Author: The Virtual Diver

Online Business 101: A Beginners Guide to Creating an Online Business
Online Business 101: A Beginners Guide to Creating an Online Business

Online Business 101: A Beginners Guide to Creating an Online Business

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Taking the necessary steps to creating an online business can often be challenging and confusing, that is why I have laid out a straight forward way for you to start creating your online business and get it to the next step!

Here are the steps I take when creating an online business;

1. Have an Idea/Plan

The first thing you need to do when thinking about building a website or starting an online business, is to have an idea and overall plan of what it is you hope to do/achieve.

Ask yourself these questions before continuing;

  • What is your goal?
    • Is it to make money? To put out information?
  • What is it that you are selling?
    • A product? Service?

Once those questions have been answered and you know what type of business/website you want, then you can move forward.

2. Business/Company Name

Your business won’t get too far if people don’t know its name.

What is the name of your website or business going to be?

**Be sure to make it catchy and something that will be easy for your visitors to remember**

Check to see that name is available

  • Once you figure out the name you want to use for your website/company, you have to research to make sure it is available. It can be a real bummer to come up with a bunch of ideas around a name only to find out that the name is already in use. So, save yourself some trouble and do some research first before spending any money.
    • You can look up the status of the name you want to use by searching these different databases;
      • Google – The first place to search would be a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, search the title that you’re looking for both with and without spaces to get the best results. If the name you want is taken, then back to the drawing board. If, however your search yields no results, then continue down the list to keep verifying your title’s availability.
      • URL Search- The next place to search would be in the URL search bar, that can be a very quick way to figure out if the URL is taken.
      • GoDaddy / Bluehost – Another quick and great place to check the availability of a URL is a place that actually sells them, such as Bluehost or GoDaddy.
      • USPTO – Government Trademark Search
      • Social Media – Since social media is such a huge part of present culture and a majority of the world’s everyday lives, there is no better place to advertise your company. But before you can start advertising your company, you need to make sure that the name you want to use isn’t already in use on another page. That’s why doing a quick search for your name in question on top social media sites before you purchase a domain name can save some potential headaches in the future.
        • Twitch (For Streamers)
        • YouTube
  • Freelancer Sites – If you plan on selling a product or service through a platform such as Etsy or Fiverr, then you’re also going to want to check those websites to see if anyone is selling by the same name. Here are some places to check out;
  • Email/Gmail – You will also want to make sure that you can secure an email account with the name you want to use for future contact and business purposes. Not only will having an email that is the same name as your companies make you look more professional, but it will also help in keeping all your business documents separate and prevent cluttering & lost mail.
    • I recommend using Gmail since it allows you to link all of your accounts together making it very easy to keep track and stay organized.

3. Get Domain Name/Domain Hosting

  • Once you pick a name you want and made sure that it’s available, the next step would be to actually purchase the domain name for yourself so you can secure it and start using it for your website.
  • You are also going to need to have a hosting plan in order to actually have your websites up and running, I recommend getting one through one of the providers listed above.

4. Create Social Media Accounts

  • Along with getting your domain name, you’re going to want to make social media accounts in the same name used for your domain. That will make it easier for visitors to be able to find your website/business through multiple platforms. Below is a list of the social media platforms that I create accounts with for my businesses;
    • Twitch
    • YouTube
    • Quora

5. Start Creating Content / Filling out Social Media/Website

Once you have secured your domain and social media accounts, then you can start filling them out to look more professional and creating content for your visitors.

  • About
    • People like knowing behind the scenes information and an about page is the perfect way to give your visitors a piece of that action. Most of us are experts in making these pages from our experience in social media, but here’s a quick list just in case;
      • ***PHOTOS OF SELF***
        • People want to know who it is they are interacting with and having a couple photos of yourself on your about page can be a great way to make your website experience more personal.
      • Who are you?
      • What do you do?
      • What is your goal/mission?

  • Contact
    • Having proper contact information is an easy way to help make your page/website look more professional and credible.

  • Legal Pages
    • Just like having Contact information, having legal pages on your website instantly makes a site look more professional and it also will be a necessity if you plan joining affiliate programs or selling any products/services on your website. Here are a few to remember to include;
      • Terms and conditions
      • Privacy Policy
      • Disclaimers
      • Copyright Notice
      • Affiliates

6. Publish/launch social media and website

  • After getting a solid foundation ready for your social media accounts/websites, you can move on to publishing your accounts and site for potential visitors.

At this point you can start to invite people, advertise, and post content to attract people to whatever your end goal was in the beginning.

7. Advertise and Monetize

Now that everything is set up, all that is left to do is advertise your business and start monetizing off of it.

There are many different ways to advertise but the top ways are through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Etc.

 The decision to do it “naturally” or through paid ads is up to you.

Just like advertising, monetizing your business can come in different forms as well and will vary on depending factors such as the type of business/website you are running, your audience, and what you are selling.

The main forms of monetization will be selling your own products or services, but there are a lot of other ways now to make money off of your websites such as advertising for other companies or using affiliates.

All are great ways to make money and monetize off your site, but just like a lot of things when running your own business, the final choice is up to you. What might work for some, might not work for others. So, find out what suits your business the best and give it shot.

Overview

  1. Have an Idea/Plan
  2. Create Business/Company Name
  3. Get Domain Name/Hosting
  4. Create Social Media Accounts for Business
  5. Start Creating Content/ Fill Out Website and Social Media Profiles
  6. Publish and Launch Website/Social Media if you haven’t done so yet
  7. Advertise & Monetize Your Business

There it is, all the information you need to start creating your online business and getting it up and running!

Thanks for reading!

20 Inspirational Quotes for Achieving Your Dreams
20 Inspirational Quotes for Achieving Your Dreams

20 Inspirational Quotes for Achieving Your Dreams

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Sometimes it can be hard to find inspiration when you are your pursuing your dreams. That is why I have compiled some of my favorite quotes that give me inspiration in hopes that it can do the same for others.

Here are 20 of my favorite inspirational quotes;

1. “Many a false step was made by standing still.” – Tim Ferriss

2. “You must want to be the butterfly so badly, that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” – Sekou Andrews

3. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Steve Martin

4. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

5. “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” – Paulo Coelho

6. “Two is one, one is none” – Navy SEAL expression

7. “You have 80,000 work hours in the course of your life. It is incredibly important to work out how best to spend them.” – Will MacAskill

8. “Show up, do work, go home.” – Christopher Sommer

9. “Do your own thinking independently. Be a chess player, not a chess piece.” – Ralph Charell

10. “Everything around that you call “life” was made up by people no smarter than you.” – Steve Jobs

11. “If you have a very clear vision of where you want to go, then the rest of it is much easier.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

12. “Investing in yourself is the most important investment you’ll make in your life.” – Warren Buffet

13. “Occasionally, a good idea comes to you first, if you’re lucky. Usually, it comes after a lot of bad ideas.” – Alex Blumberg

14. “It is vain to do with more what can be done with less.” William of Occom

15. “We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” – Carlos Castaneda

16. “Once you say you’re going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.” – John F. Kennedy

17. “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” – Benjamin Disraeli

18. “What gets measured gets managed.” – Peter Drucker

19. “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali

20. “Just do it.” – Nike

I hope you found a bit of inspiration through these quotes!

Thanks for reading!

Top 5 Websites to Earn an Extra $500 A Month
Top 5 Websites to Earn an Extra $500 a Month

Top 5 Websites to Earn an Extra $500 a Month

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When I was first searching for ways to make money online, the biggest issue I kept running into was if the website was legit and actually going to pay me. With that said, I have found a lot of scams, but I have also found quite a bit of websites that can actually be quite lucrative.

This is a list of the top websites I was using to make over $800 a month. I highly recommend these sites if you are looking to get into making money online or to just add some extra income to your life.

I have personally worked and received payment with all these sites and can confirm their legitimacy.

 **The Title is just an estimate amount, you can earn more or less depending on the amount of sites you sign up for and tests you take. **

UserTesting

  • This has been one of my go to sites since finding out about user testing. You are payed $10 per 15-20-minute test and more for longer or face-to-face tests. They also consistently have tests which means consistent opportunities to make money. They pay via PayPal exactly one week to the minute after you submit the test. You can sign up for UserTesting here.

Validately

  • This is another user testing / focus group site that has been a go to for me. You are emailed whenever there is a new test available. The amount paid depends on the length of the test, but I have seen them ranging from $10-70. You will need to make sure to click on the email as soon as possible because tests go very quickly. If you are able to get the tests though, then this is can be a very lucrative website. Validately pays via PayPal within 1 week of your test being approved. You can sign up here.

Prolific

  • This is easily my favorite survey site. Since Prolific is based out of the U.K., payments will be made via PayPal in British Pounds and then you will have to exchange it via PayPal. With that aside, this site pays very well for the amount of work done and has a minimum wage of earning at least 6pounds an hour. You will have to get at least 5 pounds to cash out and tests are first come, first served. So some may not always be available, but as survey sites go, this is my favorite. Another reason I enjoy this website is that it is used for a lot of colleges to do research so the surveys that you participate in tend to be pretty interesting compared to some other websites. You can sign up for Prolific here.

UserLytics

  • This is another User Testing site. UserLytics pays $10 a test via PayPal, with some longer tests paying more. I don’t receive as many test invitations as the other sites with them, but I still highly recommend adding UserLytics to your arsenal. Sign up for UserLytics here.

TryMyUI

  • This is also another User Testing website (Seeing a theme?). They pay $10 via PayPal per test that averages around 15-20 minutes and you have the opportunity to earn more from longer tests. Try TryMyUI here.

Honorable Mention

Amazon M-Turks

  • Another survey site that I used when I was first started making money online was Amazon M-turks. This is a tasked based website where you have to do different tasks for different pay. The more tasks or M-turks that you do, then the higher chance you have to get higher paying M-turks. This is a good way to earn money with no experience as well as having a chance to advanced to higher paying M-turks. I also really enjoy Amazon M-Turks because they provide payment every three days via direct deposit. Sign up to be an Amazon M-turker here.

Those are the top sites that I use to make money online, like I mentioned earlier, the title number is just a rough average. You can make more or less than that depending on how available you are and how many tests you take. You may not qualify for all tests as well, but by signing up for as many as you can and responding to invites, you will have a higher chance to start earning a decent income online.

I hope this list has helped you find a site or two that you can use to earn extra money online. For more ways to earn money online check out my posts; “Top 5 Focus Group Websites” and “Top UX Testing Sites“

Thanks for reading!

Building Your Remote Office, Tips & Tricks , The Virtual Diver, The Virtual Diver Blog
Building Your Remote Office

Building Your Remote Office

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Your home office is an extension of yourself. With that being said, you want it to be as comfortable as possible as well as having everything neatly maintained and organized.

Below is a list of things needed to build your remote office as well as some tips, tricks, and recommendations for improving your office.

I have separated them into two categories; external and internal. External will deal with “material” things or things outside the digital world. And Internal will deal with the digital side of your office.

Lets begin,

External

This is going to be what you see and deal with, what the idea of a “home office” is. The main items include;

Device (Computer, Laptop, Tablet, Phone)

  • The Device you choose to do your work on is super important, because it is essentially the foundation of your office and some cases, your business. That is why you need to make sure that the device you are using can perform all the tasks that are required for current work and any work you potentially want done in the future.

Chair

  • The type of chair you use is super important. A bad chair can lead to and promote bad posture which in turn could eventually affect your mood and potentially your health. Having a good chair is an investment for yourself if you plan to spend some time making money online.
    • **Lumbar Support**
      • Make sure your chair has proper lumbar support to protect the health of your lower back.

Desk

  • At some point your lap isn’t going to cut it anymore, that is when a desk comes in. Desks can create space for other tools that could help your work, such as a mouse, as well as helping promote better posture. They also provide a “work” atmosphere. Even something as simple as a fold up TV tray can fulfill the benefits that a desk provides.

Environment/Atmosphere

  • Other little things can be used to add to your home offices environment. From lights to little Knick Knacks. That is where the fun part comes in and you really get to use your creativity!

Internal

There are also a few things that you can do within your device to help boost your work productivity. These are a few that I find to be the most helpful;

Desktop

  • Making sure that you keep your desktop free of clutter and with only necessary applications helps to maintain your focus on the tasks that need to be done. As for backgrounds, I would choose anything that is comforting or provides to comforting work environment.

Folders

  • Make sure to keep all your folders labeled and organized with files fit according to help streamline your work environment and make things easier to access in the future.

Bookmarks/Tabs

  • Try to keep all your bookmarks in correctly labeled folders as well as keeping unnecessary tabs to a minimum.

Applications

  • Make sure to delete any unnecessary or un-used applications to make more space for future files. Also make sure that you have the correct applications for the work that you will be doing. Examples are;
    • Office 365 – if you are going to be doing any office type work, then Office 365 is a must. I highly recommend having Word and Excel to keep track of your earnings and any other information/drafts you create.

Back Ups

  • Keeping track of all of these files and keeping them organized wouldn’t mean anything if the data got lost. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, the recommended move would be to back up all data so in case of an emergency, you still have it. This is extremely important since some of those documents could be related to taxes, etc.
    • You can do this by backing your data up to the Cloud or by purchasing an external hard drive and manually backing up data every so often (At least twice a month is recommended).

Hopefully with these tips you are able to make your home office feel a bit more professional as well as making it a comfortable work environment. As with a lot of things when you start working online, try things out and test to see what works for you. Your office is your space so take control and have fun!

Thanks for reading!

Top 5 Focus Group Websites to Earn Extra Money Remotely
Top 5 Focus Group Websites to Earn Extra Money Remotely

Top 5 Focus Group Websites to Earn Extra Money Remotely

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There are a lot of different ways to go about earning extra money online, from surveys to user testing. With that said, one of the best ways to earn a remote income is often overlooked, focus groups.

The point of focus groups is to determine what exactly customers are looking for/thinking when searching/interacting with a product/service. Basically, you will be asked a series of questions regarding your opinion on a provided topic while market researchers for the client’s company are taking notes so they can improve on their product/service. While this is happening, your screen and audio is usually being recorded so the researchers can really see first reactions.

Since the topic will change each job, focus groups make earning a side income online fun and interesting.

Below are my top 5 go to websites for joining online focus groups;

20/20 Research Panel

  • 20/20 Research Panel is one of the first focus group platforms that I started using, and one that I still use to this day. With a large success rate of qualifying for studies (some studies lasting multiple weeks), 20/20 Research is a must for anyone looking to sign up and participate in online focus group studies. You can sign up to start participating here.

FocusGroup.Org

  • As the title implies, FocusGroup.Org specializes in online focus groups. While you may have to take a few tests before you qualify, the payments can be well worth it (I have seen multiple studies paying between $90-200). Sign up here for your local demographic and wait for an invitation email to see if you qualify for the actual study.

User Interviews

  • Another top platform to sign up for to participate in online focus groups is User Interviews. With a wide range of study topics (Anywhere from reality TV show viewers to individuals who travel for work), User Interviews provides its participants with exciting and interesting focus groups to make earning an online income an enjoyable experience for both sides.

L & E Research

  • Here is another online focus group platform that provides a good amount of study invites for its participants. While I haven’t had as much success with this platform as I have with the others, I still would not rule it out of the platforms that you should sign up for to get invitations to participate in studies.

Validately

  • Finally, we have Validately. This is a site that I really enjoy, they have consistent opportunities for UX tests /Focus Group studies, as well as paying really well (So far, I’ve seen between $10-70). The only downside is that the tests go very quickly, so you need to respond to the invite as soon as you get the email. But if you are able to do that, then this site can be very lucrative. Validately pays via PayPal within 1 week of your test being approved. You can sign up to get opportunities for future studies here.

While there may be other focus group platforms to earn an income, those are the top 5 that I can verify their legitimacy and will give you the best results for your time.

Remember, just because you qualify or sign up for a study, doesn’t always mean that you will be chosen and get the job. Make sure to sign up for as many as you can, to always tell the truth while filling out qualification surveys (focus groups need very specific audiences), and to be available and show up on time if you’re chosen to participate in a study. Just like user testing, you need to keep signing up and showing up when selected to get the best results.

Thanks for reading!

Articles to Inspire and Maximize Your Life Social Media
Articles to Inspire and Maximize Your Life

Articles to Inspire and Maximize Your Life

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Through-out the past few years, I have come across some articles that have gone above and beyond in helping inspire me to do what I want in life as well as helping maximize my life as a whole.

Between teaching me important business skills and quality life lessons,  I have learnt an incredible amount of information that has helped me in reaching my goals and maximizing the life I live.

Here are the articles that have helped get me to the next level in life, and I hope they can do the same for you:

“1,000 True Fans” – The Technium

  • This article explains how you don’t need to have millions of fans to make a living with something, but rather “1,000 true fans”. I highly recommend this to anyone who has thought about starting their own business, people who are already starting their business, or to those who already have one up and running.

“First, Ten” – Seth’s Blog

  • Like “1,000 True Fans”, this article quickly lays out the same concept that if you provide a great product to a small number of “true” or “super” fans, your audience will expand due to word of mouth and recommendations.

“The Tail End” – Tim Urban / Wait But Why Blog

  • Every now and then, we need some perspective in life. This article does just that by helping in showing the bigger picture of things in life as well as showcasing what really matters down to 3 important lessons. I have re-read this article at least once every year since I first read it, and every time it helps me remember what is really important to me.

“How I Earn 1 Million Frequent Flier Miles Each Year” – Nomadic Matt

  • This article was my go to in helping me learn how to earn frequent flier miles when I was first starting out. While I don’t make 1 million points a year, I do earn an average of at least 100,000 miles a year, and I have this article to thank for that.

“TPG beginner’s guide: Everything you need to know about points, miles, airlines and credit cards” – The Points Guy

  • This article is like the previous, but with a bit more information and from a different persons experience. Just like Nomadic Matt’s, this article has taught me how to effectively earn miles and points through credit cards and maximize my spending. Thanks to the information I learned from this and the previous article, I now not only have 100,000+ airline miles, but also 100,000+ hotel points! Check it out and learn how you can do the same!

These are just a few articles that have helped me in my life. But remember, these are just the surface. There are many other articles out there that are incredibly informative and have the power to help you achieve your goals. Be open, explore, and have fun!

Post in the comments or shot me a message if you know of any articles that can help inspire and maximize the lives of others!

Thanks for reading!

Promoting Your Online Business The Virtual Diver
Promoting Your Online Business

Promoting Your Online Business

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Having a business with an amazing product or service is great, but you won’t get too far if no one knows about it. That is where advertising and promoting comes in.

There are tons of ways to advertise your business, but by far the top places you’re going to want to promote is going to be on social media and in person by word of mouth and/or merch.

Below are some of the best places to promote your business on social media as well as some ideas on how you can promote in person;

Social Media:

It’s no secret that social media is one of the top ways to promote your business in this day in age. With that being said, you have to actually utilize and use them to reach an audience.

  • Facebook – This is the obvious one, but create a page for your business, invite friends/family, and make posts. Be active with it and people will see that you are invested and will take more interest in what your business has to offer.
  • Facebook Ads – Facebook Ads is an amazing way to reach a large audience. You do have to pay for your ads and make sure that you follow Facebook’s policies, but it is definitely something you should have in your arsenal if you are serious about promoting your business.
  • Instagram – Same as with Facebook (Facebook owns Instagram), start making an active presence and promote what you are selling.
  • YouTube – A great way to show showcase what your business has to offer is to post videos of what you do/ what it is. This can work great for artists who want to demonstrate their skills or for a salesperson to showcase/ review a product they’re selling.
  • Twitch – Same as YouTube, Twitch can be a great way for people such as musicians and artists to showcase their skills. It can also serve as a great way to get live feedback from an audience.

** Note – Remember to stay consistent when promoting on social media. If you only post every few weeks or so, you run the risk of losing your audience’s attention. **

In person:

Before the internet, you had to promote your business in real life. And that is still a great way promote your business today. Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth.

  • Friends & Family – Just like Facebook, tell your friends and family what it is your doing and ask them if they’d mind telling one of their friends, etc. The more people hear about your business, the more likely they are to check it out.
  • Merch – My favorite way to advertise and promote my businesses’ products/services is with merchandise. It’s fun, easy, cheap, and once done, it does the work for you. If you have a cool logo for your service/product, try slapping it on a t-shirt, hat, or sticker. People tend to lean towards what they recognize, and having people wearing your merch is a great way to get recognition.
  • Here are some things I like for merch, but if you think your logo will work on something, try it out!
    • Stickers – By far my favorite way of advertising in person. I can’t even count how many cool places I have been because I saw a sticker for it. Put your logo on a sticker and start getting them out there.
    • Clothing – Hats, T-Shirts, Sweaters/Hoodies, Etc. Wearing your logo helps create brand recognition to those around you.
    • Keychains
    • Water Bottles

Miscellaneous:

As I mentioned earlier, there are tons of ways to go about promoting your business. Here are a few other ideas to consider;

  • Billboards – Although quite expensive, they are always an option for larger businesses to consider as they have the potential to reach a large audience.
  • Commercials – Another popular but more expensive way to promote your business is by running some commercials locally and in places where your target audience has access to it. Commercials can catch people’s attention, especially if they’re clever, so it’s always a solid idea to have on the back burner.
  • Flyers – This is something to consider no matter what size of business you have. See if your local grocery store has any boards for local businesses that you can post on or spend an afternoon passing them out on a busy corner if law permitted. I have found a couple cool businesses from random flyers, so don’t completely ride them off.

I hope this has helped in giving you some ideas that you can use to advertise and promote your own business. See what works for you and your business and have fun!

Thanks for reading!

best freelance websites to sell products and services laptop pen and paper world coffee mug
Best Websites for Freelancers to Sell Their Products & Services

Best Websites for Freelancers to Sell Their Products & Services

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With more and more businesses and platforms migrating towards the online world, there hasn’t been a better time for everyday people to start doing the same and become online freelancers themselves.

While it may be harder and harder to have a physical location to sell your product/service, it is getting easier and easier to move your business online and selling start from there.

Below are two lists of the best platforms that I recommend to start selling your product or services without having a website of your own:

Selling a Product

An increasingly popular way to start earning an income online is to start selling products through an online store or marketplace. Whether it be t-shirts, jewelry, second hand books, guitars, artwork, etc., there seems to be a demand for practically any product.

These are the most popular platforms to start your online store on to start selling your products:

  • Esty – I’m sure you know at least one person who is selling something on Etsy or have heard of someone doing it, and that is because it is a great platform to sell your products. Etsy seems to be the place where niche products thrive, so don’t worry if you think your product is too “out there”.
    • Recommended for:
      • Artists
      • Arts & Crafts
      • Clothing Designers
      • Jewelers
      • Musicians
  • eBay – eBay is still just as big as ever and is a great place to set up an online store. I highly recommend this to people selling second-hand items as this is where most people first come and search.
    • Recommended for:
      • Auto Parts / Hardware
      • Electronics
      • Musical Instruments / Equipment
      • Second-Hand Stores
  • Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) – If you want to sell your product on Amazon, this is where you go. This is for people that have a bit of experience already and are ready to take their business to the next step. It is also great for people who don’t want to deal with the process of packaging and shipping their product, as FBA provides storage, packaging, and shipping to their sellers. I would recommend trying out Etsy and eBay before this to get an idea of how your products sell.
    • Recommended for:
      • Sellers with previous experience selling online.
      • Sellers with high quantities of product or product with high demand.
      • Sellers who want to eliminate the process of dealing with the storage, packaging, and shipment of their products.

Selling a Service

If selling a product isn’t your thing, then you can always sell a service. People are always looking for freelance graphic designers, musicians, tutors, coders, testers, as well as many other services that you could be providing.

Here are the top platforms that I recommend that you use to start selling your services to people;

  • Fiverr – With Fiverr, you can set up an account to start selling your services or “gigs” to prospective buyers. The allure of the platform is that gigs can range from $5 upwards in price, making it very economical for buyers and sellers alike. There are literally thousands of different services being sold on Fiverr, from math lessons to voice-overs, so there’s no need to limit yourself on what service to sell. If you have a skill that you think you can provide to people, set up a gig and see if you get any buyers.
    • Recommended for:
      • All types of freelancing that can be done virtually, create a gig and try it out!
  • Upwork – Same as Fiverr, Upwork is a platform that you can use to provide and sell services to buyers. Upwork is where you tend to find people looking for more “professional” services such as web design, accounting, legal consultation, etc. Upwork is also one of the biggest freelancing sites, which means it has a lot of potential clients. With that being said, it also has a lot of competition, so keep that in mind.
    • Recommended for:
      • “Professional” Services
        • Accounting
        • Coding
        • Legal
        • UX / Software Testing
        • Web Design
  • Guru – Same as Fiverr and Upwork, Guru provides you with a platform to be able to sell your services to clients. Buyers on Guru tend to be looking for the same services as Upwork’s clientele. However, Guru has less clients. So, while there may be less competition, you still have to compete for the clients there are.
    • Recommended for:
      • See above

As you can see, there are many options for you to go about selling your product/service to people and start earning an online income as a remote freelancer. I would highly recommend to anyone considering this, to do something you are passionate and/or knowledgeable about. Money may be the end goal, but you want to make sure that you enjoy yourself on the way as well as provide a great product/service to your clients.

Hope that has helped in your pursuit in becoming an online freelancer!

Thanks for reading!

5 books to inspire your online business
5 Books to Inspire Your Online Business

5 Books to Inspire Your Online Business

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It can be hard to find inspiration sometimes. Luckily other people have felt that way too and have written books that have provided countless hours of inspiration to others.

Below is a list of 5 books that have helped provide me with inspiration to fulfill my own dreams, I’m hoping that one of these can do the same for you;

The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

  • This book was my holy grail when I first was looking for ways to travel and make money. This is also always one of the first books that I recommend to people that are looking to maximize the most out of their schedule and life. I personally accredit this book for helping me figure out how to travel for 7 months with minimal work while doing the things that I love.

Take A Leap of Faith and Start A Virtual Assistant Business by Russel Davis

  • This is the book that helped me figure out just how to start going about working remotely. It is an easy to read book with less than 100 pages and a larger font, but it is packed with useful information on how to go about working remotely and starting your own business. It is geared towards helping you become a virtual assistant, but the knowledge used parallels with the foundation of almost any remote business.

Any-Thing You Want (40 Lessons for a new kind of Entrepreneur) by Derek Sivers

  • This book comes from the founder of CD Baby and is another quick read with only 84 pages. But just like the other short books on this list, it’s about quality not quantity. The book goes over 40 lessons relating to creating and building your own business that the author has learned through his own real-world experiences and believes other entrepreneurs should know.

Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver

  • Have you ever randomly been given a book and it just so happens to coincidentally pertain to what is going on in your life? Well this book was exactly one of those type of books for me. Another short read, this book is based around a poem that the author wrote for a college commencement speech. I think that it is a must read for anyone that is looking for some inspiration or is questioning what they want to do in life and who they want to be.

Tools of Titans by Timothy Ferris

  • Finally, we have another book by Timothy Ferris. This book is really cool because it’s a compilation of a bunch interviews with high profile people taken from the authors’ podcasts and put into book format. Each person’s section consists of questions such as their best piece of advice, favorite book, favorite food, etc. I find it really interesting to see what previous entrepreneurs find to be their favorite things, and it’s also really cool to see all the similarities between them.

There are literally millions of books out there, these are just five that have given me an incredible amount of inspiration. I hope that one of these books will give you inspiration as well and help you to pursue your goals!

Thanks for reading!

top skill/course websites to learn skills for your online business (free and paid) laptop
Top Course/Learning Websites for Online Business Skills (Free and Paid)

Top Course/Learning Websites for Online Business Skills (Free and Paid)

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In an interview with Yahoo, the famous investor Warren Buffet gave what he believes is the best advice for success saying, ” By far the best investment you can make is in yourself.” (Yahoo)

With that being said, we are super fortunate to live in a time where knowledge is so readily available as well as cheaper than ever.

Within the last two decades, a lot of schools have moved to more online approaches as well as the production of websites dedicated to online courses. Many of these courses are from experts in their field and provide a wealth of knowledge for the fraction of the price you would usually pay in more formal schooling approaches. Even top rated schools such as Berklee College of Music are providing online courses to the public now, so it truly is looking like it is going to be the way of the future!

Below is a list of my favorite websites (Some paid/ some free) that provide courses to further your education.

Udemy (Paid)

Alison (Free/Paid)

  • Alison is my favorite free site to take courses from. They have literally hundreds of business courses as well as courses in many different topics. They also offer paid courses for certificates. Alison is definitely a website to check out to take some courses and improve your business knowledge.

Fiverr (Free/Paid)

  • Fiverr is an online platform to sell your services from, but it also provides great free business guides and courses you can pay for. From learning how to create a website, to making commercials, to even learning how to open a restaurant, Fiverr guides has a wealth of information for you to learn from for your online business.

MasterClass (Subscription/Paid)

  • This is a course website that focuses on popular leading figures in their fields teaching their own course on subjects in those fields. I think that this is a very cool one, because MasterClass really gets some pretty well-known people in their industries to teach on their subjects in pretty well created curriculums. I don’t think that you will become a “master” in any of these subjects just by watching these classes, but I think that they offer really valuable insight on how experts in their fields approach it. I would highly recommend anyone that finds multiple classes that they are interested in, to get the annual pass. It ends up being super cheap in the long run and they occasionally have sales to bring that price down even more.

GoDaddy (Free)

  • GoDaddy has a great selection of articles on how to build your online business with steps covering the basics to the finished product. It is definitely worth checking out, there is a lot of great knowledge there that shouldn’t be missed.

YouTube (Free/ Paid Premium)

  • I have honestly learnt so much from YouTube videos that I had to put this on the list. There is a lot that can be learned by searching topics of your interest on YouTube. There can be a lot of bad content, but there is a lot of extremely well made and useful content as well that shouldn’t be passed up. YouTube can also be extremely helpful in helping figuring things out if you are stuck. Since a lot of other people have been in similar situations, there is a high chance there is a video out there that can help you.

As you can see, there are a lot of websites out there to take courses for free or at a very cheap price, and that is only the tip of the iceberg.

As I mentioned earlier, top rated schools are now offering courses to the public as well as a lot of other colleges. There is still plenty of opportunity to learn any new skills you have been wanting to or build upon any existing ones!

I hope that this article has helped inspire you to invest in yourself and take some courses to learn more. As I like to say, Knowledge is Freedom.

Thanks for reading!

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