGE energy dump. i’m exhausted af. and my foot hurts.
from just going to get food. not even far. i know, it’s pathetic. this is the shit that kills me. that i struggle with simple basic things let alone trying to accomplish anything -_-
No problem, I hear you…read all your posts.
I too have sleep problems because of where I live so I’m tired often, but things seem to be improving, so hopefully I’ll feel better soon.
Ya if you don’t feel good or driven then it is hard to work on projects like this.
As for getting an income with limited energy…maybe a call center job from home or being an editor can work.
Most of the time it can be fairly easy but annoying and tedious…depending on the company you work for.
But honestly and no offense intended…if you have health issues deterring you from normal work, then maybe consider social assistance until your health has improved and you can manage a steady job.
Or if you’re working take a medical leave of absense till you improve.
*Editor or proofreader for texts, articles/books…some companies here people to do that job from home.
it’s not as easy as you think to become an editor or proofreader. they want all sorts of qualifications. also, while i can write well and can spot mistakes, there’s certain rules pertaining to American grammar that has never made sense to me. There’s all these minute and dumb grammar rules that we’re supposed to follow, which most American’s don’t, or are unaware of the rules. But as someone who’s supposed to be the grammar police, you’re supposed to know ALL the grammar rules and how to use them. 99% of Americans don’t know and don’t follow those rules. So being a real editor or proofreader requires extensive knowledge and mastery of the English language and all it’s insane grammar rules. To be paid FT for that by legit large companies definitely requires a lot of credentials.
Now, you’re probably talking “proofreading” and “editor”-like jobs posted by random ppl and small companies. Most of those jobs are outsourced to the cheapest bidder. Hell, there’s TONS of proofreading and editing jobs on mturk, but the pay is dirt. Literally less than minimum wage. AND they are hard and time intensive, the ones I’ve seen posted.
Thanks for the suggestions. It’s just so disheartening. Our time is worth nothing to ppl hiring. Yet, when we have to pay for rent, food, just basic living expenses, it’s through the roof. Just the cost of fucking toilet paper alone has gone up ridiculous amounts!
Idk what I can do that’ll actually pay me $$. Hell, even healthy ppl can’t find anything good. How can I find something?
Yes the only way is to start my own business. But that’s easier said than done. That would certainly require massive amounts of time, energy and capital to build one’s own business. And remember 95% of all businesses fail within the first 5 years. Why? bc ppl think starting a business is so easy when in fact it’s not. It requires 1- a good business idea and 2- TONS of hard unpaid work, no pay or no profit for the first few years and 3- involves tons more capital than ppl anticipate.
Sigh. I have *just* enough knowledge about money, jobs, finances, economics, etc to know how futile it is for the poor, let alone poor and disabled. And don’t know enough (like say NDT level) to get me out of poverty.
Like you said, 90% of all poor ppl stay poor and are unable to make it out of to the next rung of the economic ladder.
Many times I feel perhaps I’d be way less depressed if I were dumber and didn’t know all that I did. There really is some truth behind “ignorance is bliss.”
i’m scratching my head for ideas bc the ONLY way out of this hell is for me to start my own something. fuck if i know what, but something that generates passive income.
i’ve been sick for 18 fucking years. like you, time is of the essence. i do not have that much time left b4 i become too old to dig myself out of poverty. time is already almost closing.
so many jobs are outsourced now that it’s difficult to find any job that pays a decent wage. the jobs, contracts, all go to the lowest bidder. for ex, why do you think all the call center jobs go to ppl in India? bc they’re cheaper to hire than Americans. and they won’t bit.ch about not getting PTO or benefits or etc.
@Eternal
I hear you, most of these jobs are harder than they seem.
I’d still say the Youtube is a good option for someone in your situation. The catch is that you’d have to come up with something that is sure to get an audience to be profitable.
Like you said most businesses fail so that is hard to get off the ground too.
I fully understand and share your frustration….it always sucks when smart people like us who should’ve been ahead in life don’t succeed.
Still we can’t let that stop us from finding a new way of reaching our goals.
For Youtube, there are people who play video games and just record themselves doing it and get an audience. I know the ones who are funny and make good jokes/comments definitely get an audience but not sure about the rest.
It is a bit of a crap-shoot with Youtube but I’ve seen people come from nothing with bad ideas and they still get millions of subs.
Like we discussed earlier it is the ‘long game’ profits won’t happen overnight. So ofc you’d need something else to supplement your income.
I recall I used to follow this guy, Thunderf00t…he was just a total science geek but because I like science, I got into his videos. He realized in time if he “attacks” other youtubers, he got a bigger audience…so he’d do “debunking” Elon Musk’s Hyperloop or something else, and he got huge.
Basically he was making so much money off Youtube, last I recall he was leaving university to work on YT full time. This guy was a nobody…and still he succeeded.
I don’t know about you, but YT is definitely on my list to create a channel on, because it’s a bit of a lottery play with low expensive, with some time invested, but the potential for payoff is big.
As mentioned I’m dealing with other issues in my life, so I have to put YT on the backburner as a future project.
Sorry to hear you were sick for 18 yrs. In my case, I was healthy for the most part but started getting health issues as I got older, like back pain and some other issues. I’m just thankful I don’t have any diseases.
It’s also hard to work and think of starting businesses when you can barely get by physically in the day.
There are “other ways” of making money if you know the right people…but it’s risky stuff….but for people in very desperate binds, they resort to that, but I wouldn’t advise it. Just saying.
I’m not saying it’s not possible to make money off of YT- the problem is that YT has decreased it’s pay over the past decade. AND tons of censorship with anything and everything that goes against the MSM narrative.
we only hear of the successful YT’ers, but no one talks about the millions that have tried, spent countless thousands of hours, only to have few subscribers and make peanuts.
“Although most of the surveyed creators struggle with burnout, only 37% earn a full-time income from their work”
YT is one of those things that appears easy- hell SOME do appear easy, especially those annoying “reaction” videos. Vs the ones where ppl actually have to spend time on.
Most of YT is trash and most of the stuff that’s popular is trash. I’d have a heck of a time just trying to THINK of something I actually care to do- and with YT’s censorship rules as of the past few years, and with demonitizing, I feel like the days of easy money making with YT is ending. I mean, if you’re actually looking to create real content vs putting up crap just to stir controversy or showing some booty/ass
i’m not saying there isn’t money still to be make off of YT, or to discourage you from doing it. not at all. i’m just saying it’s not as easy as ppl think it is, and for me, the energy and time required is a huge barrier, especially for non guaranteed income.
also, mainly, i haven’t come up with ANY topic i actually care to create content on. so everything is moot until then -_-
not that i’d ever do OF, but I’ve heard the stats that something like only 1% of content creators actually make FT income on the site. the rest are just ppl who think they can make it, they try, and make next to nothing.
idk what the stats are on YT, but i’m guessing it’s similar, that the vast vast majority try, but never make more than FT salary.
but yes, if you have a passion for some topic, by all means try. as for me, i don’t really have a passion for any goddamn thing. i am really hateful of life. can’t really make money on that lol.
“90% of Channels NEVER Get to 10,000 Subscribers. Less than 10% of Channels are Monetized in the YouTube Partner Program. Less than 400,000 Channels Have Play Buttons World Wide as of 2023.” -Apr 28, 2023
Great points all, I guess it isn’t the ‘gold mine’ that YT used to be in the beginning.
Ya we only hear about the success stories and not the millions of failures, I guess its the same with OF and other websites. There are a few people who vacuum up all the money and the rest get nothing.
The two other things I’d suggest are trading on the stock market and the casino…they’re similar in that they’re gambling, but imo the stock market is much easier to manage risk. Plus you can pick investments that meet your risk level.
The casino is random chance, you’re more likely to lose, but some people have skills and they’ve beaten the ‘house’ and got rich.
Ofc both will require brains and some lucky and lots of research. I do some day trading and seen great opportunities but because I haven’t been sleeping well, I haven’t had a chance to trade, but that’s improving so hopefully I’ll get in soon and make some side money if I do it right.
Oops I meant to say something like the Blackjack table where you can ‘read the cards’ and so improve odds of winning. Ofc you have to do it carefully so they don’t throw you out…but I’m heard of many people making a lot of money that way.
I didn’t mean any random stupid games where the odds are like 30 to 1..those are for morons with more money than brains.
the problem with day trading is the taxes. how do you minimize taxes? you would need to generate ~35% profit just to offset the taxes and be at a net 0.
Ya it might work differently in the US…here in Canada, if daytrading is not your only source of income then you get taxed on 50% on capital gains. So say you make $20k ‘profit’ then you’re only taxed on half of that.
However if daytrading is your only source of income, then it’s treated the same as being self-employed and that cut could be pretty high from 35% to 50% if I recall correctly.
So ya, we can’t escape taxes but if you generate a good amount of money then it’s just something you have to factor in. Like if you want to keep $1m, you need to make $2m….but I’m sure with a good accountant you can find ways around it.
Still if you get very good at the trading game, then it’s all worth it since you’ll make much more money than you would doing anything else.
None of us here are going to be CEO’s, doctors, IT gurus….so there’s very few options available to make a lot of money, esp with a small investment.
In my case I’m dealing with noise issues where I live, so that affects my sleep and I’m not able to trade…it does require a clear, sharp mind and you have to jump in/jump out fast.
I’m giving it till next Spring…if I’m not able to trade consistently then I’ll move out and will probably rent a nice condo. It’ll max out my income, I won’t have any savings and I hate living on the edge like that…but I’ll have peace of mind and if I play my cards right, I could do really well with trading.
Ofc it’s a gamble and the market can always go against you…even the smartest people have been burned. So you have to expect losses…but have enough cash to keep at it.
yes, 35-50% tax typically, though it could be even more than that if you make enough in capital gains. this is how ppl get burned. it’s hard enough picking stocks that do well, but you have to gain AT LEAST 35% to even break even. those are not good odds. even the best day traders don’t make consistent 35% gains. they do well only bc they don’t have to pay taxes on this shit.
I did some teaching of english as a foreign language to students from abroad, a qualification can be quite cheap and easy to get especially if you know your english well, and there is plenty of online material one can simply download for lesson plans etc.
I was also a personal trainer for a while but I sucked at it, I just ended up training people for free because it didn’t feel right to make people pay to know how to look after their health anf fitness.
If you have a car then the uber of lyft sggestions stand, just not sure the logistics involved with that, just keep chips on how much they dock from your tarifs of course.
One can also get paid to walk people’s dogs I heard, sounds dreamy for sure but i’m sure there are a few catches like having to travel to clients places and doing clean-up after the dog (still better than a baby IMO).
If you like baking or making coffee and have resourses to set up a stand at a local flea market or even a road side (without cops coming bully you and help themselves to your cash in fines), might also be an idea, but this one might need some outlay to get started up. Especially if you need to pay govt. goons for a permit to sell.
And If you have a fair talent with an instrument of sorts, I’ve seen plenty of musicians making quite the penny for playing in popular tourist spots and even on the train. (If you are really bad like me, maybe people will pay you to stop? either way win win haha) but jokes aside it seems quite viable however one will be facing the public and if your worries of YT are for similar reasons the courage leap woule be tall.
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk still a thing? Maybe could look into that if it is.
I was never able to get signed up for it but I’d imagine they’d accept you just fine as long as you have a legitimate work history and no other disqualifying issues.
i did mturk years ago. they pay 10x less than min wage.
Yeah, but it’s about all I can think of that’s quick and relatively low energy friendly.
I’m trying to get into content creation and it’s really rough getting noticed trying to build up any kind of following and keeping it up, but if you like writing and books maybe story reading videos? Seen at least one or two soft spoken story teller type content creators out there that do okay. Lots of content reaction type channels out there too.
Wish there were better options I could think of. Stuck in a somewhat similar boat here.
thanks for the suggestion tho. sadly, i have a shit voice so no possible way to voice videos. right, everyone talks about being a YTer but it’s not as easy as ppl think it is. you have to somehow gain traction and get noticed, but most creators don’t get noticed. AND it’s a heck of a lot of work. i mean the ones that actually create content. the ones who do reaction videos don’t do much other than scour the internet and splice videos together. or the ones that just talk and give their opinions as commentators- the work itself is not hard BUT if you speak about anything that might piss ppl off- and you will bc ppl are triggered about everything these days, then you will get hate comments. to be a YTer showing your face generally means you have to have a thick ass skin. which i don’t. so… -_-
There are options, but not many, because… Capitalism hates disabled people! Your value is defined solely by your capability to sell ‘useful’ labor to the ruling class! There are jobs that have next to no barrier of entry (I’ve considered some because I probably couldn’t work most jobs just because of autism), but most aren’t great. Sex work is bad if you have to do it to survive, but it’s an option? Technically? Mechanical Turk-esque services pay less than minimum wage, but will prooobably hire most people There’s a lot of tech jobs you could probably do by reading a few pirated books? There are various jobs for non-profits, libraries, book stores, etc that might be worth looking into? I don’t know.
Yes, Capitalism hates disabled ppl. And you know who else? 95% of ppl also hate disabled ppl. We are seen as useless to them, less than garbage. If I got the help I needed earlier on, I wouldn’t have gotten sicker and become disabled to begin with. Nobody wants to help a disabled person. Nobody gives a shit about anybody else anymore.
@Soda- this is the reason why i don’t want to do YT/social media, bc there’s always assholes who are trying to cause you harm. I’m not a guy so this specific scenario i just watched on “Inquisitor” and “AJ” won’t apply to me. BUT there’s TONS of shit ppl do to others on social media, spreading lies, harassing the YouTuber/poster/commenter, etc for literally no reason other than bc they can. There’s literally THOUSANDS of ppl who commit suicide over social media bullying. And it’s too easy to find someone IRL and harass them IRL as well as online. So many ppl’s lives are ruined bc of bad ppl with evil intent.
That’s why I don’t really want to do anything on YT/social media. I rarely even post a comment. Even something innocuous get ppl triggered. Like you can talk about pink bubble gum and there’s going to be some nut that won’t like what you said and will cyber harass you or hunt you down IRL and show who you are and where you live. Ppl are fucking nuts these days and I don’t trust humans. So…yeah…if it wasn’t for the nuts and assholes online (which is like 90% of ppl), I’d already have a YT channel.