Let me be honest with you from the start.
I’m not writing this post as someone who has figured it out. I’m writing it as someone who got tired of waiting until she did.
At 54, I’m building an online income completely from scratch. No existing audience. No tech background. No one handing me a roadmap. Just a goal of $15,000 this year, a blog I launched this week, and the stubborn belief that it is not too late.
Here’s what I’m building and exactly how I’m doing it.
This blog contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I personally use and believe in.
Here are the 6 income streams I’m building simultaneously, why I chose each one, where I am with each right now, and how you can start too.
1. Blogging — The Foundation of Everything
A blog is the only piece of online real estate you truly own. Instagram can change its algorithm. TikTok can get banned. Pinterest can shift. But your blog? That’s yours.
The Next Chapter by Antoinette is where I document this entire journey, the income experiments, the fitness goals, the perimenopause realities, the lessons I’m learning about building online. Every other platform I’m on exists to drive traffic back here.
How to start: WordPress through Hostinger is what I use, affordable, beginner friendly, and gives you full ownership of your content. Your first post doesn’t have to be perfect. It has to be real. You can set up a WordPress account here. I choose to host my blog using Hostinger which is very easy to navigate for someone new to this like myself and the cost is very minimal.
2. Pinterest — The Traffic Engine
Most people treat Pinterest like Instagram. It’s not. Pinterest is a search engine, and that changes everything.
A pin I create today linking to this blog post could show up in someone’s search results in three years. That’s not how Instagram works. That’s not how TikTok works. The long shelf life of Pinterest content is why bloggers treat it as their number one traffic source.
I’m building my Pinterest presence around eight core boards, covering perimenopause, Hyrox training, making money online, blogging for beginners, Amazon finds, and reinvention after 50.
How to start: Create a Pinterest business account (free), set up your boards before you even publish your first post, and write keyword rich descriptions so people can actually find you.
3. Amazon Storefront — Recommendations That Earn
I’m an Amazon Influencer, which means I have a storefront where I curate products I actually use and earn a commission when someone purchases through my links.
This is one of the most natural income streams available to women over 50 because we’ve been recommending products to our friends for decades. The storefront just makes it official.
My storefront is organized around my real life, Hyrox training gear, perimenopause essentials, content creation tools, and everyday finds. I drive traffic to it through Instagram Stories, Pinterest boards, and blog posts.
How to start: Apply to the Amazon Influencer Program (you need a social media presence — Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or Facebook). If you’re not approved yet, the Amazon Associates affiliate program is open to bloggers from day one. A blog post on how to become an Amazon Influencer will be coming soon.
4. UGC Brand Deals — Getting Paid to Create Content
UGC stands for User Generated Content. Brands pay everyday people, not celebrities, not mega-influencers, to create authentic content they use in their own marketing.
You don’t need a following. You need a phone, decent lighting, and the ability to talk honestly about a product.
I joined Cohley and have already been approved for my first review. My angle, 54-year-old woman in perimenopause, training for Hyrox, building an online business, makes me genuinely useful to wellness brands, fitness companies, clean beauty products, and lifestyle brands targeting women over 50.
How to start: Join Cohley, Billo, or Trend. Apply to briefs that match your real life. Your authenticity is your competitive advantage, not your follower count.
5. Affiliate Partnerships — Earning From What You Already Recommend
Affiliate marketing means you earn a commission when someone purchases a product through your unique link. You don’t create the product, handle shipping, or deal with customer service. You just share what you genuinely use and believe in.
I add affiliate links naturally inside blog posts and Pinterest pins. My rule: I only recommend things I have personally used or would genuinely buy. My audience’s trust is worth more than any commission.
I’m also an independent consultant with Arbonne International; a clean nutrition and skincare line I use personally. I don’t build a traditional sales business with it, but the products I use and love fit naturally into my wellness content.
How to start: Apply to Amazon Associates, LTK (rewardStyle), or ShareASale. Start with products you already own and love.
6. Social Media — The Amplifier
Social media doesn’t make me money directly, at least not yet. Right now it’s the amplifier for everything else. It drives people to my blog, my Amazon storefront, my UGC portfolio, and my affiliate links.
I’m building on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, prioritizing Reels and short-form video because that’s what gets reach right now.
My content is simple: I show up as myself, document my real journey, and talk directly to women who are living some version of the same story.
How to start: Pick one platform. Post your origin story. Tell people who you are, why you’re here, and who you’re here for. Consistency matters more than perfection.
None of this is passive yet. Right now it’s all active, creating, learning, applying, building.
But every piece I put in place is a foundation. And foundations compound.
I’m documenting every step of this journey here on the blog, the income reports, the brand deals, the Pinterest growth, the Hyrox training, the perimenopause realities. All of it, honest and in real time.
If you want to follow along, subscribe below. And if you’re building something too, tell me about it in the comments. We’re not doing this alone.
— Antoinette
