We all know that if we keep at this blogging thing, we are going to be making some real money in about eighteen months. Our creditors can't wait that long, with the possible exception of your local cheap-ass furniture store, where there are No Payments, No Interest 'Til 2007! So, in order to keep the lights on and the water running, here are some ideas for getting some cash flowing into your coffers:

To Market, To Market

At my web site, Anklebuster's TipSheet, I've written an article about affiliate marketing. It stresses two points:

• Endorse the Internet products that you use every day
• Create a sales page for all of your affiliate links, instead of sprinkling them throughout your site

Your Ad Here

This can pay for your monthly web hosting fees! Create spaces on your web pages for advertisers. Negotiate a monthly fee that's large enough to pay your own monthly fees, plus put a bit of change in your pocket. Don't limit yourself to online advertisers; shop the idea to local retailers where you do business. If you don't have a web site yet, this might be a good reason to get one!

Middle of the Road

This happens all around you, every day: someone brings a buyer and seller together and collects a brokering fee. You can do this offline as well as online. The secret to this cash stream is to have a stable database of providers and a growing opt-in list of consumers. Dozens of books go into detail about how to create these lists and databases, so just look at this as a suggestion:

Let's say you intend to bring together web site designers and clients who need a web site. First, establish a business relationship with two or three free-lancers and work out your "cut". Next, advertise your service. As consumers begin contacting you and deals are sealed, ask for referrals and testimonials. If things go well, your consumer list will outstrip your provider database. At that point, you begin showcasing your service from the perspective of free-lance web designers! Tell them you have hundreds of clients desperately seeking professional web sites. Explain your fee structure and recruit as many as you need to balance your lists. Once this is going well, you can sell other related products and services to your client list.

eBay Store

I had both an eBay and a PayPal account long before I decided to sell an antique bathroom sink. Once the auction was over, however, I didn't use either account until I was encouraged to open a Store to sell board games. This is potentially the best cash stream available, outside of AdSense revenue. A basic store costs 15.95 per month and each item can be listed for .02 per month. You probably want to partner with a drop-shipper, because you won't have to have a garage full of inventory. Don't let your eBay account sit idly!

Cash Flow 101

Whether you try one of these ideas or all of them, keep reading and learning. You'll come up with even more ways to build cash flow!

Recommended Reading:

• Books by Robert Kiyosaki
• Multiple Streams of Income, by Robert G. Allen
• Multiple Streams of Internet Income, by Robert G. Allen
• Blogs!

Mitchell Allen is an advocate for cross-networking: synergistically linking multiple social networks in order to increase membership exposure.
He writes for fun and profit at WritingUp.com
He maintains The Vertical Blog Tunnel Network at the social network, Ryze.com.