When you’re running a business you need to make enough money to cover your overheads and turn a profit. You also need to pay yourself a salary too.
It stands to reason then, that any way you can make a little extra money on the side outside of your business – could be a massive help to your financial situation.
Whilst finding the time can be tough, there is certainly no shortage of money-making options out there, from making spare pennies to raising an impressive chunk of change.
We’re going to run through some tips for how to make extra money at home to make your life that little bit easier.
1. Online surveys
The big selling point of online survey sites is you get paid for sitting at home offering your opinions. Simply log on and choose the right site for you.
Variety is the spice of life. We’re not talking a load of boring box-ticking exercises. Online surveys can take the form of watching videos or even playing games.
There’s something to suit everyone’s taste, whether you’re having fun with Swagbucks, or using a more challenging site such as Prolific Academic.
The former pays out £2.40 per hour, whereas you receive a whole £10 per survey with the latter. It isn’t mega money, and you have to put the time in, but it’s worth considering…
2. Selling online
You may already be selling business items online.
But what about this? Selling things you don’t use anymore. There are plenty of marketplace websites you can do this, with eBay and Etsy being just two.
The items you sell could be clothes, DVDs, tech, furniture… look around you and see what you can find that you no longer need.
An added bonus with DVDs or Blu-Rays is you can offload the digital codes inside, which are on slips of paper tucked into the case. Don’t waste them, flog them!
You could be opening a new avenue of business, by seeing what’s profitable and what isn’t. Check out charity shops for rare items that could make big returns.
3. Cashback
If you don’t know what cashback is, you’re going to love it. In essence, it’s getting money for free. And you can’t say fairer than that in business.
It works by providers (such as TopCashBack and Quidco) offering an amount of anything from 1 – 5% back on your retail purchases.
The sum is basically their commission, which they receive from companies they direct traffic to via their cashback links. You get the reward and it’s completely free.
Make sure you find and click on the links as you check out your shopping. All you have to do then is wait for the cashback to roll in, which can take a few weeks to months depending on the retailer.
The best part is, if you haven’t signed up to the cashback sites yet, then you get a welcome bonus upon signing up. For example, you can get £15 cashback on a Just Eat takeaway when you sign up to Quidco for free.
4. Financial fine tuning
Here’s a question concerning your finances that you might be overlooking: Are you monitoring your spending efficiently and effectively enough to maximise the extra income you do make?
Here’s the thing. Budgeting is a no brainer when it comes to running a business, but not everyone has a head for figures. That’s where finance apps come in.
These give a clear overview of your ingoings and outgoings and get you saving as well as acquiring precious money. Plus they give you the confidence to manage your affairs.
There’s little point making cash on the side if it’s all going down a bottomless pit in the first place. So streamline your approach to financial flow and see the difference.
5. Become an affiliate
Should you have a sizeable online presence, then becoming an affiliate marketer is a relatively hassle-free way of earning income on the side.
It’s pretty straightforward. By hosting links on your website or blog, and posting details on social media, you can be rewarded for pointing folk in a company’s direction.
Pulling this off can be a dream, as the work is flexible and above all potentially profitable. And if you’re not online that much, think about how you could be.
Why sit there fretting about funds when you could be sitting there ramping up your earnings with just a few clicks of the mouse…?
