Money Coming: 10 Proven Ways to Generate Consistent Income Streams

I remember the first time I tried to make money online. It was back in 2018, and I’d spent three straight weeks trying to "hack" the system with some complicated dropshipping scheme I’d read about in a shady Facebook group. I was moving products from three different suppliers, dealing with customs forms, and spending hours tweaking Facebook ads that never converted. After burning through nearly $2,000 in ad spend with only $347 in return, I realized something crucial: I was making everything way too hard. The memory brings to mind something my old Marine Corps instructor used to say about combat efficiency: "To try any other method was both a waste of ammo and making it too hard on myself." That’s exactly what I’d been doing with my income efforts—wasting my limited resources and creating unnecessary complexity when simpler, more proven paths were available.

That realization changed everything for me. Instead of chasing every new "revolutionary" income strategy that popped up in my feed, I started focusing on methods that had stood the test of time. I began to understand that generating consistent income streams wasn't about constant, frantic activity. Just like in tactical situations where "moving around before they approached just made things harder," I learned that in business, sometimes the most powerful move is to position yourself correctly and let opportunities come to you. This shift in mindset led me to discover what I now call the "Money Coming: 10 Proven Ways to Generate Consistent Income Streams" framework that has completely transformed my financial situation over the past four years.

The first method I implemented was affiliate marketing, but with a twist—I focused exclusively on products I actually used and believed in. Rather than scattering my efforts across dozens of niches, I chose just one: outdoor gear. I'd been an avid hiker and camper since college, so writing about tents, backpacks, and survival equipment felt natural. I started with a simple blog that cost me $12 per month for hosting, writing detailed reviews of equipment I'd tested on actual trails. Within six months, that blog was generating around $400 monthly. Nothing spectacular, but consistent. By month eighteen, it had grown to bringing in $2,800 per month without me adding new content—the old posts just kept ranking and converting. The key was what my military training had taught me about positioning: "I learned to keep my shoulders pointed toward them, circling in place when I needed to, until they rolled out the red carpet and walked into my gunfire." Instead of chasing customers, I positioned myself where they would naturally find me.

Digital products became my second stream, and honestly, this one surprised me with how effective it was. I created a simple $47 eBook about wilderness first aid—something I had legitimate certification and experience in. I didn't spend money on fancy design; just used Canva's free templates and wrote from genuine experience. That single eBook has brought in over $28,000 in the last three years with minimal updates. The beautiful part? Unlike client work where you trade time for money, digital products keep selling while you sleep. Last month alone, it generated $893 without me lifting a finger. This approach embodies that principle of not overcomplicating things—creating a quality product once, then letting it work for you indefinitely.

Freelance writing was my third stream, though I approach it differently than most. I only write about topics I genuinely enjoy—personal finance, outdoor adventure, and productivity. Instead of jumping at every opportunity, I've cultivated long-term relationships with just five publications that pay me between $0.50 to $1 per word. That translates to about $1,500-$3,000 per article, and I complete two per month. The stability comes from relationships, not constant pitching. This method works because, as that combat principle suggests, "There's no stealth element, no real sense of avoiding the danger to better your situation." In freelance terms, that means I don't waste energy on complicated avoidance strategies for low-paying clients—I simply don't work with them.

The fourth stream emerged almost accidentally—dividend investing. I started with just $200 monthly allocations to high-dividend ETFs, reinvesting everything. After three years, that portfolio generates about $287 monthly in dividends. It's not enough to live on yet, but it's completely passive and growing at about 12% annually. The fifth stream came from creating a membership community around outdoor photography, which brings in around $1,200 monthly from 84 members at $14.99 each. The other five methods in my "Money Coming" system include rental income from photography equipment (about $400 monthly), online courses ($600 monthly), coaching ($1,500 monthly), stock photography royalties ($150 monthly), and display ad revenue from my blogs ($1,100 monthly).

What's fascinating is how these streams interact and support each other. My hiking blog promotes my eBook, which mentions my online course, whose students sometimes become coaching clients. Each stream feeds the others, creating what I call the "ecosystem effect." This approach has taken my income from struggling freelance writer to consistently generating over $12,000 monthly, with approximately 60% of that being passive or semi-passive. The real breakthrough wasn't finding some secret method—it was realizing that the proven methods work precisely because they don't require constant reinvention. Just like in that tactical advice, sometimes the most powerful move is to stop complicating things, position yourself correctly, and let the opportunities come to you. That's the core philosophy behind what I now teach others about creating their own "Money Coming" systems—focus on what works, execute consistently, and stop making it harder than it needs to be.