Rake in cash giving advice
These savvy women have figured out ways to earn big money by sharing their knowledge with others. Read on for their secrets so you can start earning too!
“I earn 7 figures offering money-saving tips online”
“About 7 years ago, I was a stay-at-home mom with two kids under 3. My husband and I were constantly fighting about how much I was spending. I needed to do something to keep me out of the stores and hold myself accountable. Since I always liked to write, I decided to start a blog, LivingWellSpendingLess.com. Soon I realized that I could make money sharing what I learned and giving other women advice.
“To get started, I created an editorial calendar, which included the titles of blogs I would write and the dates they would be posted. As I read books and magazines and looked online for ways to save money and time, I’d try them, tweak them a bit and come up with my own systems that worked for me. Then I’d share them on my blog. I gave advice on how to save on groceries, how to create a financial plan and how to pay off debt. I also answered readers’ questions and conducted surveys to find out my readers’ most pressing issues.
“After about a year of building my audience by optimizing my posts for search engines and posting on social media, I started making money running ads and sponsored posts. Today I earn a seven-figure income, most of which comes from selling my own products, like books, DVDs, worksheets, coffee mugs and the Living Well Planner.
“I love helping women improve their lives. And the money I earn has allowed my husband to quit his job and us to pay off our mortgage, travel and build a school in Africa!”
“I bring in up to $300 an hour reviewing products”
“I work full-time as a clinical educator at a hospital, but I was look
ing to make extra money. When friends told me about Maven.co, a company that pays you to answer questions for companies doing research and product development, I knew it would be the perfect gig.
“Signing up was simple. I filled out an application, which included my education, employment history and the industry I have knowledge about. The great thing about Maven is that you can consult for any of their industries, including health care, education and food, but you don’t have to have a certain level of education or experience to make money.
“Most of the companies that ask for my advice are medical and educational companies. They send me a questionnaire with information about a product, like a piece of equipment, and ask me if I think it’s necessary or if it should be improved. They might also ask me about a process and how it’s used where I work.
“Pay varies based on the company and the amount of time the survey takes, but I make anywhere between $90 and $300 for about 45 minutes of work. If I refer someone who has more expertise than me on a topic, I get a referral bonus. I do one or two questionnaires a week and make between $500 and $750 a month.
“I love working for Maven because I can do it from home on my own schedule and I also get to help shape new products or services. The money I make pays for new clothes, manicures or a day at the spa!”
“I make $15,000 a year teaching work-at-home do’s & don’ts”
“I used to be a professional puppeteer, and I worked a variety of side jobs, like mystery shopping, to help pay the bills. Since I had taken classes at local community-education centers in the past, I knew that I didn’t need a degree or experience to teach, and I realized that teaching one of these classes would be a great way to give other people advice about how to make money working from home while also making some money myself.
“Finding teaching opportunities couldn’t have been easier. I simply contacted my local community-education center as well as those in surrounding towns and submitted proposals with an outline of the course I planned on teaching and the curriculum. I teach a three-hour, one-night workshop called ‘Is it a Real Work-at-Home Job or a Scam?’ My students are mostly women— stay-at-home moms, small-business owners and retirees who are looking for flexible ways to bring in some extra money.
“The community centers handle all the marketing, but I also promote my course to my network and on my website, WorkAtHomeFAQ.com. As long as I continue to fill the classes with students, the schools continue to ask me back. I usually teach at 10 locations, or 20 classes every quarter.
“I get paid a percentage of how many people are enrolled, which adds up to $9,000 to $15,000 a year— money that pays for my vacations.”