Income-Earning Ideas

I updated this list with some new sign-up links!

Looking for something to do to earn a little extra side income or gift cards? You won’t get rich taking surveys, but they are a nice way to earn a little extra income on the side. This is something I enjoyed doing when Jesse was in law school, I had a lot of free time on my hands, and we had little money.

If you’re looking for legitimate survey companies to sign up with, here are a few to check out:

Pinecone Research: This is my personal favorite survey site. They pay $3 promptly for every survey completed. Go here, here,  or here and sign up to see if you qualify.

My Survey: Another survey company I’ve used and earned money from. You can redeem your points earned for cash or prizes and every 1000 points equals $10. Go here to sign up.

MyPoints: This is a site that rewards you points for online activity such as reading emails, taking surveys and signing up for offers. When I was participating in this, I mostly just read the emails and clicked on the links and slowly accumulated points. You won’t get rich quickly doing this, but you can earn enough points by reading emails to get free gift cards each year. We paid for our few and far between law school date nights mostly with gift cards I earned through MyPoints. Go here to sign up.

SurveySpot: This company pays up to $5 per survey and you can request payout when you have earned $5. So therefore, it’s not hard at all to earn enough to get a check. Go here to sign up.

Opinion Outpost: Pays in point rewards for every completed survey. You can cash these in for instant win opportunities, sweepstakes, or cash. There are also opportunities to do free product testing. Go here to sign up.

Toluna: When you sign up for Toluna, you will receive 500 points to welcome you to the site. When you have earned at least 60,000 points, you may redeem your points for a cash reward. Go here to sign up with Tulona.

What are your favorite legitimate survey companies? Tell us in the comments!

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Aaress from DuoParadigms Public Relations & Design, Inc. emailed me today and said:

I am the co-owner of a graphic design and public relations firm (DuoParadigms Public Relations & Design, Inc.) in Houston that specializes in working with Christian ministries and businesses.

We have an opening for a virtual graphic design assistant and I thought it might prove to be something of interest to your readers. It’s a part-time job at $20.00 per hour, and might be perfect for someone who is looking to work from home and make some extra money.

The details about the job are here.

For more work-at-home ideas, be sure to check out my series on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash.

Here’s a hot tip from Jenna:

The first time I did one of the new Jingit offers, I bought paper towels at CVS. After I submitted my receipt scan to Jingit, I got a message that said it would be reviewed and I would be notified when it was approved. Well, the next day, I got the message that it was approved.

I logged back into my Jingit app to check and see if I had, in fact, been paid. There was a new video to watch about the new Jingit offers.

I watched it and was paid $5! YES, $5!

I told my parents and my husband, and they all did an offer and they got the $5 video offer, too! Not sure how long this will last, so you might want to hurry! -Jenna

Swagbucks — one of my favorite ways to earn free gift cards! — is offering 70 free bonus points to my readers this month when you use bonus code CRYSTAL70 at registration.

To enter this registration code, click the text that reads “I have a sign up code” and enter code CRYSTAL70 while you’re signing up.

This code is valid through April 30, 2013.

Read more about how Swagbucks works and also learn 15 Ways to Earn More Swagbucks.

(Note: The links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Continuing on with the Q&A series on blogging I started two weeks ago, Christa asks:

What books/resources would you recommend as being the most influential in your blogging/business mindset? I recently started reading Platform by Michael Hyatt. I know you highly recommend Dave Ramsey. Are there any other books you would recommend that have been foundational in developing your mindset? -Christa

I highly recommend that anyone who wants to succeed in life becomes an avid reader of good books. Books will inspire you, challenge you, and shape the way you think. Best of all, books allow you to be mentored by amazing and successful people.

I can’t stress enough how much of a priority everyone should place on reading. Even if it’s just reading 1-2 pages of a book each day. Read something to stimulate your mind and I promise you’ll grow as a person as a result.

Here are a few suggestions and book ideas:

1. Watch, Listen, and Learn From People You Want to Emulate

Do you want to develop the character or work ethic of someone else? Read everything you can get your hands on that they’ve written. Their books, blogs, and articles will give you a peek into what has helped them to develop into the person they are.

I read and listen to Dave Ramsey, Michael Hyatt, Jon Acuff, Robert D. Smith, Jeff Goins, Lysa TerKeurst, among many others, because these are people who inspire and motivate me and whom I constantly learn from. {Speaking of which, if you haven’t watched this short video by Lysa TerKeurst, you must. She’s brilliant and I’ve been learning so much from reading, listening, and observing her!}

2. Read Books By People Who Are Successful Business Owners

If you want to have a successful blog or business, read books by people who are successful bloggers and/or business owners. They don’t need to be in your field. In fact, they can be doing something completely unrelated to what you’re doing. But you can apply the principles they share to your unique situation.

Here are a few biographies I’ve read in the last few years that have given me a lot of great business insight:

Pour Your Heart Into It — the story of how Starbucks came to be. It’s fascinating!

Against All Odds by Chuck Norris — full of inspiration to face your fears and move outside your comfort zone.

Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People – the story of how Chik-fil-A was born.

The Duck Commander Family — While this book isn’t really a business primer at all, I found the many business insights and ideas from it. You’ll want to have watched Duck Dynasty some before reading it or you probably won’t get the personalities of this family.

3. Feed Yourself a Steady Diet of New Ideas and Inspiration

Never be content with the status quo. There is always so much more to learn, so many new ideas to try, and so many ways to improve as a person.

Challenge yourself to read books that will inspire you with new business ideas and help you develop strong character as a business owner. A few such books that I’ve enjoyed and been motivated by in the last few years are: What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekends; Developing the Leader Within You; The One-Minute Entrepreneur; Becoming a Person of Influence; ReWork; and Today Matters.

Related: I also posted a list of 7 Must-Read Books for Work-At-Home Moms last year.

4. Immerse Yourself in Good Writing

If you want to be a successful blogger, constantly be seeking to improve your craft. This means exposing yourself to people who are amazing writers in a variety of genres. One reason I’ve been reading more fiction (outside the obvious fact that I enjoy it!) is because I’m gleaning so many ideas about good storytelling from it.

Emily Freeman, Jeff Goins, the Incourage writers, and Angie Smith are all bloggers and authors who inspire me as a writer. They are wordsmiths who paint pictures with their laptop. I want to be like them when I grow up.

Related: Two books on writing that I’ve loved this past year are: Every Writer Needs a Tribe and You Are a Writer.

5. Make All of Life Your Classroom

One of the greatest gifts my parents gave to me was a love for learning. When I graduated from high school, my education had just begun and all of the world was now my classroom.

As a blogger and business owner, you will never know everything there is to know about every subject. Every person you meet is a potential opportunity to learn something completely new. Ask questions, analyze, dig, experiment — and, most of all, enjoy the process. It’s an adventure!

Other Options to Develop as a Blogger & Business Owner

Listen to Podcasts & Audiobooks

I’m not much of a podcast listener but my husband regularly listens to Michael Hyatt’s podcast and the EntreLeadership podcast.

Reach Out to Wise People

Don’t be shy! It never hurts to ask for advice or input so long as you don’t feel hurt or offended if you never hear back or someone is unable to fulfill your request.

One suggestion: keep your requests short and succinct. A busy professional is much more apt to consider answering if you are asking a very simple question.

Find a Mentor

I’ve become a very firm believer in having mentors in your life. I’m blessed to have a mentor right now who meets with me once a week. She answers my questions, gives me counsel on situations, encourages me as I plan for the future, and inspires me to be the best I can be.

Hire a Coach

If you can afford it, hire someone short-term to help coach you in areas that you’re currently seeking to improve in.

I hired a proposal writer and ghost editor for the manuscript I recently wrote and she made a world of difference in the writing process — helping me think, process, plan, and write in a much more organized and efficient manner.

I also recently hired a speaking coach who is helping me craft all of my presentations. She is teaching me so much, helping to train me in how to wisely approach the art and craft of speaking, and shaving hours of prep time off my plate, too.

Related: Read this great article by Robert D. Smith on Do You Need to Hire a Coach?

Attend Conferences & Events

I cannot stress this option enough. The contacts and relationships I’ve made at conferences and events have been invaluable to me in helping to shape me as a blogger and business owner. If you have the opportunity to attend a writing, speaking, blogging, or business conference — GO! And go with gusto: use every minute to network and learn.

Ask questions of everyone you meet. Go talk to the keynote speakers and pick their brains. Take notes in all the sessions. Develop action plans. And then come home and put them in place!

What suggestions and ideas do the rest of you have for Christa? I’d love to hear!

Do you have a question on business or blogging that you’d love to have me answer as part of this series? You can email it to me here and I’ll be happy to consider doing so.

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