{"id":4779,"date":"2012-01-15T01:31:27","date_gmt":"2012-01-15T08:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bspcn.com\/?p=4779"},"modified":"2012-01-16T02:03:17","modified_gmt":"2012-01-16T09:03:17","slug":"how-to-make-money-doing-what-you-love-on-the-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress\/2012\/01\/15\/how-to-make-money-doing-what-you-love-on-the-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make money doing what you love on the Internet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by thenextweb<\/a><\/p>\n

From rags to riches, from trailer parks to white mailboxes, the climb is all part of the \u201cAmerican Dream.\u201d But this dream\u2013\u00a0the equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity from one\u2019s hard work\u2013 is really more human than just American and its ethos has never been so tangible as in the early days of the\u00a0Internet. And yes, dear reader, we are still in its early days\u2013very early days.<\/p>\n

While the global economy has slowed in recent years, taking its toll on the job market, entrepreneurs and creative types are finding a competitive advantage online. And I\u2019m not talking about traveling to China and re-selling Nike sneakers on eBay. I\u2019m referring to chefs hosting supper clubs, mom and pops selling baked goods, designers building online stores; professionals becoming educators; and people fulfilling their dreams while connecting to a larger audience than was ever before possible.<\/p>\n

eBay<\/a>, which was founded in 1995, exploded over the past two decades as an epic marketplace for people to build their businesses online.\u00a0And in more recent years,Etsy<\/a>, which was founded in 2005, has 1.4 million active shops on its platform and has spurred an online revolution for creative entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Esty, we encourage people to pursue their passions, not just strive for a quick buck. We try hard to avoid giving the impression that instant riches will easily be yours if you open an online shop. In the end, it\u2019s much more rewarding to put in hours for something that you care about, even if you don\u2019t end up making a lot of money from it. The value proposition goes far beyond that,\u201d says Etsy\u2019s Adam Brown.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As for sellers who make a living on Etsy, you\u2019ll find plenty of great stories in the company\u2019s\u00a0Quit Your Day Job series.<\/a>\u00a0Now, let\u2019s take a look at a few under-the-radar startups that are making powerful moves to change the way inspired entrepreneurs can make money doing what they love on the Internet.<\/p>\n

Goodsie: Ecommerce made easy<\/h3>\n

\"GoodsieEntrepreneur Jonathan Marcus, who\u2019s the founder of\u00a0the all-new Flavors.me<\/a>,\u00a0launched<\/a>\u00a0Goodsie<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0May 2011 of this year to bring simplicity to the e-commerce space.\u00a0If you\u2019ve ever tried to sell something online, you know how much of a challenge that can be. You either have to deal with website plug-ins that are difficult to master or end up using third-party sites that offer limited control and customization. These barriers to entry can be too high to climb for the mom and pop\u00a0online\u00a0shop. Goodsie is both easy to use and it\u2019s elegant.<\/p>\n

Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell started\u00a0BigPictureFarm\u00a0<\/a>on Goodsie in the fall of 2010 to sell the most delicious handmade, farmstead goat milk caramels ever. The secret ingredient is their milk, supplied by their very own herd of Saanens and Alpines that live healthy and happy lives browsing the rich pastures and leafy woodlands of their farm in Townshend, Vermont.<\/p>\n

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In music,\u00a0Skrillex<\/a>\u00a0has been the breakout star of 2011 on Goodsie. The artist was nominated for 5 Grammy\u2019s, the same number as Lady Gaga and Katie Perry combined. His team has been using Goodsie for merchandise sales since its early beta and is now rolling it out to other artists on Skrillex\u2019s label, like Porter Robinson, Zedd and 12th Planet.\u00a0Louisa and Lucas love farming and Skrillex loves making music \u2013 Goodsie helps them both earn a living while pursuing their respective crafts and passions.\u00a0Today, Goodsie has 1,000 active, paying sellers, and is growing 20% month-over-month.<\/p>\n

Memberly: Subscription services<\/h3>\n

\"MemberlySubscription service startups<\/a>\u00a0were hot this year.\u00a0There\u2019s Birchbox for makeup, Lollihop for health food, Bluum for new moms, Guyhaus and Hoseanna for staples like hosiery and\u00a0deodorant,\u00a0BarkBox for dogs\u2026 the list goes on. In July of this year, the folks at\u00a0Disrupto<\/a>, a trendy digital product agency in New York City,\u00a0launched<\/a>\u00a0Memberly<\/a>,\u00a0a platform that helps individuals and small businesses run their own subscription programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re starting to see a revival of consumers interacting with people they know, people who have an expertise. And that is really exciting. People are curating and selling products with their knowledge and expertise.\u00a0It\u2019s never been easier making a living doing what you love,\u201d\u00a0said Memberly co-founder Jack Cheng in a recent\u00a0interview with The Next Web<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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While Memberly is very selective about who it lets on its platform, three notable Memberly members include:\u00a0La Colombe Coffee<\/a>, an established retailer with 3-4 locations in New York City that\u2019s started selling coffee subscriptions similarly to other notable NYC startup Craft Coffee;\u00a0Umba Box<\/a>, a company that\u00a0curates handmade gifts; and\u00a0She Hit Pause Print Club<\/a>\u00a0where artist\u00a0Matt Schwartz \u0003takes large-format Polaroids, pulls apart the film and rubs the negatives onto watercolor paper, creating dreamlike transfers described by some as \u201cwalking into a memory.\u201d By subscribing to SHPPC on Memerbly, each quarter, you\u2019ll receive a different signed 4\u00d75? print, matted in 8\u00d710?, along \u0003with a collectible surprise\u2014hand-picked by Schwartz.<\/p>\n

SideTour: Experience marketplace<\/h3>\n

\"ScreenSideTour<\/a>\u00a0is a peer-to-peer marketplace of marketable serendipity.\u00a0The New York City based startup opens a window into someone\u2019s world and provides inspiring and talented hosts with a new storefront-like marketplace, much like Etsy did for artists. Since its launch out of the\u00a0TechStars<\/a>\u00a0incubator in October of last year,\u00a050 different people have used the platform to host experiences.<\/p>\n

The most successful experiences have included:<\/p>\n