If you’re (also) a quiet creative who is currently drooling and dreaming of passive income but kiiinda overwhelmed by all things “online business” — this post is for you honeybuns.

Let’s face it: the online space can feel loud and overwhelming (sorry for using *that word* again).

Hustle culture, aggressive selling, flashy bro marketing… it’s a lot.

Bah, and it’s not at all my vibe (guessing it’s not your vibe either).

 

 

 

But building a cozy, profitable business that brings in passive income (without burning you out) is 100% still possible (even as I am writing this up in mid-2025).

And if I were starting from scratch, zero, nada, ZILCH today, this is exactly how I’d do it.

Let’s dive in! ✨

 

Related Reads:

• How To Start a Blog in 2025
• Make Money Blogging For Beginners: How to Make Your First $100
• How I Got Over 200,000 Page Views My First Year Blogging

 

For my visual learners:

 

 

What Is Cozy Passive Income, Anyway?

Before we jump into the steps, let’s define what I mean by “cozy passive income.”

This isn’t about making $100K months or millions overnight.

It’s about creating:

• More freedom, time and energy in your cutie little life

• More space to be creative

• A cozy side (or “full”  depending on your situation) income that supports your lifestyle

It’s authentic (sorry, there’s that buzzword again lol) income that feels good to earn and sell— no burnout, no bro-energy.

Just you, doing what you love, and getting paid while you sleep, k?

That’s what COZY passive income is.

 

 

How to Build a Cozy Online Business from Scratch

*Drumroll*

Now let’s get into the exact step-by-step I’d take if I had to rebuild my six-figure cozy creative business today.

 

 

✨ Step 1: Know Who You Want to Help (and How)

I know everyone tells you to “niche down until it hurts.”

Boo overthinking.

Boo niching.

So let’s forget that for a second because we’re not trying to put ourselves in a restrictive box.

Instead, focus on:

• Who do I want to help?

• What small transformation have I personally been through that I can teach others how to do too?

• What would my past self need help with?

You don’t need a niche.

You need a vibe (a brand) and a specific person you want to help.

This person will likely be someone just like you, a few years ago.

Think about what you were struggling with before you had your mini-transformation and create content you would have needed and loved at the time.

Example → If you taught yourself how to knit, guess what? You can teach others, too.

(So that transformation I talked about? Well, it doesn’t have to be groundbreaking.)

And yeah, your “person” might change and the “thing” you talk about online might too.

But this is what holds most people back from realizing their cozy online business dreams.

You have to start somewhere, so start here.

 

 

💌 Step 2: Build Your Email List from Day One

Email is where the magic happens.

Truly and really⎯ it’s where I make most (if not all) of my cozy passive income.

Email marketing is cozy (duh), consistent, and direct.

No algorithm, no noise — just you talking directly to your audience via their inbox.

Get on the email marketing trend pronto!

This is the number one piece of advice I got when I first started my secret blog, and I’m so glad I obeyed.

Even if you don’t have a freebie (that free gift you offer in exchange of people jumping on your list⎯ this is an example) yet, put up a simple newsletter sign-up form.

Email marketing platforms to build your list:

• • Kit (my go-to since day 1 – formerly known as ConvertKit)

  • Flodesk

  • MailerLite

  • ActiveCampaign

💡Hot Tip: Ask ChatGPT to help brainstorm freebie ideas based on the target audience you are going for.

 

I’m such a cheerleader for email marketing, I even have a full-blown course that teaches you, step by step, how to make money with emails, The Dream is in the List.

 

 

 

 

📣 Step 3: Choose ONE Cozy Platform

Let’s not do the burnout dance okay?

Pick one place to show up and publish content consistently:

• YouTube

• Blog

• Podcast

• Instagram
• TikTok

Just choose the one that feels best and most aligned to you.

Pick a posting schedule that fits⎯ when it comes to the time and energy you *do* have, not a schedule everyone else is telling you (aka post daily to Instagram, post weekly to YouTube yada yada yada). 🥱

I started with blogging and stuck with it for over a year before adding another platform, YouTube.

That focus paid off in real traffic and real results.

One cozy platform is more than enough to build an audience.

 

 

🛍 Step 4: Create Your First Digital Product

Got your email list set up ready do go, and a few people on that list?

Yay! Way to go! 👏

Once you’ve got some traction and an email list, it’s time to throw some spaghetti at the wall and create your first ever low-ticket digital product!

(I know! Very exciting! It’s time to get paid!)

Examples:

• A template or guide

• A pdf

• A mini-ebook or course

• Even an affiliate product (if you’re not ready to create your own yet!)

The goal: Solve one small problem your audience faces.

Just the first step of the core problem, you help your audience with, not the whole journey.

For example, if your business helps beginners to watercolor, you’re not going to attempt to teach all there is to know about watercoloring in this first digital product.

What is the first thing they’ll need to learn/know/understand?

Perhaps → “How do I set up a basic watercolor painting space and choose the right beginner supplies?”

See what I mean? 👀

 

 

🌼 Step 5: Set Up Your Cozy Funnel

Now that you have content, a list, and a digital product, it’s time to create your first cozy sales funnel.

Please don’t panic, it’s easier (and way cozier) than it sounds⎯ I promise.

A funnel is just the journey your audience takes from discovering you to buying from you.

It looks like this:

1. Free content (blog posts, YouTube, Pinterest)

2. Freebie (a free gift you offer to collect emails)

3. Welcome email sequence (a series of automated, pre-written emails where the goal is to build a relationship and provide more value)

4. Introduce your offer gently and authentically

5. Close the offer down (add some urgency)

6. Make a sale 🎉

 

That’s it! You can use Kit to automate all of this, so once it’s set up, it runs in the background — like a quiet little money-making machine while you’re off doing other cozy life (or business) stuff.

The introvert-friendly way of making money online.

 

Need help with email copy? I’ve got plug-and-play funnel templates in The Cozy Shop.

 

 

The Cozy Passive Income Formula

Time for a recap, and let’s bring it all together in a simple, actionable checklist:

1. ✅ Define your audience and the transformation you offer

2. ✅ Start building your email list with a cutie freebie

3. ✅ Choose one cozy platform and publish content consistently (choose a schedule that fits your life and energy)

4. ✅ Launch a simple, low-ticket digital product or start with an affiliate offer if you don’t have time to create your own or want to proof of profits first

5. ✅ Set up a cozy funnel using an email marketing service provider like Kit

You definitely do not need a huge audience, complicated tech, or bro marketing strategies.

All you need is a cozy plan, a few minutes a day, and consistency.

 

 

Free Things to Help You Get Started

And of course I have freebies to help YOU out in the cozy passive income department: 

• Dream List Roadmap – Your starter kit to building a money-making email list

• Start Your Dream Blog – Blogging Course – Learn the basics of blogging for passive income

 

 
Oh You Can Absolutely Do This

Starting an online business doesn’t have to be overwhelming, noisy, or aggressive. It can be quiet, intentional, and yes, cozy.

And don’t worry if it feels messy at first.

We’re all figuring it out as we go (no one knows what they’re doing lol).

If I can do this online business thing, so can you. 🦄