£100 today — or £10 every month?
That simple question illustrates one of the ideas that has shaped the way I've looked at businesses for more than 25 years.
Starting from zero every morning never appealed to me.
Back in the early days I earned affiliate commissions selling things such as washing machines online. Make a sale, receive a commission — and then start again looking for the next customer.
That taught me to look more closely at businesses where an ongoing customer relationship can potentially create recurring commissions.
It doesn't mean recurring income lasts forever, and it certainly isn't automatic. Customers can leave, compensation plans can change and every business has risks.
But the principle remains important to me: where possible, I'd rather spend time building something capable of continuing to produce revenue than simply exchange the same hour for money over and over again.
Not all five options work the same way.
Some of the routes I share are designed around recurring income; others are completely different. That's why it's worth understanding each one rather than treating them as interchangeable.
Compare the five options →Recurring or residual commissions are not guaranteed and may depend on continuing customer activity, qualification requirements and compensation-plan terms.