5 Best Online Income Streams to Build (Everyone Should Know About)

When you hear “multiple streams of income,” it sounds like you need 14 businesses running at once, right? Exhausting. But here’s the truth: most entrepreneurs only need five. And if you stack them slowly, one at a time, it’s way less overwhelming than it sounds.

So let’s go through them. Feel free to skip the read and watch the video here instead

Stream #1: Doing the skill (also known as freelancing)

This is where almost everybody starts. You’ve got a skill, and you get paid to do it for someone else. Designers design, writers write, video creators edit videos, photographers take photos, coaches coach… you get the idea. It’s straightforward.

Homework: Make a quick list of three people who might need your skill and send them a super simple “Hey, I’m available if you need help with X.” Don’t know three people? Join some niche Facebook groups and start connecting with folks who might need this kind of help. Or, if you’d rather dip your toe in, set up a Fiverr or Upwork gig to get your feet wet.

Stream #2: Teaching the skill (coaching, workshops, or courses)

Once you know how to do something, you can teach it. And here’s the cool part: teaching scales better than freelancing. Instead of one-to-one, you can sell one-to-many.

Which do you choose? Course or Coaching? Here’s How to Decide What’s Best for You

Homework: Write down one process you could teach tomorrow with zero prep. Maybe it’s how you onboard clients, how you edit a photo, or how you structure a blog post. Or record a quick Loom video walking through it and send it to a friend. That’s your first “beta lesson.”

Or, checkout this step-by-step for creating your first online course.

Stream #3: Selling Digital Products (templates, tools, resources)

This is one of my favorites, because it takes what you already know and turns it into a product. If you’re a designer, it might be mockups. If you’re a coach, maybe it’s worksheets. The idea is: help people do what you do, faster.

Don’t have an audience yet? Here’s how you can start selling digital products without social media

Homework: Open Canva, create a simple one-page checklist or template based on something you do all the time. Or, shortcut it even further: grab a starter template from my membership, rebrand it, and list it on Etsy or Gumroad today.

Or use any of these 15 Etsy Alternatives to sell your digital products.

Stream #4: Writing the book (publishing)

Don’t picture a 300-page book deal. I’m talking mini ebooks. A short guide about how you learned your skill, the mistakes you made, the wins you had. It builds authority and gives you a product you can sell forever.

Homework: Jot down three big lessons you’ve learned about your skill. That’s your outline. Or ask ChatGPT to expand those into a draft chapter you can polish later.

Need somewhere to start with your book? Try this ebook template (free when you join the membership)

Stream #5: Creating the platform (building a community or network)

This one is next-level, but also powerful. Create a place where people with the same skill can connect: maybe it’s a Facebook group, a Slack channel, or even a local meetup.
Homework: Start small. Launch a free Facebook group and invite five people you know. Or host a simple 30-minute Zoom coffee chat and see who shows up.

So that’s it: freelancing, coaching, selling tools, publishing, and community. You don’t need all five today — just pick one and start messy. Over time, you’ll stack them like building blocks, and that’s when you get both stability and scalability in your business.

Next Steps:

Grab my Blueprint To Profits Roadmap. I’m giving you my exact 7-step roadmap for automated funnels that make consistent 30K months and daily sales. Ready to level up your business?

Ready to go from idea → content → offer → scaling with ease this week?
You don’t need more ideas, just a system that helps you execute.

✨ Inside the Ivory Mix Membership, you’ll find:
→ Ready-to-edit PLR products and templates (plus 18,000 more like this)
→ Monthly content plans fully prepared to help you promote your digital products with ease
→ Workshops and courses on marketing, list-building, and launching without overwhelm

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