Let’s be honest for a second. “Passive income” has a bad reputation. It sounds like a scammy YouTube ad where a guy in a rented Ferrari tells you to buy his course.
I hate that stuff.
But here is the truth: You can make money while you sleep. I do it. But it’s not magic, and it’s definitely not “passive” at the start. It’s a lot of work upfront. You build the machine once, and then the machine runs for you.
In 2025, you have a cheat code. You don’t need to be a designer. You don’t need to be a writer. You just need to know how to manage a few AI tools.
Here is exactly how I would hit my first $1,000/month if I had to start over today.
The Concept: Boring Products Make Money
Stop trying to invent the next iPhone. Seriously. The easiest money online comes from solving boring, specific problems.
People don’t pay for “ideas.” They pay for convenience.
- They won’t pay for a “Fitness Guide.”
- They will pay $9 for a “30-Day Meal Prep Checklist for Busy Moms.”
See the difference? We are selling Digital Products—PDFs, templates, planners. You make the file once, upload it, and sell it forever. No shipping, no inventory, no headaches.
My “Lazy” AI Stack
I don’t hire freelancers. I use these three tools. They are my employees, and they don’t complain.
1. The Artist: Midjourney Is it hard to learn? A little. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Midjourney V6 creates images that look like photos. I use it to make wall art, patterns for digital paper, or cute icons for planners.
- Real Talk: Don’t just type “dog.” Use parameters like
--stylize 250or--weirdto get stuff that doesn’t look like generic AI slop.
2. The Writer: Claude (Not ChatGPT) Unpopular opinion: ChatGPT sounds like a robot. For writing ebook chapters or product descriptions, I use Claude 3.5 Sonnet. It has a better personality.
- The Rule: Never copy-paste. Use Claude to get the first draft, then rewrite the intro yourself. If it sounds boring to you, it’s boring to your customer.
3. The Glue: Canva This is where you slap it all together. Drag your text from Claude and your art from Midjourney into a Canva template. Boom. Product done.
The Game Plan (Don’t Overthink It)
Step 1: Pick a Niche (The Weird Ones Work Best) Don’t go broad. Go deep. Instead of “Planners,” try “ADHD Organization Planners.” Instead of “Wall Art,” try “Boho Nursery Art for Boys.” The more specific you are, the less competition you have.
Step 2: Build It in a Weekend Give yourself 48 hours. That’s it. If you spend a month on your first product, you’re procrastinating. Use the AI to speed-run the creation process. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be useful.
Step 3: The Shop Just use Gumroad or Etsy. Etsy is great because people are already there searching for stuff. Gumroad is better if you already have a social media following.
Why Most People Fail
Here is the harsh reality: Most people use AI to spam the internet with garbage. They upload 100 ugly designs in one day and wonder why nobody buys them.
Don’t be that person. Treat this like a real business. Make 5 amazing products instead of 50 bad ones. Use AI to help you, not to replace your brain.
The Verdict? It takes work. The first $10 is the hardest. But once you hear that first “cha-ching” notification while you’re eating dinner? It changes everything.
Start today.
