The question of making money online has been a hot topic ever since the Internet came about, and is still something that is elusive for so many. People still laugh when someone claims you can make money online as they believe money can only be made by going to a 9-to-5 job or selling physical goods that change hands.

This is why we invited one of the pioneers of making money online, Matti Slotte of KasinoBonus.io who has been making a living doing online work for the better part of the last two decades. We’ll ask him some of the usual questions asked by a person who doesn’t believe money can be made online or/and never did it themselves.

Thank you for joining us, Matti. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m Matti Slotte, I was a bit bored in Kupio in 2008 and went online. I found an active Finnish gambling community. I got involved with it, won some money on poker, made some pocket cash with side gigs, got hired by a casino, and now I’m running my own business at KasinoBonusIO. That’s me in a nutshell.

When we use the phrase ‘‘make money online’’, what do we actually mean by it? Is it some paid work, a side gig? Is it a business that gets its customers online?

Today, it can be any of those things. Back in the day, when I started in the late 2000s, the poker craze was in full swing because people finally had the chance to win actual money by sitting at their computer. No one is talking about this, but I see this as a pivotal moment. People, with their jobs and offline things to do, finally got a chance to stare at a screen and win or make money.

Did you make any? At the time?

I must be one of the first that did! I immediately pounced on the opportunity, won some money in poker, got some deposit bonuses at poker rooms, referred some players to poker rooms and got paid for it. It was work without work, so to speak, and you still get the money.

How can a person make money online today?

Like you said, money can come from many things. But let’s create some categories here and say you can sell goods or services. Also, you can sell your own goods or services, or sell someone else’s and then take a cut.

How do you sell services?

The most obvious ones would be the services related to computers themselves. Though no one uses computers anymore but pardon me, I’m getting old. I mean writing, programming, SEO, graphics design, business cards, what not. Anything that’s creative with words or graphics or music, plus the entire IT sector.

Are there actual jobs here or only side gigs?

Covid-19 was a serious technological advancement for mankind. As people stayed home, employers started letting people work from home – something they frowned upon for decades – and it turned out, it’s not such a bad deal. People still do the work. So we now live in a world where it’s perfectly normal to have a fulltime job yet be at home while doing it.

So, there’s an entire range, from gigs to actual jobs that get you a salary and a pension and a chance to get promoted.

How to find one?

Just ask.

Ask Google?

Yes. Search the Internet for your line of work or something you’re interested in, and there’s a chance you’ll find a website or a service that lists job postings. Some of them might say they’re Remote, which means you can work from home.

What about gigs, are these still profitable?

Yes, but you’re not an employee here, you’re a self-employed individual, so to speak. It’s up to you to find new clients and to have enough of them to keep your little operation afloat. I’m personally a big fan of freelance work, but it isn’t easy, you gotta take it seriously and work long hours, too.

What about selling goods? Do we mean drop shipping stuff?

Most of the time, yes, we mean drop shipping stuff via social media. I haven’t really been involved with this much but I know people that have made money this way. I’m personally more inclined towards having your own little online shop, a branded website. Even the retail shops have their websites today, so why not have your own but without the retail bit. High-end drones, car decals, phones, spices, liquor, cameras. Create your own specialized shop that caters to a specific consumer – and you’re in business.

Can you also make money by referring customers?

This is what the reviews guys and girls are doing. Post a review of just about anything, and have a link to purchase that item with a discount. For example, if you’re looking for a review of some new smartphone that came out, or are looking for the best dumb phone that has WhatsApp, you’ll probably be doing a search on the Internet. Or AI, lately. Then some result will come up.

If different results come up, and there’s a person who can make a certain result appear first, wouldn’t that be a service that you can sell to people? Something you can do from home and get paid for it?

Now you get it.

Matti Slotte https://www.linkedin.com/in/matti-slotte-26612033b/