I’m Caleb. I started How Do I Make Passive Income because I’ve been asking myself that exact question for ten years and I’m still working on the answer.
I’m not a finance guru or a tech founder (although I’m not ruling it out). I’m an actor (which means usually unemployed) and a primary caregiver for my mom, who’s a stroke survivor with significant residual deficits (that’s hospital talk for ongoing health challenges).
Like all of us, I’ve watched a million TikToks about passive income, but most of what I found was either overhyped, really hard to actually do, or so vague it was useless.
So I started researching seriously, I started working with AI, and I started publishing posts.
What This Site Is
This is a resource for solopreneurs—people building something on their own, without a big team or a big budget. The articles here cover the real mechanics of generating income that isn’t directly tied to hourly wages: affiliate marketing, digital products, email lists, online business tools, investing, and more.
I’ve published over 100 articles so far. Some are better than others. I’m still learning, and the site is evolving as I do.
What I Actually Know (And What I Don’t)
I’m not retired on a beach somewhere collecting royalty checks. I’ll let you know when that happens. Meanwhile, I’m building this in real time, and I share what I find along the way—what works, what doesn’t, and what I’m still figuring out.
I’m still an actor, I’m still a caregiver, and now I have a dozen side hustles too: several Print On Demand businesses, a YouTube show/podcast, a TikTok shop affiliate account, a finance brand, a longevity brand, this passive income site, and probably several other things I can’t currently remember.
I’ve seen some scammy tactics I don’t like, and I’ve seen plenty of things that seem to work in theory but I haven’t made work yet. I share my research and personal experience on this site, and I think that’s more valuable than someone pretending to have all the answers.
How This Site Makes Money
I believe in transparency, so here’s the deal:
- Affiliate links. When I recommend a tool or service, I often use affiliate links. If you click one and buy something, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This is the business model of my site.
- No sponsored posts. Nobody is paying me to say nice things about their product. At least nobody yet. So far nobody’s tried.
- No courses or products. I might get around to this someday, but for now there are no info products here, no masterminds, no “join my $997 coaching program.” Just honest content and affiliate links.
A Business Model In Action
This site is an active answer to the question in its name. I’m only just starting the process of adding affiliate links now (ten years after I first bought the domain because I’m a busy idiot), so I can’t even tell you if it’s working, but the fundamental idea here is obvious—one way to earn passive income is to help other people earn passive income.
And yes, that includes helping those people buy things. It feels kinda gross sometimes, but that’s the God’s honest truth. One actual answer to the question “how do I make passive income” is “sell people things that help them make passive income.”
A Note About AI
I use AI tools (primarily Claude and ChatGPT) to research and draft content for this site. I’m upfront about that because I think readers deserve to know. I check facts, add perspective, and edit things that feel generic or wrong, but I work heavily with intelligence tools and I suggest that you do too.
These systems occasionally make mistakes, but they also work way faster than me. In the big picture, they let me bring you much, much more value than I could possibly create on my own.
I’d rather be honest about using AI than pretend every word was hand-chiseled by candlelight. In fact, AI just wrote that evocative phrase about chiseling. Then I wrote the phrase about how AI wrote that phrase. This is the vibe here.
Why “How Do I Make Passive Income?”
Because that’s the question that matters in my life. Not “how do I get a new job that eats my soul in a different way” but how do I build income streams that give me the financial security to stay at home, care for my mom, and make things I love.
If I sound at all like you, you might be in the right place. I hope you find some value in these posts.