Figure out how to make money with a laptop and internet even when you don’t know what you’re doing or where to start.
I know the title of this post sound click-baitey, but the reality is that you really only do need a laptop (or desktop computer if you prefer the OG) and an internet connection to make money online – and no, you don’t need years of experience either.
You’ve all seen the countless videos on social media touting the millions of dollars certain influencers are making on a daily basis…
I don’t know if all of that is true or not, but what I do know is that it is possible to make a fulltime living online. I know, because I’m living it.
Going in, I did have a graphic design background to work from, which helped, but in the end wasn’t necessary. You can realistically start from nothing and work your way up and build on the skills you already have. And, I know you have more skills than you think you do.
It won’t happen overnight, but if you just pick one (or a few) to try and stay consistent, change as you go, you will see profits start to trickle in.
Below are my top picks for the best ways for people without experience (or a lot of money) to start making money online.
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I could earn a commission if you purchase through my links, however, there is no cost to you. Rest assured, I only promote products that I use or think are great. Thanks for reading!!
How To Make Money With A Laptop And Internet
1. Start a Blog
I’m starting with blogging because I think it is one of the easier entry points to this whole make money online gig economy. It also sets you up to have a really solid foundation for an actual online business – not just a social media account that can be shut down or that people forget about in a day or two.
If you start a blog, you have a tangible asset that can have evergreen content that can make you passive income for years to come.
You make money blogging through ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, your own products and more. Your blog is very versatile and can be a starting point for a lot of different online income streams.
Head on over to my post Believe the Hype: How to Start a Blog and Make Money for a step-by-step guide to set up your first blog and get started.
If you have a grasp of what’s involved with starting a blog already, I always recommend Bluehost for domain names and hosting. I use them for both of my blogs. They are cheap and their customer service is excellent.
2. Affiliate Marketing
The buzz online right now is affiliate marketing, and for good reason.
You don’t need any money to get started, you only have to know how to navigate online and/or social media, and you don’t have to worry about shipping products or dealing with customer service.
It’s like being a digital salesperson, but without the cheesy suit and sales pitch.
You promote products or services and get a commission for every sale made through your unique affiliate link. It’s actually a pretty sweet deal.
The whole trick (and it can definitely be a trick) to affiliate marketing is getting traffic to your affiliate links. You can do this with a blog (see above), social media posts, ads, SEO, etc…
You’ll want to make sure you choose a product or products that you know and love. You don’t want to promote something you don’t believe in or it won’t come across as authentic. And, be honest about your thoughts on products. You don’t want to be scammy.
Most retailers and products have affiliate programs you can sign up for, even giants like Amazon or Walmart, or there are affiliate networks like Clickbank or Share A Sale that have a lot of different affiliate programs you can sign up for all in one place.
For more information, read my post Not A Pyramid: How To Make Passive Income With Affiliate Marketing.
You can also sign up for Michelle’s Course if you want a step-by-step walkthrough in a PDF format. This course focuses more on blog affiliate marketing. I took the course and still refer to it to this day.
Another option that I also took is the 90 Minute Affiliate Challenge. It is in video format and focuses more on social media affiliate marketing. This one is free and only 90 minutes, so it is definitely worth at least a look.
3. Master Resell Rights
A Master Resell Rights digital product online business is one of my all-time favorite ways for how to make money with a laptop and internet connection. I truly think this is one of the best ways to enter the online business world.
These are products – eBooks, software, courses – that you can buy once and then sell repeatedly, under your own name or brand, keeping 100% of the profits. It’s like buying a cake recipe, baking endless cakes, and selling them all.
What I like best about Master Resell Rights is that the digital product that you buy to resell is usually a training. In this way, you get a done for you product, and a step-by-step training course on how to set up your online business. It is a true win-win.
With Master Resell Rights, you buy the product outright once. There are no MLM scammy upsells or different levels that are unlocked if you pay a certain amount. You get it all upfront and can do with it what you please.
This again gives you a real tangible product that you can build upon and that you own.
You can check out the Master Resell Rights digital product I chose HERE.
For more information on the ins and outs, read my post What is a Master Resell Rights Online Business and Why You Should Start One.
4. Sell Printables
If you’ve been reading this blog at all, you know that I also sell printables. It has been a nice little side hustle for me and I think anyone should start it. You really don’t need to have a design bone to do this either.
Printables are digital files that customers buy, download, and print themselves. Think planners, art, organizers, menus, or even budget trackers. It’s a booming market where creativity and organization meets convenience, and yes, it’s a legit way where you can learn how to make money with a laptop and internet.
I would suggest doing some research on the types of printables that appeal to you or that you maybe have some knowledge about. Maybe a printable type that you’ve bought in the past. You’re going to want to think about what niche within the printables market you want to be in.
You can use paid Adobe products or free ones like Canva to design your printables. You then sell them through online platforms like Etsy, or your own website shop with a program like Shopify.
You don’t have to worry about shipping or inventory since everything is digital. You will have to have a way to handle customer service though. Reviews are paramount with this side hustle.
For more information, read my post Couch Cash: How to Sell Printables Online Without Leaving Your Netflix Zone.
You can also check out Julia and Cody’s Printables Course.
5. Write an eBook
Amazon KDP has made writing books easier than ever.
You no longer need to spend a year planning out your novel and hope that a publisher deems you worthy enough to go to print.
Anyone can go on Amazon and publish a short, low content book on any subject and get sales. Your sales will obviously depend on how many views your listings get and how popular they become, but the whole process is relatively straightforward.
You can find set-up templates right on Amazon and you don’t need any fancy software.
I would recommend doing your research for a niche that you want to be in and know something about. See what’s selling and what is getting good reviews and then do your take on it. Also make sure you edit and format well. Nothing will kill your sales faster than grammatical errors and a book that’s hard to read.
Read my post Master The Magical World of Passive Income: eBook Writing for Beginners for more information.
You can also check out Jessica’s Low Content eBook Course.
6. Online Store with Drop Shipping
I bet you didn’t think learning how to make money with a laptop and internet would include an online store with real products and all, did you?
Drop shipping is like being a shopkeeper, minus the actual shop. You sell products on your online store, but when someone buys, the order goes directly to the supplier who ships it to the customer. You never touch the inventory.
Setting up a drop shipping online store is pretty straightforward and there are low startup costs.
Do a little research and find a supplier with a product you want to sell. Do your main research on the supplier since they are the major part of your business.
Then you’re going to need to set up a website with shopping cart to actually sell your products.
I always recommend Shopify since they are the big guys in the biz and have the most support and biggest selection of templates.
Integrate your new site with your supplier’s system and you are all set to start marketing your store.
Marketing will be your biggest task in this business model since you will have your standalone website and will not be on a marketplace with built in shoppers.
7. Teach an Online Course
If you want to learn how to make money with a laptop and internet, you start researching different articles (like this one), or, you might take an online course.
To flip that around, you can also be the teacher and make money doing it.
This can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it.
You can create a video course on a platform like Teachable that has a built-in audience, or you can create a video or simple PDF course and sell it yourself on your own website.
Check out my post How to Create Online Course Income: 5 Side Hustles That’ll Make You Say, “Why Didn’t I Think of That?” for more info on the different ways you can make money online with courses.
Or, you can head on over to Teachable and check out their platform to get teaching right away.
8. Start a YouTube Channel
If you think YouTube is just for cat videos and fail compilations, think again.
There’s serious money to be made here.
Whether it’s through ad revenue, sponsorships, or merchandise sales, YouTube has turned many regular folks into internet sensations with bank accounts to match.
If you’re serious about really making a go with a YouTube Channel, you’ll probably want to invest in a good camera and microphone, but honestly, most people just use their smartphones and do just fine.
The main thing that people who go to YouTube are looking for is helpful content. If you can help someone solve a problem – think software tutorials, how to fix a leaking toilet, how to draw cartoons, etc… you’ll have no problem on YouTube.
The other end of the spectrum is just pure entertainment – either inspirational or downright funny.
If you’re camera averse, you can even start a YouTube channel without showing your face or even using your own voice. You can use AI software like FLIKI, use stock video, or just show how a product works with your hands showing. Some people use whiteboard drawings or even animations.
The key is using the right keywords and marketing your channel – either with a blog (see above) or other social media channels. YouTube has a huge built-in audience, so if you’re consistent and produce the content that people want to see, you can make money here.
For more info, check out my post How to Make Money On YouTube Without Showing Your Face or Losing Your Dignity.
9. Freelancing
Ahhh…freelancing.
Welcome to the land of freelancing, the original “work from home” gig. The dress code is comfy, and the office hours are, well, whenever you want.
It’s about using your skills – be it writing, graphic design, programming, or anything in between – to offer services on a project-by-project or hourly basis. It’s a fantastic way to start learning how to make money with a laptop and internet, and the best part? You’re the boss.
Whatever you do for a living, you can pretty much do freelance. The main ones are writing, graphic design, programming, and social media. If you don’t have any of these skills, you can watch YouTube videos and search Google for all you need to know.
Writing is by far the easiest one to break into. You can start writing on platforms like Medium, your own blog (see above), or check sites like FlexJobs and/or Upwork for freelance starter jobs. Get a good review or two and you’re in business.
The best part about freelance work is that if you get recurring corporate clients, you can make a lot of money. You also get to control who you work with and how much work you want to take on.
The downside is that you are still trading your time for money, so it’s not really a passive income stream. BUT, it can be a great way to get going in the online business world and get out of your 9 to 5.
I have done lots of freelance gigs over the years and I would highly recommend it if you want a reliable income source that can pay a very good wage.
10. Transcriptionist
When you sign up to be an online transcriptionist, you listen to audio or video files and type out what’s said. It’s that simple.
And the best part? You can do it from anywhere.
The demand ranges from legal and medical to podcasts and interviews. It’s a less talked about, but effective way to start learning how to make money with a laptop and internet.
You’ll have to develop a good ear and be able to type with speed and accuracy, and you may have to take a test to get started on some platforms. Some people decide to invest in a headset, but there aren’t any big costs to try your hand at this.
I recommend trying a transcriptionist platform like GoTranscript.
11. Sell Print on Demand
There’s a lot of hype online with print on demand (POD), especially with AI.
Print on demand turns your designs into real products only when someone wants them. T-shirts, mugs, books, you name it – you design it, and a third-party company prints and ships it upon order. No inventory headaches, no upfront costs.
You can upload designs to platforms or integrate the platforms into your online website storefront, Amazon or Etsy. Printiful, Printify, Teespring, Society6, Zazzle, etc… are all options to check out.
Since this is an easier side hustle to start, the competition is fierce, and a lot of online platforms are starting to charge to post your designs. They want to week out the riff raff.
The key here is quality and quantity, and being creative with trends also helps. Try to find a niche to differentiate yourself with original art or designs so that you can’t easily be replicated.
I have done print on demand on several sites and it does in fact work, but you do need to have to try to amass a larger body of work. The profit margins are very low, so you won’t make much on each sale. That being said, it is one of the more fun ways to learn how to make money with a laptop and internet.
12. Book Reviewer
If you love losing yourself in a good book, why not get paid for it?
Book reviewing can be a delightful side hustle for bibliophiles. Publishers and authors pay for honest, thoughtful reviews of their work.
You can’t just say that something was good or that you liked it. You’ll have to put in the effort to write reviews that provide real value to readers and writers alike.
Websites like OnlineBookClub.org, Kirkus Reviews, The US Review of Books, Reedsy, BookList, BookBrowse, NetGalley or Goodreads offer opportunities to get paid for book reviews, or you could start your own blog or YouTube Channel (see above) to share your reviews and build an audience.
Be honest, detailed and constructive with your reviews since your credibility is key here. You’ll also want to stay consistent so people can follow your work and get to know you. This is invaluable when you want to network with authors and publishers for more opportunities.
13. Virtual Assistant
Think of a Virtual Assistant (VA) as the people who do all the million little tasks that you usually don’t want to have to do if you’re a busy professional.
They handle a variety of tasks – from managing emails and schedules to social media and customer service. And yes, it’s a fantastic way to learn how to make money with a laptop and internet, especially if you’re organized, adaptable, and have a knack for juggling tasks without breaking a sweat.
You’ll most likely want to set up a LinkedIn profile or maybe even a simple website (I use Bluehost) to showcase the skills that you have, but that’s pretty much all the prep you’ll need. Word of mouth and networking are the keys to getting this going.
I haven’t personally done a virtual assistant gig, but I know a few who have, and they say it is a reliable way to make side money, or even turn it into a fulltime income.
Check out sites like FlexJobs, Belay Solutions, Time etc., and Fancy Hands.
How To Make Money With A Laptop and Internet
Well, that’s all she wrote – a tour through 13 online side hustles that prove how to make money with a laptop and internet is not just a spammy catchy phrase, but a very achievable reality. See, told ya.
Each one has their pluses and minuses, but the key is that they are all doable. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist or some creative genius. You just need the patience, persistence, and a little bit of good ol’ fashioned determination to get going.
The beauty of all of thee is that they can also be rewarding and fulfilling. You are creating your own business, your own brand that you can be proud of – and earning some money to make your life better.
Double win.
All the more reason to get goin’! 😊
