Not Passive. But Close Enough.
One of the simplest ways to create extra income online is by building small digital assets that can sell repeatedly.
This isn’t passive income.
But it is front-loaded work, so to may not be for those who want true “passive income”.
You have to:
Learn the skill
Build the asset
Test it
Publish/create it
Figure out how to sell it
Then, once that’s done, they require far less effort than most businesses.
No clients.
No meetings.
No trading hours for money.
That’s why I call it “passive-ish.”
If you missed Part 1, we covered:
• Digital calendars
• Checklists
• Guidebooks
• How-to guides
• Spreadsheets
All solid starting points if you want to build your own little portfolio of digital assets.
Today we’ll look at four more.
Quick note before we start
When you launch a digital product, don’t try to be a hero with pricing.
Start lower.
It’s easier to get those first few sales and reviews, and those early signals matter. They help build trust and improve rankings on platforms like Etsy, Amazon, and Gumroad.
You can always raise prices later.
You can’t fake traction.
1. Micro Courses (Short, Useful, Done Fast)
Courses don’t need to be massive things.
In fact, most people don’t want a 20-hour course.
They want to solve one problem, quickly.
If you can explain something clearly in a simple step-by-step process, you can monetise it. People want your Shortcuts. They want to save time.
Examples:
How to negotiate remote work with your boss
How to sell covered calls & cash secured puts for passive income
How to plan a mini-retirement
How to build your first monetised YouTube channel.
If you have that shortcut, you have customers.
What you need
Knowledge
A clear process
Basic recording tools
How I would do it
Pick one narrow topic.
Then:
Outline the steps
Record the lessons
Keep each lesson short
A good micro-course might only be 60–90 minutes total.
Conservative starting price
€19 – €39
Once the course has reviews and traction, many creators increase pricing to €79 – €149.
How to sell it
Your website
Gumroad
Kajabi
Shopify
Once recorded, the course can sell repeatedly with minimal maintenance.
Sales Tip: If you have some authority in the same space as the course, then you can leverage that to increase course sales.
Everything below is for paid subscribers.
The first asset above is relatively simple.
The next four are where the leverage becomes more interesting.
2. Relocation Guides (Experience Is Gold)
Moving countries sounds exciting.
Then you try to do it and you want to rip your hair out! It’s stressful, there’s no way around it… or is there?
Visas
Paperwork
Housing
Banking
Healthcare
It’s complete chaos.
If you’ve been through it, you’ve already paid the price.
Time.
Stress.
Mistakes.
That’s what people want to avoid.
You’re not selling information.
You’re selling certainty.
Examples
Moving to Spain
Living in Mexico City
Starting life in Lisbon
Retiring in Panama
Getting the Digital Nomad Visa in Croatia
What you need
Lived experience
Some research
Clear structured process
How I would do it
Write it like you’re helping a mate move.
Where to live
What actually matters
Real costs
Mistakes to avoid
Add any good lawyers or accountants you used.
Starting price
€9 to €19
Increase later once traction builds.
Where to sell
Amazon (KDP) is ok.
Your website is the best!
Gumroad is a good middle ground.
Sales Tip
Join expat Facebook groups.
Be useful first.
Then share your guide when relevant.
Let others recommend it for you.
3. Habit Tracking Dashboards
People love systems that help them stay consistent.
A good habit tracker gives someone clarity and momentum. I love these and there is just something about the ordered chaos that comes from a coloured coded daily routine. Ideally though these need to be printed or printable. People love to have these on their kitchen bench and the power that comes with being able to tick something off and see progress. So motivating!
Examples:
Fitness trackers
Daily routine dashboards
Goal progress trackers
Productivity systems
Weightloss trackers
Tools like Notion, Excel, and Google Sheets make these relatively easy to build.
What you need
Basic logic
Simple automation
Clean design
How I would do it
Build the tracker for yourself first.
Then:
Simplify it
Add visual progress graphs
Add clear instructions
Clarity is what makes these tools valuable.
Conservative starting price
€7 – €12
Once reviews build, many creators increase pricing to €15 – €25.
How to sell it
Etsy
Gumroad
Your website
Templates like this can scale very well once discovered.
Sales Tip: Take your beta version and give access to some business or entrepreneur friends in exchange for feedback. Ask them for advice of how to make it better. Not only will they help you make it more useful and valuable, but because theyre actively apart of building it, often times they will stay on as paid customers when you go live, even at a discount, this is a great win win.
4. Printable Products
Printable Pet Reminders (Dog & Cat Fridge Trackers)
What you need
Basic design skills
Canva (more than enough)
A clear, simple use case
How I would do it
Pick one niche first. Dog owners or cat owners.
Then:
Design a simple, clean reminder
Shape it like the animal (this is the hook)
Add sections for medication, vet visits, or daily routines
Think:
Morning meds
Evening meds
Vet check-ups
Walk tracker
Make it something people actually want on their fridge.
Then I’d create a few variations.
Different breeds
Different colours
Different layouts
Add a simple marketing layer
Film short videos using the cutest dogs or cats you can find.
Show:
The dog “getting” its medication
A quick fridge shot of the tracker being used
A daily routine being ticked off
A walk tracker getting completed
Keep it simple, a bit playful, and very real.
That kind of content sells the product without needing to “sell.”
Conservative starting price
€3 – €7
Bundles later: €9 – €15
How to sell it
Etsy (ideal for this)
Gumroad
Your website
Sales Tip
People don’t buy printables.
They buy things that make their life easier.
Position it as:
“Never miss your dog’s meds again”
“Simple pet routine tracker for busy owners”
Also, pet people love pet content.
If the product features their world, they’ll share it.
How to Boost Rankings and Early Sales
When launching a digital product, the hardest part is getting visibility.
Platforms like Etsy, Amazon, and Gumroad tend to rank products that already show activity.
A simple way to generate early momentum is to start with a lower introductory price and encourage a few early supporters to purchase the product and leave honest reviews. Get friends and family on board before you launch so on the first day you’re product is up, its making sales. This will trick the algorithm into boosting your listing.
Even a small number of early sales and reviews can help build trust and improve the product’s visibility in search results.
Once the product gains traction, prices can gradually increase.
Final Thought
This isn’t passive income.
You still have to do the work upfront. Build it, put it out there, figure out why it’s not selling at first, fix it.
But once it’s done, it doesn’t need you every day.
It just sits there. Some days nothing happens. Some days you get a few sales.
And while that’s ticking along, you go build the next one.
Build one. Let it run. Build another.
Individually, they’re small.
Together, they start to matter.
My March options course is now open.
If you want more information, comment “Course” below and I’ll send you the details.
Cheers
Andy
