Passive Income Ideas For Virtualization Engineers [2024]

Updated: September 21st, 2024

Interested in earning passive income as a virtualization engineer in 2024?

We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a virtualization engineer 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 virtualization engineer.

Here's the full list:

1. Make passive income with an email marketing tool ($992K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, starting an email marketing tool could be a great way to earn extra income by leveraging your technical skills. Given your experience with software applications and automation, you could develop an efficient email tool that helps businesses streamline their marketing efforts. Building and maintaining an email marketing tool could not only generate passive income from subscriptions but also allow you to diversify your skillset and reach a wider audience.

Email marketing is incredibly effective for driving sales and generating leads, and the demand for robust email tools is growing fast, with the market expected to hit $2.53 billion by 2028. By creating a user-friendly platform, you could cater to entrepreneurs, startups, and even niche markets like real estate, providing them with a valuable resource to optimize their outreach and engagement. With just a domain and hosting account, you could start your journey into this promising field and build a steady stream of revenue.

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 (?)

I Built A SEO Tool That's Completely Free For Users [From Lebanon]

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.

Read by 14,151 founders

2. Make passive income with an ai based business solution ($55.8K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you could leverage your technical background to develop and deploy AI-based business solutions that streamline business operations. You could create applications that automate repetitive tasks, enhance customer service through intelligent chatbots, or improve inventory management with predictive analytics. These solutions can save businesses time and money, making them highly attractive in today's competitive market.

Moreover, even if you don’t have deep AI expertise, many user-friendly platforms provide the tools and support needed to get started. You could focus on identifying high-impact areas where AI could add value and develop tailored solutions for specific industries. With the growing demand for AI-driven efficiencies, this venture holds significant potential to supplement your income and establish a steady stream of passive revenue.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $120,000/month

How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)

How We Launched A $120K/Month Audiobook Publishing Course

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.

Read by 21,998 founders

3. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($139K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you could leverage your technical skills to create software tools that automate social media tasks, like scheduling posts and interacting with followers. This could save time for busy clients like small businesses or influencers who need a consistent online presence but can't manage the daily grind of social media.

By diving into this side hustle, you could develop or integrate existing automation solutions and stay updated on the latest social media trends. The work isn't just about the tech; it's also about understanding client needs and building strong relationships to offer tailored services. With many companies looking for efficient ways to handle their social media, this could be a lucrative and rewarding endeavor.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month

How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)

How I Bootstrapped A Social Media Automation Tool To $2MM/Year

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.

Read by 15,250 founders

4. Make passive income with a niche blog ($31.5K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, starting a niche blog focused on virtualization topics could be an excellent way to supplement your income. You could share your expertise by creating content such as how-to guides, product reviews, and troubleshooting tips. Due to your specialized knowledge, you might find a highly engaged audience eager to learn from your experiences and insights.

To monetize the blog, you could include affiliate links for software and hardware you review or recommend. This would allow you to earn a commission on sales generated through your blog. Additionally, building a YouTube channel with video tutorials or partnering with brands for sponsorships can further enhance your revenue streams.

Success in niche blogging would likely come from your passion for virtualization, your ability to create valuable content, and your commitment to interact regularly with your audience.

How much you can make: $100 — $650,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $650 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Turned A Crappy Idea Into A $3M/Year Business

Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and millions in annual revenue by sharing the stories of entrepreneurs. Pat breaks down the early days and how he grew the business into something that changed his life.

Read by 78,275 founders

5. Make passive income with an online course sales business ($85K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you could leverage your specialized skills to create an online course that teaches others about virtualization technologies. Many professionals in IT and tech are eager to learn about VMware, Hyper-V, and other virtualization platforms, creating a sizable market for your expertise. You could structure your course to cover essential topics like setting up virtual machines, optimizing performance, or managing virtual environments.

Selling this knowledge as an online course not only supplements your income but also helps you build a reputation as an expert in your field. With the e-learning market projected to be worth over $645 billion in the coming years, there's a significant opportunity to tap into this growing demand. Creating and selling online courses allows you to generate passive income after the initial effort of producing the content.

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 (?)

I Make $120K/Year With My Print On Demand T-Shirt Side Hustle

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.

Read by 12,038 founders

6. Make passive income with a wordpress plugin business ($33.4K/month)

Starting a WordPress plugin business could be a practical way for you as a virtualization engineer to supplement your income and tap into passive earnings. Leveraging your technical skills, you could develop plugins that solve specific issues related to website management, hosting, or even virtualization within the WordPress environment. With many websites relying heavily on plugins for seamless operation, your expertise could create high-demand tools that people will pay for.

By identifying a common problem that users face and designing a plugin that addresses it, you could create a steady revenue stream. You could sell these plugins on platforms like CodeCanyon, on your own blog, or via a dedicated website. Since plugins are a one-time development effort with potential for ongoing sales, it aligns well with the concept of passive income, giving you the freedom to focus on your primary career while earning on the side.

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

How I Coded A Website Plugin Making $600 Per Month

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.

Read by 18,985 founders

7. Make passive income with a mobile app ($70.3K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you could leverage your technical skills and industry experience to create a mobile app that solves specific problems or enhances the productivity of other IT professionals. For example, you might develop an app that helps manage virtual machines remotely, troubleshoot common virtualization issues, or provide educational resources for those new to virtualization technologies.

Starting an app doesn’t require you to be an expert coder; you could either learn basic coding yourself or collaborate with a skilled developer. Your primary focus would be on planning the user experience, ensuring the app's interface is intuitive, and rigorously testing it to ensure it works correctly and is free of bugs.

With the right marketing strategy, your app could attract a substantial user base, offering a valuable tool to other professionals in your field, while generating a consistent stream of passive income. Beyond potential financial rewards, launching a successful app could also establish you as an innovative thought leader in the virtualization community.

How much you can make: $1 — $500,000/month

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

We Started A $6M/Year Bachelorette Party App

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.

Read by 11,017 founders

8. Make passive income with a lead generation tool ($108K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you could create a lead generation tool to help businesses identify and capture potential customer leads more efficiently. By leveraging your technical expertise, you could develop a software application that automates this process, enabling companies to concentrate on converting leads into actual customers.

Your tool could integrate with websites, social media platforms, and other digital channels to collect essential data such as email addresses, phone numbers, and customer interests. Given the high demand for effective lead generation, your tech-savvy approach could fulfill a significant market need while providing you with a steady stream of passive income.

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 (?)

How I Created A $5M/Year LinkedIn Marketing Automation Tool

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.

Read by 8,923 founders

9. Make passive income with an AI writing tool ($255K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, creating an AI writing tool could be a promising way to supplement your income or start earning extra money. Leveraging your technical skills, you could develop a software that generates high-quality content for businesses, bloggers, and students efficiently. This could meet the growing demand for consistent, engaging content and help streamline the writing process.

By integrating artificial intelligence, this tool could offer automated, error-free content creation that saves time for users. With your background in technology, devising such an application would not only tap into an innovative market but also capitalize on the rapid advancements in AI. Venturing into this domain could transform the way people write and open up a new, passive income stream for you.

How much you can make: $4,000 — $1,000,000/month

How long does it take to build: 52 days (?)

I Built A Simple AI Writing Tool That Makes $60K/Year

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.

Read by 6,768 founders

10. Make passive income with an affiliate marketing business ($77.5K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, starting an affiliate marketing business could be a great way to supplement your income. You could leverage your existing technical knowledge and experience to promote products and services related to your field, such as virtualization software, cloud solutions, or IT infrastructure products. By sharing insights and reviews about these products on a blog, YouTube channel, or social media, you could earn commissions from each sale made through your affiliate links.

To get started, you could research and partner with brands that offer high-quality virtualization tools or IT services. Choosing the right products to promote is key, as it should align with your expertise and the needs of your audience. Over time, as you build trust and a following within the IT and virtualization community, this side hustle could grow into a significant source of passive income.

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 (?)

My Affiliate Marketing Business Earns $500K/Year Profit [No Employees]

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.

Read by 24,637 founders

11. Make passive income with a YouTube channel ($72.1K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you could start a YouTube channel to share your knowledge and experience with others. Your channel could feature tutorials on common virtualization tasks, reviews of different virtualization platforms, and troubleshooting tips. By creating valuable content, you could attract viewers who are interested in learning more about virtualization, potentially leading to revenue from ads, sponsorships, and merchandise.

Additionally, starting a YouTube channel allows you to establish yourself as an expert in your field, which could open up further opportunities like speaking engagements or consulting work. While building a successful channel takes time and consistency, the combination of sharing your expertise and earning passive income makes it a worthwhile endeavor. If you’re passionate about virtualization and enjoy creating content, this could be a great side hustle.

How much you can make: $2,000 — $333,333/month

How much does it cost to start: $5,250 (?)

How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)

How A Young Entrepreneur From Nigeria Started A Profitable Blog

This case study follows the journey of a young entrepreneur from Nigeria who started a profitable blog generating a monthly revenue of $1,500+ through sales of advertising space, sponsored posts, and information products, and shares his strategies for success including a Twitter growth challenge and guest post pitches.

Read by 12,324 founders

12. Make passive income with a dropshipping business ($414K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you could use your technical skills to start a dropshipping business, offering a way to supplement your income without the need for large upfront investments. Dropshipping allows you to sell products online without holding any inventory. This is ideal if you're familiar with setting up virtual environments, as creating and managing an online store on platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce would be a straightforward task for you.

With your problem-solving skills, you could effectively tackle issues like finding reliable suppliers through platforms like AliExpress and managing the logistics of customer service. Your analytical skills would also come in handy when monitoring your expenses and profit margins to ensure your dropshipping business is profitable. This venture could be an excellent way to diversify your income streams while leveraging your existing expertise.

How much you can make: $6,000 — $3,000,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $8,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 10 hours/week

How I Started A $100K/Month Business Mentoring Dropshipping Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Kamil Sattar has developed multiple six-figure drop shipping businesses, and his company, e-commerce mentoring, specializes in helping others create their own successful companies, with favorite platforms including using Shopify and apps such as Loox reviews and SMSBump.

Read by 25,778 founders

13. Make passive income with a stock photography business ($14.6K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you likely have a keen eye for detail and a strong understanding of technology, which could translate well into starting a stock photography business. With your technical skills, you could capture high-quality photos that businesses and website owners need for marketing purposes. These photos can range from technology-related images, like server rooms and hardware, to more creative shots that appeal to a wider audience.

To get started, you might invest in a good camera and learn the basics of photography. Once you build a portfolio, you could upload your images to stock photo websites where buyers can purchase them for a single usage fee. This way, you can generate a steady stream of passive income without significantly impacting your primary job responsibilities.

How much you can make: $1,200 — $45,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Started A Commercial Product Photography Business

Pro Photo Studio founder Tsour Lee Adato shares how she turned a $5k investment into a business that services over 500 clients annually and makes approximately $350k per year with plans to expand and become a 7-figure business while offering advice to fellow entrepreneurs to always be innovating, learning and growing, and not to undervalue themselves.

Read by 15,481 founders

14. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)

As a virtualization engineer, you could create a niche website centered on your specialized knowledge. Virtualization is a distinct field with plenty of subtopics, so you could focus on areas like efficient virtual machine management, cloud solutions, or performance optimization tips. This allows you to share your expertise and attract a dedicated audience seeking specific, valuable insights.

Building a niche site involves selecting a topic you're passionate about, creating engaging content, and driving traffic through SEO and social media. Once you've built a loyal following, you have various monetization options like affiliate marketing, ad placements, or selling your own digital guides and courses. This website could eventually become a reliable source of passive income, allowing you to supplement your earnings while doing something you love.

How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Leveraged My LinkedIn Network To Create A $1.8M/Year Procurement Conference

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.

Read by 3,620 founders

meet the author
Pat Walls