How to Make Money Online in 2026
572: Start Your Side Business Quickly
Good morning kings.
Going to be a rainy day where I live so it’s time to hunker down in my office and hit the trenches.
Markets took a wild turn last night with semis and tech dumping while Korea’s KOSPI index (down 11%) might be giving us an early potential indication of what awaits our positions this morning.
Citadel is now anticipating a rate hike this week from the Fed and the narrative that the memory/AI bubble is losing steam looks like it is gaining some momentum.
There is a lot of noise in the markets right now (there will be good opportunities to buy names on the low) but today I want to focus on a crucial skill in 2026 and beyond, a skill that I consider table stakes for anybody who is trying to:
a.) make more money on top of a day job or corporate role
b.) get wealthy independently
c.) earn back their time
Today we are talking about selling on the internet/e commerce: making money online.
Focusing on my side businesses and online ventures while markets are volatile is one of my favorite things to do. It’s productive and it helps me focus on ways to boost my cash flow so that I can turn right back around and invest that money.
Selling online quite literally changed my entire life in a few years.
It gave me the opportunity to work for myself and leave corporate behind forever, to work anywhere in the world how and when I want, and it is a skill that is replicable.
You learn to do it once and you can continue iterations of it until you hit big. As I have said in previous guides, I have sold millions of dollars of products on the internet over the course of my life and while I am far from the expert, I know enough to equip you with the basics to get it started for yourself.
Those of you who are already in a sales type roles (banking, sales & trading, tech sales, consulting, etc.) will find that the skills you learn in corporate naturally extend into this realm as well and even give you a leg up.
The opportunity is undeniable.
Global ecommerce sales are projected to reach approximately $6.9 trillion in 2026, up from roughly $6.4 trillion in 2025, and are expected to approach $7.9 trillion by 2028.
You want a part of that? I sure do. One of my favorite parts of selling online is that it is virtually an unlimited pool of customers. I remember having sales jobs where I had one territory or one region. Eventually you prospected MOST potential buyers or clients. You don’t have that problem selling online.
More than 3 billion people shop online worldwide, and by 2028 roughly half of everyone over age 14 is expected to be an online shopper.
If you aren’t running some type of business online you are leaving money on the table AND you are limiting yourself. Eventually, these things can become automated or outsourced which contributes to a major goal we talk about all the time: stopping the act of trading your time for money.
You want to make money while you’re on vacation, while you’re out to dinner, or while you’re at the gym.
It accumulates quick. We have done posts on this in the past including the Simple Guide To Make Money Online but today is a grittier and more direct add on (you can read the old guides after this or before).
Today I am going to walk you through:
Sourcing your products
Vetting and testing them (make them different)
Setting up an online store front with Shopify
Creating a brand that will sell
Launching your online store
With today’s guide you can get set up and get things moving so you are one step closer to building a business online that can help you gain financial freedom, eventually leave your job, or just supplement your income to offset the expensive world we live in now. Investing and betting on yourself is non negotiable if you want to undertake this pursuit.
So much of our world now centers on rampant consumption. If you want to be a size lord you need to focus on CREATING AND SELLING.
Every day millions of people wake up, open Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, Etsy, or Shopify stores, and buy things. Most people participate only as robotic consumers.
As I have said before, the people building true wealth are increasingly becoming owners of things and creators.
If you can learn to source products, build a brand, and convince strangers on the internet to trust you with their money, you’ve developed a skill that can pay you for decades and the best part is, every month it is getting easier with automation, AI, and new apps to help streamline it all so you can focus on the big picture stuff.
Making money online is simple. All it requires is that you:
Choose to start (today ideally)
Stay consistent over time
Build something you are proud of
The money will follow, you will learn the blueprint, and you will be able reduce your dependency on one income, potentially sell your company/brand, and increase your financial freedom and prosperity.
Let’s get into it.