If you’re in direct sales, you probably have looked a time or too at some ways to earn a side income. Whether it’s income to pay the mortgage, a car payment, or kid’s activities, side incomes can help us to make the bills or help to monetize your existing business.
Direct sellers typically earn less that a 40% commission. And chances are you’re putting in more than 40% of your day or week. Instead of working harder on one business, have you considered finding creative ways to earn additional streams of income like blogging, monetizing, affiliate income, or perhaps selling some of your digital assets?
Becoming a leader within your DS organization is definitely a way to help close the gap on income, however not everyone wants to ‘manage’ or lead other people. So how do you consistently make a full time salary while still leaving enough time for the things that matter? Well, we can help!
Sell Digital Assets
You probably have some content laying around if you’re a social marketer, so why not leverage that as a starting point to making some extra cash? Did you know people will pay you for the graphics, checklists, templates, SVG files, and more that you have created? In fact, it’s in high demand. People like you lack confidence in their creative skills or time to get it all done so they look for people to make it for them and they will pay you for it.
Take a peek in the files on your computer and see what you have hiding in there. Dust it off, maybe make it more current, and consider opening a storefront on Direct Creatives. You’ll earn up to 80% commission back on every digital product you sell and you get to set your pricing. It’s amazing what you find sitting on your own hard drive that could be making you some money RIGHT NOW.
Affiliate Income
The best way to start making some side income is through affiliates. Amazon affiliates are one of the best ways to create additional streams of income and since you probably already share links to things you bought on Amazon, why not. Watch terms and conditions when you become an affiliate; for example on Amazon, links have to be shared on a public channel, not in a closed group.
Besides Amazon, there are a plethora of other affiliate opportunities. Look for companies that would fit what your clients would use or appreciate. If you’re a boutique owner, then maybe you find a shoe or jewelry company that you love. If you’re a home decor brand owner, maybe you find a ribbon company who has an affiliate program. Basically anything that would complement your brand would be a great place to start.
Disclaimer: check with your direct sales brand’s policy and procedures (P&P) to ensure you can be an affiliate/cross-promote for another brand.
Become a Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistants (also known as VAs) are a great transition for a seasoned content creator. There are so many direct sales leaders that would rather pay someone to make their graphics, create their content plan, research industry trends, post/schedule to social media, and edit videos for them, so they can dedicate their time to coaching, training, and course creation. And you don’t have to be in direct sales to be a VA. There are plenty VA opportunities for all organizations and can be flexible.
Invest in Your Business
Now this one might take a minute to absorb, but investing in your business is one of the crazy creative ways to earn a side income. Take a look at your business model. What can you do to increase the way you bring your products or services to your clients instead of trying to bring clients to your products and services. For example, if you own a kitchen and cooking business, consider investing in coaching or training to help you perfect live cooking demos or hosting meal plan classes. If you own a mobile business, evaluate the cost to add a vehicle to your fleet to increase your reach or additional equipment that will help you produce more.
Clean House
You probably do this on a regular basis, BUT next time, look for unique things laying around and taking up space in your home. The new Netflix show Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things talks about living a life by the idea that less is more; more happiness, more time, more money.
Frequently cleaning your home and evaluating how often you use things can help you make some extra cash when you sell those items on Facebook Marketplace or Offer Up. You quickly realize that you may have a lot of ‘things’ but don’t use or need them often. By acquiring less, you will find you have more money in your savings or for important bills.
Tutor Kids Online
Okay, okay, this may not be as easy as it seems, but stick with us here. So if we think about this, it’s actually a pretty genius idea, especially if you’re already a teacher. Some companies require a bachelor’s degree while others will train you. Companies all over the world are looking for tutors. Hours are flexible, like Chegg, who offers 24/7 tutoring support.
Coach and Consult Others
You may not think of yourself as an expert, but chances are if you have been doing something long enough, there are those just getting started who think of you as an expert. Creating and selling courses or offering coaching or consulting calls is another way to monetize your knowledge. People either want to get one-to-one time with you or they are looking for quick courses to help educate them on just about anything. Heck, YouTube is basically a bunch of online courses that are out there for free. But guess what? People BUY courses, too. And you can sell courses and book appointments right on Direct Creatives!
Whatever ways you choose to add income streams, make sure you’re still prioritize the things that are important. Don’t add to your plate; the goal is to grow without hours in the day. What are some other ideas you have? We’d love to add your thoughts to the list! Shoot us an email at hello@directcreatives.com and let us know!
