We are in the age of the side hustle. Whether it is because we now all need multiple streams of income to survive on the bare essentials or we are all striving towards financial freedom more, it seems like everyone is looking to supplement their regular income. I have been a side hustle lover for many years and have tried countless different business ventures.
The beauty of side hustles is that not only can you earn extra income, but you can also pursue your passions and even create a full-time business out of it! I am hoping this post will give you the tools and inspiration you need to find some side hustles to boost your income and reach financial freedom.
Don’t worry, we will explore a diverse range of side hustles today, so if online businesses are not your thing, you will have many more options to try.
How to Choose the Right Side Hustle for You
As someone who has tried many side hustles, I can tell you they are not all created equal. I found some terribly tedious!
That is why it is so important to find a side hustle that is right for you. You are not going to want to spend your free time on something that you don’t like. If you do not have an interest in it, you will soon abandon it in search of something more stimulating.
Step 1 to choosing the right side hustle for you is it has to align with your interest.
The next step is to make sure the side hustle is or can be within your capabilities.
I would like to think that anyone can do anything that they set their mind to. But sometimes you must be practical and think what is within my reach?
For example, you can’t rent a space on Airbnb if you do not own a space to rent. It would also be very difficult to become an online fitness coach if you never exercise and don’t have any personal training qualifications.
Don’t limit yourself thinking “I could never be successful in that”. Just consider what type of side hustle would be practical for you and where you are in life right now.
You could always own a property later in life to rent out, or train to be a personal trainer if that is truly your passion.
Finally, you need to make sure the side hustle you choose will fit into your available, free time.
Some side hustles are easier to pick up and put down, whereas others need more constant work. For example, you can simply pick up some pet sitting jobs on your weekends. But if you want to start your own online shop, this will need more work during your evenings and weekends for it to become profitable. Before committing to a side hustle, look at your schedule and block out exactly how many hours you can dedicate to it each week. Be realistic, and don’t forget that you still need free time to socialise and relax!
Choosing the right side hustle for you can be tricky, and you may need to try a few before you settle on the one. Just remember that the best side hustle is one that fits into your life seamlessly and provides both financial and personal rewards.
The Benefits of Side Hustles
There are so many benefits of side hustles, but in case you still need more convincing I am going to run through my favourite things about side hustles and why I believe they are the future.
- Increases your Income– Obviously the main purpose of a side hustle is to increase your earnings. These extra earnings take the pressure off your finances and can be used to pay of debts, build an emergency fund or act as your disposable income so you can have more fun and enjoy life to the fullest.
- You can Explore your Passions– Once we graduate to adult life, many of us let our passions fall into the background so that we can be “sensible” and get a “good job”. Side hustles provide the perfect opportunity for you to reignite your passions, explore them and even monetise them, without the pressures of risking your income.
- Diversifies your Income Streams– Relying on one income can be risky, especially during a financial crisis like the one we are going through now. Losing your job or a mortgage increase could spell financial disaster for you. A side hustle can provide you with a safety net that can help you in tough times, or through unexpected difficulties.
- Provides Flexibility– Unlike regular 9-5 jobs, side hustles can be done at any time, around existing commitments. You also get to dictate your own hours, so you can experience what being your own boss would be like, before committing to the entrepreneur lifestyle.
- Trial being an Entrepreneur– Finally, side hustles can give you the perfect opportunity to test out business ideas, and learn how to build a business, without the pressure of leaving your job to pursue a business full-time. You can test the waters and develop a business before having to take the plunge into full entrepreneurship.
Side Hustles
We will now explore some of the many side hustles to boost your income. I have divided them into categories so that you can easily find the type of side hustle you are interested in.
Online Side Hustles
Print on Demand
Print on Demand is an excellent side hustle, particularly for passive income. It is where you can sell products without holding any stock or getting involved in any manufacturing or shipping.
You create your own digital designs then place those designs on certain products such as t-shirts, duvets and even doormats. You can then sell these to online customers and your production partner will take care of the rest, leaving you with the profit.
There are many platforms that you can sell print on demand products on. You could set up your own website with shopify, use a marketplace such as Etsy or even go with a print on demand specific platform such as Redbubble or Socitey6.
I started on Redbubble because it was completely free to set up meaning I could literally start with nothing. I then could reinvest my profits into my new etsy shop.
If you are interested in starting your print on demand journey, my Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Print on Demand is all you will need to get going.
Drop-shipping
If you do not want to design your products, then you could consider drop-shipping.
This is very similar to print on demand, where you never see the final product. You simply find the products you want to sell from a wholesale site and then link that to your own website to be sold. When you get an order, it will be automatically fulfilled for you without any input from you.
This can be a very lucrative side hustle, but the main challenge is marketing your products so that you drive traffic to your website and encourage people to buy.
Freelancing
There are so many things that you could freelance in. From writing to graphic design, transcribing to being a virtual assistant.
Utilise your skills to earn extra income with this very flexible side hustle.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be an expert writer or graphic designer to do freelance work. As long as you have a good basic understanding you can learn and improve on the job. Make sure to build up a portfolio of your work to show to potential future clients.
You can offer your skills on websites such as Fiverr, Upwork or Freelancer. Or you can do some networking of your own to offer your services to specific companies or private clients.
Selling and Reselling
This may sound like an obvious one, but when we are looking for ways to make money, we often forget that we are surrounded by potential money! We all have so much stuff lying around that we don’t use or want anymore meaning we are pretty much just sitting on money!
To sell clothes I would recommend using Poshmark (sign up with code THEDGES237 for £5 FREE) or Vinted and for anything else I prefer Ebay. If you have some much bigger items like gardening equipment or sofas, you may want to consider Gumtree.
Selling your stuff can be one of the quickest and easiest ways to make a lot of money in a short amount of time, so don’t sleep on this side hustle!
Once you have sold all of the stuff you want to sell, you could consider reselling.
Reselling is where you buy clothes online so that you can sell them on another platform. For example, you may find a bargain on Vinted and then sell it on Ebay to make a profit.
Blogging
Don’t get me wrong, starting a blog is a big side hustle to tackle. From experience I can tell you it takes A LOT of work at the beginning.
But once you’re established with some high quality posts, you can continue to earn money from those posts for years to come and maintain your blog with just a few hours of work per week.
If you want to start your own blog but don’t know where to start I would highly recommend The Treasure Map to Blogging Success in 30 Days. This is the e-book I bought before launching my blog and I don’t think I could have launched without it!
It is PACKED with so much valuable information and will guide you step-by-step through creating, launching and growing your very own successful blog that will make you passive income for years to come.
You can learn more about this affordable blogging e-book here and even read reviews from many other customers who have now found blogging success.
What I love most about blogging is that you can build multiple streams of income from your one blog. Once you have consistent traffic the sky really is the limit!
Service Side Hustles
Event Planning
Event planning is a great opportunity to put your organizational skills to good use. You would be responsible for coordinating and executing various types and sizes of events, from 16th birthday parties to Weddings!
This is a great side hustle for people who love multitasking and are not afraid to delegate to many people who you will be working with.
This is also a very flexible side hustle as you can take on events that fit your schedule. Once you get your first few jobs, it will be much easier to network your services as your previous clients will (hopefully) recommend your services to their friends and family.
Tutoring
Tutoring is a very rewarding side hustle where you can share your knowledge and passion with students who are seeking extra support. As a Tutor you will have the unique chance to make a positive impact on students and help them achieve great things.
Make sure to choose a subject that you excel at, and do your research on the current curriculum as it may have changed since you were at school!
I would recommend this side hustle to someone who is patient and good at articulating problems.
Tutors can earn a very good income from this side hustle, so it is worth doing your research and putting in the work!
If you did not want to tutor academically, you could also teach a musical instrument if you are musically inclined.
Creative Side Hustles
Photography
If you have an eye for photography, why not offer your services professionally? The demand for event photographers is high, and as you would be a beginner, you can offer competitive pricing to get you your first few jobs.
You can also earn extra income by selling your existing photos online.
All you need is a good quality phone camera and an eye for a good photo and you are half way to a new income stream!
There are many websites that will pay for your photos, but the main ones I have found are:
- Getty Images
- Shutterstock
- Canva
- Adobe Stock
- Stocksy
You simply upload your images to one of these sites, then you are paid a small percentage of the sale every time it is downloaded by someone.
Generally, you can make up to $0.50 per download.
I know that is not a lot, but if you have uploaded a few hundred photos, and each one gets downloaded multiple times, then you could make a hefty sum just by uploading a photo.
This is a great side hustle if you have very little free time as you can upload the photos when you have a moment and then earn from them for years after.
Selling Arts and Crafts
If you are particularly arty, you could turn your craft hobby into a profitable little side hustle.
From painting to knitting, sculpting to Pyrography, there are so many arts and crafts that you could turn your hand to. If you already have a craft hobby, then you could consider selling your work online or at local markets.
Alternatively, if you do not currently do crafts in your spare time you could have so much fun testing out different crafts until you find your favourite!
Selling arts and crafts can be quite competitive, so see if you can make your product unique so that it stands out to your potential customers.
Etsy is an excellent platform to start selling arts and crafts on so if you would like to open your own online art shop I would highly recommend using my Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Making Money on Etsy to get you started. I made sure to include all the steps I took to earn over £1800 in my 4th month on Etsy, so Don’t miss it!
Upcycling Furniture
Upcycling is a wonderfully creative side hustle where you take unwanted furniture and transform them into chic, one of a kind, aesthetic pieces. This is also one of the most environmentally friendly side hustles as you breathe life into pieces which would otherwise end up in landfill.
Anyone can start upcycling. All you need is a few basic tools, a piece of old furniture and Youtube to follow some tutorials.
Upcycling is not only very rewarding, but it can also be very lucrative, with many people turning it into their full time job!
Physical Side Hustles
Dog Walking & Pet Sitting
This side hustle is perfect for every animal lover!
If you love a good walk on your weekends, why not offer your services as a dog walker to make some cash and some new furry friends!
Life is so busy that many people can’t find the time to walk their dogs for the length of walk they need. This means there is a growing demand for dog walkers!
I would only recommend this to people who have or have had dogs of their own, as this will help you know how to care for the dogs properly. Your clients will also trust you more if you have had previous experience.
You could also provide a pet sitting service where you stay at your client’s house to look after their pets whilst they are away.
You would be surprised how much people will pay to look after their pets!
Gardening
If you love the outdoors, gardening can be a very fulfilling and rewarding side hustle.
You could grow your own plants and then sell them on once they have matured.
Or you could offer your gardening services to others. Many older people like to maintain their gardens but do not have the physical ability to do some of the heavy lifting. Mowing lawns could be a side hustle by itself!
Alternatively, if gardening is your passion, you could even teach gardening workshops for beginners!
Cleaning
As I mentioned earlier, life gets very busy. Many people find it hard to keep up with the cleaning, so are willing to pay someone else to do it for them.
As long as you don’t mind rolling your sleeves up and getting a bit dirty, this can be a great side hustle to start with. Chances are you already have all the knowledge you need, so all you have to do is start marketing your cleaning services!
You will be scrubbing your way to better finances before you know it!
Car Washing
Finally, you could offer car washing services. This is a simple and quick side hustle that would be easy to fit around any schedule.
Also, you will not need to compete with any “higher qualified” car washers like you do in other side hustles as a beginner.
I love this side hustle as anyone can do it and there will always be demand for it. A nice little side hustle to boost your income.
Conclusion
Side hustles are more than just a means to earn extra money; they offer an avenue for personal growth and an opportunity to explore your passions. By choosing the right side hustle and investing time and effort, individuals can unlock their financial potential and pave the way to a greater quality of life. Whether you’re looking for extra income, personal fulfilment, or a pathway to full-time entrepreneurship, a side hustle can be a game-changer. Embrace the opportunities available, invest in your skills, and strive for success. Remember, with determination and consistency you can turn your side hustle into a thriving and fulfilling venture.
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