Hello everyone, and welcome back!
Ever since I started learning about personal finance a few years ago, I have always had a dream of managing multiple income streams and tracking their growth.
The old saying goes that wealthy people have at least seven sources of income (or ”seven streams of income to wealth”), and whether that’s a bright line rule or not, the principle sounds fair.
Relying on just one paycheck in this day and age is fine..if that is what you want. There is definitely a case for working just as much as is necessary (think: the “lazy girl job” movement, preventing burnout, preferring work/life balance, etc.).
But there is also a case for starting that side project you’ve always thought about. Making those YouTube videos. Taking that wedding photography gig.
For one, it develops your personal growth. For many people, monetized passion projects or side gigs are a form of stress relief and self-expression. They can help in developing a broader network outside of a full-time career.
Diversifying your income sources not only reduces the risk of going broke in the long-term, but also expedites and increases your chances of becoming wealthy. It’s a win-win, imo.
As we head into the last three months of 2025, I wanted to share some popular income streams that I have seen out in the wild.
Ideally, I’d like to try of these ideas on my own. Since I am still in law school and can’t spend too much time on any projects outside of school work, I will do my best to keep up with them.
These income streams require either a time or financial investment upfront. My hope is that by tracking my journey with each one I try out, I will start to see patterns for what works, what doesn’t, and hopefully inspire you to try it for yourself!
Let’s break down each income stream.
1. E-commerce – Drop-shipping
Drop shipping remains a go-to side-hustle for people looking to dip into e-commerce without carrying inventory. The model is simple:
- Find a vendor who stocks the product you want to sell. Drop shipping experts advise to work with products that you use regularly, or that you already have in your home.
- List the product in your own online store.
- When a customer orders, the vendor ships directly to them.
Use AutoDS to automate fulfillment and to source products already trending on TikTok ads. This is a stream that requires testing, quick pivots, and strong customer service. But the potential should be there if you catch the right trends.
2. Amazon KDP – Print-on-Demand books
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is one of the easiest entry points into publishing. Instead of pitching publishers, you can directly upload eBooks, print-on-demand paperbacks, or even low-content books like journals and planners.
A good entry point is creating low-content books and books, such as a quick guide to money manifestation, affirmation journals, gratitude planners, and manifestation trackers. The real work is upfront and includes designing the covers, content, and optimizing keywords. Once published, sellers typically employ marketing techniques to market their books.
Popular marketing strategies include using social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Reddit groups to find potential customers.
3. Online courses
Online learning is has always been a profitable industry, and platforms like Udemy, Teachable, and Skillshare make it accessible for anyone with expertise to share value and knowledge. The easiest way to create a course is to just start – don’t worry about perfection, that will come with time. Challenge yourself by creating a short, but focused course, something like “Budgeting Basics for Young Professionals” or “How to Start Side Hustles.”
Even if the course isn’t a bestseller right away, it builds an asset that can be scaled or repackaged later. The upfront time is high (scripting, recording, editing), but once uploaded, it becomes a semi-passive income stream. The point is to learn along the way. Anything you learn now will benefit you later on, saving you time and allowing you to improve useful skills.
4. Digital products – Templates and journals
One of the easiest ways to package value is through digital products. These can range from printable PDFs to software templates. Some popular ideas for my niche include:
- A budget tracker (created via Excel/Notion).
- A money manifestation journal.
- A planner and gratitude journal combo.
- An affirmation journal with 100 affirmations.
These products can be sold and distributed via Etsy, Gumroad, Amazon KDP (as mentioned above), and many other platforms.
5. Branded Apparel – Print-on-Demand
Print on Demand apparel is selling custom-designed clothing, like sweaters, shirts, hats, and sweatpants. The product is printed only after a customer buys it, eliminating the need for inventory. A third party company typically prints the apparel item, packs it, and ships it directly to the customer. This allows the seller to offer their brand merch for low startup costs and no stock management, while still allowing for maximum self-expression and creativity.
The approach here is similar to dropshipping. The challenge is building a brand strong enough to stand out in a crowded market, but the margins can be worthwhile.
6. Real Estate – REIT Investments
Buying property outright isn’t feasible for a quick experiment, but REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) make real estate accessible through the stock market. A REIT lets you invest in a pool of income-generating properties and receive dividends.
The best way to start investing in REITs is to create or log into your brokerage account, such as Fidelity. Then, compare the performance of a REIT investment with a high-growth stock like Nvidia (NVDA). It’s a fun “income vs. growth” case study and a way to earn dividends without direct property ownership.
7. Dividend Investing
Dividend investing is one of the most classic passive income strategies. The idea is simple: buy shares in companies that pay consistent dividends, and receive payouts just for holding them.
Try putting a small amount in 1-2 dividend-paying stocks, focusing on “dividend aristocrats” that have a long track record of increasing payouts. The income will be modest at first, but it’s about building long-term, compounding cash flow.
Pulling It Together: Time vs. Money
Looking at these income streams, they fall into two categories:
- Time Investment Upfront: Voice monetization, dropshipping, KDP, online courses, and digital products (templates & apparel).
- Money Investment Upfront: REITs, dividend investing.
Both approaches are valuable. Time-based projects may take longer to yield results, but they can scale indefinitely once they gain traction. The money-based ones deliver smaller but more immediate returns, with the advantage of true passive income.
Tracking and measuring success
The best way to see growth and change is to track each stream with a spreadsheet that logs:
- Initial time/money investment.
- Ongoing effort required.
- Revenue or dividends generated.
- Non-financial metrics like traffic, views, or downloads.
Within a few months, you should be able to see which streams had the most promise and which ones were duds.
Wrap-up
This isn’t about becoming wealthy immediately. It’s about planting seeds. Each of these income streams will teach skills necessary for scaling, and has the potential to grow into something bigger.
By starting now, you can learn, adjust or pivot when needed, and carry the momentum into 2026.
I am hoping to pick up this challenge for several important reasons. It will force me to take action and let go of perfectionist thoughts. It will also force me to learn very quickly and practice setting up passive income streams that I may end up repeating and sticking with for the long term. It may also give me more ideas and inspiration to develop new streams for the next batch of attempts.
Moreover, I hope it inspires readers to take action. I hope to make it more accessible to pick one stream that fits your skills and resources, start small, and let time do the compounding work. Whether it’s publishing a simple journal on Amazon KDP or putting a small amount of money into a REIT, every small action adds up.
I’ll try to share updates as I go. Successes, failures, and lessons learned. And hopefully someday, I’ll have enough data to point to at least one or two streams that really took off.
Thank you so much for reading my article! Check out the rest of the blog for more personal finance guides, tips, and more!