30 ways to boost your income

Time to increase your earnings - here’s 30 ways to boost your income.

The number two goal for the m3 community this year was to increase income and we are here for it! Everyone wants to know how to make money, aside from the basic concept of a job with a salary. Side hustles are very popular - we love them too, but…before you lock in, read our 5 tips for launching a side hustle.

Otherwise, read through our list of ideas below, get inspired, give something a go and share any of your own income-increasing ideas in our Facebook group!

1. Ask for a rise or promotion at work.

This is probably the most effective way to earn more money without having to necessarily increase your workload. To learn how to do this successfully, read our blog with the 3 steps of asking for a pay rise.

2. Cut back on your expenses.

Sounds obvious, but maybe you need to really strip everything down and get back to basics. Instead of focusing on making income go up, let’s bring expenses down. What expenses have crept in that you no longer need? Get real about it - strip your budget back to true essentials, and build up from there. Use Glen’s sound financial house as a guide for rebuilding.

3. Get into a sales role.

Maximise the opportunity to earn a base salary and sales commission on top. Perfect if you’re a driven person and love talking with people.

4. Become a manager of people or processes.

Anyone who can do this has amazing potential to increase businesses revenue, and they’re paid well for it! Another one for those who love working with people.

5. Create your own business.

Capitalise on the success of your business! Be warned - this comes with decent responsibilities too.

6. Become a specialist.

If you can niche down your role you’ll be a rarity, and therefore be able to set your price! Pro tip: ensure you don’t end up too niched that your role isn’t needed any more - stay ahead of the industry and trained up to provide the next thing clients need.

7. Help people with hands-on skills.

If you can sew, weld, fix, mend, chop, solder, glue, create or repair anything with your hands you will 100% find someone who wants to pay you for that skill. Advertise your skills online and go and weld a spot on someone's trailer, patch up the busted seams on that kids' school shorts or simply paint a fence - get known for it.

8. Freelance in your area of expertise.

What are you the expert on? Set yourself up and earn a bit of extra cash on the side in an area you’re skilled in (ensure you’re set up properly for tax by getting an ABN if it’s a serious thing).

9. Sell handmade crafts or goods on Etsy.

Have a crafty skill? Use it and market it to make some cash! Learn how to market it well and find the people online who dig what you make.

10. Rent out a spare room.

If you’ve got a spare room going it’ll be hot property right so set it up to be rented out! 

11. Offer your services as a pet-sitter, dog-walker, or house-sitter.

If you’re an animal lover you need to get in this game asap. Likewise members of the m3 community have demonstrated the benefits of house-sitting, especially if they have a remote job, with many hopping house to house for many months back to back. It can be done!

12. Participate in focus groups or market research studies.

There are a million online sites offering these kinds of focus groups or studies online - check out the ones you like and sign up.

13. Drive for a ride-sharing service.

Check out all the services available in your area and get a sense for how much extra you can earn before signing up. Ensure you consider things like related car costs on this one.

14. Offer to do tasks for others online, through services like Airtasker.

If you’re handy or super organised you could consider signing up online to complete tasks others don’t want to do for cash! You could simply be running errands for people, but give it a go.

15. Rent out your car.

Whether you use an online service for this or you find someone to rent your car to on your own, think through whether this could help increase your income, or at minimum, help cover the costs of your car.

16. Participate in online surveys or user testing.

Similar to focus groups, these online surveys are everywhere. Suss out their incentives and cash in on the ones that suit your income creation goals.

17. Offer virtual tutoring or coaching services.

What are you good at, that you could teach others? Offer up your tuition online and make some cash! Benefit of this one is you’re likely to find regular customers who need ongoing training, so you’ll be setting yourself up for a sweet lineup of customers.

18. Start a blog or YouTube channel and monetise it through ads or sponsorships.

Start creating content and don’t stop - these platforms are all about making content consistently to see the wins stack up. YouTube/write about something that resonates with you so it will be easy to plan, film and edit, and hang tight for monetisation!

19. Offer freelance writing or content creation services.

If you’re good with words, offer to write social media posts, blogs or emails for local businesses. Likewise if you’re good at writing, offer your skills to write things like cover letters or business reports! People who are great with words are key people.

20. Sell stock photography or video footage.

If you’re handy with a camera, flip that gear into a money making mechanism by selling your footage through stock websites, or even turn it into a side hustle! Likewise you could offer to take pictures for local musicians or families looking to capture a cute family photo. 

21. Host online courses or workshops.

There’s pretty solid hunger out there for courses nowadays, and they can vary from how to crochet, right through to complex science lessons. They can be professionally focused, or simply for a fun watercolour hobby for your weekends. Think through what you could offer others, and sign up to one of the many available educational platforms online.

22. Create and sell digital products like e-books, printables, or templates.

Again this requires opening your mind a bit, shaking it out, and seeing what knowledge or skill you can share with others. A simple digital download can be the start of way more content and exposure, so don’t be afraid to create an education ebook or template. Focus on what your strength is in this space, and just go for it!

23. Sell your artwork and prints on online platforms.

If you’re the arty type it’s time to share your artwork with the world! Even simple artistic prints are hot picks for online buyers, so give it a go! 

24. Offer transcription services.

In this content driven world we live in, transcription services are crucial. Perfect if you type like a wizard and can churn through tasks fast. There are online sites you can sign up for to do this, or you could seek out businesses on your own.

25. Offer translation services.

Obviously targeted to those very talented individuals who can speak multiple languages! But a very vital skill - see where you could be paid for it.

26. Rent out your parking space through a platform.

If you have a dedicated parking spot but no car, rent it out! 

27. Participate in website testing or user experience research.

Sign up and let businesses know what using their websites or processes are like - this information is invaluable for online businesses.

28. Sell your used clothing or accessories on online platforms and marketplaces.

Go through that wardrobe! Anything that’s still of good quality and hasn’t been used for the last 2 years can be sold.

29. Work as a virtual assistant or administrative assistant.

If you’re organised, have a computer and solid internet this could be an easy fit! Obviously ensure your word processing and organisation skills are on fire and you’ll be set.

30. Offer bookkeeping or accounting services.

Hello numbers people. Reach out to local small businesses and see how you could assist them with the bookkeeping and admin side of the business. This stuff often detracts from the fun things business owners love to do, so step in and offer to support them.