Retired and Want to Make Money Online? – Freelancing May Be the Answer!
One of the biggest obstacles that most seniors face when getting started online is having to change their mindset. Most people are so used to working a day job and reporting to a boss that the idea of being their own boss seems foreign to them.
The idea that one can create and sell their own products online seems daunting. Affiliate marketing is baffling. Posting videos for others to watch seems intimidating.
All these fears are normal. The key to overcoming them is to go ahead and do what you need to do despite being worried or scared. However, for some seniors, taking this kind of action is a formidable task.
For these seniors, freelancing online may be the BEST way to get their feet wet. Offering your services online is just like a day job. You’re getting paid for your time and work. Many seniors can more easily wrap their heads around this idea.
Once they’ve earned several thousand dollars through freelancing, they’ll realize that making money online is not a scam. It is a legitimate and often very rewarding way to generate an income.
Freelancing can be a ‘gateway’ business model before tackling other aspects of marketing such as product creation, affiliate marketing, etc. Let’s look at why freelancing is so effective at generating an income for seniors.
Monetize your existing skills
Many seniors have skills that they can offer online. If you love to read, you can be a proofreader for online writers. If you love to write, you could be a ghostwriter.
If you are artistic, you could do graphic design jobs. Of course, you would have to know (or learn) how to use software like Photoshop, but once you learn that, you could hone your artistic skills can create beautiful graphics for others.
Seniors with good voices could do voiceovers. Those who were leaders in their industry or company could offer consulting services, and so on. The point here is that your skills should not go to waste after retirement. You can save time by monetizing them and making money quickly online.
Leverage popular platforms
Many freelance marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, Guru, Peopleperhour.com, 99Designs, etc. are teeming with people looking for service providers.
Being a freelancer will allow you to leverage these platforms to get work easily. You’ll need to sell yourself a little so that potential clients hire you, but that is generally easier than building websites, driving your own traffic, etc.
Fastest way to earn online
As mentioned above, the popular freelance marketplaces have tons of existing traffic. You’ll get hired much more easily there and it’s one of the fastest ways to make money online.
If your work is good, over a short period of time you’ll get repeat customers, and the positive reviews will get you even more customers. You might get so popular that you receive an avalanche of orders and may need to either raise your prices or pause your gigs till you complete your outstanding work.
For many seniors, freelancing may be enough and they’ll be contented with working for others online. The more ambitious ones will benefit from the next point.
Use freelancing to bootstrap your online business
The money you earn from freelancing can be used to build your own online business too. You should not spend off all the money you make online. Reinvest some of it to build a passive online income too.
And, of course you can always hire other freelancers to do jobs for you. You could get one to set up a website for you. Then get another to write content for you and so on. By leveraging the efforts of others, you’ll be able to increase your output without working longer.
Of course, you’ll need to budget your spending, but if you do it right, you can build several web properties that generate a passive income while you carry on with your freelancing.
Your online income will grow exponentially, and when you have passive income coming in you may even quit your freelancing. You’ll be making money even if you don’t do jobs for others. That’s the beauty of passive income.
Continue to reinvest a portion of the passive income to build even more web properties and the possibilities are endless… but it all starts out by being a humble freelancer. Give it a try and progress at your own pace.
When you are ready to look into launching your own business, a good source of information and guidance is the NAMS course, Beyond 9 to 5. It will help you to have a rock-solid plan for successfully starting and building your business. More info here.