I earn 6 figures working just 10 hours a week. Here's how I rate my 8 income streams based on difficulty and earning potential.

• Grace Ryu quit her tech job to pursue multiple income streams and now earns over $100,000 a year.

• Her eight income streams include a luxury picnic business, brand deals, and affiliate marketing.

• She keeps them all running while only working 40 hours a month and wishes she had started sooner.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Grace Ryu, a 23-year-old content creator based in Houston. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I quit my tech job in March 2023 to explore other income streams. My 9-5 took up too much of my time, and I wanted to focus on ways to make money while I was sleeping or traveling.

Chasing different income streams aligns with my personality — it satisfies my desire to explore and try as much as possible. If I grow bored with one area, I can shift my focus to another, and if one stream isn't that profitable, I have others to fall back on.

Here's a breakdown of my eight income streams, with earnings, difficulty level, and time spent each week:

1. Luxury picnic business

Easy rating: 9/10

Lucrative rating: 7/10

I run a luxury picnic business with my best friend and my boyfriend. We initially posted our products on Facebook Marketplace and school flyers and broke even the first week of promoting them.

We re-invested all that money into expanding the business model, like buying more equipment for group picnics. We've since worked with businesses like Kendra Scott, local hotels, and Texas A&M University.

We have a six-person team, so I no longer do the physical setup and tear down, and I only put in one hour a week. During March through May, October, and November (peak picnic months), I can take home up to $3,000 a month.

It's easy and affordable to start and doesn't require many skills besides having an eye for aesthetics. It's also lucrative because profit margins are very high since there are little to no variable expenses.

2. Influencer brand deals

Easy rating: 8/10

Lucrative rating: 10/10

I'm a micro influencer, and I have a TikTok account where I post about my life, my streams of income, and product promotions.

Brands reach out and ask me to post a dedicated or integrated TikTok video. I used to make content for brands for free, but now I charge at least $1,000 per post.

I spend around one hour a week on brand deals. At first, making content and editing was hard because I had to get used to the software and apps. After doing this for two years, I'm very fast at it because I know exactly which clips to add and how to do voiceovers.

It takes time to build a following on a platform, but once you get to that point, it's very easy to work with brands for sponsorships. I make between $1,000 and $2,000 per post for about an hour of work.

3. Affiliate marketing

Easy rating: 7/10

Lucrative rating: 9/10

I started doing affiliate marketing through Amazon's influencer program and make anywhere from $500 to $2,000 monthly.

In my TikToks, I feature work-from-home essentials from Amazon and link them. Then, people go to my storefront and buy through the links, and I get paid a commission.

It takes about five minutes to apply for the program, but you have to have a social media profile that promotes content.

If you never post anything, you'll likely get rejected. I have friends who only have a few hundred followers, but they make unboxing videos, so they were accepted.

Anyone can do affiliate marketing because it's easy to start, but the money isn't always guaranteed. It takes lots of time and patience on any social media platform for a post to go viral, which will bring in sales. Once that happens, money comes in fast over a few months, and it's all passive income.

4. User-generated content

Easy rating: 4/10

Lucrative rating: 8/10

User-generated content (UGC) differs from sponsorships because it's content for brands to use directly. I used to work with a lash company, which paid me to make TikToks, but I don't post that content on my account.

I have a few retainer clients, which means I'm paid a regular monthly fee in exchange for a set amount of content.