We’re reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Sure, brain surgeons make over $20,000 a month.1
But they can’t work online from the beach and they spent many years in college poking at squishy brains.
Instead, I’ll show you the best ways how to make 20k a month online – no college degree needed.
I’ll compare these to traditional jobs that make 20k a month so you can decide what’s right for you.
I really like these ways how to make 20000 dollars a month online, no college required:
- Freelancing online with Upwork and Fiverr
- Teaching online with Teachable and Skillshare
- Blogging with Squarespace
- Flipping items online for profit – learn what flips
- Content Creator / Social Media Influencer
- Affiliate marketer
Get ready for stories from my personal experience, plus real-life success stories of people just like you.
Oh, and I’ll let you know the worst mistakes I’ve seen people make when trying to make 20k a month.
Table of Contents
How to Make 20k a Month
Become a Content Creator / Social Media Influencer
Earning Potential: 20k a month, up to millions of dollars per month
For creative people, this is the dream.
As a content creator, it’s all about connecting with your online audience.
Decide how you’d like to serve your audience. You can
- Entertain them
- Educate them about a topic
- Inform them
- Inspire them
- Help them
- Relax them
- Keep them company
And more.
Once you have a big enough audience, here’s how to make 20k a month or more:
- Get paid by advertisers and sponsors
- Create video courses and/or ebooks that you sell to your audience – Use Skillshare
- Promote products that pay you a commission (also called affiliate marketing)
- Create your own physical products that you sell, such as t-shirts, hats, and stickers – Use Shopify
- Go on tour and/or put on live in-person events
Lauryn Bosstick is a very successful content creator.
Lauryn is crushing it on social media, YouTube, her podcast, and her e-commerce website.
You can take one piece of content and chop it up so it goes everywhere.
For example, Lauryn records a video version of her podcast.
- The full video version goes on YouTube
- The audio podcast goes on Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, Apple podcasts, etc.
- Short video clips of the full version go on Instagram and TikTok.
And because of her popularity and likeability, people are now buying her products.
Three tools content creators use:
- Amazing video – GoPro
- AI creative companion – Picsart
- Build your audience faster – TikTok for Business
I’ll get into specific types of content creators below, such as bloggers, YouTubers, and podcasters.
Don’t miss out on new income streams that can get you to 20k a month or more. Join my free email newsletter:
E-commerce Store
Earning Potential: Many millions of dollars per year, 20k a month is very doable
You want to make stuff. Do it! And sell it online. That’s e-commerce. And today it’s easy to set-up with Shopify.
Not sure what products to sell online? How about these product ideas:
- Your own barbecue sauce
- Your artwork
- Nutritional supplements
- Prints of your travel photos
- Clothes you design
- Skincare products
Leah Kay Krabbenhoft has made over $15 million dollars in sales. Her e-commerce store is called Soulvation Society:
And here’s an e-commerce example in the fitness niche:
Being an e-commerce store owner is one of those rare jobs that pay 1 million dollars a month when you’re great at it. Marketing software can help you get there. See my comparison of Kartra vs Clickfunnels.
If you need money to get your online store started, check out:
- Best small business loans
- Low-cost business ideas with high profit
- How to get a startup business loan with no money
- Best Business Credit cards
To test your e-commerce skills, you might want to learn, What can I sell for money? or Is it worth selling on eBay?
Blogging for 20k a month
Earnings Potential: Make 20k a month or more as a blogger
I’ve worked for 3 different people who each made much more money than 20k a month blogging.
There are many multi-millionaire bloggers. Most of them don’t dress in fancy clothes or live in mansions. But they’ve made enough money to retire early, travel the world, and live very comfortable lives.
Let’s look at two successful bloggers to learn how to make 20000 dollars a month:
The Pinch of Yum blog makes money by allowing Google to show ads on her blog. This blog also makes money through affiliate marketing. When you purchase something for a recipe through her link, she earns a percentage.
Here’s another blogging success story:
Lindsay Silberman makes millions of dollars from her lifestyle blog. She writes about beauty and travel. Now, she also sells her own line of scented candles.
Blogging is one of the best business ideas for women. But it’s just as profitable for men and couples. Blogging is one of the most profitable online businesses.
You can easily create a website with Squarespace. You can host your blog cheaply on Bluehost.
You absolutely must get email addresses from your fans. Use Kit to send them newsletters and deals. Kit was rebranded from “ConvertKit,” you can learn more in my Kit review.
This is an essential element to how to make 20000 dollars a month. Because you don’t want to rely on social media algorithms.
Check out our picks for the best blogging platform.
Look here to be inspired by the small business website design. Here are the best web hosting services and best website builder.
If you’re going to blog on Wordpress (this is what I do personally), check out managed Wordpress hosting.
Freelance Online
Earning Potential: 20k a month or more
You can sell your services on sites like Fiverr as a way how to make 20000 dollars a month.
You can certainly earn 6 figures without a college degree! The keys are to have valuable skills and earn excellent reviews.
I’ve made hundreds of thousands of dollars as a freelance business strategist. I’ve hired freelance writers, coders, website designers, graphic designers, video editors, and more.
Get started towards earning 20000 dollars a month:
1 – Create your freelancer profile on
2 – List your skills such as:
- Software development
- Video editing
- Writing – I know many freelance writers who make six figures working from home
- Voice-over reading – also a great way how to make money on Audible
- Digital Marketing
- Sales
Don’t have any of these skills? Start by selling the skills you DO have! Then, take online courses at Skillshare to learn high-paying skills like those I mentioned above.
For example, here’s a coding class with outstanding reviews that you can take on Skillshare.
Listing your skills on UpWork and Fiverr are great ways how to make 20k a month online.
Freelancing is one of the most profitable online businesses because your upfront costs are very low. So can you keep nearly everything you charge as profit.
To get to the 20k-a-month level, you probably first need to know how to make 10k a month. Then you’ll bounce up and know how to make 30k a month.
Freelancing is also a great way how to make money online for beginners.
Want to know how to make money fast? Get on Upwork AND Fiverr to get started as a freelancer.
Affiliate Marketing
Earning Potential: 20k a month is certainly realistic, up to millions of dollars a month.
Each blogger I’ve worked for earned much more than 20,000 dollars a month. Most of their income came from affiliate marketing.
What is affiliate marketing? Promote a product or service with a special link given to you by that company. When someone clicks your link and gets that product or service, you get money.
You can do affiliate marketing as a blogger, YouTuber, social media influencer, email newsletter writer, and more.
Affiliate marketing is a great way how to make money on Facebook and how to make money on Pinterest.
Check out my articles about affiliate programs:
- Sephora affiliate program review – promote skincare, beauty, and hair products
- Chewy affiliate program – promote pet toys and yummy treats (check this out if you start a pet care blog)
- Samsung affiliate program review – promote phones, appliances, and electronics
- Target affiliate program review – promote deals on everyday products and home decor
- Walmart affiliate program review – promote affordable clothes, electronics, home goods, and snacks
- Louis Vuitton Affiliate program review – promote handbags and luxury items
- Farfetch affiliate program review – promote high-end clothes
- Revolve affiliate program review – promote clothes, accessories, and beauty products
- Zara affiliate program review – promote stylish clothes and home decor
- Temu affiliate program review – promote clothes, accessories, and home gadgets
- Fashion Nova ambassador program review – promote fashionable clothes and accessories
- Nike affiliate program review – promote athletic wear and sneakers
- LEGO affiliate program review – promote toys
- VRBO affiliate program review – promote vacation rentals
- Viator affiliate program review – promote travel excursions and trips
- To sign up for affiliate programs, join Flexoffers
Remember, a highly lucrative way to make money with affiliate marketing is to have an email list. Use Kit because it’s easy and affordable.
Investing
Earning Potential: 20k a month up to millions of dollars per month
WARNING: Investing before you know what you’re doing is one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to make 20000 dollars a month.
Learn as much as you can.
There are terrific investing courses on Skillshare here.
I love investing as a way to build wealth. I have a friend who earns a passive income of over 20k a month by investing in the stock market. Another friend earns over 20k a month by very actively trading stocks.
Another friend makes 20k a month because he invested in commercial real estate.
But they did NOT do this right away. They learned. They started slowly.
To start, try these methods but ONLY with an amount you can afford to lose:
- Learn more about stocks and get $20 when you sign up for Acorns (read: Betterment vs Acorns)
- Learn more about real estate investing online: check out EquityMultiple
- Buy an existing business that’s already profitable with EmpireFlippers
Expand your investing knowledge for free with my articles:
- Best business to start with 10k
- How to turn 10k into 100k
- How to double 10k quickly
- How to make 50k a month
- Online business for sale
Start Dropshipping
Earning Potential: 20k a month or much more
What is dropshipping? It allows you to sell stuff without actually making products. You don’t even hold the products in storage.
Instead, you get great at 3 skills:
- Finding products for a cheap price
- Marketing the products so people find them and buy them
- Giving great service so you get excellent customer ratings
You can find products to sell to customers on sites like AliExpress, SaleHoo, and Worldwide Brands.
As a dropshipper, you don’t keep inventory.
When someone buys a product from your store on Squarespace or Shopify, THEN you buy it from a wholesaler like AliExpress, who will send the product to the customer.
YouTube Personality
Earning Potential: Make $20,000 dollars a month or much more
Here’s how to make 20k a month on YouTube:
- Allow YouTube to show ads on your videos
- Accept sponsorships
- Affiliate marketing (promote famous products, get paid when people buy them)
- Sell courses using Skillshare
The AthleanX fitness channel makes much more than 20k a month on YouTube.
The key to making 20k a month on YouTube is to do everything you can to get views from the people you think are most likely to watch your videos again and again.
And it helps if you focus on what the audience really wants to see or learn:
The above video has likely already earned about $10,000 from the ads on it. Plus, it’s a topic people will search for year after year. So, this becomes passive income from YouTube.
In addition to ad revenue, AthleanX is earning money when you become a fan and decide to buy one of their fitness courses. And when you buy their supplements.
If you’re educating people about your topic on YouTube, you can create live webinars. Webinars are where you get paid to show people how to do stuff and answer their questions in real-time.
Check out the best webinar software, such as ZohoMeeting.
You can also sell access to videos for a course on your topic. This is part of what AthleanX does to make 20000 dollars a month. Sell your video course on Teachable or Skillshare.
I can’t emphasize email enough. How would you feel if someone watched your YouTube one day and really liked it, but the next day they forgot the name of your channel. And for that reason, they never came back to you?
Most people don’t subscribe to YouTube channels. And even if they do, the YouTube algorithm doesn’t always alert them of your newest videos.
You can avoid that common problem by getting the best email marketing software, such as Kit.
You don’t have to write a lot. You can simply send links to your new YouTube videos.
You can start YouTube as a hobby. YouTube is one of my favorite hobbies to make money. It’s also a great way how to make money online for beginners.
To make $20,000 dollars a month with YouTube, study how your favorite YouTubers make
- you want to keep watching until the end
- thumbnails that get your attention
- YouTube titles that get you interested
Being a YouTube host is one of the best ways how to make money as an attractive male and how to make money as an attractive female. But you don’t have to be attractive.
You have to be knowledgeable, interesting, or entertaining.
Being a YouTube personality is one of the most profitable online businesses.
Create Online Courses
Earning Potential: 20k a month or much more
What’s your passion?
Perhaps you’ve spent countless hours getting really knowledgeable about your topic. You can upload videos showing others how to do it too.
Platforms like Teachable and Skillshare help you find students, accept payment, and create a community where students can help each other.
You can get started with online courses without quitting your job. Kat Norton, AKA Miss Excel, did exactly that.
But she got so rich from her courses, she quit her corporate gig and now she has one of the best jobs that pay over 1 million a year – online teacher. That’s much more than 20k dollars a month!
Crazy how in-person teaching usually doesn’t pay all that well. But by creating your OWN courses and doing it YOUR way, you can reach thousands of students using Teachable or Skillshare.
Not sure what to teach? Get ideas from Teachable and Skillshare.
Singer or Comedian
Earnings Potential: Many millions of dollars per year. 20k a month is possible for non-famous entertainers
The most popular stand-up comedians earn a million dollars a year.3
Every entertainer should have a website and email list:
- Create a website without coding using Squarespace.
- Set up an email list with Kit
- Sell personalized videos on Cameo.
See, you don’t have to be a super famous entertainer. If you can build a loyal audience you’ll find a way how to make 30k a month. Here’s how to make money as an independent artist.
Here’s the answer to: how do rappers make money.
Podcasting
Earning Potential: Make $20,000 dollars a month or more
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when trying to make 20000 dollars a month is thinking, “Oh, I’ll just start a podcast! Let me start by buying a bunch of expensive equipment.”
Look, I could make money by telling you to buy the $400 Shure SM7B microphone for podcasting because it’s high quality and worth the price. BUT… if you can’t afford it, this would be a dumb purchase.
Start by recording with any decent microphone or even your phone. Make sure your podcast is interesting, and you gain skills as a host. THEN invest in better equipment as you go.
We all know the richest podcasters like Joe Rogan and Bill Simmons are multi-millionaires – some are nearly billionaires.
Start with the basics – the best podcast hosting and best audio editing software.
Software Developer
Earnings Potential: Top software developers can make 20k a month working for Meta, Google, Amazon, Netflix, or Microsoft.
Other software developers earn a median of about $124,000 per year.4
The way how to make 20k a month for most software developers is to create a popular app.
Creating an app is a business, so here are free resources for you:
- How to borrow money
- How to get a loan with Lendio or Lenme.
- Financial planning for small businesses.
- Best LLC service
Hedge Fund Manager
Earning Potential: $150,000 to $270,000 per year. But the best can make 20k a month or 3X that amount.
A hedge fund manager makes smart investment decisions for clients.
Most hedge fund managers have:
- A university degree
- Certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
- Over a decade of highly successful investment experience
Some hedge fund managers like Steve Cohen and Wes Edens go on to become billionaires who buy sports franchises.
Law Firm Partner
Earnings Potential: Law firm partners average 1.12 million a year.5 That’s triple 20k a month.
A law firm partner is an attorney with partial ownership of the law firm. A law firm partner has to
- Increase revenue
- Help run the law firm
- Practice law
Psychiatrist
Earning Potential: 20k a month or more6
To be a psychiatrist in the US, you’ll need a
- University degree
- Medical degree
- Certification
If you love helping people with their serious problems, this is a great way how to make 20k a month.
Dermatologist
Earning Potential: 20k a month or more7
To be a dermatologist in the US, you’ll need a
- University degree
- Medical degree
- Advanced dermatology training
- Certification
If you like poppin’ zits and carvin’ out cancerous bits, this is a terrific way how to make 20k a month.
Flipping (Reselling)
Earnings Potential: 20k a month is possible
To make money flipping products, find items cheaply at
- Flea markets
- Craigslist
- Thrift shops
- Stores with crazy sales
- Wholesale websites like AliExpress
You can also flip expensive items like
- Websites using EmpireFlippers
- Furniture
- Sports memorabilia using eBay
- Exercise equipment on eBay
- Major appliances
See my guide to What Flips and learn more in Is it worth selling on eBay?.
Common Questions About How to Make 20k a Month
Is it Possible to Make 20k a Month?
Yes, it’s possible to make 20k a month. That’s why I’m writing this article. Duh.
My favorite ways to make 20k a month:
- Create an online course about a topic you know well – use Skillshare
- Blog about your favorite topic – use Squarespace
- Flip items for profit online – learn What Flips
- Do high-paying freelance jobs on Upwork
- Sell your own products online using Shopify
- Be a YouTube host and make 20k a month from advertising
- Be an affiliate marketer
- Be a popular podcaster
- Be an online investor – start small with EquityMultiple and Acorns (learn more in Betterment vs Acorns)
- Create a popular app
- Become an online entertainer or social media influencer
- Become a naughty online entertainer – here’s how to make money on OnlyFans
How to Make 20k a Month Online?
- Blog online about your favorite topic with Squarespace
- Upload instructional videos about a topic you know well – use Skillshare
- Do high-paying freelance jobs online on Upwork
- Flip items for profit online – learn What Flips
- Sell your own products online using Shopify
- Be a YouTube host and make 20k a month from advertising
- Be an online affiliate marketer
- Be a popular podcaster
- Be an online investor – beginners should start with EquityMultiple and Acorns
- Create a popular mobile app
- Become an online entertainer or social media influencer
- Become a naughty online entertainer – here’s how to make money on OnlyFans as a Couple
How to Make 20k a Month From Home?
- Blog from home about your favorite topic with Squarespace
- Upload instructional videos from home about a topic you know well – use Skillshare
- Do high-paying online freelance jobs from the comfort of your home on Upwork
- Flip items for profit online – learn What Flips
- Sell your own products online using Shopify
- Be a YouTube host and make 20k a month from home
- Be an online affiliate marketer
- Be a popular podcaster from home
- Be an online investor from home – start with EquityMultiple and Acorns
- Create a popular mobile app from home
- Become an online entertainer or social media influencer from home
- Become a naughty online entertainer from home – here’s how to make money on OnlyFans as a guy
How to Get $20,000 Dollars Fast?
Proven ways to get $20,000 dollars fast:
- Borrow money with Lendio or Lenme
- Sell your jewelry with Worthy.com
- Do high-paying online freelance jobs on Upwork
- Flip items for profit fast when you know What Flips
Also, check out these ways for how to make $20,000 dollars a week.
Can You Make 20k a Month on YouTube? / How to Make 20k a Month on YouTube?
Here’s how to make 20k a month on YouTube:
- Make videos that get millions of views when you add them all up
- Allow YouTube to show ads on your videos
- Accept sponsorships from brands
- Promote famous products and get paid when people buy them (affiliate marketing)
- Sell courses using Skillshare
Jobs That Make 20k a Month?
- Specialized doctor like a dermatologist or psychiatrist
- Online teacher who sells courses on Skillshare
- Law firm partner
- Hedge fund manager
- Entertainer
- A reseller who knows What Flips for big profits
- Software developer
How to Make 20k a Month Passive Income?
- Create a course about a topic you know well. Upload the videos to Skillshare.
- Write blog articles about topics that never go out of style, like fitness, nutrition, plumbing, recipes, relationship advice, etc. Use Squarespace or Bluehost.
- Investing a lot of money for a long time – start slowly with Acorns.
How to Make 20k a Month Reddit?
Related:
- How to make $20,000 dollars a week
- Is it worth selling on eBay?
- How to Make 10k a Month
- Best Web Hosting Services
- Best Website Builders
- Best Email Marketing Software
- What Flips – Best Items to Resell
- How to Make Money Fast
Sources:
1 – https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Brain-Surgeon-Salary
2 – https://www.linkedin.com/in/katboogaard/
3 – https://www.billboard.com/lists/top-comedy-tours-2023/
4 – https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm
5 – https://www.mlaglobal.com/en/insights/research/2022-partner-compensation-survey