9 Ways These People Make Money at Home With Nothing But Their Laptops Here's how these individuals, including some who make more than six figures, earn their livings.

It's the dream for many: work from home, or anywhere of your choosing, without set hours. In many cases, you won't have a manager to report to. But how do you do it?

There are several ways to make money online. Some require certain skill sets, such as the ability to write and edit or have an artistic eye, while others simply require basic computer skills and lots of time.

Click through the slides to hear directly from individuals who have made their livings from home with nothing but their computers.

Courtesy of Alexandra Fasulo

Alexandra Fasulo, copywriter

What do you do?

I am a full-time freelance writer, editor, and photographer. I spend the majority of my day freelancing through Fiverr as a PRO Fiverr writer and editor. I write blogs posts, press releases, product descriptions, Amazon product descriptions, website content, crowdfunding campaigns and newsletters. I typically work with 15-plus clients per day. I have worked with everyone from a member of the Royal Family to government personnel in the United States.

How did you get your start?

Funny enough, I was working a government job up in Albany, N.Y., when my mom suggested I check out this freelancing platform "Fiverr." I began editing with a $5 gig, earning anywhere from $30 to $50 per month. I thought it was absolutely amazing, earning some petty cash from my laptop in my free-time. I moved to NYC in November of 2015 to work at a PR firm in midtown. After four weeks, I knew it wasn't for me and so I quit it. I had no plan of action. I honestly had no idea what I was going to do.

The day I quit, I went home that night after visiting a few museums and having a full-out panic attack, and opened three new gigs on Fiverr. I figured I had nothing else to lose! In just a few weeks, my profile had taken off, and and I was earning close to $100 per day. Addicted to the traction, I continued to open more gigs and slowly raise my rates. Come April 2017, when Fiverr launched Fiverr PRO, everything changed monetarily, and I jumped into the six-figure family.

How do you find customers/clients?

I receive 100 percent of my writing and editing clients through Fiverr. Thanks to my standing on the platform, I am pretty much guaranteed a steady flow of traffic every single day. People are able to view my work, read my reviews and learn more about me without even messaging me. They can either instantly book my services, or private message me regarding their project. On average, I receive anywhere from 20 to 40 inquiries per day.

What are the biggest challenges?

I would say the biggest challenge of working from home on my laptop is the loneliness. I miss having co-workers and being able to share my struggles or frustrations with other like-minded people. When something goes wrong, I have no one to consult on it -- no one to bond with over it. I'm also a classic extrovert, so just being able to talk out loud to people is important to me. That's why I try to stack social activities every night -- so I don't go crazy.

How much can people in this field expect to earn?

There is a huge range of what people could earn working from home. If they are willing to put in 10 to 12 hours per day starting out, with no days off, then in just three to five weeks, they can start crossing the $100 per day mark. But it's going to take time -- it took me three years of hard work on Fiverr for me to earn the PRO label. Now, I earn about $300,000 per year on Fiverr -- and I still can't believe it.

How do you stay motivated?

I am definitely naturally excited by working for myself and making my own schedule, so simply having the freedom to go where I want to go when I wake up gets me excited. But really, to stay motivated I spend time reading about success stories, I check out freelancing magazines, peruse blogs, and so forth. Hearing about what other people are up to really inspires me to get moving.

I also make sure I go to the gym/workout every day. It's really important for me to still invest in my physical health even though I sit a lot. Many times when I'm done at the gym, I feel more energized than before I walked in.

I would also be remiss if I left out my familial support team – my mom, sister, and I text each other every day about our goals and aspirations. We unconditionally support each other every single hour, and knowing I have that kind of team behind me gets me pumped up.

What does your average workday look like?

I am a very regimented person, so I stick to a pretty strict schedule. I wake up at 7 a.m. each day, immediately opening my email and answering all inquiries. By 8 a.m., I open up Fiverr on my laptop and spend about an hour answering questions and present client inquiries. By 9 a.m., I get to work writing, and will typically write straight until 12:30 p.m. or so. By then, I go to the gym to give my brain and body a break. By 1:30 p.m., I eat lunch and by 2 p.m., I am back to work. I will work again until 6 p.m. or so.

Generally, that should cover all of my writing for the day but if not, I might work until 8 or 9 p.m. even. I also work on Saturdays, and I work for one to two hours on Sundays. I could take weekends off if I wanted to, but then I feel like I am missing out on the action.

How do you handle benefits?

I personally obtain my health insurance from the New York State Marketplace. I have found it pretty easy to navigate all of these years. Other than that, I am looking into hiring a financial advisor this year so I can begin some kind of retirement savings, as well as learn about other options for investing.

Courtesy of Deep Patel

Deep Patel, digital marketer

What do you do?

I run Deep & Co., a marketing agency that helps late-stage startups and Fortune 500 companies with innovative marketing campaigns. I've worked with companies such as IBM, Universal and Mark Cuban Companies. I'm also in the early stages of building Penguin CBD, an ecommerce brand that sells CBD-based oils, gummies and more.

How did you get your start?

I spent a couple months in the hospital in high school when I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. That marked a turning point in my life. I went from a normal high schooler thinking about friends and classes to spending all of my time in bed reading about this emerging thing called online marketing. At that moment, I started messaging hundreds of people in the space on LinkedIn to start building build a network. I never really looked back from there.

How do you find customers/clients?

Nowadays, I only take clients from referrals. It took years to build a reputation in the space, and while I could grow the agency more rapidly with outbound marketing, I decided that it's better for us to only take on companies referred to us by previous clients.

How much can people in this field expect to earn?

Enterprise marketing deals tend to range from five to six figures. That said, it can take years to establish a trusted name, and even the best people often have trouble closing deals. It took me a year of learning and working for free before I even charged my first client. Four years later, we're on pace to surpass $1 million in yearly revenue.

What are the biggest challenges?

You can cold email thousands of decision-makers at top companies and get no responses. You can get warm intros and meet people who like you but get nowhere with closing a deal. The fact is, there is little security as a marketing agency until you are known in the industry as a reliable partner that provides a high return on investment for enterprise clients.

How do you stay motivated?

I focus on the numbers. A problem I often see with early entrepreneurs is that they fantasize a lot about their work but shy away from tracking their key performance indicators. We try to do the opposite to stay motivated and produce top results. When you know your metrics, you can set clear growth goals that energize you every day; but when you hide from the numbers, you hold yourself back from facing the truth.

What does your average workday look like?

I wake up around 8 a.m., hit the gym, read the news and start taking calls at 9:30 a.m. By noon I like to finish checking in with East Coast clients. I take West Coast calls after that, and by 3 p.m. I'm working on Penguin -- talking with suppliers, reviewing product designs and hiring new team members. I like to wrap up by 7:30 p.m., and I often take a client to dinner to finish off the day.

Courtesy of Carrie French

Carrie French, copywriter

What do you do?

I'm a copywriter on Fiverr with four different writing specialties: product descriptions, website content, blogs/articles and brand slogans. I typically write product descriptions for Amazon sellers and ecommerce sites that use Shopify. Website content usually covers the most common pages, like home, about and contact.

How did you get your start?

I launched on Fiverr as Carrieblogger in 2013. I was a college student at the time and first read about the platform in a Seventeen magazine article. I started selling services with the hope of earning a little extra spending money. I never thought that it would pay for my degree and turn into a full-time career.

The site design was different back then, so when one of my gigs was publicized on the home page for a few days, every person who visited Fiverr saw my service. I was home from college for winter break when overnight I had 50-plus new orders and dozens of messages asking about my service. That huge influx of orders built up a strong review base and the popularity snowballed from there. Fiverr editors promoted me to Top Rated Seller in less than six months and I've had steady work ever since.

How do you find customers/clients?

That's the beauty of the Fiverr platform -- I don't have to! I basically think of the 20 percent site commission as rent and marketing fees. Buyers search the site for what they need help with, and my gigs pop up as the solution. Having the Fiverr Pro and Top Rated Seller badges help to narrow search results for serious buyers who are willing to pay more for a committed, high-quality seller that they can trust.

What are the biggest challenges?

As a project-oriented introvert, my personality is incredibly well-suited to freelancing at home. I seriously love it! Like any job, the only challenges stem from working with people. You'll always run into people with bad intentions; the person who underpays and over demands, or the customer who completely refuses to respond to questions, even though it shows that they're online. Unfortunately, that's life. I've just gotten really good at spotting the warning signs early and standing up for myself when someone tries to be a bully.

How much can people in this field expect to earn?

Honestly, there is no limit to what people can earn. The lack of consistency can be a challenge (especially for taxes!), but I see it as a huge opportunity -- there's no salary ladder or ceiling. Every year, I earn more than the year before. I'm constantly changing things up and looking for ways to improve so that I can deliver the highest quality services and build the most sustainable business possible.

While I was working part-time during college and actively turning down orders, I was making around $30,000 a year. When I transitioned to full-time freelancing in 2017, my income doubled. This year, I just crossed six figures! I realize that my level of success and sustainability is not the norm, but I am a normal person. My growth was completely organic, and I think it's more possible to achieve more than people realize.

How do you stay motivated?

I love, love, love my job, so it's really easy to stay motivated! Every day is different. I have the amazing opportunity to work with interesting brands around the world. As a joke, I often dare people to try and name a thing (product, company, industry, topic) that I haven't written for. Trust me, it's hard to do! I've completed more than 9,000 orders over the past five years, and I've learned so much along the way.

Plus, I'm a type A, ultra-organized girl who loves projects, so there's something super satisfying about checking off all the boxes on my to-do list!

What does your average workday look like?

I usually start the day by answering messages and checking new orders on my phone as soon as I get up. Because I plan my workload out in advance, my bullet journal shows exactly what I need to get done. I spread things out so that most days have the same amount of work and I'm never slammed at the last minute.

I prefer to start and finish a project in one sitting so once I'm in "work mode" I stay focused and on-task until delivery. Movie soundtracks and instrumental folk are my go-to Spotify genres. I usually deliver two to four orders a day and take breaks between each one, whether that's talking my dog for a walk, practicing my oboe, doing house chores, making lunch, or going for a run. Time-wise, I work from about 9 to 2 every day, but I'm always "on call" to answer app messages.

How do you handle benefits?

For the first few years while I was in college, I was young enough to be under my parents' insurance umbrella. Now, my husband is a public school teacher, so we're covered through his work. We like to joke that I bring home the bacon and he brings home the benefits.

Courtesy of Andrew Hemingway

Andrew Hemingway, marketer, founder and CEO of Toasted Collective

What do you do?

I help my clients better position their brands for success from a consumer and investment perspective. We do this in many ways but tend to focus on branding, advertising and marketing.

How did you get your start?

After about seven years in the marketing industry, I got the itch to branch out on my own. I saw a massive opportunity for marketing and branding within the cannabis space, and jumped into it head first.

How do you find customers/clients?

At the beginning, I attended events and meetups across the country, and really focused on building relationships within the cannabis industry from the ground up. I worked to remain nimble and hunted down promising prospects wherever possible. Since we've scaled, we've hired a skilled biz-dev person who has taken on much of this monumental task.

What are your biggest challenges?

Growing too fast and scaling a remote workforce that's stretched across several different time zones. Right now I'm looking into possibly expanding my business internationally, which is actually a year ahead of schedule.

How do you stay motivated?

Cannabis is the first completely new business sector to emerge since the introduction of the computer. Think about that. To be an entrepreneur on the bleeding edge of a new category keeps you motivated, especially within an industry evolving as quickly as ours is.

What does your average workday look like?

Remote work really requires you to always be connected. Email, Slack, text messages are my go-to's. That being said, during the winter, Tuesdays are set aside for family ski days, and I take that time to really reset and disconnect as much as possible.

Courtesy of Cristina Postica

Cristina Postica, video animator

What do you do?

I am a Fiverr freelancer/producer/woman entrepreneur/content creator … there are a lot of names for what I do, but simply speaking I create video animations.

How did you get your start?

In 2014, I realized that I needed a change in my life and to start something on my own. I was working as a marketing manager for a premium automotive brand when I started dabbling in video creation. Back then it was a fun way to spend weekends, but eventually it grew into something where I couldn't maintain two jobs anymore. So I quit my job as a marketing manager and I started working on video explainers together with a small team of three people – me, a designer and an animator.

Today, with a lot of hard work, that hobby has turned into a small business and a much larger team.

How do you find customers/clients?

Most of my clients find me online: Fiverr, social media, my website. Half of them are agencies, the other half are IT companies, startups, crypto startups, software developers, etc.

What are the biggest challenges?

The biggest challenge is to organize and separate your personal life and working schedule. Sometimes my home turns into a 24-hour workplace, and it feels like you are at work day and night. So having a free schedule is a blessing and a curse at the same time. It took me a lot of time to figure out how to separate the two. Now I try to make myself a working schedule -- I try to work outside when it's possible and take breaks. I don't work at nights anymore.

Another challenge is handling each new customer and new project. Each project is unique, and many times I'm working in new industries so while working on the video, I make sure to do the necessary homework. Like for example: how a return inventory process works, what is a derivatives market or how does blockchain work, etc. It's important for me to understand it for myself prior to creating an explainer or promo video. While it's challenging, I feel like I've learned so much from working with companies around the world.

How much can people in this field expect to earn?

Depends on a lot of factors, like for example: if a person is Fiverr PRO or a beginner, how much time a freelancer is willing to work, is a person a good seller or not, etc. In my field I know freelancers who charge $350 for their work but I also know guys who charge $7,000 to $10,000 for their services. It all depends on how good your services are and how much you want to charge for them.

How do you stay motivated?

For me it's very important to see an immediate result from my work. Not just do something day by day and get a paycheck at the end of the month. Here, I get to see my results immediately (really, in a few weeks), I get so excited when the video turns out the way I want it to. The first couple of days I can watch it over and over. And of course, happy clients, their positive energy is inspiring me to work hard, to create more.

What does your average workday look like?

I try to start my day early in the morning so that I could finish my work by 4 to 5 p.m. As I work with clients from different time zones, I start my day by replying to the messages on Fiverr that I received overnight. Then I turn to focus my attention on ongoing projects. At the end of the day I usually check my social pages and try to update them so as to stay relevant and make sure I have my to-do list for the upcoming days complete. Once or twice a week I try to visit a networking event or workshop -- there are so many of them in New York and they're incredible for establishing connections.

How do you handle benefits?

When you're self-employed, you need to be much more disciplined, you are responsible for paying your own medical insurance and taxes. It's a lot easier when an employer is pulling money out of your paycheck. Fortunately, there arel a lot of options for freelancers like me.

Courtesy of Ken Reil

Ken Reil, designer

What do you do?

I am a graphic designer selling apparel merchandise online including on Merch by Amazon, which is a print-on-demand service. I earn royalties as products sell and are custom printed with my designs. I have fun.

How did you get your start?

I started online apparel selling by stumbling across print-on-demand services in 2014. I joined Merch by Amazon in October of 2015. I have previous design experience from running a sign and decorative window tint business where I contracted out screen printed apparel.

How do you find customers/clients?

I find trends and niche interests to sell into. The dynamic of the "t-shirt" business is wide-reaching with many opportunities. Building audiences through social media is a huge source of the business. Brand building and licensing are my focus in 2019.

What are the biggest challenges?

To stay fresh with content, on top of content and protecting against copyright theft.

How much can people in this field expect to earn?

Earnings are based on how much time and effort you want to apply. It is not unusual for focused full-time sellers to earn $10,000 to $20,000 a month selling printed merchandise. Excellent part-time incomes of $1,000 to $5,000 a month are common. Personally with no inventory or a brick and mortar store I have sold more than $1,000,000 of apparel products on Merch by Amazon since 2016. This equates to over $350,000 in royalties. I switched to full time in the print-on-demand business during the latter part of 2016, early 2017. Everyone in my family now sells with Merch by Amazon. My daughter's royalties pay for her college. My two sons are building savings and learning about business. My wife is building a rainy day savings account.

How do you stay motivated?

Merch by Amazon changed my life. I don't forget this any day. I stay motivated because I love the print-on-demand community and learning about the business. It has become more than just working for myself. I have started initiatives to coach others, participate in live webinars and hold peer conferences. Another major area of motivation has been combating frivolous trademark use in the industry.

What does your average workday look like?

The majority of my day is spent researching new content online. I spend time in the afternoons with Facebook groups, private masterminds and Slack channels. When the business is built much of it becomes passive income allowing me to focus on helping others and working on trademark initiatives.

How do you handle benefits?

Benefits are paid out of my pocket. This is a tough topic being a self-employed small-business owner. Options are minimal and expensive.

Courtesy of Tracy Freese

Tracy Freese, website content producer and product photographer

What do you do?

You build the website -- I'll make it pretty with written content and product photography.

How did you get your start?

Fiverr -- I started as a Greenhorn seller making $5 a pop, moved up to Top Rated Seller within one year and was one of the first PRO sellers on the site. Initially, it was me at a laptop in my kitchen and then I hired a team and launched a company.

How do you find customers/clients?

I have some word-of-mouth locally, but otherwise, Fiverr.com does all my marketing heavy-lifting.

What are the biggest challenges?

Playing in someone else's sandbox. While I very much feel like an important voice of the Fiverr community -- I don't own my selling profile and have no control over decisions, algorithms, company direction etc. Smart business owners recognize that, and I consider myself one of them.

How much can people in this field expect to earn?

Depends on whether someone wants to pay for what you are selling. Some sellers burn out immediately while those offering valuable services with great customer service and striking branding rise to the top. I am approaching half a million dollars earned in about three years with growth year over year.

How do you stay motivated?

It's my default mode. I was meant to work for myself and lead others. I always wanted to be a CEO and now I am.

What does your average workday look like?

Strong Estate Marketing is a bit of a different freelancing model -- I run a company and manage a team behind the online profile. Projects aren't outsourced -- everything is local and in-house. We have an office, payroll and a Christmas party. My days are filled with business growth, project management, managing financials and employee development.

How do you handle benefits?

We have a full suite of benefits including group health, wellness programs and a retirement plan with a match.

Courtesy of Crystal Swain-Bates

Crystal Swain-Bates, book author

What do you do?

I'm a full-time author, entrepreneur and self-publishing consultant whose work positively reshapes the way children of color see themselves. Through my company Goldest Karat Publishing, I have written and self-published 12 children's books designed to fill the massive diversity gaps in children's literature. To further address the need for greater diversity beyond children's books, I also run BrownGirlsClub.com, an online store of bedding, party supplies, books and other children's gifts featuring black characters. Finally, I consult with major corporations, small businesses and aspiring authors on how to find success in self-publishing.

How did you get your start?

I have always loved to read and write. I wrote my first book in elementary school and from that moment, I knew this was what I was destined to do. I remember rarely seeing books with characters that looked like me when I was growing up in the '80s. I was inspired to publish children's books to fill the untapped needs of young children of color who need to see positive characters that look like them. While researching publishing options in 2012, I discovered Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program and thought it sounded too good to be true. I decided to give it a try and I have been successfully publishing my books through the platform ever since.

How do you find customers?

Most of my sales come from organic traffic to my Amazon page. In addition, word of mouth has been a large driver of traffic to my business, particularly from parents, media specialists and organizations who have listed my books as recommended reading for diverse classrooms. Outside of my organic sales, I use social media to actively engage with potential readers, share my work and reach new customers.

What are the biggest challenges?

The biggest challenge for me has been setting and sticking to a dedicated work schedule as a full-time author and entrepreneur. Finding a healthy work-life balance and establishing boundaries in my business, such as not answering emails on weekends or after hours, is a challenge because as an entrepreneur, there is always more work to be done.

I often lose track of time and end up working throughout the night, from 9 p.m. until 9 a.m., which throws off my entire day and my sleep schedule. Despite the current #TeamNoSleep, #GrindMode culture, it's unhealthy to work 24/7 in your business and I have to be intentional about stepping away from the computer and taking time for myself and my family.

How much can people in this field expect to earn?

The range for self-published author earnings is wide and every author's results will vary. Some self-published authors never sell more than a handful of books during their lifetime, while others sell tens of thousands of copies each month. I earn a six-figure income from my books and I know of many authors who earn $20,000 and more per month. When you run your business as an authorpreneur and take the steps to develop a strategic marketing plan and grow your following, there is no limit to the amount of money you can earn.

How do you stay motivated?

What keeps me motivated is knowing that I'm creating a body of work that is poised to have a lasting impact on an entire generation of children. Each positive review I receive from my customers motivates me to continue creating more products because I can see that my work is truly making a difference in children's lives. That positive reinforcement is at the center of my work and why I love to do what I do.

What does your average workday look like?

What I love about my work is that no two days are the same. Some days I'm flying to speaking engagements or out doing book signings. Other days, I'm home juggling various tasks, such as managing my client's publishing projects, writing new books, catching up on the latest publishing industry news, replying to emails, scheduling my social media posts and building courses for my publishing academy.

How do you handle benefits?

Luckily, I receive full benefits through my husband's employer. I'm so thankful for that because it's one less thing I have to worry about as an entrepreneur.

Courtesy of Jonathan Coleman

Jonathan Coleman, voiceover artist

What do you do?

I'm a professional voiceover artist on Fiverr for TV, radio, film and web.

How did you get your start?

I was the midnight shift DJ at my college radio station. But really, I'd been performing the "Trailer Voice Guy" ever since my voice dropped two octaves in middle school.

How do you find customers/clients?

Anyone can be a client! I have a personal website of course, but also work via some of the online voiceover platforms -- the biggest of these is Fiverr. I've also suited up and gone door to door in Midtown Manhattan offering my voice to businesses as their outgoing voicemail. The more I put myself out there, the more work I find!

What are the biggest challenges?

Waking up not knowing whether I'll earn a dime that day. But it's also the biggest part of the adventure. By noon if I've not gotten anything, the hustle kicks in and I have usually found some work by sunset.

How much can people in this field expect to earn?

There is an enormous range. Audiobooks pay the least per hour of work (unless you're a celebrity, of course) and TV pays the most, with radio in the middle. I've made as little as $5, and as much as $5,000 for essentially the same 10 to 15 seconds of script. You never know!

How do you stay motivated?

I love learning about the work I'm the voice of. I once recorded an hour-long instruction manual for a very large corporation that deals with hamburger meat … and it was all about how to treat cows humanely and keep them healthy.

What does your average workday look like?

I'm up at 7 a.m. to hit the gym (warming up the whole body gets the best vocal tone) then check and respond to my Fiverr messages. I then record and send in any rush recordings before 10 a.m. I check in throughout the day to see if there's new work or opportunities to grow the business. I like to stack my day with the hardest work first, which means once you're over that first three-hour hump, the rest of the day only gets easier.

How do you handle benefits?

As entrepreneurs know, there's no company match into a 401k so I contribute the annual maximum I can into a Roth IRA and invest anything additional myself through retirement fund services (Fidelity is a great option, I've dabbled with Betterment.com as well). I buy my health insurance through the exchange (for me that's the best-value lowest cost option) and just budget to make available whatever deductible it's going to be for that year.

For paid time off and rest, while I have to live with the fact that any day I'm not working means that's income not coming in the door, an entire day off per week is the bare minimum to avoid burnout. From Saturday evening until Sunday evening I try to avoid work tech (email, laptop, iPad) as much as possible. If I'm ahead on revenue for the year, some weeks I will stretch that to 48 hours.