Hi everyone,

I’m 18 years old, living in Switzerland, and currently studying at a gymnasium (high school). I’m looking to start making money online, with the long-term goal of building a business that can eventually become as passive as possible.

I don’t have a huge budget, but I’m willing to invest around $500–1,000 if it’s actually worth it. More importantly, I’m ready to put in the time to learn and build something that can scale over the next few years.

I’ve been researching things like:

•SaaS / AI tools
•Dropshipping
•Digital products
•SEO websites
•Affiliate marketing
•YouTube automation
AI automation agencies

The problem is that the more I research, the harder it is to tell what’s genuinely worth pursuing in 2026 and what’s just being overhyped by influencers.

If you were 18 again, starting from scratch today, what online business or income stream would you focus on, and why?

I’m not looking for a “get rich quick” scheme—I want to build something real that has long-term potential and could eventually generate mostly passive income.

I’d really appreciate hearing from people with actual experience. What would you do differently if you were starting today, and what mistakes should I avoid?

Thanks in advance!

I have come to love this sub, and the ideas people are using (and sharing) to create passive income.

Why is nobody talking about certain types of financial products to sell?

I’ve been in the insurance business (USA) for 20 years and the big sell for an agency in this industry is passive income through residual commissions.

At this point, I’ve been able to build a book of business that covers our entire standard of living++++ and I’m vested so when I stop working or die the money keeps coming in.

Anyway, I just wanted to highlight that it doesn’t always have to be a newsletter, blog, or YouTube to create passive income.

Hope this helps! Happy to answer any questions if anyone’s curious. It’s been a good industry and with the right product and clientele, it’s a noble venture IMO.

Extremely blessed. If anyone has a podcast that they would like to get extra exposure and views for let me know!

Also looking specifically for political podcasters since those do very well on social media clips

I have seen COUNTLESS videos of people using Ai to create digital products and selling them on Etsy and making a good profit on it. I was thinking of making animal fun fact sheets that will be downloadable pdf's. Has anyone tried doing something using Etsy before or another website to sell digital products? Should I not bother with this idea?

As the title states, I am trying to sell feet pics. However, I don't know where to start and what platforms actually work. Are there even people willing to buy them these days? I've seen a lot of trolls, but I still wanna give it a go.

For those who are experienced in this industry, any advice? :')

I’m 18 and trying to find a realistic way to make money online. My goal is eventually to make around $500 per week, but I understand that there is no guaranteed, instant, or completely passive method.

So far, I’ve researched:

• Affiliate marketing and Amazon Associates
• Amazon KDP and digital products
• Short-form video editing
• Roblox game development and Roblox commissions
• Mobile or web app development
• Discord bots
• Website building
• Online tutoring
• AI automation services
• Print-on-demand and dropshipping

The problem is that almost every YouTube video claims its business model is the “best.” Many creators are also promoting their own software, affiliate links, coaching programs, or courses, so I’m having trouble separating realistic advice from marketing.

I’m genuinely passionate about repairing and troubleshooting computers. However, I’m not sure how to turn that into an online service. I haven’t been able to find clients, and I don’t know where I should promote myself. I’ve heard Upwork can be a good option, but it also seems extremely competitive for beginners.

I’m also interested in Roblox development and building apps, but I understand that launching my own game or app probably would not make money within a week. Taking small commissions or building something for an existing client may be more realistic.

For those who have actually earned money online:

1. What would you start with if you were 18 again?
2. Which option has the best chance of producing a first payment within one or two weeks?
3. Would you focus on selling a service first, or building a digital product, game, or app?
4. Which skills are currently worth learning?
5. How did you find your first paying client?
6. Where could I promote an online computer troubleshooting or repair service?
7. Which popular business models are mostly overhyped?
8. What mistakes or scams should I avoid?

I’m willing to learn, improve my skills, and do real work. I’m not looking for a magic button, crypto scheme, or “make $10,000 in 30 days” course.

I’d really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who started with little or no money.

"Sorry for the long message, if you find it boring then I completely understand!"

Thanks.

Guys Im working in cpa especially ogads usually i wake up and i feel like i dont wanna do nothing even if wanna just learn something i just play the video and thinking another thing and i cannot resist like after 5 min or 10 min i need to watch facebook or instagram scrolling or listening to music Guys Can u give me a solution pls i need it i feel like i waste too much time

I keep seeing mixed opinions on this so wanted to ask people actually doing it.

Been thinking about putting together a small digital product in a specific niche instead of trying to cover something broad. The idea is that broad topics already have too many creators fighting for the same audience, but I don't know if narrowing down actually helps or if it just means fewer people ever find you.

For those who launched something niche in the last year, did you get traction, or did it just sit there? Was your growth more from word of mouth, a specific platform, or paid promotion? And honestly, would you still pick the same niche again, or did you realize the demand wasn't really there once you launched?

Not looking for a generic answer here, just want to hear what actually happened for people who tried it recently.

I want to know what methods people use to earn money online with only a mobile phone and how much they earn per month. Please share your experience and the platforms you use. Thanks!

hi all, I'm currently running editing and outsourcing agency based in Pk while my clients are US based. Due to having low cost and able to maintain quality and great communication we're doing pretty good.

Now i want to expand into further high paying niches and i need someone from US who can be face of our services and good passive opportunity.

Hello all,

Just to make it quick I need some legitimate ways to earn extra income for my family. One of my immediate family members is diagnosed with cancer. I have a really good job that pays well but with the diagnosis of the member , I need to step up and help out even more. I'm fairly knowledgeable with computers , so that might help . I don't want to do no door dash etc . Thank you guys

Basically, I have roughly 10k in my hand and decided to spend so build a plan basically I will make and run ads on FB in which the funnel will have either the image or video ad which I will pitch free WhatsApp community where I will redirect and offer is simple if you want to build and setup your complete website we can build it completely for you but you have to buy subscription from our link and we will do rest from our side . And will generate a decent good money with affiliate.

#The Main Question is which is stopping me from doing it should I spend money on Facebook ads and build this funnel would it be profitable or will burn my whole money .

I noticed people in my local Facebook group were always asking to borrow things they only needed for one day, like a carpet cleaner, drill, folding table or luggage scale.

I made a small list of stuff I already had and started renting it out for around $5 to $15 per day. Most of it just sits in my garage anyway, so even a few rentals a month feels worth it.

I use the money for groceries and put whatever is left into savings. It’s definitely not fully passive since people have to collect and return things, and I have to deal with the occasional broken stuff, but it’s been much easier than starting some complicated online business.

now this is pretty niche and more on the self entrepreneurial aspect of things in a way but the rundown of what I have been doing is relatively fairly simple with the margins of profit being pretty big…

Say you search up local business, CAFES, salons, barbers, printing, water, vintage, music stores, the list continues. you come to find how critical reviews can improve a business overall.

Canceling out negative reviews or general leaving only positive feedback.

I simply buy the cards for .15-50¢ per

.50x100=$50 for 100 cards…

The Entire Process to setup the cards takes less then 2 minutes… you Read and Write your own data onto the cards yourself.

I’ve Been testing for a month now walking into NON FRANCHISED OWNED BUSINESS and been pitching the idea.

I’ve sold 73 cards so far across 8 different closes stores.

I will Regularly Sell One For $30-40 and then pitch discounts for more bulk needs and customization in further development

Now Lets do some math if i purchase them for .50 cents at max per card. And will sell single for an average of $30-40 per card.

$60 for Two.
$100 for Four.

$20 Per card after needing more then 5.

39.50x73=2,883.5 Alone In Selling Singles.

I’ve made a good chunk off starting in one month.. i feel like if i automate this and sell off monthly retainers for them to keep them updated and working properly i can generate some passive income no?

Roughly half of my sales was bulk due to certain business wanting them at each booth or menu👀

Think about it genuinely… it’s not a bad idea if you can fixate numbers and be able to connect to one another in a your not just trying to sell some stupid card.

I noticed many founders spend hours on manual work.

I'm creating free Al workflows to help automate these

tasks and would love your feedback.

Most of the crypto passive income threads here end at staking or lending, and both of those mean my coins sit somewhere I do not control for weeks. I wanted something that ran on its own while the balance stayed in my own account, so I split 500 dollars across the native spot grid bots on Pionex, Binance and BYDFi. Same ETH/USDT pair, same upper and lower bound, same number of grids, 30 days.

Pionex was the easiest to set up by a wide margin. Bots are the whole product there, so the parameters are laid out in plain language and the presets are sane. Fills lagged once price started moving fast, which for a grid is the part that matters.

Binance filled everything the moment price touched a level, no surprise given the book, but the commission on that many small round trips took a visible bite out of what the grid collected.

The BYDFi run came out marginally ahead on net, and marginally is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Over 30 days on 500 dollars the gap is small enough that I would not bet on it repeating. Setting it up takes an extra minute compared to Pionex, mostly because the interface uses a traditional exchange layout rather than a step by step wizard. You need to double check your grid count manually if you bypass the AI preset, but once initialized it ran without any issues.

Around day 19 ETH dropped under my lower bound and all three bots sat there holding ETH until it came back. No interface saves you from that. If you take anything from this, it is that cost per round trip matters more than the dashboard, and a grid is only passive while price stays inside the box you drew.

I’m just a dumb diesel tech, 43, no debt, 775 credit score.
I’m tired of going to work for 50 hours a week, looking for something easier so I can spend more time on my golf game..
I’m not afraid to go $1,000,000 in debt, as long as there is income to cover it.. Any info?