Most independent business owners are not rich! They just make enough to have a comfortable lifestyle. So if you want to accelerate your income and also want to work without having to put in as much effort or taking too much stress, you need to explore what is termed as the world of "passive income".

So what is passive income? This is the income that generates itself. It is also known as automated income generation, which does not require you to put in extra effort. It is a method of making your earlier effort, fuel your current income, without any direct involvement at your end. Today, there are different effective ways of achieving these goals.

1.Residual income streams
These types of income are those in which your previous efforts will reap continuous income without your having to focus any further efforts to make gains. There are various different ways to generate such an income from diverse business types. E.g.: An insurance agent makes money over the period of the policy by putting in initial efforts just to sign up a customer. Another example is an author who publishes an e-book and keeps getting money out of the sales.

2.Leveraged income
Leveraged income is the type of income you make when you have a set of people working for you. One of the best examples of such an income is outsourcing or subcontracting. You might be getting more work than you can handle. Instead of refusing it, if you outsource this work to people, you might still make a profit.

3.Networking marketing
This type of business helps you generate some amount of extra income with little effort. The thing to remember is, very few people can justify making it a full time business in comparison to the returns one can expect. So while you are at it, try and identify other sources of income as well. Try not to make this your only or primary source of making money.

4.Affiliate marketing
Another great tool for making money is called affiliate marketing. Here you do not have to sell your own products but help someone gain visibility by selling their products. The idea is to create a website or a web page with the information about your client's business and promoting it through other affiliate marketers. While you put in efforts to make this work for you, others who have signed up for this program through you will make you eligible to earn money through their efforts as well! So you are, in effect, reaping results of their hard work as well!

Today, many people are leaving the comfort and security of a 9 to 5 job in search of independence. In the effort to be your own boss, toy with these ideas. They will help you not just work, but create wealth that befits a business owner!