Passive Income Ideas For Crm Developers [2024]
Interested in earning passive income as a CRM developer in 2024?
We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a CRM developer today. These will help you increase your quality of life by bringing in more income for yourself or your business.
For each income idea, we’ll show you real-world examples, revenue expectations for each idea, plus some things you might need to know before you start your passive income journey as a CRM developer.
Here's the full list:
1. Make passive income with an email marketing tool ($992K/month)
As a CRM developer, your deep understanding of client relationships and data management makes you uniquely positioned to create an email marketing tool. You could leverage your skills to design software that seamlessly integrates with various CRM systems, targeting a niche audience that needs efficient and effective email campaigns. This could open up a new revenue stream for you while also enhancing the value you provide to clients.
The email marketing tool market is rapidly growing, with projections to reach $2.53 billion by 2028. By developing your own tool, you could tap into this lucrative market and provide solutions tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses looking to boost their marketing efforts. Starting this venture is relatively straightforward; acquiring a domain and hosting account is just the first step towards unlocking a range of possibilities for passive income.
How much you can make: $120 — $20,833,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
H-supertools founder Hasan developed a set of free SEO and digital marketing tools generating $2k per month in profit using Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, selling ad spaces, and email, plans to launch a membership option, and has attained over 80k registered users and 300k monthly visits in less than two years.
2. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($139K/month)
As a CRM developer, you could leverage your technical expertise to start a social media automation business. By creating tools that schedule posts, automate interactions, and analyze data across various platforms, you could help businesses and influencers manage their social media effortlessly. Your skills in software development can be the backbone of creating these automation solutions, providing a seamless experience for your clients.
The demand for strategic and consistent social media engagement is growing, which presents a viable market opportunity for you. Clients ranging from small businesses to influencers would gladly pay for services that save them time and improve their social media presence. With your background in technology and a bit of marketing know-how, this could be a fulfilling and profitable side venture.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month
How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)
MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.
3. Make passive income with a lead generation tool ($108K/month)
As a CRM developer, you could supplement your income by creating a lead generation tool. This tool would help businesses automate the process of finding new clients, allowing them to focus on converting these leads into customers. By integrating with websites, social media channels, and other digital platforms, your tool could collect valuable data like email addresses, phone numbers, and interests.
With your technical expertise, you could design a platform that easily captures and organizes this information, making it a desirable asset for companies looking to streamline their marketing efforts. There's a high demand for efficient lead generation solutions, making this a potentially lucrative side hustle. If you have a knack for understanding both tech and marketing, developing a lead generation tool could be your next profitable venture.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $400,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $600 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps business owners and sales & marketing professionals generate more leads, increase efficiency, and save time; with over 70,000 users and revenue of nearly $5 million, it offers automated top-of-the-funnel LinkedIn outreach activities, targeted LinkedIn campaigns and multi-touch & personalized LinkedIn drip campaigns for lead generation.
4. Make passive income with an ai based business solution ($55.8K/month)
As a CRM developer, you could leverage your skills to launch an AI-based business solution aimed at improving customer relationship management. Using AI, you could build tools that automate repetitive tasks, predict customer behaviors, and deliver personalized marketing strategies. These solutions can significantly enhance a company's efficiency and decision-making capabilities.
Integrating AI into CRM systems could provide valuable insights from customer data, helping businesses to serve their customers better and anticipate their needs. Given the growing demand for AI technology, this venture offers a promising opportunity to supplement your income while staying within your field of expertise. Starting an AI-based business solution could not only add a lucrative revenue stream but also position you as a forward-thinking innovator in the tech space.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $120,000/month
How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)
Mikkelsen Twins grew an online education company from scratch with over 800 students, making over 6-figures in profit every month thanks to their successful program, Audiobook Income Academy 2.0.
5. Make passive income with a wordpress plugin business ($33.4K/month)
As a CRM developer, you already have the skills to identify and solve specific issues related to customer relationships and business processes. By starting a WordPress plugin business, you could leverage this expertise to develop plugins that address unique needs within the WordPress ecosystem. For instance, you might create plugins that integrate popular CRM systems with WordPress, making it easier for businesses to manage customer data directly from their websites.
Given your background, you could also focus on plugins that offer enhanced data analytics, customer tracking, or automation features tailored for WordPress users. Once developed, you could sell your plugins on platforms like CodeCanyon, through your own blog, or by setting up a dedicated website for your products. This approach allows you to create a steady stream of passive income while providing valuable tools to a wide audience.
How much you can make: $120 — $120,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Wheely Sales CEO Josh created a lucky wheel popup that has grown revenue from $0 to $600/month in just 4 months since getting started and has attracted over 1.1 million users to his customers’ websites, all while proving that when it comes to creating a product, competition is validation.
6. Make passive income with an online course sales business ($85K/month)
As a CRM developer, you could create valuable online courses teaching others how to build, customize, and optimize CRM systems. With your expertise, you could help beginners understand complex concepts or provide advanced tips and tricks for seasoned developers. This would not only be a great way to share your passion but also an avenue to earn extra income without the need for continuous effort.
Creating an online course requires selecting a target audience—perhaps business owners wanting to manage customer relationships better or aspiring developers looking to enter the CRM field. Once your course is developed, you could sell it on various e-learning platforms, tapping into a market projected to be worth over $645 billion in the coming years. This could be an excellent opportunity to generate passive income while making a meaningful impact on others.
How much you can make: $100 — $300,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
A multipreneur shares how she built a successful print on demand side hustle, generating $120,000 per year through multiple brands spread over various platforms.
7. Make passive income with a cold email service business ($170K/month)
As a CRM developer, you already understand the importance of maintaining strong customer relationships and the tools needed to do so. Starting a cold email service business could allow you to leverage this knowledge by creating targeted email campaigns that help businesses reach new clients directly. Your ability to understand and analyze client needs translates perfectly into researching target audiences and crafting compelling emails.
With your background, you could use email marketing tools to track open rates and conversions, offering data-driven insights to improve campaign effectiveness. This business can start on a small scale with local businesses or startups that need lead generation. As you gain success with these clients, you can scale up and attract bigger clients needing more sophisticated campaigns.
The combination of your technical skills and a knack for strategic communication makes this a viable and potentially lucrative side hustle. The demand for effective email marketing is always present, giving you a steady stream of opportunities to supplement your income.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $450,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $200 (?)
How long does it take to build: 35 days (?)
GMass, an email marketing platform that allows users to send cold emails and email marketing campaigns with Gmail, has attracted over 500,000 user signups, including major tech companies like Uber, LinkedIn, and Google, and now generates over $200K in monthly recurring revenue through a successful content marketing strategy and focused ad spend.
8. Make passive income with an AI writing tool ($255K/month)
As a CRM developer, you could leverage your technical skills to create an AI writing tool that automates content creation. This could be particularly useful for businesses that need to routinely generate emails, reports, or customer interactions, saving them both time and effort. By developing a tool that produces error-free and engaging content with just a few clicks, you could fill a growing demand in various sectors such as business, blogging, and education.
Additionally, this AI writing tool could open up new revenue streams for you by offering subscriptions or licenses for its use. This development aligns well with the rapid advancements in technology and the increasing need for high-quality, consistent content. Embarking on this venture could not only supplement your income but also position you as a pioneer in the intersection of CRM and AI-driven content creation.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $1,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 52 days (?)
Rytr, a new AI writing assistant developed by a startup platform and business incubator, has become a market leader, serving over 300,000 customers across the world and doing seven figures in ARR.
9. Make passive income with a mobile app ($70.3K/month)
As a CRM developer, you could leverage your coding skills to create a mobile app that can supplement your income. Whether it’s a productivity tool that integrates with popular CRM systems or an entirely new concept, the possibilities are vast. With your technical background, you’ll already have a strong foundation in software development, making the transition to mobile app development smoother.
You could start by translating a common CRM challenge into a mobile solution, making tasks like client management or reporting more efficient on-the-go. With some planning and design, you can develop an app that is user-friendly and addresses a specific need. Given the widespread use of mobile apps in everyday life, your innovative solution could reach a large audience and generate substantial revenue through app sales or in-app purchases.
If you're not comfortable with all aspects of app development, you could even hire a skilled developer to help bring your vision to life. With dedication to the user experience and effective marketing, your mobile app could become a viable source of passive income, all while allowing you to utilize and expand your CRM expertise.
How much you can make: $1 — $500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
BACH, an app that plans and books bachelorette parties, has grown from $0 to >$1M net revenue run rate in less than 6 months, gained over 100,000 users in their first 60 days, and has over 40,000 parties using the app this month.
10. Make passive income with an online survey tool ($304K/month)
As a CRM developer, you could leverage your skills to create an online survey tool that collects valuable customer feedback. Businesses are increasingly relying on such tools to make informed decisions, so there is growing demand. You could offer features like a survey builder, a data collection tool, and a reporting system, helping your clients gather and analyze customer opinions more effectively.
One of the advantages of this business idea is that you could build a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, providing ongoing subscriptions and passive income. For instance, Typeform, a popular online survey tool, surpassed $70 million in annual recurring revenue in 2021. If you create a reliable tool, businesses could continually subscribe to your service, generating consistent income for you.
Since you have experience in CRM development, creating a user-friendly and flexible survey tool will be well within your capabilities. This could be an excellent side hustle that you could scale up over time, meeting the needs of businesses looking for efficient ways to gather and use customer data.
How much you can make: $40 — $1,600,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
GreenRope, a self-funded CRM and marketing automation platform with over 1,000 customers in 20 countries, was built organically and focused on creating a positive, customer-centric culture without outside investment, with an all-in-one interface solving challenges in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
11. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)
If you're a CRM developer looking to supplement your income, creating a niche website could be an excellent option. You could build a website focused on CRM tips, tutorials, and best practices—topics you're already knowledgeable and passionate about. This would attract a dedicated audience who are interested in CRM systems, and your expert insights would be valuable to them.
To get started, you'll need to invest some time in researching your niche, creating compelling content, and optimizing for search engines to attract traffic. Once you have a steady stream of visitors, you could monetize your site through affiliate marketing, ad placements, or by selling digital products like eBooks or courses on CRM development.
By focusing on a specialized topic within CRM, you can create a resource that generates passive income over time, allowing you to leverage your existing skills and knowledge. This could be a rewarding side project that not only brings in extra money but also positions you as an expert in your field.
How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
DPW (Digital Procurement World) is a fast-growing conference and community in procurement that has more than tripled in revenue since launching in 2019, capping out the year at €1.8 million, with 95% of their growth coming from inbound traffic leveraging LinkedIn and applying social selling techniques.
12. Make passive income with an affiliate marketing business ($77.5K/month)
As a CRM developer, you could start earning passive income with an affiliate marketing business by leveraging your expertise and audience. Your deep understanding of customer relationship management systems can help you identify and promote products that are relevant to your field, such as CRM software, plugins, or training programs. By recommending these tools to your network or through content like blogs and tutorials, you could earn commissions for each sale made through your affiliate links.
To get started, you could identify the right products and brands to partner with, focusing on those that complement your work and offer real value to your audience. For instance, partnering with an eCommerce store that sells CRM tools or working with a manufacturer of specialized add-ons could be lucrative. This allows you to generate extra income while still focusing on your core job as a CRM developer.
How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $700 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
