Dan Martell - January 20, 2026


The Only 25 Ways to Make Money in 2026

Hosted by
Dan Martell
Mentioned
Logan Paul Jason Beast Mark
Apple's AI is finally here 10 Books you have to read this year

Episode Stats


Length

19 minutes

Words per minute

195.75

Word count

3,862

Sentence count

272

Harmful content

Toxicity

7

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this episode, I break down the top 4 ways to make money online in 2026. These are the things you should be running away from, especially if you want to be profitable in the new era of AI. I'll tell you the income potential, difficulty, how long it'll take, and who is best for each bucket.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
00:00:00.000 I know for a fact that you're tired of searching the internet for the best ways to make money
00:00:04.900 online. Every day, thousands of internet gurus tell you to try affiliate marketing or drop
00:00:10.540 shipping, and they're all full of shit. Those things don't work in 2026, especially not in 0.98
00:00:16.640 the new era of AI. In my AI venture studio, Martel Ventures, I've created dozens of companies that
00:00:22.120 now generate millions, and I can tell you, there's only a few real ways to make money online.
00:00:27.100 To make it simple, we're breaking everything into four buckets. 0.75
00:00:31.400 Trash, the stuff you should f***ing run away from.
00:00:34.400 Easy, businesses you can launch in under three months, earning $5,000 to $10,000 a month. 0.99
00:00:39.280 Medium, skills that can be profitable within a year, making $10,000 to $50,000 a month.
00:00:44.560 And hard, long-term plays that may take more time, but can make you millions if done right.
00:00:49.980 I'll tell you the income potential, difficulty, how long it'll take to make money,
00:00:55.280 and who is best for each bucket.
00:00:59.280 So without further explanation,
00:01:00.960 let's get into the real ways to make money in 2026.
00:01:04.240 Starting with bucket number one, the trash bucket.
00:01:08.080 The income potential for this bucket is zero
00:01:10.540 or even worse, could be negative.
00:01:12.440 Difficulty, I mean, it looks easy,
00:01:14.780 but it gives you nothing back.
00:01:16.780 Time frame, waste months
00:01:18.700 before you realize it was dead on arrival.
00:01:21.040 Who is it best for?
00:01:22.760 No one.
00:01:23.900 NFT flipping. 0.78
00:01:25.120 The hype is frigging done.
00:01:26.700 Look at all the projects that launched.
00:01:28.820 Nobody made money.
00:01:29.880 The ones that thought they made money have lost money.
00:01:31.940 And if you're gonna start there
00:01:33.580 and you haven't made money ever online,
00:01:35.500 that's a losing recipe.
00:01:37.760 Next, crypto trading.
00:01:39.900 Moves really fast.
00:01:41.760 Most people don't have the patience
00:01:43.180 and it's without any crazy skill.
00:01:45.740 Unless you're the person that tries to front run 0.95
00:01:47.940 the whole frigging trade, 0.98
00:01:49.100 most people lose money every frigging day. 0.97
00:01:51.640 Next, multi-level marketing.
00:01:53.580 If the way you make money is getting paid to recruit people to join your thing, and you don't shape the business, and you don't actually sell anything, and you actually spend more money to buy product to try to get up the leaderboard, that's not a business you want to be in.
00:02:07.860 Most of these are scams.
00:02:09.320 Next, basic caption or subtitles.
00:02:12.040 Now, AI does it faster, cheaper, and way better.
00:02:15.860 After that, we have low-level data entry.
00:02:19.040 This is wild to watch if people still think
00:02:22.000 they're gonna make money on this
00:02:23.080 because AI tools have replaced this work completely.
00:02:26.580 Fiverr Microtasks, my favorite website on the internet
00:02:29.980 five years ago, trying to make money this way,
00:02:32.660 it's not the worst on the list,
00:02:34.540 but it has zero long-term growth.
00:02:36.440 Next, we got print-on-demand.
00:02:39.000 Here's the thing, it's really crowded
00:02:41.400 and everyone sells the same stuff.
00:02:44.920 And last but not least, my favorite, day trading.
00:02:47.700 Here's the deal.
00:02:48.420 if you're not completely into it, obsessed on it and just want to just live the day trading life,
00:02:54.380 it is way easier to lose money than to make any. Basically, all these are like trying to race
00:03:00.760 across the ocean in a car. You keep drowning because you need a different vehicle. So to make
00:03:06.740 sure your idea isn't in this bucket, I need you to run your idea through the trash filter. Three
00:03:13.060 simple questions. One, is AI already replacing this? Two, is the industry shrinking or going
00:03:21.300 obsolete? Three, is it easier to lose money than to make money? If you answer yes to any,
00:03:28.980 move on immediately. Now, let's talk about the first bucket that actually pays real money.
00:03:35.380 Bucket number two, easy bucket. The income potential, 5 to 10K a month, no problem.
00:03:41.340 the difficulty low simple skills fast turnaround time frame 30 to 60 days to actually get paid
00:03:49.440 and it's best for beginners trying to gain some momentum and build some skills you don't need a
00:03:55.100 degree for these these just need basic execution and learning how to talk to customers just get
00:04:00.740 your first dollar online build some confidence and learn how clients work here's some examples
00:04:05.500 the first one basic short form editing if you haven't seen all the people that have like these
00:04:10.700 clipping accounts and people like edit these short form videos all over social media. I mean,
00:04:15.020 the demand is huge. Every person now seems to be a content creator and AI makes it incredibly easy.
00:04:21.560 So it's easy to get paid fast. Love this one. Next, we got social media copywriting. Every
00:04:27.620 business in the world needs to learn how to use words to get customers to buy and they need
00:04:32.480 somebody to help them. And the tools are getting so good. Just get the client, do the work, get
00:04:37.960 paid. Next, we've got the AI chatbot setup for small businesses. I love this one because every
00:04:44.280 small business needs more time back. And if you can be the person that comes in and help them set
00:04:49.160 this up, they will pay you money because it's easy for them to redeploy their time to make more money
00:04:54.920 than what they paid you. Use this one. Next, we've got the AI receptionist along the same lines.
00:05:00.840 It's crazy today when you can use tools like youratlas.com that you can get paid to set up
00:05:05.840 for small businesses to take all the inbound calls,
00:05:08.620 to qualify, sell, fill up schedules, answer questions,
00:05:12.200 and it'll do it without being upset, complain,
00:05:16.200 take time off, or call in sick.
00:05:18.300 Helping businesses do this is a great way to make money.
00:05:21.480 Next, we've got UGC content.
00:05:24.700 Brands wanna pay for real people showing their products,
00:05:28.280 not professional models.
00:05:29.700 Helping a brand connect with a creator
00:05:32.100 and you're the middleman and you get a piece of this.
00:05:34.200 My buddy in Dubai, this is his whole business
00:05:36.620 and they're already doing 100K a month.
00:05:38.600 So you can make five to 10 starting with this one.
00:05:41.460 And last, the virtual or executive assistant.
00:05:44.260 It's one of my favorite categories
00:05:45.260 because I wrote a book called Buy Back Your Time.
00:05:47.100 See, rich people hate wasting time
00:05:49.260 and they'll pay you to get it back.
00:05:51.180 The best part is you get paid to hang out with smart people
00:05:54.600 that can teach you about life to help them get you done.
00:05:57.660 No brainer.
00:05:58.520 A great example of this bucket is my buddy, Mark.
00:06:01.320 No background, no experience.
00:06:02.680 He decides to start approaching companies to help them take long form content that they were creating using AI to break it down into short form clips.
00:06:11.000 And that simple process of using AI tools, making it repeatable and turning around really quick has scaled now.
00:06:17.760 Whereas a freelancer, he earns $30,000 a month with only seven clients.
00:06:22.120 This bucket is about learning how to master a high income skill, because if you already knew how to make millions, you'd be making millions.
00:06:29.000 which means you're going to have to invest in yourself to develop the skills to add value to
00:06:33.720 the world. If you want to try any of these ideas, follow these specific steps. First,
00:06:39.260 create your outcome-based offer. Don't sell your time. Map to a pain the customer already has.
00:06:45.100 Help them make money or save time around an area that they're really in pain around,
00:06:49.880 because pain is a perfect way to figure out what they're willing to pay for.
00:06:53.320 Make a promise that's specific around a result in a very specific timeframe.
00:06:59.000 That's how you create a compelling offer.
00:07:00.920 And then just remove all the risks.
00:07:02.500 Just tell them what the guarantee is.
00:07:04.060 And then say, because it's just you,
00:07:05.740 you can only take so many clients.
00:07:07.280 So I'm only looking for three or five clients
00:07:09.160 that creates urgency and it'll get them to buy right away.
00:07:11.660 And for what it's worth,
00:07:12.520 if you wanna make this super easy,
00:07:14.660 I can send you my exact offer template.
00:07:17.100 So all you have to do is copy and paste it.
00:07:19.820 It'll save you hours of tweaking and adjusting and testing.
00:07:22.560 Just DM me the words YouTube offer on Instagram
00:07:25.380 or click the link in the description below
00:07:27.420 and I'll send it over.
00:07:28.280 So once you have your offer, just do one daily outreach.
00:07:32.080 That's a non-negotiable.
00:07:33.300 If you want to make money online, set it and forget it.
00:07:35.580 It's just a habit.
00:07:36.380 So reach out to one potential client every day until you get customers.
00:07:40.940 But you just have to have a clear offer.
00:07:42.340 That's what this bucket will teach you.
00:07:43.600 That skill of crafting an offer, getting somebody to understand it, and paying you.
00:07:47.860 This will get you the best chance to be successful in this bucket.
00:07:51.460 That being said, if you already have experience or you want income that's more consistent,
00:07:55.580 the medium bucket might actually be better choice.
00:07:59.660 Bucket number three, the medium bucket.
00:08:02.700 Essentially, the income potential
00:08:03.960 is 10 to 50K per month minimum.
00:08:06.540 Difficulty level, it's medium,
00:08:08.360 but multi-skill work tied to real business outcomes
00:08:11.240 makes you money.
00:08:12.220 You're not just doing tasks anymore,
00:08:14.080 you're solving revenue and growth problems for businesses
00:08:16.720 and the timeframe to make real money
00:08:18.860 could be three months, maybe worst case 12 months,
00:08:22.020 but you're setting up your future.
00:08:23.680 And it's best for people that have some skill, but want more stability and scale.
00:08:28.480 When I look at Sam on my media team, Sam didn't ask for a step-by-step instruction to be successful.
00:08:34.440 He just framed the outcome. He took ownership and he delivered.
00:08:38.260 Because of that, he got opportunities to step up.
00:08:41.180 That's why you've probably seen the video of me giving him his dream car, a Porsche GT4.
00:08:45.700 It wasn't because he was doing little tiny tasks.
00:08:47.820 It's because he actually delivered the outcome.
00:08:50.280 And for me, that became vastly more valuable.
00:08:53.100 And that's what's different about this bucket.
00:08:55.080 You're no longer just doing the skill.
00:08:56.780 You're actually tying your pay to an outcome.
00:08:59.740 The only way for your clients to make more money
00:09:01.700 is for them to focus on solving bigger problems,
00:09:03.760 which mean you come in
00:09:04.840 and take the smaller problems off their plate.
00:09:06.980 So what are some examples in this category?
00:09:09.060 The first one, AI automation agencies.
00:09:11.240 This one's a new hotness.
00:09:12.660 Why?
00:09:13.220 The demand for this alone makes it a fantastic opportunity.
00:09:16.980 And it makes you bulletproof for the future.
00:09:19.940 Businesses are literally drowning
00:09:21.820 an opportunity to automate and it makes them money quickly and it saves them time at scale
00:09:26.700 and it's going to future-proof you for other companies. Next, we got LinkedIn growth systems
00:09:32.100 powered by AI. Every CEO or leader out there, they need more reach. They need people to know who they
00:09:37.860 are. They need people to know, like, and trust them. And if you're the kind of person that come
00:09:41.220 in and own that outcome of getting that attention, that audience, that trust, they will pay you to
00:09:46.400 help them grow. Next, we've got micro SaaS, near and dear to my heart, and really AI tools for
00:09:51.660 small businesses. These are like really small, tiny tools that help save people time. So you can
00:09:57.200 have like a plugin, an extension, an app for a marketplace. But the cool part is you charge
00:10:02.560 monthly for simple, clear value, and that's how you stack revenue. Next, we've got an AI content
00:10:09.040 agency. This one is super fun, especially if you love content. I mean, brands are always looking
00:10:14.560 for more content that's aligned
00:10:16.200 to help them create associations to help their business.
00:10:19.720 So you use AI to produce high volumes without shooting.
00:10:23.440 It's crazy.
00:10:24.640 So look into like HeyGen, 11 Labs,
00:10:26.820 and other tools like that that'll make this job easy.
00:10:29.160 And for these last two options,
00:10:30.520 just take a screenshot for all the AI tools
00:10:32.660 that I put up on screen
00:10:33.620 so that you can make this option way easier.
00:10:35.640 And last, we have high quality motion graphic designers.
00:10:38.720 The more AI can do all kinds of low quality stuff
00:10:42.220 and like people are shooting more and more content,
00:10:44.200 What's missing is somebody to understand
00:10:46.080 how to do motion graphics.
00:10:47.760 This is the separator.
00:10:49.100 This is where you make content look pro.
00:10:51.060 So you wanna learn After Effects plus all the AI tools
00:10:53.660 that help you make and deliver premium assets fast.
00:10:56.880 And for these last two options,
00:10:58.320 take a screenshot of all these AI tools
00:11:00.320 that will make it so much easier for you.
00:11:02.300 If you fall in love with this bucket,
00:11:04.220 here are two pro tips that you need.
00:11:06.280 One, build three to five measurable case studies
00:11:09.720 that you can tell to other people.
00:11:11.940 That way it'll allow you to sell to more clients fast.
00:11:14.000 So if you're just starting off, maybe you find people that represent your ideal customer profile
00:11:18.540 and offer to either do it at a discount or free. I don't love free, but let's say discount. And in
00:11:23.160 return for that discount, they agree to let you use their project as a case study to talk to other
00:11:28.360 customers about. Two, sell outcome-based monthly retainers instead of one-off projects. I still see
00:11:34.900 people in today's age that are selling their time for money. You have to disconnect from that. Don't
00:11:40.500 get stuck in it. Don't start there. Don't get in the trap. When you can sell outcomes, especially
00:11:45.060 like monthly retainers for a specific outcome, that creates predictability and reoccurring
00:11:49.880 revenue in your business. And that is the most beautiful place to get. And that is how you make
00:11:54.420 real money online. But if you want to build something way bigger than yourself, something
00:11:59.460 that could actually change your entire life, the hard bucket is where it's at. Bucket number four,
00:12:04.960 the hard bucket. The income potential here could be like a million plus a month, honestly,
00:12:10.440 millions. The difficulty level though is high because it's going to require systems, leadership,
00:12:15.260 and honestly, long-term thinking. It's hard to get into and it may need some capital or expertise,
00:12:21.980 but you will see a massive return. And the timeframe to get to this level, if you start
00:12:26.540 from zero, could take two to 10 years or more, depending on your level of effort. It's best for
00:12:31.800 people who want to build something bigger than themselves, essentially an asset or even better,
00:12:36.780 an empire. And the reason why is because you're building something that someone else might
00:12:41.360 actually buy. The people in this bucket are my kind of people. So let's run through some examples.
00:12:47.040 The first, investing in AI first founders. This is my world. See, back in the day, I've been doing
00:12:52.840 AI investing for over seven years. Companies like FlexPay or Intercom, et cetera, these are all
00:12:58.260 companies I was involved in in the early days. And what's cool about it is that if you have the
00:13:02.360 capital and you invest in them, when they win, you win. When you get equity without running the
00:13:07.520 company yourself, you get a lot of time back. So this is a great way to create leverage and create
00:13:11.800 an empire. I've personally invested in over a hundred companies using this method. And starting
00:13:16.960 from 2026, this is going to get way bigger. A lot of people are going to be able to do this one.
00:13:21.620 Next, we got software AI products. Essentially, this is my world. This is what I build at Martel
00:13:26.460 Ventures. We have built or partnered with people that have launched a new AI company every month
00:13:31.480 for the last year in a little bit. And I'm telling you, this one has made me more money than anything
00:13:35.720 I've ever done my whole life. The key to make it work is you've got to build tools that solve real
00:13:40.680 problems in a way that's unique. Most of the applications that I'm working on, honestly,
00:13:45.940 the AI isn't powerful enough yet for it to work. Not only is it a great way to generate reoccurring
00:13:51.860 revenue because it's software, but you build some value where people will pay you 10 to 50 times
00:13:57.540 more than your top line revenue for the business. Next is buying small businesses and using AI to
00:14:03.420 automate 30 to 50% of it. It's so crazy how there's like these really simple businesses that
00:14:08.820 are still stuck in the eighties. My friend Jason bought a campground a couple of years ago and all
00:14:13.320 he did was put in AI powered booking software, management software, maintenance software,
00:14:17.740 and the thing prints cash today.
00:14:20.380 But buying a boring business
00:14:21.700 that somebody else is done with using AI
00:14:24.100 is a great way to create real wealth.
00:14:26.340 Next, we've got personal brand
00:14:28.000 or content machine for deal flow.
00:14:29.940 I break it into content and commerce.
00:14:32.840 You've seen this with Mr. Beast and Feastables.
00:14:35.100 You've seen this with Logan Paul and Prime.
00:14:36.740 You've seen this with all these content creators.
00:14:39.120 But if you can build a personal brand build distribution,
00:14:42.300 then you have a way to introduce customers to a product
00:14:45.380 that creates equity,
00:14:47.020 That creates enterprise value.
00:14:48.760 And this is in the hard bucket
00:14:49.860 because most people aren't willing to stick with it.
00:14:52.280 It takes time.
00:14:53.200 It takes commitment.
00:14:54.160 It takes dedication.
00:14:55.200 You gotta be consistent.
00:14:56.520 Most people would rather take the easy way.
00:14:58.400 That's why it's in the hard bucket.
00:14:59.740 Next, we've got subscription communities
00:15:02.060 powered by AI curation.
00:15:04.160 I've seen so many of these online communities now
00:15:06.480 where essentially people pay every month
00:15:08.600 to be part of a group
00:15:09.680 so that they have access to knowledge and experience.
00:15:12.520 And the AI is designed to answer their questions,
00:15:15.360 to support them.
00:15:16.360 It's faster, it's easier,
00:15:17.680 and you can build a business from it.
00:15:19.920 And last, licensing AI playbooks.
00:15:22.780 This is where most companies don't realize
00:15:25.040 their system prompts is their new IP,
00:15:27.740 their intellectual property.
00:15:28.900 So if you have a business that has created these playbooks
00:15:31.460 that are AI powered,
00:15:32.620 you can copy paste those and sell them to other businesses
00:15:35.240 by making them passive income.
00:15:37.660 Like just go look at all the custom GPTs you can buy.
00:15:40.260 A lot of people are like creating innovation
00:15:42.520 inside their own business
00:15:43.500 and licensing it to other companies
00:15:45.280 and making a ton of money.
00:15:46.720 This is a really cool one
00:15:47.680 that I think a lot of people are sleeping on.
00:15:49.440 The hard bucket is near and dear to my heart
00:15:51.100 because it's a reflection of my life.
00:15:53.120 I mean, a lot of people see me today
00:15:54.520 and they see all the success and the accolades,
00:15:56.620 but they don't know where I started.
00:15:57.900 I started as a software programmer at 17, writing code.
00:16:01.740 And it took me almost seven years
00:16:03.900 to finally find any software,
00:16:06.040 any traction in what I was doing.
00:16:07.660 And eventually at 28, I sold my company
00:16:10.240 and I became a multimillionaire.
00:16:11.980 And it's the thing that ultimately
00:16:13.260 made me financially successful
00:16:15.020 but better than anything,
00:16:16.620 it created the confidence in my abilities
00:16:18.560 that I could then apply to my other companies.
00:16:20.680 So don't forget, you don't get the hockey stick
00:16:23.320 without the flat first year.
00:16:25.040 So you have to learn how to invest and reinvest
00:16:28.000 and recommit if you ever wanna be successful.
00:16:30.840 Here's how you do this for yourself, step by step.
00:16:34.780 One, tie your strongest skill to a fast growing industry.
00:16:39.060 If you don't know what that is, ask AI, it'll tell you.
00:16:42.260 Second is systematize your service.
00:16:44.620 Don't sell your time.
00:16:46.580 Sell an outcome so that you can build the system
00:16:49.140 around delivering that outcome
00:16:50.700 and create automation so it's systematized.
00:16:53.620 Third is build a small team slowly.
00:16:56.480 Surround yourself with killers.
00:16:57.960 I believe the first 12 people that come into your business
00:17:00.500 will dictate your success.
00:17:02.180 You wanna be slow on making sure they're the right fit
00:17:04.720 for what you're trying to do.
00:17:05.860 And for what it's worth, avoid adding headcount
00:17:08.480 where AI could do the job for you.
00:17:10.600 Number four, layer AI into your operations
00:17:13.740 to increase your margins.
00:17:15.340 Get rid of the costs, get AI to build that automation.
00:17:18.680 And last, use content to create inbound deal flow.
00:17:22.220 If I would have known when I started creating content
00:17:24.220 that not only would bring opportunities to me,
00:17:26.520 but it would bring talent, it would bring friendships,
00:17:29.260 it would bring invites of things
00:17:30.900 that you couldn't even pay for,
00:17:32.440 I would have started a long time ago.
00:17:34.240 So no matter what you decide to do in this bucket,
00:17:36.820 just make sure you create content around it.
00:17:38.660 None of this matters if you fall into the trap
00:17:40.920 that destroys more businesses than anything else.
00:17:43.520 the shiny object syndrome. Most people fail, not because they were in the wrong bucket,
00:17:49.500 but because they switch buckets every few weeks. I got a friend, he's the same age as me. I've
00:17:54.760 watched him go from like one idea to the other idea, to the next idea, to another idea. And he
00:17:59.860 hasn't found any traction. Why? He keeps resetting every time, every two or three years. It's like,
00:18:05.320 oh, that didn't work because of this. I'm going to do this now. Here's why. When you start from
00:18:09.460 scratch you can't be wrong if you stick long enough with something it doesn't work then it
00:18:13.640 can feel demoralizing but the real way to win is to stay in the game long enough to win see winners
00:18:19.360 lose more than losers by definition of being a winner i know it sounds crazy but that's what
00:18:23.880 it's going to take so don't get distracted focus follow one course until successful pick one of
00:18:30.780 these options out of these buckets and execute just remember you can do anything just not everything
00:18:36.900 So here's how you avoid the shiny object syndrome.
00:18:40.240 One, commit to a thousand days of focus.
00:18:43.700 Don't stop, be consistent.
00:18:46.400 Two, document the journey.
00:18:48.240 Put it in public, build in public.
00:18:50.320 It'll actually hold you accountable
00:18:52.120 because everybody's gonna be waiting
00:18:53.520 to see what you're gonna post next.
00:18:55.040 If you just do these two things,
00:18:56.900 it'll increase your probability of success
00:18:59.240 more than anything else you could do.
00:19:00.840 And the most important thing is that you commit.
00:19:03.600 Don't just hear all of this and do nothing.
00:19:05.920 The separator in 2026 is the people that show up and do.
00:19:10.900 And those are the folks that make it this far.
00:19:12.740 So if that's you, I want a commitment.
00:19:14.680 Type commitment below.
00:19:16.300 Look me in the eyes and let me know
00:19:17.680 you're one of the people that are different.
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