Inflation is rising, supplies are short, war is causing financial problems in every part of the food chain: it’s more popular than ever to find yourself a side hustle.
Not only is the need there, but the opportunity too. It can be easier than you think to make a side income in an age where everything is done on the internet, making more off a level playing field but also the chance for flexible working hours. If you are in a good position to ask to work from home or for flexible hours, you can work your usual 9-5 around your side hustle and vice versa as needed.
A lot of us are in a more dire situation than we found ourselves in pre-Covid, but the good news there is that lockdowns changed a lot of things. A lot of industries had to adapt to the fact that no physical contact was possible, making for some creative adaptations appearing. You can use the lessons of lockdown, and the older, more forgotten ideas of industries to get you through anything you need.
Whether you’re looking to wipe away debt, save up for a home or simply survive with a little extra pocket money, take a look at our guide to side hustles you can look into. If debt is something that is bothering you, take a look at this average debt by age blog for some pointers.
Influencing
Influencing shouldn’t be scoffed at. Even the most basic of influencers simply selling their personalities or a lifestyle is going through a long photoshoot, a lot of editing and more to get their work out. But that is only half of it. There is a lot going on behind the scenes that we don’t see the results of. To be an influencer successfully it takes a lot of networking and negotiating. You’re looking for your own brands to sponsor you and other means of income, of which there are plenty.
For one thing, there is the idea of affiliate marketing. You can start an affiliate marketing blog, which is designed to specifically showcase products and services that might appeal to your audience. It’s minimal effort so that you can simply do a couple of hours writing about a product and watch a steady income from your affiliates come in.
And that’s the best element of influencing: it takes as much effort as you can give. An affiliate blog is on the bottom rung, but you can apply any creative skills like writing, filming, narrative, editing, music, etc. as well as business management skills like negotiating and networking and data management and SEO. In the process you will gain experience and skills that you can use elsewhere.
Ultimately, we’re starting with influencing because an element of it has to be applied to every side hustle. The point of influencing is to be a marketer, whether you’re marketing yourself, brands you like, or your own business. Learning what you’re doing in influencing will carry any of the other endeavors on this list even further.
Flipping
Flipping is simply the act of taking something old and worn down, restoring it, and selling it on for profit. It’s an attractive business in an age when we’re all becoming more aware of the waste we’re putting out into the world.
The biggest flipping project is flipping a home. Buying a home at auction or when you spot a bargain, pulling out every outdated element and replacing it yourself is a good way to make a big profit. But there’s no big profit without big input and you’ll have to know something of extensive DIY to make a home good enough to sell on.
However, there are smaller elements of flipping. On the smaller home scale, you can flip furniture. It’s helpful that the designs for furniture have greatly expanded in recent years. Before, you would only see furniture painted white or varnished in its usual wooden texture, when today furniture comes in every color of the rainbow to fit a range of interior design styles and purposes. It doesn’t even have to be that extensive. If you go into a charity furniture store, you can pick up an antique for less than $100 and restore any scratches and stains and sell it on at full price.
And then there is clothing. You’d be surprised what people are handing over to the charity stores. They’re tossing out designer handbags, sports jerseys, fine jewelry, etc. Plus, there is always a demand for vintage clothes. In the 2020’s that means an appreciation for the 90’s, so dungarees, Doc Martins, and sports brands. You can go looking through charity shops for high value items and buy them for pennies and sell them on for a good profit.
The best part about these last two options is that you won’t need a premises to get started. Before the days of the internet the clothing flipping business was called a vintage shop, where you were ultimately paying for someone to find these items for you and displaying them all in a shop. Nowadays, that isn’t necessary. You can set up your own online store in a website or sell everything on eBay.
Freelancing
The simplest way to get out of the office, or start a new venture, is to take what you’re doing now and what you’re good at and do it freelance. There are a lot of benefits to freelancing, mainly the “free” element. You are free to make as much money as you want, to work when you want and how you want, for your own benefit.
And there are a lot of ways you can apply freelancing. There is a freelancing equivalent to just about any industry. The trades are obvious ones, since plumbers and carpenters are essentially freelancing anyway, but even those office jobs can have a freelancing equivalent.
For instance, if you have organizational and people skills you can look into becoming a freelance personal assistant, where you can take on as many clients as you want running big wigs’ calendars. If you are good with money and numbers you can be an accountant for various firms. If you are a writer by trade you can go into copywriting, ghost writing, journalism, etc.
Teaching
And of course, all of these skill sets need someone to teach them. With university either not a financial or practical option, people are looking to learn via the internet, which offers you lots of ways you can share your wisdom.
You can look into Zoom tutoring, which would allow you to teach anyone in the world and is a helpful option for university students. Or, if you have a specialty you can make up courses on your subject and record them to sell. These can be deeper dives into a university curriculum or simply your take on health, crafts, advice, or anything else you think you can speak on.
And then there is the option of teaching English abroad. An extended holiday while teaching your native language sounds perfect, doesn’t it? It’s not brilliant if you don’t want to leave your current job, but life is short. And there is the digital nomad option, of doing your work while travelling.
