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While I share money-making strategies, nothing is “typical”, and outcomes are based on each individual. There are no guarantees.
I was burning out. Look, I love being a creator, but I felt like I was stuck on a hamster wheel, constantly trading my time for just a little more income. I wanted to make more money, but the thought of adding another huge project to my plate was just… exhausting. So what if I told you I found a way to add new income streams that only take a few hours of work a month? In this post, I’m going to show you the ‘lazy’ side hustles I use that are perfect for creators, and exactly how you can set them up for yourself.
I’m a creator, just like you. For years, my income was directly tied to the hours I put in. More videos, more posts, more time spent engaging… it all just meant more work. And while I was passionate about it, I was also getting really tired. I hit a wall. I knew I couldn’t scale my business or my income without finding a way to stop trading my time for money. The problem was, every “side hustle” I looked into felt like starting a whole new full-time job. They all seemed to require steep learning curves, expensive software, or a daily grind I just didn’t have the energy for.
So, I made it my mission to find a different way. A smarter way. A lazier way. And I did. I discovered that as creators, we are all sitting on a goldmine of assets that we can turn into automated, low-effort income. These aren’t get-rich-quick schemes; they are real business strategies that leverage the work we’re already doing. Today, I’m showing you the exact methods I used to build these new income streams—methods that have totally changed my business and my life by giving me back my time while still growing my income. By the end of this post, you’ll have a clear, actionable playbook to do the exact same thing.
Section 1: The ‘Lazy’ Philosophy
Alright, before we jump into the methods, let’s get one thing straight. When I say ‘lazy,’ I don’t mean doing nothing and waiting for cash to fall from the sky. The ‘lazy’ philosophy is all about being strategically efficient. It’s about shifting your mindset from “How can I work harder?” to “How can I make my work work harder for me?”
Think of it this way: a traditional job, and even how most of us start as creators, is like carrying buckets of water. You want more water? You have to carry more buckets. It’s a direct trade of your time and effort for a reward. The ‘lazy’ creator approach is about building a pipeline instead. Sure, it takes real effort upfront—you have to dig the trench and lay the pipe—but once it’s built, the water flows with very little effort from you. You just check on it every now and then to make sure there are no leaks.
This is the core of passive income, a term that gets thrown around and misunderstood a lot. Passive income isn’t a myth, but it’s not about doing zero work. It’s about doing the work once and getting paid for it over and over again. For creators, this is the holy grail. We are already creating valuable assets every single day—our videos, our posts, our expertise. The ‘lazy’ approach is just about packaging those assets so they can be sold or monetized on autopilot. It’s about creating small, digital properties that earn for you even when you’re not at your desk.
The magic here is that the income doesn’t scale with the work. Once you’ve made a digital asset, the effort to sell it to one person is the same as the effort to sell it to ten thousand. That’s leverage. That’s how you get off the hamster wheel. Here, we’ll focus on three specific, powerful, and incredibly ‘lazy’ side hustles that are tailor-made for people like us. They require no advanced tech skills, very little money to start, and you can run them in just a few hours a month.
Section 2: Side Hustle #1: The Digital Product Goldmine
What if you could make money while you sleep from a Google Doc you wrote six months ago? That’s not a hypothetical, my friend. That is the power of selling digital products. And it is, without a doubt, the laziest and most powerful side hustle for any creator.
The Big Idea:
A digital product is just anything you create and sell online. Think ebooks, guides, templates, planners, photo presets, or even a simple checklist. The creator economy was valued at $250 billion in 2023 and is projected to nearly double to $480 billion by 2027, with digital products being a huge piece of that pie. For us, the magic is that we are already creating the foundation for these products every day. That super-popular video you made? You could expand the ideas into a short ebook. That step-by-step process you explained? Turn it into a one-page PDF guide. The content calendar you use yourself? You could sell that as a template.
This is the ultimate “create once, sell forever” model. You put in the time upfront to make something high-quality and genuinely helpful. You upload it to a platform that handles the selling and delivery for you. And then… you’re pretty much done. The system takes over, working for you 24/7 and generating income for months or even years.
My Personal Journey & The Proof:
When I first heard about this, I was skeptical. It sounded too good to be true, and honestly, I was intimidated. I thought I needed to write a 200-page masterpiece. So, for months, I did nothing. My breakthrough came when I stopped thinking “create something epic” and started thinking “solve a small, specific problem.”
One of the top questions I got in my comments was about how I come up with content ideas. So, one afternoon, I took my messy personal brainstorming process and turned it into a clean, one-page PDF guide. I called it “The 30-Day Content Idea Generator.” I used a free template on Canva to make it look nice and uploaded it to Gumroad—a platform that is ridiculously easy to use and handles all the payments and file delivery.
I priced it at $7, not expecting much. I dropped the link in my YouTube descriptions, email signature, and social bios. The first month, I sold 15 of them. That was $105. It wasn’t life-changing money, but it was a lightning bolt moment. I had made over a hundred dollars from something I created in a single afternoon, and I hadn’t touched it since.
That little win spurred me on. I made a small bundle of social media templates. Then a short ebook based on my most popular video. Now, these products bring in a steady, reliable income every single month. While some top creators earn six figures from digital products, many people start by making their first $100 to $1,000 a month, which can scale up from there. Digital downloads are a perfect entry point because their lower price makes it easier for your audience to click “buy,” leading to a higher volume of sales.
The ‘Lazy’ Workflow (Step-by-Step):
- Find a Problem (The Idea): Don’t invent something out of thin air. Look at what your audience already asks you. What are the most common questions in your DMs? What are your most popular videos about? The problem you solve doesn’t have to be huge. Think small. A guide to “Journaling Prompts for Anxiety” or a “Canva Template Pack for Instagram Stories” are perfect. Your first product idea is hiding in your comment section.
- Create the Solution (The Product): Do not overcomplicate this. Use free tools. Write your guide in Google Docs and save it as a PDF. Use Canva’s free templates to design a great-looking ebook or planner. The goal is a “Minimum Viable Product.” Create something simple, valuable, and clean. You can always make it better later. Just get it done.
- Set Up Your ‘Lazy’ Storefront (The Platform): You don’t need a fancy website. Use a platform like Gumroad or Payhip. Setting up an account is free and takes literally minutes. You upload your product, write a simple description, set a price, and they give you a link. They handle everything else—credit cards, file delivery, and sending you the money. It’s the definition of automated. Etsy is another great option, especially for templates, because it has a built-in audience looking to buy.
- Promote on Autopilot (The System): Now for the lazy marketing. You aren’t going to be running ads or pushing it every day. Instead, strategically place your product link where people will find it naturally. Add it to the description of all your relevant YouTube videos. Put the link in your social media bios. Create one or two great “evergreen” videos or posts that promote the product, and let the algorithm do the work of showing it to new people over time. The system sells for you.
Actionable First Step:
Your homework is simple. Open a doc and write down the top 5 questions you get from your audience. Next to each one, brainstorm one simple digital product idea that could answer it. Don’t build it yet. Just make the list. That’s the first step.
Section 3: Side Hustle #2: Effortless Affiliate Marketing
Imagine you recommend a product you genuinely love—a camera, a piece of software, whatever—and the next day, you get an email that says you’ve made money. That’s affiliate marketing. And it’s one of the easiest ways for a creator to start earning passive income, often with zero cost to get started.
The Big Idea:
Affiliate marketing is just earning a commission by promoting another company’s stuff. When you join an affiliate program, you get a special, unique link. If someone clicks that link and buys something, you get a cut of the sale. It’s that simple.
Why is this so perfect for us? Because we’re already doing it! We’re constantly talking about the products we use and love. The camera we film with, the editing software, the mic on our desk. Right now, you might be doing all of that for free. By just using an affiliate link, you can turn those genuine recommendations into cash. This isn’t about being a pushy salesperson; it’s about monetizing the trust you’ve already built. It’s consistently ranked as one of the top ways creators make money, alongside ads, sponsorships, and selling their own products.
My Personal Journey & The Proof:
I kind of fell into affiliate marketing by accident. In every video, people would ask, “What microphone is that?” And I’d dutifully type out the name in the comments, over and over. One day, a lightbulb went off. I wondered if that company had an affiliate program. I googled it, and they did—through Amazon Associates, which is one of the biggest and most beginner-friendly programs.
I signed up, got my unique link for the mic, and started pasting it in my YouTube description under a little heading called “Gear I Use.” I also went back and added it to my old videos. The first month, I made about $40. Again, not a fortune, but it was $40 for something I was already doing anyway.
Then, I got more strategic. I made a list of all the products and software I actually use and love. I searched for “[Product Name] affiliate program” for each one. You can find thousands of brands on networks like ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, and Impact. I started making content about these products. Instead of just mentioning my email software, I made a whole tutorial on how to use it. That video provided huge value to my audience, and naturally, people signed up using my link.
That strategy turned my affiliate income from a trickle into a really significant revenue stream. It’s a perfect ‘lazy’ approach: I make one helpful, evergreen tutorial, and it keeps earning commissions for years. While the highest earners can make over $40,000 a month, a realistic goal for many creators is to build up to an extra few hundred or even a few thousand dollars a month.
The ‘Lazy’ Workflow (Step-by-Step):
- Brainstorm Your Toolkit: Open a new document. List every single product, software, or service you use and genuinely love for your content. Your camera, lights, editing software, website host, favorite books—this is your affiliate portfolio.
- Find the Programs: For each item on your list, just Google “[Product Name] affiliate program.” The easiest place to start is Amazon Associates since they sell almost everything. For software, companies often run their own programs or use networks like ShareASale or PartnerStack. Sign up for a few that you truly stand behind.
- Create Your ‘Lazy’ Links Hub: You need one central place for all your links. This could be a simple page on your website like “yoursite.com/tools,” or even easier, use a link-in-bio tool like Stan Store or Linktree. Make a master list with clear headings: “My YouTube Gear,” “Software I Use,” “Books That Changed My Life.” This makes it super easy for you and your audience.
- Integrate, Don’t Interrupt: Now, just sprinkle these links into your content where it feels natural and helpful.
- YouTube Descriptions: Under every video, have a section for “Tools I Recommend” or “My Gear.” Link to everything you used or mentioned.
- Create ‘Hub’ Content: Make one killer piece of content that becomes your affiliate powerhouse. Think a “What’s In My Camera Bag 2025” article or a post on “The Best Tools for Starting a Podcast.” This one piece of content can earn for years.
- Be Honest: Always disclose that you’re using affiliate links. It’s required by law, and it builds trust. A simple sentence like, “Just so you know, some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you,” is perfect.
Actionable First Step:
Pick one product from your list that you know inside and out. Find and sign up for its affiliate program. Your only mission this week is to get your first unique affiliate link. That’s it. Once you have that link, you’re in the game.
Section 4: Side Hustle #3: The Creator’s Virtual Assistant
Okay, this last one might sound a little counterintuitive. How can offering a service be ‘lazy’? The secret is to leverage a skill you already have to help other people in a super-efficient way. This is the world of being a Virtual Assistant, or VA, specifically for other creators.
The Big Idea:
A Virtual Assistant is just a remote contractor who helps with tasks. As creators, we’re already juggling a dozen jobs: planning content, editing, making graphics, scheduling posts, answering comments… you have developed an incredibly valuable skillset just by running your own channel. And guess what? There are thousands of other creators who are totally overwhelmed and would gladly pay for help with those exact things.
The ‘lazy’ approach here is not to become a full-time, on-call assistant. It’s to offer a very specific, niched-down service that you can complete in batches. You’re not selling 40 hours a week; you’re selling an outcome. For example, you could offer a package to “Edit and Schedule One Month of Short-Form Videos,” or “Create 15 Canva Graphics for Social Media.”
You already know how to do this stuff. It’s muscle memory. That means you can do it way faster than someone starting from scratch. You can batch the work—like, dedicate one morning a month to all your clients—and charge a premium because you’re an expert with a specialized solution. VAs with creative skills like social media management or graphic design can charge anywhere from $25 to over $60 an hour, often on a per-project or monthly retainer basis.
My Personal Journey & The Proof:
This started as a favor. A creator friend was drowning in editing her short-form videos. She loved filming them but hated the editing part. I, on the other hand, had gotten pretty quick at it. I offered to edit a week’s worth of her videos for a small fee. It took me about 90 minutes. She was thrilled to have it off her plate, and I was happy to make some easy extra cash.
A lightbulb went off. This was a service I could offer. But I didn’t want another job, so I structured it lazily. I created a simple “service menu” with a couple of fixed-price packages. My most popular one was a “Monthly YouTube Starter Pack,” where I’d take a creator’s long video and turn it into 4 short clips, create 3 social media graphics, and write 5 community posts.
I found my first few clients in creator communities and by reaching out to people I admired. Because I was selling a specific package, not my time, I could control my schedule completely. I would dedicate the first Monday of every month to my VA work. I’d get the files from my clients, put on some music, and knock it all out in a few focused hours.
This gave me a predictable block of income that didn’t depend on how my own content performed. And surprisingly, it gave me new ideas for my own channel. You don’t need a ton of clients. Even 2 or 3 clients on a small monthly package can add a stable and significant new income stream.
The ‘Lazy’ Workflow (Step-by-Step):
- Identify Your ‘Easy’ Skill: What part of being a creator feels effortless to you now? Are you super fast at editing short videos? A wizard at designing thumbnails in Canva? Do you genuinely like engaging with comments? That one thing is your service. Don’t offer everything. Specialize in the one thing you do best and fastest.
- Package Your Service: Don’t sell your time by the hour; sell a package. This protects your calendar and makes the value crystal clear to the client. For example:
- “The Repurposing Package”: 1 long video turned into 5 short clips ($200/month)
- “The Graphics Package”: 10 custom social media graphics in Canva ($100/month)
These are just examples; price your packages based on your experience and what you see others charging.
- Find Your First Client (Without a Website): You don’t need a fancy sales page to start.
- Creator Communities: Join Facebook groups or Discords for creators. When you see someone post about being overwhelmed, offer your specific solution in a helpful, non-spammy way.
- Your Network: Let your creator friends know what service you’re offering. Word-of-mouth is huge.
- Warm Outreach: Find a creator you admire who you can see is struggling with the one thing you’re great at. Send them a friendly email. Tell them you love their work and noticed they might need help with X, and that you happen to offer a package for that. Offer to do the first one free or at a big discount to prove your value.
- Batch and Systemize: This is the key to keeping it lazy. Schedule all your VA work for one or two days a month. Create a simple Google Form to onboard new clients and get all their info. Use templates for everything. The more systems you build, the more efficient you become, and the lazier this income stream gets.
Actionable First Step:
Identify your single best, easiest creator skill. Now, go into a creator Facebook group or search on Twitter for “I’m so overwhelmed.” Find one creator complaining about the exact task you’re good at. Just watch. You don’t have to pitch them yet. Just see for yourself that the need for your skill is real and it’s everywhere.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Adding new income streams doesn’t have to mean burning out or doubling your to-do list. When you adopt a ‘lazy’—or strategic—philosophy, you can use the skills and assets you already have to build systems that work for you. Whether it’s creating a digital product once that sells on its own, turning your recommendations into affiliate commissions, or packaging your skills to help other creators, the path to a more sustainable business is about working smarter, not harder.
You don’t have to do all of these at once. In fact, please don’t. The best way to start is to pick the one that sounds the most exciting and the least like work to you right now. Build that pipeline first. Once it’s flowing, you can move on to the next one.
Which of these ‘lazy’ side hustles are you most excited to try first? Share your thoughts and any questions you have in the comments below.
