Some things you create can sell more than once, without you doing the same work for every sale. You can also earn ongoing income from space you already own.
That's the appeal of passive income! But keep in mind these ideas take setup, and you may still need to promote what you sell, answer questions, or make updates.
Below are eight options, starting with a few that don't require a big project or specialized training.
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8 Ways to Build Ongoing Income
1 – Sell Useful Printables and Digital Downloads
If you like making lists and keeping things organized, printables are worth a look. Think moving checklists, pantry inventory sheets, party-planning pages, or a simple monthly budget tracker.
You create the file, and each buyer downloads their own copy to use or print. A useful one-page checklist can be a much smaller project than writing an entire book.
You can learn more about selling printables on Etsy through this free Gold City Ventures workshop.
Another option is Payhip, which gives you a storefront and automatically delivers your files after a purchase. Its free plan has no monthly charge, but there is a 5% transaction fee plus payment-processing fees.
2 – Write a Short eBook or Practical Guide
An eBook doesn't have to be a full-length novel. If you know a subject well, you could put together a focused guide that helps someone do something specific.
For example, someone with gardening experience could write a guide to growing herbs in small spaces. Or if you've organized plenty of yard sales, you could explain the process from sorting items to sale day.
Once you've written and edited it, you can sell the same guide as a PDF through Payhip. The file is delivered automatically, so you don't have to email each buyer yourself.
Fiction is another option if you enjoy writing stories, although a novel is a bigger project than a short how-to guide.
3 – Sell Your Designs on Print-on-Demand Products
If you enjoy drawing or putting designs together, you could sell your work on T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and other products.
Sites like Spreadshirt handle the printing and shipping when someone buys. You don't have to buy a stack of shirts or keep inventory in your house.
On the Spreadshirt Marketplace, you earn a design payment when a product featuring your work sells. The amount varies by product, country, and sales channel.
Use your own artwork or designs you have the right to sell.
4 – Rent Out Unused Storage or Parking Space
If you own a garage, shed, driveway, or parking space you aren't using, someone nearby may be willing to pay to use it.
Neighbor lets you list storage and parking space, set your price and access hours, and receive monthly payouts while someone rents it. Listing is free, and Neighbor deducts a processing fee from your payouts.
You'll still need to coordinate access with your renter and check that your local rules, HOA, and insurance allow the arrangement.
5 – Sell Original Craft Patterns
Do you already crochet, knit, or sew? If you create your own projects, you could turn the instructions into a pattern other people can buy.
You might sell a pattern for a crocheted bag, a knitted scarf, or a sewing project. Once the pattern is ready, you can sell the PDF repeatedly instead of making each finished item yourself.
Payhip can handle the downloads, and Ravelry is another option for knitting and crochet patterns.
The pattern needs clear instructions and testing so someone else can successfully make the project.
6 – Sell Educational Resources
If you're a teacher or have experience creating learning materials, you may have original resources you've already used successfully with students.
Original lesson activities, reading practice sheets, classroom games, and subject-specific teaching packs can be sold as downloads through Teachers Pay Teachers.
This could be a great idea for someone who can create and test useful learning materials. Just remember to only sell content you own or have permission to use.
TPT charges a seller membership fee and keeps part of each sale.
7 – License Stock Photos or Video Clips
If you already love photography or shooting video, you could submit your work to a stock site such as Adobe Stock.
Businesses and publishers license stock images and clips for their projects. An accepted photo or video can be licensed more than once, earning you royalties without another shoot.
The pay for an individual download can be small, and your submissions have to meet the site's quality and release requirements.
You can also read my list of sites that pay for photos for more places to look.
8 – Create a Short Online Course
If you can explain a useful skill, you could turn it into a course people can buy and work through on their own.
For example, you might teach someone how to use a spreadsheet program, decorate a cake, or complete a beginner sewing project.
Udemy is one of the more known places to publish and sell video courses. Its minimum requirements include at least 30 minutes of video and five separate lectures, and it keeps a share of your course sales.
Written lessons delivered as a paid email course are another format if you'd rather write than record video.
Which One Sounds Like a Fit for You?
Start with something you already know or enjoy!
A useful download, a tested pattern, or a guide based on your experience gives you something you can offer to more than one buyer.
Good luck in whatever you choose to do!
Anna Thurman is a work at home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 15 years. Her findings are published weekly here at Real Ways to Earn.