I think that one of the classic problems with the notion of passive income is the belief that it cannot have any ambition.<p>A case in point is that my wife and I created a web site 3 years ago. This site has not been touched in over a year, and that was the first and only update to the site in over 2 years.<p>It has been consistently banking $2,500-$4,500 per month for the entire time it has been online. I put in <i>maybe</i> a few hours of time each quarter just to check in on it.<p>Now, there is a catch - you can't just make a site and call it a day. You first have to do market research, come up with an angle, partner with a merchant or five, write a content plan, build it, market it, etc.<p>Now, assume that your time is worth $100/hour. If you spend a full 2 weeks on it at 40 hours/week, you'll rack up $8,000 in overall opportunity cost. At first glance, that is a steep price.<p>However, if you've picked right, you'll make that money back within a few months, probably less. This does mean there is going to be an upfront cost to you in order to get it out the door, but you will also have a better long-run profitability.