The uncomfortable part: this channel has earned me nothing
A lot of people have asked me how I actually make money. So here it all is, with no sugarcoating and nothing left out.
I start with the uncomfortable part, because if I started anywhere else it would look like I am selling you something: this channel, after several months of uploading videos, has not earned me a single cent. And further down I explain why I keep doing it anyway.
We go from what pays me the most to what pays me the least, and you will see there is no secret and no magic formula. There is a job, a few things built over time, and quite a few experiments.
Source 1: my job, the thing that holds everything else up
I start with the most honest thing I can tell you: my main source of income is my job. It is not a channel or a platform. It is a salary.
I work at a fairly large tech consultancy as a full-stack developer, meaning I work on both the side of a website users see and the side behind it. My project is the commercial website of one of the leading companies in the Spanish market, so my day-to-day is coding, fixing incidents, and shipping features for a site used by a huge number of people.
Why mention this on a side-income blog? Two reasons. First, because I want you to know everything else is an extra: I do not live off this and I am not going to sell you the idea that you can quit your job overnight. Second, because the technical knowledge I have is what lets me understand many of the platforms I review here from the inside, especially the AI ones.
Source 2: six apps published on the Play Store
My second source of income is six apps published on the Play Store, on completely different topics from each other.
This comes from something that defines me quite a bit and explains this whole project: I love trying new businesses. An idea comes to me, I get hooked, and I start building it. Some have worked better and some worse, a few I have simply dropped, but most are still there generating something.
And I will be honest: the income these apps give me is small. I am not buying a car with it. But it is money that comes in every month without me having to do anything, because I did the work back then. That is the beauty of building things: the effort is up front and the payoff is spread out afterward.
If this world interests you, it is a real path. It takes time and effort to learn, but every app you publish is an asset that stays there working for you.
Source 3: investing in index funds
My third source, and I want to pause here because I think it matters, is that I invest.
First of all: this is not investment advice. I am not a financial advisor; I am telling you what I do and that is it. Everyone has to do their own research and decide based on their own situation.
That said, I invest in index funds, which instead of trying to beat the market simply replicate it. Historically this kind of investment has returned average yields of around 8% a year over the long term, although past performance does not guarantee future results.
It is the piece the most people skip, which is why I mention it on a side-income blog: there is no point earning extra money if it just sits in your account losing value to inflation. The extra you earn from the platforms on this site is far more powerful if it goes somewhere that makes it grow.
And the most important thing about all this: do your research. Seriously. Take the time to understand what you are putting your money into before you do it, because it is what can give you the most return in the long run, far more than almost any platform or online business.
Source 4: a rental apartment
My fourth source is that I have an apartment I rent out, and that brings in a fixed income every month. It is stable because the same amount comes in each month with no surprises.
But I am aware it is the least replicable source of all, and I do not want to sell it as an option for everyone: to have a rental apartment you first need an apartment, and that is not within everyone's reach nor something you get overnight. I mention it for transparency, because I am listing all my sources, not because it is advice I can give you today.
Source 5: the platforms I review on this site
And now the part you care about most, because it is what this site is about: yes, I use the platforms I review here.
When I am at the computer and have a spare moment, I apply to projects on platforms like micro1. And I always keep a few open like Prolific, UserTesting, or another one. For spare moments, I have a few survey apps on my phone: when I am on the metro or waiting somewhere and an offer worth doing pops up, I do it; and when it does not, no big deal.
The key idea: several things running and using the gaps
What I do is keep several things running and use the gaps. Each platform covers a different moment: the computer on a Saturday morning, the phone on public transport, one or two that generate on their own while I work.
Over time I have ended up trying a bit of every method I have collected in the complete directory, and that is precisely why I review them: because I have used them. You have the detail on each in the guides for micro1, Prolific, and UserTesting, and a comparison in 10 platforms to make money without finding clients.
The two new projects that still earn nothing
I finish with what I am building right now: two things that have not produced results yet and that I am telling you about anyway, because if I only showed you what works I would be giving you a false picture.
A TikTok Shop store
I have just started it. So recently that I cannot yet evaluate its potential or tell you whether it is worth it, because I do not have enough data. I am not selling you anything here: I am simply telling you I am trying it, and if it ends up going nowhere, I will tell you that too.
This YouTube channel and this website
One of these videos eats a huge amount of time: finding and cross-checking the information, writing the script, recording it, editing it, making the thumbnails... hours and hours for every video. I have been at it for a few months now and, as of today, it has given me almost nothing: I am talking about less than ten dollars. Being honest, I do not know how long I can keep up this pace.
So why do I keep doing it? Because it excites me. I like people discovering ways to earn extra money they did not know about, and above all I like showing platforms where you can apply for real jobs that almost nobody knows about. When someone tells me they got into one of the platforms I review and it worked for them, that makes up for the time. As simple as that.
The full picture and the pattern that ties it together
A recap of the full picture: a job that pays the bills, a few apps I built back then that trickle in, investments that grow on their own, a rental that comes in fixed, platforms I use in the gaps, and two experiments that earn nothing today.
And there is a pattern: almost everything that gives me money passively today is something I built or decided on a long time ago. None of it paid off in the first month. The apps took a while, investing is a matter of years, and the channel, so far, has given nothing.
So if you are just starting out and it frustrates you that things are slow, that is normal: it is slow for everyone. What makes the difference is not finding the magic method, it is having several things running and giving them time.
