This is a collaborative post by Ellie Jo.

It’s a common misconception that the only way to make money online is to start up your own business. However, this just isn’t the case, because there are plenty of online tasks you can complete that will earn you money, or vouchers that you can use towards paying for stuff you need. In fact, to make it even easier I have put together a quick guide-directory of how to make money online without starting a business below. You’re welcome!

How to Make Money Online without Starting a Business

Get paid for spotting emotions.

OK, so this might fall into one of the easiest and weirdest ways to earn money online, but it’s a genuine and well-paid opportunity. All you need to do is to log onto a site like https://www.emotionminer.com/#/auth, complete the training and then watch the other videos on offer.

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The reason that they will pay you to do this is that the data you provide is used to guide artificial intelligence and help them to learn to recognize facial expressions. That means you get to earn money and help Science! Yay!

Get paid for small tasks.

A phenomenon that we see more of in the current digital market is people making requests for small tasks to be completed. Something that perhaps a personal assistant would usually do. However, by offering these tasks out to the open market, people like us can make some money, and the requesters don’t have to employ someone full time.

Of course, the tasks that come up and the pay depends a lot on the platform that you use to search for this type of work. For example, sites like https://www.taskrabbit.com/ which is mostly focused on real-world jobs and lets you choose the amount you wish to be paid. Although, this isn’t quite as good as it sounds because you still have to price yourself competitively. Otherwise, the work will go to someone else.

Alternatively, Amazon through a site called Amazon Mechanical Turk is now running similar exchanges with an online focus. Something you can read more about in my post here.

Work as a freelancer.

The next option is perhaps suited more for folks that are looking to bring in a decent income without having to go through the rigmarole of starting up their own business.

This option is known as freelancing and what that means is that you have to register and file your own tax returns, as well as pay your own tax. It also means that you’re free to take work on from whatever company you like, and you can, for the most part, dictate your own schedule and prices.

Of course, the real kicker with freelancing is finding enough work to keep you going all week and to bringing a reasonable wage.  To do this, some people use gig economy sites like https://www.peopleperhour.com/freelance/united+states and https://www.upwork.com/local/united-states/  where they bid for jobs. Then poster chooses the best bid to award the work. Another option people choose is to set their own website to attract business and market themselves through more traditional channels.  

Still, others choose to work for firms that provide business to freelancers on a steady basis. Yes, this means that they are locked into doing a certain amount of work for a certain amount of pay, However, because it can cut out so much of the time and effort spent on actually looking for work, it can pay off quite well in the long run.

Invest in the stock market.

You can also make money online without setting up a business by playing the stock market. Obviously, before we get going here, we have to note that profit isn’t guaranteed with this method, and you can lose as well as win. Therefore, if you can’t afford to do without the money in the first place you definitely shouldn’t invest it. However, if you do have some capital that you can survive without, investing it can be a great way to maximize your income and earn money online.

To invest wisely it is necessary to do your homework and learn about the different type of investment options. Remember just because trading stocks has become more accessible with online platforms and apps, that doesn’t mean that everyone should just start doing it with no knowledge and background of what they are getting into.

With this in mind, it can be useful to learn about day and swing trading, cryptocurrency and even mutual funds. The latter being something you can go to sites like https://www.marketreview.com/mutual-funds/ to learn about in more detail. Then, you will be in stronger position to make the right investment choices. This will help you earn money and minimize the risk involved.

Answer surveys.

If playing the stock market sounds a little too precarious for you, don’t worry. There are plenty more options to choose from that are a little more low risk.

For example, you may wish to sign up to an online survey site like Swagbucks. There you can answer research questionnaires from commercial companies as well as watch videos playlists, all while earning some cash. This is not a bad set of tasks to do in front of the TV in the evening. Or do these when you have a spare 5 minutes or so through the day.

Test games.

You can also make money online in a way that is super fun. Believe it or not, you can get paid to test games out for developers. Getting people to test out their games is so valuable to developers.  Game testers help developers resolve any bugs and issues within the game before it goes on general launch. Because of this, customers are more satisfied and have less to complain about when the game goes live.

Earn while you game.

Now, not many people make a full time living in the games testing field, but you can make little extra money this way. Just read the post at https://wellkeptwallet.com/play-games-online/ to find out more. There is information about how to get into this field and top up your wallet online. Then, you can make money online doing something that is enjoyable and well as easy.