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Side Hustles
You’re reading this article because money is tight and you just want to get ahead. You work full-time, or hold multiple part time jobs, but you’re still not getting ahead. Or maybe you want to plan for that Caribbean vacation, or there is a graduation party coming up and funds just aren’t there. It’s time for a side hustle. What is a side hustle? Simply stated, it is work outside of your normal career that generates a supplemental income. In other words, a side gig. This post offers a list of the top 15 money makers out there. It is certainly not exhaustive, and the more creative you are, the greater your options.
Before embarking on this type of journey, you need to ask yourself how much time do you have or want to dedicate towards a side hustle? Also look at your skills and what you are or are not willing to do. Are you not a people person? If you’re not, then you may not want to consider a side hustle that involves other human interaction. Are you an entrepreneur with plans of this side hustle overtaking your full-time salary? Do you just need to get out there and make a quick buck without it turning into an online or brick and mortar business? Answering these questions will help guide you to the right type of side hustle to get you on your way.
1. Uber or Lyft driver
You get to decide on your own schedule and use your own vehicle. As a driver, you can make perhaps $10. or more an hour. This is determined, however, by the type of hours you are available. Do your own research on the high traffic days and times to maximize your profits. For immediate income, you are paid same day as you work.
2. Food delivery
If you don’t mind traveling to different restaurants to pick up orders and delivering to personal homes, then working for Postmates or DoorDash is your thing. You may make $7 to $10 per delivery. This fluctuates based on tips you receive. This is a great alternative to being a personal driver as you don’t have to have other humans in your car, but you still get the opportunity for tips. For immediate income, you are paid the same day as you work.
3. On-Line Surveys
You can get lost working on survey after survey while you’re watching tv. Next thing you know, you just made $35. without leaving the couch! Many of the surveys earn you points of some kind, that eventually turn into gift cards, promotions or hard cash deposited directly into your Paypal account. If you have the patience, this one is a great side hustle! I’ve listed 5 of the most recommended on-line surveys to check out.
Swagbucks – a popular choice for earning money. Swagbucks is the largest online rewards site that gives free gift cards to its members for their online activities. Members receive free gift cards for Taking Surveys, Shopping, Searching the Web, Watching Videos, and Playing Games. $5 bonus for new users.
Survey Junkie – rated as best overall program with over 3 million users and counting!
Opinion Outpost – rewards are redeemedin the form of Amazon gift cards, Apple gift cards and direct deposit intoPayPal accounts
Inbox Dollars – earn $5. upon signingup. Earn money completing surveys, playing games AND more!
MyPoints – points redeemed for gift cardsat major retailers
4. Space Rentals
If it’s physically possible, consider renting a room in your house. This could mean as a fulltime roommate, or actually advertising a space as short term. Run it as a Bed & Breakfast or as a short hotel stay. Advertising on Airbnb may be helpful, especially for business travelers.
You can even take this a step further and look into co-hosting with Airbnb. You would in essence run the business side such as responding to emails, acting as a property manager, manage the rentals and customers and other concerns that may arise, and earn up to 20% (you can negotiate) of each completed stay. Talk about a no-risk side hustle!
5. Notary Public Service
There are several steps involved in becoming a Notary Public Service. This includes a fee (state dependent $15. Or more), passing background checks, taking a notary education class and passing the exam, following the Secretary of State rules and completing their steps and using your own funds to purchase the Notary stamp for your state. This is more involved than other side hustles, but it could also be more lucrative. Should you become a Loan signing notary agent, you can make upwards of $100. per signing.
6. Dog Walker
You could potentially make $15 or more for a 20-minute dog walk, and this rate increases based on the number of dogs and minutes walked. However, this one is a little tricky. There is a tight market and you have to work on building trust with customers for repeat jobs. You can start your dog walking business on Rover.com. But if you have a love of dogs and some patience to build your customer base, this is the one for you!
7. Tutor
Do you have a skill in music or an area of expertise? Have you ever considered becoming a tutor? You can either set hours in your own home or travel to your customer’s base. You don’t need a special license to tutor someone in math or piano, but you do need to have legitimate knowledge in the area you are advertising and enjoy teaching others.
8. Blogging
Blogging is a great side hustle if you have a passion to tell a story, educate or entertain the masses! I first started blogging in 2012 when I worked as a traveling Speech-Language Pathologist. I turned my blogging adventures into a book. Blogging is a great platform to enter the world of words. For more information of how to get started, read my post about blogging for an income here.
9. Virtual Assistant
If you are an entrepreneur, blogger, small business owner trying to get off the ground, you don’t have to do it alone. A huge part of growing a business is taking care of the marketing, emails, social media, responding to customer questions and concerns, and on and on. This can take time away from working on other core intricacies of your business. This is where being a Virtual Assistant (VA) becomes a business’ most valuable asset. VAs provide their services from remote locations (their homes in most cases). Depending on your expertise, you can earn anywhere from $10 to $100. per hour. This a profitable side hustle if you have solid pockets of time during your day to dedicate.
10. Amazon Sales
Selling on Amazon FBA (fulfillment by Amazon) is currently one of the fastest money makers around. You store your own products in Amazon’s fulfillment centers, and they take care of the rest. This is a way to reach more customers but takes the hassle of shipping and customer service out of your hands. This option is best if your goal is to grow a business and turn your side hustle into a full-time business venture.
11. TaskRabbit
Oh my gosh this one is amazing! If you can do anything, and I mean anything, and have the time to help others, this is for you! This site is for the average Joe who knows how to put furniture together (Ikea anyone?), clean a house, run an errand, change a lightbulb, on and on, this is a wonderful side hustle! You register on their site for the jobs you agree to do, chose the rate you want to earn and set the schedule that works for you.
12. The Magic of Etsy
You will be surprised at what people need and are willing to pay for your personalized items. There are many people who start selling their wares on Etsy and make a reasonable income! If you’re a crafter of any kind, it’s well worth your time.
13. Child Care
In other words, babysitting. An oldie but a goodie. Two sites to join that may grow your business is Care.com and Sittercity.com.
14. Affiliate Marketing
If you have a website or are active with social media, this can potentially become a large money maker. The key is to only promote businesses or services you believe in or use yourself; this is how you set yourself apart from the spammers. For example, I am an affiliate marketer for Bluehost, a website hosting company. When you click on my link and actually sign up for this service, I earn a commission. To note though, I promote this service because I use it myself.
15. Photography – selling your own stock photos
Photography is a skill that takes time to learn and develop into your own personal style. Some people branch off into niches of wedding events, social events, nature, trees, whatever your interests. I have recently discovered bloggers will offer stock photos for marketing use. If you have a good camera (or smart phone that takes quality pictures), consider selling them as stock photos. With due diligence, your photography hobby could turn into a side hustle with a legitimate financial future.
That’s a Wrap
To sum up, there are countless ways to earn a side hustle income. It all depends on your creativity, motivation and time you want to designate. If you’ve tried any of the above ideas, or if you’re doing something else not listed (there’s tons more), please leave me a comment below. I would love to hear what others are doing.
