I Was Broke and Confused—So I Tried These 9 Internet Habits To Make $11,000 Online

A few years ago, I was flat broke with no savings or long-term plans. I’d tried different “money-making” side hustles, but none of them worked.

I thought maybe I’d made a mistake trying to make money online and should get a real job to pay my bills.

But I still had the determination to give it a shot.

I didn’t know where to start. I had no niche, zero audience, but lots of time. So, I spent it testing “internet habits” people claimed could work.

Some flopped. Some worked a little. And a few were absolute game-changers.

Here are the 9 internet habits that helped me go from broke and overwhelmed to earning $11,000 online. You can steal the habits you like and ignore what you don’t.

1. Publish Something Online Every Day

I started writing one short post daily on LinkedIn, Twitter (X), and sometimes on my blog. I wasn’t so smart, but I was desperate.

At first, no one noticed. But 30 days later, people started replying. After three months of consistency, I landed my first freelance client.

Publishing builds trust. It shows up before you do. I didn’t need a portfolio; my daily posts did the job.

2. Document Everything You Learn

I started a simple blog about my struggles with freelancing and shared my wins and failures.

It felt pointless initially, but people began asking for advice after a few months.

I packaged it into a $5 e-book.

Lesson: Your expertise doesn’t need to be groundbreaking. People pay for clarity and someone who’s one step ahead of them.

3. Collect Emails From Day One

I created a free newsletter on Kit despite having fewer than 10 subscribers.

I sent weekly emails and added links to my services and mini-stories.

Six months later, one subscriber turned into a $1500 client. I still work with him today.

Lesson: Don’t wait until you have 1,000 people. Start with whoever’s listening now.

4. Productize Your Knowledge

Once I realized people kept asking the same questions, I turned my answers into a paid guide.

I used AI to outline it, took a weekend to write it, and launched it on Payhip.

I made $187 in the first month.

I’ve sold multiple e-books and guides with the same strategy.

You don’t need a huge audience; you need a specific problem and a clear solution.

5. Learn Copywriting

I didn’t sell anything until I understood the power of copywriting.

I read free resources, studied headlines, and practiced writing sales pages in Notion.

When I rewrote my offer using copywriting basics, people understood what I was doing and started paying for it.

Copywriting is a cheat code. Learn it once, use it (to sell) forever.

6. Send Cold Emails Like a Human

I used to send 50 cold emails that got zero replies.

Then, I changed one thing: I made them sound like I wasn’t trying to sell.

I’d say:

“Hey Paul, saw your article on ecommerce secrets. Super sharp. I help people like you repurpose content into emails and lead magnets. Want to chat?”

My reply rate increased. So did my bank account.

7. Create Before You Consume

Reels and YouTube videos consumed a lot of my time. So, I made a deal with myself not to scroll on my phone until I created something first.

Even if it was just a 100-word post or a newsletter draft, I had to create something before I could do anything else.

My productivity grew significantly, and it also gave me momentum — something you need when money isn’t showing up yet.

8. Track Every Dollar and Analyze What Works

I kept a simple spreadsheet, noticing which platforms, strategies, and client types generated the most income.

This data guided my focus towards the most profitable activities.

It turns out that 80% of my income came from just two sources — clients and products.

I doubled down on those and eliminated time-wasters.

9. Charge More

I was undercharging for months.

$50 blog posts
$200 websites
$5 e-books

I would only get a few sales, and it was frustrating.

Then, I doubled my prices because I’d heard that charging more increases your value.

I got more sales even after increasing my rates. And that was a big lesson for me. I use the same strategy with my agency‘s clients.

Raise your prices. Worst case: Someone says no. Best case: You hit $11,000 faster than you expected.

Bonus Habit

Invest in skills that pay immediately.

Instead of long courses, focus on skills you can monetize within weeks. For instance, I learned basic graphic design, social media management, and email marketing.

I learned most of them freely on YouTube and free software trials.

These skills paid off and added a few dollars each month to my bank account.