This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
This essay is based on a conversation with Grace Ryu, a 23-year-old content creator based in Houston. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I quit my tech job in March 2023 to explore other income streams. The 9-5 took up too much of my time and I wanted to focus on ways to make money while I slept or traveled.
Pursuing different streams of income aligns with my personality — it satisfies my desire to explore and try as much as possible. If I get bored in one area, I can shift my focus to another, and if one stream isn’t as profitable, I have others to fall back on.
Here’s a breakdown of my eight income streams, with earnings, difficulty level and time spent each week:
1. Luxury picnic business
Easy rating: 9/10
Profitable rating: 7/10
I run a luxury picnic business with my best friend and my boyfriend. We first posted our products on Facebook Marketplace and school flyers and we made it through the first week of showing them.
We reinvested all that money into expanding the business model, such as buying more equipment for group picnics. Since then we have partnered with businesses such as Kendra Scott, local hotels and Texas A&M University.
We have a team of six people, so I no longer do the physical set up and tear down, and I only put in one hour a week. During the months of March through May, October and November (peak picnic months), I can take home up to $3,000 a month.
It’s easy and affordable to get started and doesn’t require much skill other than having an eye for aesthetics. It is also profitable because profit margins are very high as there are little to no variable costs.
2. Influencer Brand Offers
Easy rating: 8/10
Profitable rating: 10/10
I’m a micro influencer and I have a TikTok account where I post about my life, income streams and product deals.
Brands reach out and ask me to post an exclusive or embedded TikTok video. I used to make content for brands for free, but now I charge at least $1,000 per post.
I spend about an hour a week on brand deals. At first, creating content and editing was difficult because I had to get used to the software and apps. After doing it for two years, I’m very fast at it because I know exactly which clips to add and how to do voices.
It takes time to build a following on a platform, but once you get there, it’s very easy to work with brands for sponsorships. I earn $1,000 to $2,000 per post for about an hour of work.
3. Affiliate marketing
Easy rating: 7/10
Profitability rating: 9/10
I started doing affiliate marketing through Amazon influencer program and I earn from $500 to $2000 monthly.
In my TikToks, I feature work from home essentials from Amazon and link them. Then people go to my storefront and buy through the links and I get paid a commission.
It takes about five minutes to apply for the program, but you must have a social media profile that promotes content.
If you never post anything, you will probably get rejected. I have friends who only have a few hundred followers, but they do unboxing videos, so they were accepted.
Anyone can do affiliate marketing because it’s easy to get started, but money isn’t always guaranteed. It takes a lot of time and patience on any social media platform for a post to go viral, which will bring in sales. Once that happens, the money comes in quickly over a few months and it’s all passive income.
4. User Generated Content
Easy rating: 4/10
Profitability rating: 8/10
User-generated content (UGC) differs from sponsorships because it is content for brands to use directly. I was working with an eyelash company that paid me to make TikToks, but I don’t post that content on my account.
I have a few retainer customers, which means I get paid a regular monthly fee in exchange for a set amount of content.
I earn about $6,000 to $8,000 a month from UGC. It takes about eight hours a week and can be more demanding than other income streams. I need to create videos that convert well, which takes extra brain power.
5. Residence
Easy rating: 10/10
Profitable rating: 10/10
I got into pet sitting as a side gig while working in tech. I started with Rover, an app that connects pet owners with sitters. Profile creation and background checks are quick and you can start earning as soon as you book.
It’s perfect for remote workers like me — getting paid to hang out with cute animals is great, and I can still manage other tasks like checking on my picnic business, answering emails, or creating content.
In January 2024, I was pet sitting almost every day and I enjoyed it because it was such a relaxing job. The only downside is that I didn’t get to travel as much since I had to stay with the pets.
It is an extremely easy side effect if you understand pet care and behavior. Pets are super easy to work with as long as they aren’t puppies — puppies are more work.
6. Airbnb arbitrage
Easy rating: 2/10
Profitable rating: 4/10
Airbnb arbitrage is my least favorite income stream — I might give it up soon because the Airbnb market isn’t as hot as it was a few years ago.
How it works is that I rent a property from an owner for $1,700, for example, and when my business partner and I get the green light to use it as a short- or medium-term rental, we list the property on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. We are renters, but we act more like property managers and then we earn profit from these listings.
After splitting the profits with my business partner, my net profit is about $600 per month. Since we focus mainly on intermediate stays, which require less frequent changes, my partner and I spend about five to six hours per month on maintenance and cleaning, usually at the end of each stay.
It’s my least favorite company because the financial risk is the highest — you have to meet the needs of the guests and the work is not pleasant either. After monthly expenses, I don’t think the payout is enough to justify the effort.
7. Selling digital products
Easy rating: 10/10
Profitable rating: 4/10
I created a content creation e-book because I had a lot of people on social media asking me to guide them. Whenever people ask me about creating content, I direct them to my link so they can buy my ebook.
I sell it for $20, and every month I make $60 to $80. I don’t promote it that much since I only have it as a resource when people ask.
Anyone who has enough knowledge about a certain topic can create an e-book or digital product, so it’s easy to do. However, it takes time and effort to bring in the sales.
8. Paramana
Easy rating: 8/10
Profitability rating: 9/10
I am a nanny for a family that flies me from Houston to New York three or four times a year. I stay for two to three weeks and get paid $1,200 a week.
My daily routine is pretty simple — I take the girls to school in the morning and when I get back I can make content or go out and explore the city. When the girls come home, I eat dinner, play with them, and then put them to bed.
The families I care for in Houston and the family I nanny for in New York are all amazing to me and compensate me generously, which makes my job enjoyable and easy. The hardest part is when the kids are sick because I have to be more practical. Other than that, once you get used to their routines, it’s very relaxed.
I wish I had diversified my income earlier
Even though building my income streams took a lot of hustle up front, I wish I had started sooner. I went from making $8/hour working a labor intensive job as a ranch hand to now making over $100,000 a year from just 40 hours of work a month.
For those thinking of creating more income streams, don’t be reckless or stingy with your spending. Be brave enough to invest in yourself, a business idea or others. If your dreams don’t scare you a little, they might not be big enough.
