Updated 12/3/2025
Online income streams are perfect and workable side hustles. The internet has created vast opportunities for everyone to make money online in the comfort of their homes. However, to succeed, you require a lot of effort and persistence.
The first time I tried to get something online was back in 2016 when I was in my 3rd year at the university. I had just bought a laptop, and I wanted to get more out of it apart from project research.
I tried becoming a freelancer but guess what, I failed terribly. But, of course, this is because I thought it was some get-rich-quick scheme; how wrong I was? So I gave up and concentrated on my research project.
But right now, a lot has changed, and people can create online income streams with their mobile phones. And the good news, is smartphones have become exceedingly affordable with favorable payment plans.
So, WHy don’t you start to navigate ways to make money online in this era? In this blog, I will share the best ways to make money online from 2025 onwards. The good news is that I have personally earned money through the strategies I will be sharing here.
Want to be part of my community? Subscribe below and get a FREE business plan and a digital marketing checklist for your business.
Ways to Make Money Online
1. Sell online
Selling online is one of the simplest ways to start making money online. You can sell online whether you have tangible goods, services, or nothing at all. All you need is your marketing skill set.
When you have products and services to sell, you can use social media to create awareness and start selling your products or services.
However, for those with no products, you can sell other people’s products and services at a commission. You will act as an intermediary between the consumer and the service or goods provider.
For instance, most people are selling their products and services on social media channels such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. However, traffic is very important when selling services/products online. You need to have excellent marketing skills to succeed in the online market.
And like I usually say, social media can either build or destroy you through the information you share. That’s why you need to be very intentional about the words and platforms you use to market your brand.
We are in the information era, and people will be so free to comment either negatively or positively about your products/services.
Read also: Business opportunities for the youth in Kenya.
2. Freelancing
Freelancers are people who work for other people remotely. They sell their skills and expertise to the people who need them globally.
While freelancing, you are not limited to one job at a time. A freelancer chooses who to work for and when. Many freelancing sites connect merchants and freelancers globally.
Here are the most convenient ones that I can recommend to any beginner.
a. Upwork
The Upwork community was formally known as Elance-oDesk. However, Elance-oDesk was rebranded to Upwork back in 2015.
It’s now the world’s largest online market where merchants and freelancers meet. To join Upwork, you have to register here and complete your profile. After your application is approved, you’ll be able to send proposals to the clients who appear in your job feed.
Upwork is one of the highest-paying freelance sites. You can set your payment from as little as $5 to as much as $200 per hour. There are also fixed-price jobs for which you will be paid in milestones.
b. Fiverr
In this platform, freelancers register here for free, and they start creating gigs. Gigs in this context are the services that you will be selling on Fiverr.
The starting price for beginners was normally set at $5, but now you can place a gig of higher price.
You place your gig in the field where you will offer your best services. Then, when clients search for a certain keyword that matches your skills, they’ll contact you.
c. LinkedIn
LinkedIn has been there all along and it has been growing with incredible features to favor freelancers. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, you are really making a big mistake in your profession. You can get remote work on Linkedin and start making money online wherever you are.
See also: How Digital Marketing is adding value to business.
3. Create Online Income Streams in Kenya: Youtube channel
YouTube channels are a good way to create online income streams through video content. So if you can create an original video on anything that does not violate YouTube policies, you can make good money via a YouTube channel.
The good thing about this era is that people are yearning for more knowledge and they also love video content. So if you have a skill, you can share your knowledge through video content and monetize it on YouTube.
In Kenya, this idea skyrocketed in 2020 when most people lost their jobs. On YouTube, there are some requirements that you have to adhere to monetize your channel.
They are;
- At least 1000 subscribers.
- Have at least 4000 watch hours on your channel.
- Follow YouTube community guidelines.
- Register a Google Adsense account.
Once your channel is approved to show ads, then you will start earning money.
The Google AdSense program will place ads at the convenient part of your video, and you will receive payment per view(PPV).
4. Blog
Blogging is another way in which one can earn money online. There are both free blogs and self-hosted blogs in which an annual fee is paid.
One can get free blogs on Blogger, WordPress, etc., for a start. There are a lot of hosting companies where one can get paid hosting. I’ll mention a few of them; Namecheap, Bluehost, Hostgator, Safaricom, etc.
To start blogging, you have to get a domain name first; in my case, it’s ceciliawayua.com. Which is my address whenever searching for my business online.
After you get a domain name, choose the hosting company that suits your needs. It just needs a dedicated mind to make it because the process is simple but not easy.
You can make money blogging through.
• Writing product reviews
You can sign a contract with a company to write a review about their products. This works well if you have a large number of blog visitors.
• Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the greatest means of earning in your blog. This constitutes adding a link in your articles that will direct a user to the seller’s page. You get paid a percentage of what the buyers pay. This also needs a lot of traffic to your site.
• Google Adsense
This involves Google placing advertising banners on blog articles. A blog owner is paid per click on those banners. This one takes time, and it depends on having traffic. Google Adsense seems to be the side hustle in a blog because who will not like to be surprised with a $100 check?
At CeciliaWayua Tech, we have The Blogging Mastery Course where you can learn how to start a blog from scratch. Enquire more here +254748628107.
5. Digital Marketing Services
Another great way to create online income streams in Kenya is by doing digital marketing. Digital marketing is very broad. However, you can narrow down and learn 3-5 skills and be good at them.
For instance, I offer digital marketing services such as email marketing, Search Engine Optimization(SEO), Web design, Graphic design, and social media marketing. All these skills complement each other and I have learned them in the course of my online career since 2021.
Businesses in this era are doing all it takes to get customers for their products and services. Thus, customers being on these social channels make them eager to reach them through digital marketing. And that’s where you come in as a digital marketer.
You can get clients through social media, and also LinkedIn is a great platform to market your services as a digital marketer. For instance, I mostly get my clients through LinkedIn, not just by actively applying for jobs, but sharing helpful content on my timeline.
6. Mobile Apps
This one is for developers and coding experts. Mobile apps are becoming another online goldmine. If you have a passion for technology, you can enroll in Coding classes and learn programming languages.
Mobile apps have become the norm in the current era. From mobile games, eBooks, and banking to learning apps, you can make money online through display ads or selling the app to potential buyers in the industry.
After creating your app, you forward it to the Google Play Store for approval. Once it’s approved, adverts can be placed by Google AdSense for you to start earning.
For instance, Safaricom has its MPESA app despite having the Safaricom app. This is a way of maximizing their income as they create a better user experience.
Why Online?
Making money online is what is shaping the future. And the constant change of technology that doesn’t wait on anyone. So now, imagine yourself having a very flexible timetable of when you will work, where, and with who? That should feel nice.
The fortune is big on the internet; think of a way to grab your share. In addition, there is no longer job security, and that should make you awake to create a flexible online income stream where you work at your best time.
At CeciliaWayua Tech, I try as much as possible to share actionable tips to make money online, and also various businesses to start in Kenya. Be part of my community by subscribing to my newsletter below.