3 Legit Ways I Earn an Online Income With No or Low Upfront Costs

When I first started my online business journey, I didn’t have a big budget. Like many beginners, I had to be resourceful and creative with the tools I had. Over time, I have discovered a few reliable ways to earn income online - without having to spend a lot (or anything at all) upfront.

In this post, I’m sharing the three methods I personally use to earn an income online. These are beginner-friendly, scalable, and ideal if you're starting with little to no investment.

One of the main ways I earn income is by creating and selling digital products. Over the years, I have designed and sold:

• Educational printables

• Graphic designs such as Clip art and digital stamps

• Coloring pages

• Printable journals, planners, and templates

• Christian printables

• Ebooks

I list my products on platforms like:

• Creative Fabrica – Ideal for selling design assets and printables

• Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) – Perfect for educational resources

• Gumroad and Payhip – Great for selling directly to your audience

These platforms are free (or very low-cost) to use and give you access to built-in audiences. All you really need is your creativity, a basic design tool (like Canva), and the willingness to keep experimenting.

Another major income stream for me is self-publishing. I have published ebooks and paperbacks in various niches, and the best part? There are no upfront costs to get started.

I use:

• Amazon KDP to publish ebooks and paperback books on Amazon’s marketplace

• Draft2Digital to distribute my books to other platforms like Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books

Whether it’s devotional content, themed journals, or low-content books, self-publishing has allowed me to turn my ideas into passive income - while helping others through the content I create.

Affiliate marketing is another stream I have added to my business, and it complements my creative work perfectly. I promote products and programs I believe in, and when someone buys or signs up through my link, I earn a commission.

Two of my favorite free-to-join affiliate programs are:

Love Marketing Team (LMT)

With this program, you get a free affiliate website preloaded with 750+ digital products across different niches. There’s also a $100 digital bonus bundle when you sign up. I earn commissions from product sales and when others sign up for their own store. It’s a simple way to earn without having to build a store from scratch.

LEARN MORE

MAP – Master Affiliate Profits

MAP is a beginner-friendly program that provides training and tools to help you earn recurring income from affiliate marketing. It’s totally free and ideal if you want to learn while earning.

LEARN MORE

Since I don’t rely on a big ad budget, I focus on free traffic methods like:

• Blogging on platforms like Systeme.io, Medium and Substack

• Pinterest (great for visual products like printables)

• Facebook for short-form content

• Email marketing to nurture my audience

• YouTube (if you’re up for video)

You don’t have to do all of them - just pick one or two you enjoy and stay consistent.

These are the three main ways I’ve built a sustainable online income—with no or very low upfront costs:

• Selling digital products

• Self-publishing books

• Promoting affiliate programs

You don’t need fancy tools or a big budget to get started - just a willingness to learn, create, and share what you love. If you are looking for simple, beginner-friendly ways to start an online business on a budget, I hope my story inspires you to begin your own.

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