How to Make $10,000 While Still Going to School (Stupid Simple)

If you don’t want to be like everyone else, broke, stressed, and stuck in a never-ending cycle, you need to focus on one thing: making your first $10,000. When I was 18, I had no money and no qualifications, but I did have big ambitions. Instead of worrying about making millions, I set myself the smaller, more achievable goal of making 10k. Now, as a self-made millionaire, I can tell you that first $10,000 was the hardest to make, but once I hit it, everything changed. It wasn’t just about the money, it was about proving to myself that making money is a skill and not luck. Once I figured out how to make 10k once, I knew I could do it again and again, and eventually scale it into real wealth. So, if I had to start from zero and make that first $10,000 all over again, this is exactly how I’d do it in three steps.

Step 1: Choose Your Method

Most people make this way harder than it needs to be. They jump into crypto because their friend made money from it, or they try day trading because some guru promised it would make them rich. The problem is, both these methods need huge upfront cash reserves and crazy luck. These aren’t side hustles, and they should never be seen as your main source of income. Instead, think of them as tools to multiply your money. When you’re just starting out, you need something that requires a small amount of money to begin with and constantly puts cash in your pocket every day.

When you strip away all the noise, there are only really four options. I’ve tried all of these, and take it from me, this choice is crucial because some options offer higher scalability, while others are more limited. In the same way, some generate quick cash, while others take more time to make money.

Option 1: Selling In-Person Services

Option one is selling in-person services. Look, you’ve probably heard of these before, but I’m talking personal training, delivery driving, dog walking, nail designing, barbering, videography, and so many more. Although these services sound so common and basic, they’re actually one of the fastest ways to make money. So, don’t overlook them, as they give you a way to get paid immediately. It’s also pretty cheap to get started. All you need are some skills and maybe a few tools, which means you can get up and running very quickly. If you choose to do this, then please don’t mess around trying to build a website, run ads, or make a logo. Just get out there, find some customers in your local area, deliver the service, and get paid. I even did this when I was in my teens. I used to walk around rich neighborhoods and offer to wash people’s cars. I’d look out for tidy gardens but dirty vehicles. Now, this might sound strange. However, I was betting if they were obsessed over keeping their garden tidy, they’d also want a nice shiny car on their driveway to impress their neighbors. Because these kinds of services are limited by your local area, it meant my demand was pretty up and down. Some months were busy, and others I struggled to make anything. When I was busy, I was only able to work with one person at a time, which kept how much I could make in a day. So, in-person services are great to get started with, but you can quickly feel like they’re limiting your potential.

Option 2: Local Products

That brings me on to option two, which is local products. This is selling things like home-baked goods, handmade items, artwork, fresh produce, and much more. This can be a great way to make money, but it’s not something that happens overnight. Unlike services where you get paid as soon as the job’s done, selling local products takes time. I gave this a go using some of the profits from my car washing business. I bought some cheap model plane parts, then spent some time building each one up, and then sold them to people at the RC flying club, which I went to on the weekends. However, I quickly realized I was putting a lot of work in for very little money. This was hard for me to come to terms with because I really enjoyed building them. Most of my earnings were being eaten up by the cost of materials, and on top of that, my customer base was very limited, as there weren’t enough people willing to pay what I needed to make it worth my time. So, selling local products can be fun, and it’s definitely worth it if you want to make some money from something you love.

Option 3: Global Products

Option three is global products. This includes starting a clothing brand, drop shipping, sneaker reselling, print on demand, and so much more. Unlike in-person services or local products, going global means you have access to a much larger customer base, which gives you more opportunities to make money. You’re not limited to just the people in your town or city; anyone, anywhere can buy from you. I was so excited about launching my own global products. I even flew all the way to China to partner with a manufacturer to produce my model airplane designs and sell them worldwide. Of course, you don’t have to do this if you choose to go down the drop shipping or print-on-demand routes. However, this wasn’t really an option when I started. If I’m honest, things started off pretty slowly for me because I had to keep reinvesting my profits back into new products to sell. Every sale required more investment. Once I sold 10 items, I then needed to buy 20 more to keep up. Instead of pocketing the profits, my money kept getting trapped in this endless cycle of restocking. Ultimately, was it worth it? 100%. However, you should only do this if you have the patience to wait 1 to 3 months for everything to start kicking off. When this is up and running, it is probably the most passive, laziest way to make money that actually works.

Option 4: Selling Online Services

So, that brings us on to option four, selling online services. This option wasn’t actually possible for me when I was younger, but this is such an advantage nowadays. There are so many different online services you can offer. These include copywriting, video editing, thumbnail design, running ads, social media management, the list goes on. Selling online services actually combines the two biggest benefits from the in-person services and global products. This is because you get the global reach, but the profit margins of a service. With products, you might make 20 to 30% margin that needs to be reinvested. With services, you’re looking at 70 to 80% margins that go straight into your pocket. Plus, you can start making money from day one. Look, all of these are fantastic ways to make $10,000 as a student, especially these last two options. However, if I wanted to start making money as fast as possible, then I’d go with option four, selling online services.

Step 2: Master Your Service with the Skill Pyramid

So, now we need to figure out exactly what online service to offer. So, start by asking yourself three questions: What are you really good at? What do you enjoy learning about? And what problems do businesses consistently struggle with? The sweet spot is where your answers overlap. Most people get stuck at this stage, as they spend months or even years trying to perfect their skill before offering it to anyone. That is totally backwards. You need to start getting real-world experience as quickly as possible. So, start by setting your prices under the normal market rate. Your main aim here is to earn and learn at the same time. Now, let’s take this one step further.

This is the skill pyramid, made up of four elements that when mastered together, transform a high-income skill into a $10,000 income. Miss just one, and you’ll stay stuck at the bottom, working hard, but never breaking through.

Element 1: Positioning

Element one is positioning. You see, not all online services are equal. The real money is in offering to help businesses make more money. That’s because businesses think about money differently to individuals. When a business is making $50,000 a month, spending $2,000 to solve a problem isn’t a big deal, as long as it helps them make more money. And take it from me, they have a lot of these problems. They need more customers, they need better systems, they need to stand out from their competition, and they need to convert more leads into sales. These problems never go away, and businesses are always willing to pay to solve them. On top of this, some industries simply have more money to spend than others. And if you think about how you can reposition yourself, you’ll start making real money faster. Here are some ideas to get you thinking: Instead of being a video editor for small YouTubers, you could edit videos for an entrepreneur who sells a product. If you make random thumbnails for clients, you could instead aim to become the main designer for an established creator. And if you’re a copywriter, don’t write cheap articles. Instead, focus on optimizing landing pages. This isn’t about learning more skills, it’s about putting yourself where the money’s being made.

Element 2: Leverage

Element two is leverage. You’re never making $10,000 without leveraging value over time. Businesses don’t pay for effort, they pay for results. If you stop charging for the hours you work and instead for the return on investment you provide, you’ll instantly make more money. Let’s say you choose to run Facebook ads. If you charge per hour, you’re stuck with a fixed rate, and the client will always want to keep your hours down. But if you charge based on the money you bring in for the business, suddenly they’re not thinking about cost, they’re thinking about profit. And when they see that your work is directly making them money, they’ll happily pay you more for it. The same goes for if you decide to offer social media management. If you just schedule posts and reply to comments, you’re replaceable. But if you can prove that your strategy is bringing in more engagement, more leads, and more sales, you become a valuable asset, not just an expense. Trust me, the moment you shift your pitch from what you do to what they gain, you’ll find a lot of people are suddenly willing to pay a lot more.

Element 3: Reach

Element three is reach. One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting out is thinking they always have to chase clients. But that’s not how the game should be played. Right from the start, you need to be thinking about how to make clients come to you. Recently, I was looking for a graphic designer for a specific task: making movie-style posters. So, the first thing I did was look on TikTok for people who made these kinds of designs, and one person dominated the search results. So, I reached out to him and asked him for his prices. He told me he was just posting some of his designs for fun on TikTok. He wasn’t even doing it as a side hustle, so politely declined. However, his videos kept growing in popularity, and his inbox was flooded with DMs asking to work with him. A few weeks later, he reached back out to me asking how to start getting paid. I helped him set up a proper business, and now he works for me and many other clients. This just goes to show that you should always be putting your work out there online, even if you’re just starting out, or just doing something because you enjoy it. You never know what opportunities might come from it. So, if you edit videos, show before and after clips to highlight how much better your edits make the content. If you design thumbnails, explain why your design got more clicks. And if you’re learning social media, document how you’re growing an account from scratch.

Element 4: Automation

Element four is automation. 95% of people that try to start a side hustle or business fail before they even really get going. Here’s why: After working with countless copywriters, thumbnail designers, web developers, and video editors, I can tell you that 95% of them promise to deliver on time, then completely miss their deadlines. The thing that will make you stand out the most isn’t talent or charisma, it’s reliability. And overlooking this is the biggest mistake young people make when starting out. The people I’ve ended up paying thousands to aren’t always the best at what they do, but they’re the most organized. They never miss deadlines, they always communicate clearly, and they make working with them effortless. So, take it from me, being good at what you do is one thing, but being reliable is what gets you paid again and again.

Step 3: Turn Income Into Wealth (Invest)

I don’t care how much money you make, until you see at least $1 million in your bank, you shouldn’t be wasting it. The supercars, the designer clothes, the nights out—none of it matters unless you can turn your income into long-term wealth. The rich see their income as something to spend, whereas the wealthy use it to make more money. So, how do you do this? Well, you need to start investing. In front of me, I’ve got a risk scale, and I’m going to walk you through the four key areas where I put my money, starting from the safest investments all the way up to the highest risk plays. Remember, I’m not a financial advisor. I’m just sharing what’s worked for me over the years.

Level 1: High-Interest Savings Account (Safety)

Let’s kick this off with my high-interest savings account. They call it a high-interest savings account, but honestly, at 3%, I have no idea how they get away with that name. Now, sure, you can find better rates if you’re willing to lock your money away for a set period or agree to strict deposit limits each month. But I don’t want my savings held hostage. I want access to my money when I need it, not stuck behind some rule that says I can only withdraw on the first Tuesday of every leap year. And I know what some of you are thinking: “Mark, this isn’t really investing, this is just holding cash.” And yeah, you’ve got a point. But having some cash on the sidelines means you’re not forced to sell investments at the wrong time. Imagine the market crashes and you suddenly need money for an emergency. If you don’t have cash saved up, you’ll have no choice but to sell stocks at a loss, and that’s the fastest way to lock in a bad decision. A high-interest savings account is like your financial safety net. It’s not about making big returns, it’s about having a buffer so that when life throws unexpected expenses at you, you’re covered without wrecking your long-term investments.

Level 2: Index Funds

Investment two is index funds. Have you ever heard the saying, “It only takes the price of a coffee a day to become a millionaire”? Well, that’s down to index funds and ETFs. I’ve made a lot of money from simple long-term index fund investing, and as an added benefit, it’s extremely low maintenance. There are tons of different index funds and ETFs, but the most popular buzzword, of course, is the S&P 500, which is 503 of the top publicly traded companies in America, all packed into one easy investment. Even though this is the biggest index fund in my portfolio by percentage, I do also invest into a total stock market fund. The best I found for US investors is VTSAX, and for the UK people, it’s the VWRL ETF. Additionally, I think it’s important to have some money invested in an emerging market index fund. The best I’ve found in the USA is the VWO, and in the UK, it’s the VFEM ETF. But there are lots of other emerging market funds available, so it’s worth having a bit of a look around. If all those index fund names made you glaze over, then here’s an awesome fact to wake you up. The average return of the S&P 500 over the last 10 years has been over 10%, which means if you invest just $5 instead of buying a coffee every single day from the age of 18 to 67 and achieve the same return, then you’d retire with over $1 million. And if you don’t want to wait until you’re 67, just invest more money. That’s what I’ve done for many years, and it’s worked really well for me.

Level 3: Individual Stocks

Investment three is individual stocks. Now, this is where things get exciting. Individual stocks can be a great way to start investing, especially with smaller amounts of money. They allow you to get hands-on experience with the market in a way that index funds don’t. When I first started, I really enjoyed picking stocks and learning how to read companies’ financial statements. Honestly, if I hadn’t actually invested my own money, I doubt I’d ever have been motivated to understand how it all works. That’s why, when you’re starting out, individual stocks can feel more engaging. Of course, they also come with higher risk. But if you’re only investing a small amount, it can be a useful way to learn how the market moves without putting too much at stake. Another big advantage is that you get direct exposure to specific companies. With index funds, even if a company’s performing incredibly well, it may only make up a small part of your portfolio. With individual stocks, you get to experience those gains more directly. But of course, this means more ups and downs, which is something to keep in mind. By the way, Trading 212 are currently giving away a free fractional share worth up to £200 when you use the code “Tilbury” and fund your account. So, if you want to pick that up, I’ll leave the link in the description below.

Level 4: Cryptocurrency

Investment four is cryptocurrency. When Bitcoin first came out in 2009, I, like a lot of people, just assumed it was a scam. I was used to investing in real, tangible assets like property and stocks, things backed by actual companies. The idea of some digital currency with no one in charge seemed way too risky. But as time went on, I started paying more attention. By early 2019, I decided to dip my toes in, and over the last few years, I’s been steadily buying more Bitcoin and Ethereum. Looking back, it’s been a solid move, and it’s made me a decent amount of money. Now, I won’t deny that altcoins and meme coins can make people crazy returns, but they’re also way riskier. For every person who makes a fortune, there’s plenty who lose it just as fast. These days, I’d say I’m a lot more bullish on crypto, but I’m still playing it smart, building my position slowly, dollar-cost averaging, and making sure I’m not just jumping in at bad prices. Of course, crypto is super volatile, and like any investment, it carries risks. That’s why it’s important to do your own research and only invest what you can afford to lose.