Making an income online is a dream for many introverts. However, it is also important to choose a method that doesn’t drain your energy.
I’ve tried several methods to earn an income online, from being an affiliate to running a print-on-demand t-shirt business.
Promoting other people’s products and making a commission is still one of my favorite methods but it can be quite draining depending on how you do your marketing.
Running an online store selling print-on-demand t-shirts is also a great way to make introvert-friendly income, but it requires a lot of maintenance.
The Online Business That Works for Me as an Introvert
When I decided on the online business that I operate now, I had some requirements:
- I wanted to sell my own product
- My product had to be digital so there is no shipping involved
- I wanted my business to be automated
- I didn’t want to deal with clients
- I wanted to build an email list for continued marketing
Understanding what I wanted helped me decide on choosing to create digital information products in the form of simple PDF files.
I set up a marketing funnel to sell my PDF and build my email list at the same time.
In my marketing funnel, I give away a free kickstart guide. As people sign up to get my guide, I have emails that send out automatically to nurture my list and promote my eBook (PDF file.)
I also promote related products that I am an affiliate of and earn commissions on any sales.
The Benefits of Selling Your Own Digital Product
For years, I promoted other people’s products and made commissions for every sale I referred.
There are pros and cons to being an affiliate.
The pros of affiliate marketing include:
- Not having to create a product (great for beginners)
- No worrying about payment processing
- Never dealing with refunds or customer complaints
- Unlimited earning potential
The cons of affiliate marketing:
- Most commissions are paid 30 – 45 days after making them
- Product owners can change commission rates
- The affiliate program can be discontinued
- You don’t own your own product
When you have a product of your own, you have more control. You can set your price, create upsells, and bundles.
You receive your payments faster as most payment processors pay out daily.
Plus, you build an email list of buyers who will likely buy from you again.
You are in control versus relying on another person or company for your online income.
Isn’t an ECommerce Business Good for Introverts?
If you prefer to sell physical goods, it can also be a great option. When I started my print-on-demand t-shirt business, it was a lot of fun.
I enjoyed designing the t-shirts and it was exciting when I would make sales.
The downside for me was having to constantly create new designs to keep the store’s inventory fresh.
Another downside was paying for the ads. I ran Meta ads and it was so expensive. While I made some sales, I wasn’t making enough to pay for the ads and have a profit.
It truly was an energy drain after awhile.
Unlike creating my own digital product, I only had to create it once and I can sell it over and over.
When I feel like creating another, I can without any pressure to constantly create something new.
Key Takeaways
A digital product business can alleviate a lot of the issues that come with other online businesses when it comes to being an introvert.
- Information products are easy to create
- There is never any inventory or shipping
- You can build an email list (an audience you can control)
- No clients
- No hard selling
- You can automate your business
Ready to get a jumpstart on your own digital info product business?