How To Make Your First Dollar Online and 10,000 More After That
In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Before their successful ascent, Everest was considered unconquerable.
By the end of the 1970’s, 100 more climbers reached the summit.
As of 2023, approximately 6,098 people have now conquered the seemingly impossible feat.
A year after Hillary and Norgay reached the highest point in the world, another psychological barrier was broken.
Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3:59 minutes in 1954,
Till then, it was believed that it is impossible to run a 4-minute mile.
37 people achieved this feat in the next 2 years.
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
What does this have to do with me making money online?
I’m glad you asked, let’s take one more look back in time before we get into it.
Almost two decades after Everest and the 4-minute mile were beaten, something revolutionary happened in the exclusive university halls of Stanford University and MIT. Something that would impact all of our lives for decades to come.
A group of rebellious, tech-savvy students sat in their college dorms and began to build the future.
With bloodshot eyes, the students stared at the clunky machines around them, called computers, and thought:
"What if we could use these things to do more than just crunch numbers and solve equations? What if we could use them to make money?"
The year was 1972, and ARPANET, the wild, untamed precursor to the internet, was still in its infancy.
These students, visionaries in their own right, saw an opportunity - a chance to break a barrier, much like Roger Bannister, Edmund Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay.
What kind of barrier, you ask?
The kind that would change the world of commerce forever.
With a glint in their eyes and mischief in their hearts, these digital trailblazers concocted a plan.
They fired up their computers, connected to ARPANET, and painstakingly typed out messages - a negotiation that would solidify their place in history.
They sold Green Gold - A.K.A cannabis, hooch, weed, pot, ganja - over the internet.
The pioneers of e-Commerce
Personally, I can't imagine a more fitting product to sell for a group of pioneering college students. They definitely knew their target market.
Soon, other students sent them money, and in return, these students packaged up a Fifty Bag or a Q and made the first-ever digital dollar online.
The psychological barrier was broken.
Fast forward 50 years and approximately 1 in 4 people have made money online in the USA. That’s 83.5 million people. In the USA alone. If we conservatively assume that one in every 8 people around the world has pocketed a digital buck, the number of online earners would be almost 1 billion.
Yes, 1,000,000,000 people have earned money online.
And you can too.
How an online weed deal built the World of e-Commerce
These students unknowingly set the stage for digital creators to earn their bread and butter online.
What they were doing may have seemed harmless to them - despite how illegal it would've been to deal marijuana in the ‘70s.
But, unknowingly they had just opened the floodgates for a future where anyone, anywhere, could make money through the power of the internet.
If only they knew that their humble little transaction would one day pave the way for countless entrepreneurs to make money online. Their weed deal gave rise to livelihoods being created on sites like Amazon, eBay, Youtube, Gumroad, Upwork, Fiverr, OnlyFans, and many more.
You see, much like Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile, these students showed the world that it was possible to use the internet for commerce - even if their version was a bit more, well, herbal.
Before I teach you how to make your first dollar online, I ask you to raise a glass or roast a doobie to the enterprising students who had the audacity to push the boundaries and redefine how countless numbers of people would make a living in years to come.
Here's to the trailblazers who proved that sometimes, all it takes is a spark - or a toke - of inspiration to change the world.
How To Make Your First Digital Dollar
Alrighty, thank you for joining me on our little trip back through the decades, now let’s get into what you are all here for.
A blueprint on how to make your first dollar online.
I know, $1 might not sound like much.
You’re hardly going to quit your job because of it.
But…
It’s the first psychological barrier that you have to break.
It’s a mindset shift that will allow you to make your next $100, $1000, $1,000,000 online.
Before it happens it doesn’t seem real.
It’s like trying to run a 4-minute mile when you aren’t a runner. Or trying to climb Everest with zero climbing experience. Impossible.
Roger Bannister beating the 4-minute mile
But the moment that the first online dollar comes into your account, everything changes.
The realm of possibility is unlocked.
Now you can make money from anywhere in the world.
You can be your own boss.
You can build a side hustle and make money while you sleep.
Is it enough to live on?
No. Not even close.
But it’s the first stepping stone to unlocking your freedom.
Doubts about Making Your First Dollar Online?
Making your first $1 online is exponentially harder than making $1,000 online. That’s because you’re not just trying to make $1.
You’re trying to disprove every self-doubt you have about yourself and your abilities.
“I don’t know how to make internet money” you say.
“I don’t have anything to sell” I hear you whisper.
“No one wants to buy anything from me”
“The world of e-commerce is saturated, there’s no room for me.”
Let’s get those out of your head right now. They won’t serve you on this journey.
How I made my first digital dollar
Three years ago, I was sitting in my apartment in San Diego.
COVID has just hit America and the world by storm. Luckily, the job I was working at the time (roofing) was deemed essential.
But I fucking hated roofing.
I hated standing on the top of burning hot houses in California and lugging around heavy buckets of tar. I dreamed of making money online and using that money to fund my travels.
There was only one problem - I had never done it.
I’d never made a single dollar that wasn’t paid to me for going to a job site, or clocking into an office. I didn’t believe it was possible.
That didn’t stop me from trying, however. If I was ever going to build an online business, I had to start somewhere. I binged youtube videos and read every blog I could find about making money online.
And what did I find? Affiliate marketing…
Online ‘Guru’s’ like John Crestani were everywhere - screaming at the camera about how easy it was to make money by selling other people’s products.
In hindsight, this is not the method I would suggest to anyone starting out. But, it was enough of a motivation for me to start, to test ways to make my first dollar online.
So, one Friday night, after a long week of laying tiles on roofs, I opened up my Laptop. I built a website on Wix, and signed up for multiple affiliate sites like Awin and CJ Affiliate.
I chose a few different programs I wanted to try to promote (I’m almost embarrassed to tell you what I chose, but heck I’ve come a long way since then.) I decided to promote a 5-Minute Manifestation course and a Housesitting program. I had no experience in either of these. But, I wrote a couple of blogs, figured out how to add an affiliate code to a button on my website, and pressed publish.
Sadly, this is not the part where I tell you I made $10,000 overnight, no, my path to a digital dollar was a lot slower. Despite checking my analytics and stats every night after work, and at 6 am in the morning before driving to the job site - nothing happened.
I didn’t get a single visitor to the site. So, for the entire next week, I started to think about how I could promote these pages. On one sunny day in San Diego, the idea came to me. I could promote housesitting opportunities on Craiglist, drive traffic to my website, and hope to get clicks.
I made posts on all the major cities in the USA and added a link to my website. One night, when I got home from work, I opened up my computer, logged into my affiliate account on Awin, and I could not believe my eyes.
Two people had signed up for Trusted Housesitters using my unique code.
They were paying a whopping 50 cents per sign-up.
There was ONE WHOLE DOLLAR in my account.
I had done it.
The rush of that first dollar was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It was the best $1 I had ever made. Why?
Because I had made it myself.
All off my own bat. It was a path I had figured out for myself. And it wasn’t attached to my hourly inputs. This wasn’t like getting a check at the end of the week for working 40 hours.
No.
First, it was a lot less income. I was making about $500 after tax for a 40-hour work week - and this was 1/500th of that…
But second, I felt like a business owner. Not a wage worker. I was bringing revenue into my business account and doing it by writing and marketing. I had done it, I was now part of the millions of people making money online.
A lot has changed since that fateful night in April 2020. I no longer do affiliate marketing. I have made money in countless ways online, from Freelancing to NFT promotion (don’t ask), selling Digital Products to dropshipping. I’ve had two $10,000 months in the last three years and raked in enough to allow myself to travel the world full-time.
And it all started with that first digital dollar.
How to make your first digital dollar now
There are millions of ways to make a buck online. The one you choose to start with may not be the thing that pays you $1000 a week. Or 10k a month, or whatever your target online income is.
But, there are ways to break the psychological barrier of online earning and bring that sexy dollar into your account.
In this section, I’m going to break down the different ways you can earn your first digital dollar right now. Making money online takes time, but these are the five fastest ways to get that first dollar into your account:
1. Gumroad
Why not grab yourself one of these dollars and get the ball rolling?
Gumroad is a platform that allows creators to sell digital products like e-books, courses, music, and more. You can start by creating a simple digital product and listing it on Gumroad for sale.
To sell a digital product, all you need to do is do an analysis on your interests and the subcultures you belong to.
Lets say you are interested in copywriting, social media, and you work a full time job. You’re next step is to combine these interests into a topic and create a guide for people who are just like you - i.e The Copywriting Secrets for Part Time Creators.
Or maybe you love crossfit and you also travel the world as a digital nomad, you could make a course and a fitness plan for fulltime travelers - i.e Crossfit on the Road - A guide to keeping fit without a gym.
By combining your uniquer skills, knowledge and experience you become an expert in an industry, and define a target market to sell to.
Don’t overthink it, write down three to five interests you have and subcultures you belong to. Then, create a guide, a course, or an e-book to solve a need.
The beauty of Gumroad is that you can constantly test new product ideas at little to no cost - except your time.
Benefits:
Quick and easy setup
No upfront costs
Reach a wide audience
Drawbacks:
Competition can be tough - there are thousands of people selling products and many niches are saturated.
Marketing your product is crucial for sales - you need to test different marketing strategies to get eyeballs on your product, and then refine your copy to actually sell your product.
Income may not be consistent
I was hesitant to put products up on Gumroad at first. I’d dreamed of launching digital products ever since I started making an online income. In March 2023, I finally launced my first product - a ChatGPT university for Freelancer. I created this because I have been freelancing for years, and I have been obsessed with making ChatGPT work for me ever since it came out.
After one month on the platform, I crossed $1000 in sales.
2. Upwork
Upwork is a freelancing platform where you can offer your services, such as writing, web design, or programming, to clients from all around the world.
To become a freelancer on Upwork, all you need to do is create a profile that details your qualifications and experience, then apply for as many jobs as humanly possible in your first couple of weeks.
Upwork is free to sign up and if you are consistent with sending proposals, it wont take you long to find someone to pay you your first digital dollar.
Don’t worry if you have no experience, I didn’t when I started out in 2020. But, I applied for over 50 jobs in my first week and was stable to land 6 freelancing jobs. All of these were between $5 to $10 and ranged from content writing to data entry to lead generation. It wasn’t a full time income - not even close, and I spent 30+ hours finding the jobs, crafting proposals, and actually completing the work. But I went above and beyond for my first clients and ensured I got 5 star reviews.
My first ever Upwork job and 5 star review (a whopping $5 for 5 hours work)
To make your first dollar on Upwork, the key is to apply for as many jobs as you can, work for pennies, and do as much as you can to earn that first 5-star review.
Benefits:
Wide range of job opportunities
Set your own rates
Flexible work hours
Drawbacks:
Very high competition for jobs - Upwork listings often get 50+ candidates applying for a job.
Upwork takes a percentage of your earnings
Building a strong profile and reputation takes time
3. Fiverr
Fiverr is another freelancing platform where you can sell your services, often starting at $5 per task (hence the name).
It’s a free platform where Freelancers advertise their skills to potential clients. Fiverr differs from Upwork in that clients actually approach freelancers first, rather than a freelancer applying for open jobs.
On Fiverr, you post a ‘Gig’ - A service or skill that you can provide at a set price and specific amount of time.
Clients browse through the marketplace of gigs and reach out to the freelancers that match their needs. Whatever unique set of skills and knowledge you have, chances are there is a client looking for it on Fiverr.
You might feel like you aren’t skilled or knowledgeable enough to get paid to do something online.
But what most people don’t realize is that they already have a bunch of skills applicable to freelancing.
Clients will pay you to do a job because they do not have the time, knowledge, or skills to do it themselves.
And as you read this, there are freelancers all around the globe, earning money to do something that you could do better.
Think about your first day at any job, were you an expert at your role immediately? Not likely.
Did you still get paid for your first week? Very likely.
You would be taught how to do the skills required by a manager or learn through an onboarding course.
After a couple of weeks in your new role, you will feel much more comfortable, and within a few months, you’ll be operating like a pro!
Now, obviously, with most freelancing positions, there is no onboarding or manager teaching you the ropes… But, there is good news! There is an abundance of tools and resources online to educate and guide you through the process.
Benefits:
Easy to set up and start selling
Opportunity for upselling and increasing your income
Large potential customer base
Drawbacks:
Low initial earnings
High competition
Building a strong profile and reputation takes time
4. Paid Surveys
Paid survey websites like Branded Surveys allow you to earn money by completing surveys and sharing your opinions on various products and services.
Why do they pay you to take a survey? Because market research firms and big companies use your feedback for creating marketing content and testing new products. For this, they pay you - a real consumer - for your opinions.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not a long-term option or a way to get rich online. But, it could help you earn that first online dollar that we are hunting for.
Many people complain about limited survey options, surveys filling up too quickly, getting kicked out of surveys halfway through, earning tiny amounts of money for a completed survey, and problems with prompt payments.
Benefits:
No special skills required
Flexible and can be done in your spare time
Wide variety of survey topics
Drawbacks:
Low pay per survey
Limited availability of surveys
May not provide a consistent income
5. Online Tutoring
Still don’t think you can make money online?
Well, hopefully, this one will break those beliefs.
You speak English, right? I assume so as you are reading this blog, written in English.
You do?
You’re in luck! Boy, do I have a job for you.
Drum roll, please…
Online English Teaching.
Online tutoring platforms, such as VIPKid or Tutor.com, enable you to teach subjects like English or any other subject you're skilled in to students around the world.
Benefits:
Share your knowledge and help others
Set your own schedule
Potentially higher pay than other online jobs
Drawbacks:
May require specific qualifications or certifications
Can be challenging to find a steady stream of clients
Teaching experience may be necessary
How to Make More Than One Dollar Online
You’ll have to stay tuned for the next blog because we will be diving into that soon…
Before you go, remember, the first digital dollar is about breaking that psychological barrier and proving to yourself that you CAN make money online.
Experiment with these methods, and once you've made that first dollar, continue exploring and refining your online money-making journey. You will be on your way to financial freedom in no time.
Now, go out there and become the Hillary, Norgay, Bannister, or Stanford weed dealer, and bust through those psychological barriers you have set for yourself.
Good luck x
