By Natalie Robehmed | Forbes
To cash in online you need to be a game-changer. When Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, there was nothing like it. He is now worth $17.5 billion according to recent Forbes valuations. Drew Houston saw money to be made in online storage, and co-founded Dropbox, the web-based tool that hit $240 million in revenue in 2011. Eric Lefkofsky spotted the potential in Groupon and gave $1 million to CEO and founder Andrew Mason. This year, Lefkofsky made the Forbes Billionaires list with a net worth of $2.9 billion. There are still fortunes to be made online, and we have found a few ways to do so.
YouTube has launched the career of many a musician, including Justin Bieber, the teen pop sensation who earned $108 million in the past two years. But have you heard of Karmin, the pop duo who signed a million dollar record deal after their Chris Brown "Look At Me Now" cover went viral? The duo, real-life couple Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, hit it big when the video gained over 68 million views after its upload in April 2011, propelling Karmin to a million dollar deal with label heavyweight Epic Records just a month later. "Brokenhearted," the lead single from their debut album, has now gone platinum. [More from Forbes: 10 horrible reasons to get rich]
You do not have to be a singer to become a YouTube star. If you are lucky, you could shoot a video of your child, pet, or a double rainbow that strikes a chord and goes viral. YouTube might then get in touch asking you to become a partner, meaning the site will run ads along with your clip and share over 50% of the revenue with you. The father of "David After Dentist" has made more than $100,000 from YouTube ads alone. As well as advertising, viral video celebrities can diversify into TV appearances, merchandise and even iPhone apps, as the creator of "Charlie Bit My Finger" has done.
YouTube is not the only platform to launch the careers of millionaires. Sophia Amoruso, the founder of online clothing store Nasty Gal, started her business by selling vintage finds on eBay. After building a fan-base she outgrew the platform and created her own website. Nasty Gal is now worth $130 million, and is set to do $128 million in sales this year. [More from Forbes: Budget breaking discretionary spending]
These days, there are many more online retail options on which to cash in. Alongside the tried-and-tested web marketplaces of Craigslist and eBay are stylish sites like Threadflip, a place for sellers to turnaround their used women's apparel. ModCloth, which peddles vintage threads while carefully integrating social and mobile aspects has become increasingly popular, earning its 27-year-old husband-wife founders Eric and Susan Gregg Koger a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Bloggers can make it big, too. First, you'll need to set up a site which will become your platform to write on music, fashion, finance or whatever your interest may be. Build a following and readership, and you could catch the attention of companies looking to acquire your site. In 2008, Johns Wu, the founder of Bankaholic.com, sold the site to Bankrate, Inc. for $14.9 million. Entrepreneurial tech site TechCrunch was acquired by AOL in 2010 for $30 million, making its founder, Michael Arrington, a wealthy man.
Fashion bloggers can also get rich. Just look at Leandra Medine, the woman behind the Man Repeller blog, whose site grew so popular it spawned two jewelry lines with Dannijo and a collaboration with Del Toro on $325 shoes. [More from Forbes: The 20 new rules of money]
Other ways to monetize your writing include selling affiliate marketing through programs such as Amazon Affiliates. Bloggers place an affiliate link for the product on their site, and whenever a visitor buys a product by clicking on that link, they will be credited with a sale and make a commission. Bloggers can also sell advertising space, earning higher rates for more visitors.
With a little creativity, you might just become the next Internet millionaire. So power up, log on, and start turning your talents into cash.
