If you know how to start a side hustle, you can achieve your financial goals in this gig economy. There is no reason why you shouldn’t try a side hustle if it doesn’t negatively affect your work and personal life.
When starting out, it is important to learn which side jobs are both profitable and require the least investment. Additionally, it is crucial to consider your personal preferences and choose side hustles that you would enjoy, as the ideal one is the kind that doesn’t feel like work.
When considering the best side hustle for your needs, think step by step and take into account the following criteria:
- Passion and interests. Start a side hustle that aligns with your skills, interests, or hobbies. You would gain more money and enjoyment from doing the side hustle.
- Profitability. Make sure to estimate the potential earnings within an industry before committing. Sites like Firsthand and ZipRecruiter are great places to start your research.
- Viability. Your side hustle should not clash with your full-time job. It must work around your current schedule.
- Growth prospect. Consider the job’s long-term potential and whether it provides room for growth.
- Legitimacy. Avoid jobs that offer unrealistic payment terms. You can check whether a company is listed under a fraud watch via Better Business Bureau or a scam tracker.
Let’s consider different creative side hustles that can assist you in earning additional money while keeping these criteria in mind.
Our Picks
Deliver Food And Groceries
Delivering food and groceries follows closely behind ridesharing in terms of popularity. It has emerged as a rapidly growing trend across the country and is consequently considered an excellent side occupation. If you prefer not to have passengers in your vehicle but still desire to earn additional income on your own conditions, this presents a fantastic opportunity.
The only disadvantages of this are that you cannot do it at all times (as restaurants are generally not open at 2am), and you might earn less compared to traditional ridesharing. Nonetheless, it remains an excellent method to make extra money!
Ridesharing
Ridesharing is a topic often discussed, with opinions divided between those who admire it and those who dislike it. Nonetheless, it ranks second on our list of top side hustles because it offers the unique advantage of being available for anytime, anywhere work. Need to earn some additional income at 2am? You can. Prefer not to have a fixed schedule? No problem!
Ridesharing allows you to earn at your convenience and according to your preferences. It is among the few side hustles that offer complete flexibility in terms of time and location.
Harry Campbell, also known as The Rideshare Guy, founded his entire business revolving around driving for rideshare. Currently, he is devoted to assisting drivers in initiating their rideshare careers.
Start A Blog
Although this blog was initially started as a side hustle, it is my favorite one. However, it’s important to note that it doesn’t generate immediate income. It takes time to start and develop a blog, but if you consistently work on it (e.g. 3 times a week), my estimation is that you can start earning a minimum of $1,000 per month after 12 months.
Despite starting slowly and requiring significant effort, a blog possesses almost boundless potential for growth. Therefore, if you seek a side hustle with long-term prospects, this could be the ideal choice.
This was one of the first side gigs I took on. I initiated various websites, some of which I continue to manage (such as this one), and others that I have sold.
Tutoring As A Side Hustle
If you have a college degree, especially if you are a teacher, you have the opportunity to earn money by tutoring children online. Teaching English as a second language to kids in other countries is currently one of the fastest-growing areas of demand. However, you can also provide tutoring services in various subjects. The demand for online tutoring is constantly increasing, with a growth rate of 14% annually.
One advantage of this is the difference in time zones. The nighttime in the United States usually corresponds to the daytime in other countries, making it an ideal side gig if you desire to work from home, on your computer, during the evening.
In order to work for these companies, being a teacher or possessing a bachelor’s degree is mandatory. Additionally, you should feel at ease teaching from home using a webcam, which requires appropriate lighting, a good camera and microphone, as well as some basic computer skills.
By thinking logically, you can rephrase the following text while preserving the original meaning: You can also consider tutoring offline by locating students in your vicinity, thus initiating a side gig in a subject you excel at!
Take Online Surveys
I included this here because there are definitely online opportunities where you can earn money. Although it is not very lucrative, you can engage in this activity at any time when you have free time.
When I was in college, I used to take surveys during class, which allowed me to receive an education and earn money at the same time. In essence, with just the ability to turn on your computer, you can make a small amount of money.
However, the earning potential for this side hustle is extremely minimal. To emphasize, it is exceptionally low. Nevertheless, if you aim to pass the time while watching television, engaging in surveys can surprisingly become quite satisfying.
Offer Pet-Sitting Services
The increase in pet care services such as Rover, PetBacker, and Wag! has made earning additional income from looking after others’ pets a popular idea for a side hustle.
To increase your credibility and chances of being hired, obtain certification from Pet Sitters International alongside having a passion for animals and a fundamental understanding of pet care.
If you want to safeguard your business from potential liabilities, it would be wise to consider obtaining pet-sitting insurance. There are insurance companies specifically catering to pet businesses, such as Pet Care Insurance and KennelPro, which provide coverage for liability and bonding.
The pet-sitting industry is projected to experience a 10.4% growth from 2022 to 2030 due to the rising rate of pet adoption and average spending on animal health. As a result, the demand for pet sitters is expected to rise in the coming years.
It is important to carefully read the fine print and anticipate a service fee before signing up for a pet-sitting platform. For example, Rover imposes a 15% service fee on every reservation.
Sell Stock Images or Music
You can start making money from your hobbies in photography and music-making by selling your work through microstock websites. Although it may not be the quickest method to amass wealth, it can gradually generate a respectable passive income.
Notable websites such as Shutterstock, Getty Images, and Unsplash are known to pay for the use of royalty-free stock photos.
To succeed in the stock photography or music industry, it is essential to be committed and persistent. Focus on learning the fundamentals of stock photography or music production, while also staying updated with the latest trends in the stock photo and music industry.
To ensure maximum earnings, we recommend selling your work on multiple platforms instead of exclusively on microstock websites. For instance, you can create an online store or use your social media accounts to sell products.
Flip Items for Profit
Flipping involves the act of searching for and purchasing inexpensive items in order to later sell them at a higher price. Generally, these items are obtained from places like thrift stores and garage sales.
Item flipping is considered one of the best ideas for online side hustles because it can be pursued with minimal investment and has the potential for significant growth. Whether you choose to operate on a small scale or dedicate yourself to it full-time, you have the opportunity to amass a substantial fortune.
In order to be successful as an item flipper, it is essential to locate previously owned goods that are either one-of-a-kind or have a well-known brand, and subsequently sell them on online platforms such as eBay, Mercari, and Poshmark. Moreover, you have the option of establishing your own online store to sell clothes or other items that you have obtained through negotiation.
When buying goods, make sure to consider the quality and price of the product. It’s advisable to opt for used items that require minimal repairs as repair expenses can accumulate.
When determining the resale rate, consider various factors including the brand, condition of the item, and listing fees, in addition to not exceeding 10% of the original price. Alternatively, you can also use the average price of comparable items recently sold in the market as a basis.
One more excellent method of earning additional income involves flipping websites on online marketplaces such as Flippa and WebsiteBroker. This additional task shares similarities with flipping items, but it involves enhancing website optimization and boosting traffic in order to raise its worth.
