From $5K to Millions (Avoid These Traps!)
Introduction
I know for a fact that you’re tired of searching the internet for the best ways to make money online. Every day, thousands of internet gurus tell you to try affiliate marketing or drop shipping, and they’re all full of it.
Those things don’t work in 2026, especially not in the new era of AI. In my AI venture studio, Martell Ventures, I’ve created dozens of companies that now generate millions, and I can tell you there’s only a few real ways to make money online.
To make it simple, we’re breaking everything into four buckets. Trash, the stuff you should run away from. Easy, businesses you can launch in under three months, earning 5 to 10K a month. Medium, skills that can be profitable within a year, making 10 to 50K a month. And hard, long-term plays that may take more time, but can make you millions if done right.
I’ll tell you the income potential, difficulty, how long it’ll take to make money, and who is best for each bucket. So, without further explanation, let’s get into the real ways to make money in 2026.
Bucket #1: The Trash Bucket – Avoid These at All Costs
The income potential for this bucket is zero or even worse, could be negative. Difficulty, I mean, it looks easy, but it gives you nothing back. Time frame wastes months before you realize it was dead on arrival. Who is it best for? No one.
NFT Flipping
The hype is freaking done. Look at all the projects that launched. Nobody made money. The ones that thought they made money have lost money. And if you’re going to start there and you haven’t made money ever online, that’s a losing recipe.
Crypto Trading
Crypto trading moves really fast. Most people don’t have the patience and it’s gambling without any crazy skill. Unless you’re the person that tries to front run the whole freaking trade, most people lose money every freaking day.
Multi-Level Marketing
If the way you make money is getting paid to recruit people to join your thing and you don’t shape the business and you don’t actually sell anything and you actually spend more money to buy product to try to get up the leaderboard, that’s not a business you want to be in. Most of these are scams.
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Now, AI does it faster, cheaper, and way better.
Low-Level Data Entry
This is wild to watch that people still think they’re going to make money on this because AI tools have replaced this work completely.
Fiverr Microtasks
My favorite website on the internet 5 years ago. Trying to make money this way, it’s not the worst on the list, but it has zero long-term growth.
Print on Demand
Here’s the thing, it’s really crowded and everyone sells the same stuff.
Day Trading
And last but not least, my favorite, day trading. Here’s the deal. If you’re not completely into it, obsessed on it, and just want to just live the day trading life, it is way easier to lose money than to make any.
Basically, all these are like trying to race across the ocean in a car. You keep drowning because you need a different vehicle.
The Trash Filter: 3 Questions to Protect Your Time
So, to make sure your idea isn’t in this bucket, I need you to run your idea through the trash filter. Three simple questions:
- Is AI already replacing this?
- Is the industry shrinking or going obsolete?
- Is it easier to lose money than to make money?
If you answer yes to any, move on immediately.
Bucket #2: Easy Bucket – $5K-$10K Per Month in 30-60 Days
Now, let’s talk about the first bucket that actually pays real money. Bucket number two, easy bucket.
The income potential, 5 to 10K a month, no problem. The difficulty, low, simple skills, fast turnaround. Time frame, 30 to 60 days to actually get paid. And it’s best for beginners trying to gain some momentum and build some skills.
You don’t need a degree for these. These just need basic execution and learning how to talk to customers. Just get your first dollar online. Build some confidence and learn how clients work.
Basic Short Form Editing
The first one, basic short form editing. If you haven’t seen all the people that have like these clipping accounts and people like edit these short form videos all over social media, I mean, the demand is huge. Every person now seems to be a content creator and AI makes it incredibly easy. So, it’s easy to get paid fast. Love this one.
Social Media Copywriting
Next, we got social media copywriting. Every business in the world needs to learn how to use words to get customers to buy and they need somebody to help them. And the tools are getting so good. Just get the client, do the work, get paid.
AI Chatbot Setup for Small Businesses
Next, we’ve got the AI chatbot setup for small businesses. I love this one because every small business needs more time back. And if you can be the person that comes in and help them set this up, they will pay you money because it’s easy for them to redeploy their time to make more money than what they paid you. Love this one.
AI Receptionist
Next, we’ve got the AI receptionist. Along those same lines, it’s crazy today when you can use tools like vapi.ai that you can get paid to set up for small businesses to take all the inbound calls to qualify, sell, fill up schedules, answer questions, and it’ll do it without being upset, complain, take time off, or call in sick. Helping businesses do this is a great way to make money online.
UGC Content
Next, we’ve got UGC content. Brands want to pay for real people showing their products, not professional models. Helping a brand connect with a creator and you’re the middleman and you get a piece of this. My buddy in Dubai, this is his whole business and they’re already doing 100K a month. So, you can make 5 to 10 starting with this one.
Virtual or Executive Assistant
And last, the virtual or executive assistant. It’s one of my favorite categories because I wrote a book called Buy Back Your Time. See, rich people hate wasting time and they’ll pay you to get it back. The best part is you get paid to hang out with smart people that can teach you about life to help them get stuff done. No-brainer.
Real Success Story: From Zero to $30K/Month
A great example of this bucket is my buddy Mark. No background, no experience. He decides to start approaching companies to help them take long form content that they were creating using AI to break it down into short form clips. And that simple process of using AI tools, making it repeatable, and turning around really quick has scaled now. Whereas a freelancer, he earns $30,000 a month with only seven clients.
This bucket is about learning how to master a high income skill. Because if you already knew how to make millions, you’d be making millions. Which means you’re going to have to invest in yourself to develop the skills to add value to the world.
Step-by-Step: How to Launch in the Easy Bucket
If you want to try any of these ideas, follow these specific steps.
Step 1: Create Your Outcome-Based Offer
First, create your outcome-based offer. Don’t sell your time. Map to a pain the customer already has. Help them make money online or save time around an area that they’re really in pain around because pain is a perfect way to figure out what they’re willing to pay for.
Make a promise that’s specific around a result in a very specific time frame. That’s how you create a compelling offer and then just remove all the risks. Just tell them what the guarantee is and then say, “Because it’s just you, you can only take so many clients, so I’m only looking for three or five clients.” That creates urgency and it’ll get them to buy right away.
Step 2: Daily Outreach (Non-Negotiable)
So, once you have your offer, just do one daily outreach. That’s a non-negotiable. If you want to make money online, set it and forget it. It’s just a habit. So, reach out to one potential client every day until you get customers. But you just have to have a clear offer. That’s what this bucket will teach you. That skill of crafting an offer, getting somebody to understand it, and paying you. This will get you the best chance to be successful in this bucket.
That being said, if you already have experience or you want income that’s more consistent, the medium bucket might actually be better choice.
Bucket #3: Medium Bucket – $10K-$50K Per Month
Bucket number three, the medium bucket. Essentially, the income potential is 10 to 50K per month minimum. Difficulty level, it’s medium, but multi-skill work tied to real business outcomes makes you money.
You’re not just doing tasks anymore. You’re solving revenue and growth problems for businesses. And the time frame to make real money could be 3 months, maybe worst case 12 months, but you’re setting up your future. And it’s best for people that have some skill but want more stability and scale.
The Shift: From Tasks to Outcomes
When I look at Sam on my media team, Sam didn’t ask for a step-by-step instruction to be successful. He just framed the outcome. He took ownership and he delivered. Because of that, he got opportunities to step up. That’s why you’ve probably seen the video of me giving him his dream car, a Porsche GT4. It wasn’t because he was doing little tiny tasks. It’s because he actually delivered the outcome.
And for me, that became vastly more valuable. And that’s what’s different about this bucket. You’re no longer just doing the skill. You’re actually tying your pay to an outcome. The only way for your clients to make more money is for them to focus on solving bigger problems which mean you come in and take the smaller problems off their plate.
Top 5 Medium Bucket Opportunities
So what are some examples in this category?
1. Automation Agencies
The first one, automation agencies. This one’s the new hotness. Why? The demand for this alone makes it a fantastic opportunity and it makes you bulletproof for the future. Businesses are literally drowning in opportunity to automate and it makes them money quickly and it saves them time at scale and it’s going to futureproof you for other companies.
2. LinkedIn Growth Systems Powered by AI
Next, we got LinkedIn growth systems powered by AI. Every CEO or leader out there, they need more reach. They need people to know who they are. They need people to know, like, and trust them. And if you’re the kind of person to come in and own that outcome of getting that attention, that audience, that trust, they will pay you to help them grow.
3. Micro SaaS and AI Tools for Small Businesses
Next, we’ve got micro SaaS, near and dear to my heart, and really AI tools for small businesses. These are like really small, tiny tools that help save people time. So, you can have like a plugin, an extension, an app for a marketplace, but the cool part is you charge monthly for simple, clear value, and that’s how you stack revenue.
4. AI Content Agency
Next, we’ve got an AI content agency. This one is super fun, especially if you love content. I mean, brands are always looking for more content that’s aligned to help them create associations to help their business. So, you use AI to produce high volumes without shooting. It’s crazy. So, look into like HeyGen, 11 Labs, and other tools like that that’ll make this job easy.
5. High-Quality Motion Graphic Designers
And last, we have high-quality motion graphic designers. The more AI can do all kind of low-quality stuff and like people are shooting more and more content. What’s missing is somebody to understand how to do motion graphics. This is the separator. This is where you make content look pro. So you want to learn After Effects plus all the AI tools that help you make and deliver premium assets fast.
Pro Tips for the Medium Bucket
If you fall in love with this bucket, here are two pro tips that you need.
Tip 1: Build 3-5 Measurable Case Studies
One, build three to five measurable case studies that you can tell to other people. That way, it’ll allow you to sell to more clients fast. So, if you’re just starting off, maybe you find people that represent your ideal customer profile and offer to either do it at a discount or free. I don’t love free, but let’s say discount. And in return for that discount, they agree to let you use their project as a case study to talk to other customers about.
Tip 2: Sell Outcome-Based Monthly Retainers
Two, sell outcome-based monthly retainers instead of one-off projects. I still see people in today’s age that are selling their time for money. You have to disconnect from that. Don’t get stuck in it. Don’t start there. Don’t get in the trap.
When you can sell outcomes, especially like monthly retainers for a specific outcome, that creates predictability and reoccurring revenue in your business. And that is the most beautiful place to get. And that is how you make real money online.
But if you want to build something way bigger than yourself, something that could actually change your entire life, the hard bucket is where it’s at.
Bucket #4: Hard Bucket – $1M+ Per Month (Build an Empire)
Bucket number four, the hard bucket. The income potential here could be like a million plus a month. Honestly, millions.
The difficulty level though is high because it’s going to require systems, leadership, and honestly long-term thinking. It’s hard to get into and it may need some capital or expertise, but you will see a massive return.
And the time frame to get to this level, if you start from zero, could take two to 10 years or more, depending on your level of effort. It’s best for people who want to build something bigger than themselves. Essentially, an asset or even better, an empire.
And the reason why is because you’re building something that someone else might actually buy. The people in this bucket are my kind of people.
6 Ways to Build Wealth in the Hard Bucket
So, let’s run through some examples.
1. Investing in AI-First Founders
The first, investing in AI-first founders. This is my world. See, back in the day, I’ve been doing AI investing for over seven years. Companies like FlexPay or Intercom, etc. These are all companies I was involved in in the early days.
And what’s cool about it is that if you have the capital and you invest in them, when they win, you win. When you get equity without running the company yourself, you get a lot of time back. So, this is a great way to create leverage and create an empire. I’ve personally invested in over 100 companies using this method. And starting from 2026, this is going to get way bigger. A lot of people are going to be able to do this one.
2. Software AI Products
Next, we got software AI products. Essentially, this is my world. This is what I build at Martell Ventures. We have built or partnered with people that have launched a new AI company every month for the last year and a little bit. And I’m telling you, this one has made me more money than anything I’ve ever done my whole life.
The key to make it work is you got to build tools that solve real problems in a way that’s unique. Most of the applications that I’m working on, honestly, the AI isn’t powerful enough yet for it to work. Not only is it a great way to generate reoccurring revenue because it’s software, but you build some value where people will pay you 10 to 50 times more than your topline revenue for the business.
3. Buying Small Businesses and Using AI to Automate
Next is buying small businesses and using AI to automate 30 to 50% of it. It’s so crazy how there’s like these really simple businesses that are still stuck in the 80s. My friend Jason bought a campground a couple years ago and all he did was put in AI-powered booking software, management software, maintenance software, and the thing prints cash today.
But buying a boring business that somebody else is done with using AI is a great way to create real wealth.
4. Personal Brand or Content Machine for Deal Flow
Next, we’ve got personal brand or content machine for deal flow. I break it into content and commerce. You’ve seen this with Mr. Beast and Feastables. You’ve seen this with Logan Paul and Prime. You’ve seen this with all these content creators.
But if you can build a personal brand, build distribution, then you have a way to introduce customers to a product that creates equity, that creates enterprise value, and this is in the hard bucket because most people are willing to stick with it. It takes time. It takes commitment. It takes dedication. You got to be consistent. Most people would rather take the easy way. That’s why it’s in the hard bucket.
5. Subscription Communities Powered by AI Curation
Next, we’ve got subscription communities powered by AI curation. I’ve seen so many of these online communities now where essentially people pay every month to be part of a group so that they have access to knowledge and experience and the AI is designed to answer their questions to support them. It’s faster, it’s easier, and you can build a business from it.
6. Licensing AI Playbooks
And last, licensing AI playbooks. This is where most companies don’t realize their system prompts is their new IP, their intellectual property. So, if you have a business that has created these playbooks that are AI-powered, you can copy paste those and sell them to other businesses by making them passive income.
Like, just go look at all the custom GPTs you can buy. A lot of people are like creating innovation inside their own business and licensing it to other companies and making a ton of money. This is a really cool one that I think a lot of people are sleeping on.
My Personal Journey: 7 Years to Success
The hard bucket is near and dear to my heart because it’s a reflection of my life. I mean, a lot of people see me today and they see all the success and the accolades, but they don’t know where I started.
I started as a software programmer at 17 writing code and it took me almost seven years to finally find any traction with what I was doing and eventually at 28 I sold my company and I became a multi-millionaire and it’s the thing that ultimately made me financially successful but better than anything it created the confidence in my abilities that I could then apply to my other companies.
So don’t forget you don’t get the hockey stick without the flat first year. So, you have to learn how to invest and reinvest and recommit if you ever want to be successful.
Step-by-Step: Building Your Hard Bucket Empire
Here’s how you do this for yourself step by step.
Step 1: Tie Your Strongest Skill to a Fast-Growing Industry
One, tie your strongest skill to a fast-growing industry. If you don’t know what that is, ask AI. It’ll tell you.
Step 2: Systematize Your Service
Second is systematize your service. Don’t sell your time. Sell an outcome so that you can build the system around delivering that outcome and create automation so it’s systematized.
Step 3: Build a Small Team Slowly
Third is build a small team slowly. Surround yourself with killers. I believe the first 12 people that come into your business will dictate your success. You want to be slow on making sure they’re the right fit for what you’re trying to do. And for what it’s worth, avoid adding headcount where AI could do the job for you.
Step 4: Layer AI Into Your Operations
Number four, layer AI into your operations to increase your margins. Get rid of the cost. Get AI to build that automation.
Step 5: Use Content to Create Inbound Deal Flow
And last, use content to create inbound deal flow. If I would have known when I started creating content that not only would bring opportunities to me, but it would bring talent, it would bring friendships, it would bring invites to things that you couldn’t even pay for, I would have started a long time ago. So, no matter what you decide to do in this bucket, just make sure you create content around it.
The #1 Killer: Shiny Object Syndrome
None of this matters if you fall into the trap that destroys more businesses than anything else, the shiny object syndrome.
Most people fail not because they were in the wrong bucket, but because they switch buckets every few weeks. I got a friend, he’s the same age as me. I’ve watched him go from like one idea to the other idea to the next idea to another idea, and he hasn’t found any traction. Why? He keeps resetting every time.
Every 2 or 3 years, it’s like, “Oh, that didn’t work because of this. I’m going to do this now.” Here’s why. When you start from scratch, you can’t be wrong. If you stick long enough with something it doesn’t work, then it can feel demoralizing. But the real way to win is to stay in the game long enough to win.
See, winners lose more than losers by definition of being a winner. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what it’s going to take. So, don’t get distracted. Focus. Follow one course until successful. Pick one of these options out of these buckets and execute.
Just remember, you can do anything, just not everything.
How to Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome
So, here’s how you avoid the shiny object syndrome.
Commit to 1,000 Days of Focus
One, commit to 1,000 days of focus. Don’t stop. Be consistent.
Document the Journey in Public
Two, document the journey. Put it in public. Build in public. It’ll actually hold you accountable because everybody’s going to be waiting to see what you’re going to post next.
If you just do these two things, it’ll increase your probability of success more than anything else you could do.
Conclusion: Take Action Now
And the most important thing is that you commit. Don’t just hear all of this and do nothing. The separator in 2026 is the people that show up and do. And those are the folks that make it this far.
So, if that’s you, I want a commitment. Look me in the eyes and let me know you’re one of the people that are different. You’re the one that’s not just going to do shelf help, listen to a lot of stuff, and put it up on a shelf, but you’re actually going to focus until you get results.
And remember, if any of you are entrepreneurs out there and you want to learn how to scale any business from absolutely the very beginning to the end, you now have the roadmap. Pick your bucket. Execute. And stay focused until you win.
