These Are The Only Ways to Monetize an Online Business in 2025
How to start an online business (for average humans)
The year is 2015:
I’ve just been promoted to store manager at a local furniture store, and upon checking my email I see a message titled: “ATTN. ALL MANAGERS — URGENT.”
I didn’t know it at the time, but this email would go on to change the trajectory of my life.
Not to mention business as a whole.
Here’s why you must begin building an online business in 2025. And, the only 5 ways to monetize it…
This email changed everything.
When I was 20 years old, I felt like a failure.
I had forgone college to take a “gap year”, only to spend the summer binge drinking and getting into trouble — culminating in a broken jaw during one of my blackouts.
Desperate to win back some semblance of self-respect, once my jaw healed, I began looking for jobs.
And, eventually landed one at a local warehouse.
It was within these dark warehouse walls that I began seeing a brighter future. And, just one year after my jaw surgery, I wrote down a 5-year plan:
- Become a warehouse manager
- Make $60,000 per year
- Save up for a home
Little did I know that I would achieve these goals much faster than expected. And, within 3 years, I earned my first 6-figure salary — in my newly appointed store manager role.
I felt as though I had won the lottery.
But, one day, I received an ominous email from my regional manager announcing an emergency conference call.
It was to discuss the upcoming implementation of our online sales department.
Online business is now the norm.
The change wasn’t immediate. But, over the next few months, my image of brick-and-mortar business began fading away:
- Handshakes no longer mattered
- Wearing a suit began to feel silly
- Customers just wanted convenience
As online sales took more commissions out of my pocket and left my store a ghost town, I began seeing the writing on the wall.
And, set my sights on starting an online business.
In hindsight, it was the best decision I ever made. But, at the time, my co-workers thought I was crazy. There were only a handful of commission-based store manager roles in the region. And, when someone landed one, they held on for dear life.
I remember my sales director recapping my decision during our exit interview.
“You’re 23, you made $100K this year, and you’re going to quit?”
Although I was no stranger to making bad decisions, this felt like the right one. And, although it’s taken me nearly a decade to regain financial security, it was the right call.
Mainly because online business is now the norm. And, if you want to succeed, you must learn how to build an online presence.
How to start an online business.
According to a 2023 study, nearly 60% of Americans would prefer to work for themselves, given the opportunity.
But, only about 10% actually do.
This is because starting a business can feel daunting. And, if you’re like me, a quick Google search may dissuade you from ever getting started:
- Filing for a business license
- Hiring a marketing team
- Ironing out a strategy
It just feels like… well, a lot.
For the first 2 years of my online journey, I felt utterly hopeless.
I was making no money, had no idea what I was doing, and slowly reverted to my 20-year-old self. Unmotivated, depressed, and making poor decisions.
But, like any puzzling experience, if you keep moving the pieces around the board, eventually, they’ll start falling into place. And, after failing numerous times, I realized online and brick-and-mortar businesses share many key principles:
- Failure is inevitable
- The simpler the better
- Change is your only constant
And, most importantly, the best way to test out your million-dollar idea is to… well, start testing it.
Which (thankfully), has never been easier…
If you have a vision, start here.
Throughout my 10 years of exploring online business, I’ve tried just about every money-making method under the sun:
- Re-selling household items
- Starting a lifestyle brand
- Flipping domain names
- Blogging/freelancing
- Email marketing
- Dropshipping
… the list goes on.
The most important lesson I’ve learned is this:
Ideas always sound best in your head.
And, the longer they stay in your head, the harder it is to accept when they are inevitably flawed.
I remember starting a t-shirt brand with the ingenious name “Fla-Fla Tees”.
It sounded great in my head, but the moment I bought the domain name, I realized it didn’t make any sense.
You can never predict the value of an idea until it’s brought into reality.
So, instead of overwhelming yourself with the correct way to get started, simply take your first step:
- Make a logo
- Create a website
- Buy a domain name
- Start posting to social media
- Write down your business plan
Whatever feels right.
Anything that gets your idea out of your head and into reality is a win. Much like dumping a pile of clay onto a pottery wheel before shaping it.
If mining your brain clay feels overwhelming, it can be a great idea to consult a friend or colleague. Sometimes simply explaining your idea aloud is enough to make sense of it.
If you don’t have access to a friend or colleague, freelance websites are great tools to connect with like-minded humans. And, hiring gig work allows you to play to your strengths.
For example:
Maybe you don’t know how to build a website — but, you can write a killer blog post. Instead of spending your valuable time trying to become someone else, hire that someone else.
Fiverr is a great option for finding diverse humans with specific skills. And, in recent years, Fiverr has become a hub for skilled collaborations, through its Fiverr Pro program. Use code ‘HUDSON’ at checkout to save 10% on your next order (affiliate disclaimer).
The first step is all about creating momentum. Once you have some, you can begin to build.
How to monetize an online business.
One of my non-negotiables in life is to keep things simple.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the right and wrong ways to do things. But, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that success hinges on momentum.
It’s for this reason, I use Newton’s Third Law of Motion as an economic law:
“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.”
Any step you take will inevitably result in… well, another step.
Regardless of right and wrong, the best thing you can do is take a step — in any direction. This will create momentum. Which, is one of the most valuable business commodities.
At the end of the day, an online business is as simple as having:
- Something to sell
- Some way to promote
- Someone who wants to buy
That’s it.
So, once you’ve taken your first step, it’s time to take… well, the next step. Here are the only 5 ways to monetize an online audience in 2025…
#1. Revenue-sharing platforms:
Whether you want to start a blog, sell homemade art, or promote your personal brand, revenue-sharing platforms are one of the best places to start earning an income.
If you’ve never heard of revenue-sharing platforms, think of YouTube — as it’s the most quintessential example:
- You post a video
- Apply for Adsense
- Get paid from your views
Revenue-sharing platforms are one of the most popular ways to kickstart your business, as they require no prior experience. They’re also great promotional tools and can become powerful community builders over time.
Here are some of the best revenue-sharing platforms to use in 2025: 👇
Today, starting an online business really is as simple as creating content people want to consume. From there, you can begin layering your business with additional streams of income.
#2. Selling products:
When you think of the word ‘business’, you probably imagine the most common image: a shopkeeper handing over physical goods.
Which, is one way to sell products. But, today, products can be bought and sold in innumerable ways:
- Consulting
- Renting space
- Leasing software
- Freelance gig work
- Selling digital products
… the list goes on.
A product is anything fulfilling a specific need. It doesn’t have to be fancy, conventional, nor exist in … well, physical space.
Digital products, for example, are one of the best ways to earn with little investment. They require no shipping and can be sold over and over again. Personally, I make Notion templates, which I can edit in real time and sell infinite copies of.
Here are some great websites for selling digital products: 👇
Products can be as simple as creating PDFs or sharing Google Docs. If you’re not graphic-designedly inclined, Canva is an amazing graphic design tool for the average human.
If you prefer to sell physical products, here are some free websites you can use: 👇
All of these allow you to sell goods without having a website or needing fancy marketing. If you create content on social media, you can even use link-in-bio services, like Linktree, to promote links to your store.
But, if you like the idea of having a professional website, Shopify is one of the leading website providers. And, has tons of great creator resources on its blog.
Personally, I used Shopify to launch one of my first businesses — a lifestyle brand called “Full Life Vibes”. Which, sounds fancy but, in reality, it consisted of an Instagram page, website, and Shopify store.
All of which, I set up for a few hundred dollars leveraging Fiverr freelancers.
#3. Affiliate marketing:
According to a 2024 study, 80% of brands use affiliate marketing as part of their business strategy.
This is mainly because, affiliate marketing is incredibly versatile in addition to being:
- Low risk
- High reward
Not to mention it’s scalable, meaning as your audience grows, so does your earning potential. And, since 9 out of 10 online shoppers make purchases based on recommendations, as you continue to build trust with your audience, your commissions will continue to grow.
👉 Here are some great affiliate marketing programs to get started with.
No matter your niche, you can find products or services to promote with a quick Google search.
#4. Freelancing & sponsorships:
When I first started looking into online business, one of my first Google searches was:
“How many followers do you need to get sponsored?”
From a young age, I loved the idea of being sponsored. But, I never knew what it actually meant until quite recently.
At a basic level, being sponsored by a brand or company means agreeing to produce “X” work in exchange for “Y” compensation.
The only difference is sponsorships usually involve leveraging your audience— whereas freelancers often work in the shadows.
As recently as a few years ago, getting sponsored was nearly impossible unless you met the minimum audience threshold of 10,000 followers/subscribers.
But, things have changed…
Today, trust is the most valuable online commodity. Which, has spawned the age of the ‘nano influencer’.
Personally, I landed my first sponsorship deal when I had 1,500 Medium followers. Although it’s not an exact science, Shopify has a great chart illustrating how much you can charge based on your audience size.
As a rule of thumb, it’s always a great practice to create a pricing list to send to potential sponsors. And, to have your contact information posted somewhere on your blog, website, or social media profiles.
👉 Here are some best practices for landing sponsorship deals.
If you’re tired of playing the waiting game and don’t want to pitch potential sponsors, you can also advertise UGC or sponsored content on freelancing websites, such as Fiverr.
#5. Paid communities & online education:
One of my bold predictions for the future is self-education will overtake formal education in the next decade.
This is largely based on my own experience, but it’s backed by real-world statistics as well. According to a survey conducted by Pearson,
“Globally, 68% of (Gen Z) learners think you can do just as well with an education from a vocational or trade school.”
And, 60% of Americans feel as though school systems “are failing the current generation” altogether. This rise in self-education stems from one of the biggest trends in consumer behaviour: convenience above all else.
It’s no longer enough to have movies, food, and shopping available at our fingertips 24/7. Today, people want to be able to learn specific skills with the snap of their fingers.
Because of this, it’s never been easier to provide education.
Here are some of the leading websites for creating online courses: 👇
If you don’t have a skill or simply don’t want to create an online course, paid communities are another great way to fulfill the need for convenient education.
Here are some great websites to create paid communities: 👇
Whether you’re offering education through a newsletter, video calls, coaching, or nurturing collaboration through community, there are endless tools out there to bring your vision to life.
It all starts with a quick Google search…
Final thoughts: the internet is your oyster.
When it comes to the ever-evolving digital space, it’s important to break through any limiting beliefs of what a business is — and, who is capable of starting one.
Today, anyone can start an online business.
Yes, that means you.
Although not easy, the process is as simple as:
- Getting started
- Inevitably failing
- Asking questions
- Seeking answers
- Repeating and counting the small wins
From my experience, succeeding online isn’t about following a set of rules. But, rather, learning from others to carve a path that works for you.
Hi, I’m Hudson. I write about living healthier, happier, and more mindfully. To see my stories pop up on your feed, I’d love for you to follow me (Hudson Rennie). And, to have stories sent directly to you, subscribe to my newsletter.👇
