25 Side Hustles To Make Extra Money
Are you looking for ways to increase your income? Or do you want to leave your corporate or dead-end job? Look no further than these twenty-five side hustles to make extra money!
Service Side Hustles
As a side hustle, you can offer your services to your neighbors and friends. You can use the Thumbtack website and app to expand your customer base.
Mow Lawns
Looking for a simple way to earn extra cash? Mowing lawns is a great option. It's a simple business that anyone can start, and it's a great way to get some exercise. Plus, many people prefer to hire others or mowing service companies to maintain their lawns.
To mow lawns, you will need:
A lawnmower
Gas
Car to drive your lawnmower to and from people’s yards
Shovel Snow
During winter, you could shovel snow from people's driveways. You can also consider extending your services to retirement communities. To reach more people, you could advertise your services on Nextdoor.
This job requires a snow shovel, a snow plow, and a car.
Set Up Furniture
Would you consider yourself someone who enjoys assembling furniture? Are you adept at following instructions from furniture manufacturers such as Ikea?
If so, you might be interested in helping individuals who lack the time or skills necessary to assemble their furniture. You can offer to assemble furniture for them for a fee.
Photographer
If you enjoy taking pictures, you can become a photographer. You can take photos and edit the images using graphic design software. You can specialize in a particular area of photography or have a primary specialty that allows you to take other types of photos. Nowadays, with more people wanting to become influencers and YouTubers, there is a need for images that showcase different facial expressions and guests.
To get started as a photographer, you will need the following:
A camera
A green screen for portrait photos (for YouTube and other thumbnails)
Photo editing software (Photoshop, Canva, etc.)
I found my photographer, who took my YouTube thumbnail and author photo on Thumbtack.
Online Side Hustles
If you understand technology well, consider starting an online side hustle. These can help you create a cohesive online ecosystem for your business.
Website
Building a website is a great place to establish an online presence. It can begin as a side hustle and become a full-fledged online business. It ultimately depends upon your goals and how much money you want to make.
In the modern digital age, a website is a critical point of contact for potential customers and your business. Luckily, there are various ways to set up a website, with WordPress and Squarespace being two popular options.
As your business grows and becomes more sophisticated, you can customize your website to suit your needs. Whether you want a simple website that showcases your services or a more complex one that includes a blog and products, the choice is yours. As your business grows and becomes more sophisticated, your website will become the central hub of your online presence, offering your customers a place to find you, engage with your brand, and purchase your products and services.
Affiliate Marketing
You earn a commission through affiliate marketing when someone purchases a product you promote on your website or YouTube channel. The commission amount may vary, depending on the specific affiliate program.
It is essential to find affiliates that align with your content and audience. Review the affiliate's requirements; some programs may require you to meet specific sales quotas to remain in the program.
Digital Courses
If you have experience in a particular area, you can create digital courses and sell them online. Once you have an established website, you can promote and sell your courses using your website and other online platforms.
Digital courses are a great way to monetize your knowledge. Some popular platforms to sell digital courses include Teachable, Podia, and Udemy.
Newsletter
If you want to stay in touch with your website visitors, you can add a newsletter feature to your website. With a newsletter, your subscribers will get regular updates from you directly in their inbox. You can even charge for the newsletter, so only those who pay will receive it.
In addition to the newsletter, you can create an email list of your website subscribers. This way, you can easily send them short updates, inform them of new posts or products, and keep them engaged with your website.
Substack
If you want to build an email list without having to figure it out on your own website, Substack is a great platform to start with. It offers an easy way to create and manage an email list. Every person who subscribes to your content is automatically added to your list. Substack is a unique blend of blogging and social media, which includes a feature called Notes.
Additionally, you can monetize your content by charging for monthly and annual subscriptions.
Medium
Medium pays royalties to writers on the platform. The amount you earn for every one thousand views depends on your niche, number of subscribers and followers, and reading time on Medium. Writing on Medium is another option for writers and bloggers to monetize their content.
Consider writing for Medium in addition to your main website and Substack.
eBook
You could write an ebook and self-publish it on Amazon. A best practice is to have a website and a social media following to promote your book to potential fans. This will increase your chances of selling more copies.
Additionally, consider offering your book as a paperback, hardback, or audiobook to cater to a broader audience.
Podcast
If you prefer speaking to writing, you can start your podcast. The initial cost is minimal—you only need a microphone, studio, and audio editing software. After you record your podcast, you can upload it to podcast platforms.
As your podcast gains more listeners, you can monetize it by finding sponsors, joining affiliate programs, and selling your products.
Additionally, you can add a section to your website's landing page to promote your podcast and direct visitors to it.
YouTube Channel
Have you ever thought about starting a YouTube channel? It's a great way to showcase your skills and talents to a broad audience. Once your channel gains traction, you can expand to other video platforms to increase your reach.
YouTube pays creators a portion of advertising revenue based on their niche and per thousand views. Specific niches, such as personal finance, earn more per thousand views than other categories. As your channel grows, you could also explore other opportunities, such as sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and promoting your own products in addition to the advertising revenue.
Freelancing
You can also check out these side hustles that can be done as a freelancer or part-time/full-time work on platforms like Upwork and Indeed.
Virtual Assistant
You can find freelance, part-time, and full-time virtual assistant jobs. Your responsibilities require a basic knowledge of Microsoft programs, social media, email, and phone communication. The business or client may require other skills, but a virtual assistant is essentially a virtual secretary.
Social Media
Do you enjoy being on social media? Do you have an idea of how the different platforms work? You can become a social media manager.
You may manage social media accounts for small business owners, influencers, or larger businesses. As the social media manager, you create and post content that is on brand. You may also respond to comments and messages across social media platforms.
Graphic Design
Do you love spending time in Photoshop or Canva? Do you enjoy color theory?
You can design graphics for clients, work as a graphic designer as a freelancer, or even build a business around it.
In the content age, graphics are needed for many things, from YouTube channels to websites, books, and brand logos.
Video Editing
Video editing is another valuable skill to learn today, especially with the increasing popularity of video content on platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
You can learn the basics using free video editing software like iMovie and HitFilm Express. As you become more experienced, you can move on to using higher-end programs like Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro.
Copywriting
Copywriting refers to writing persuasive and engaging content for businesses or brands. Copywriting can be utilized across various mediums, such as social media, websites, and other written or visual platforms. As a copywriter, your responsibility would include creating written content for social media posts and compelling blog posts for a website.
If you have a passion for writing or own a blog or website, learning copywriting skills enhances the quality of your content for website visitors and newsletter subscribers.
Book Formatter
Learning how to format books for self-published authors can be a great skill. A professional formatter should know the formatting requirements for online book retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
You could offer formatting services on Fiverr, Amazon, or your website. Formatting quality can make or break a self-published book. I had a bad experience with the first formatter I worked with, but the second one did an excellent job.
If you provide high-quality formatting services, you can expect to repeat business from satisfied clients as they continue to self-publish more books.
Online Tutoring Side Hustles
You could become a part-time or full-time online tutor. You can teach anything you are knowledgeable about and have experience in. Two leading online tutoring platforms are TakeLessons and Wyzant.
English
If you are proficient in English and understand grammar and writing rules, you can teach English as an online instructor. You could teach students how to speak and write in English.
Singing/Voice Lessons
You can coach singing or voice lessons to improve communication skills for people who want to become influencers on video platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Tech Skills
Are you tech-savvy? Do you possess expertise in a specific area of tech? If so, you could offer basic tech skill lessons to those who want to learn the essentials of modern technology. If you have more advanced tech skills, you could become a tutor and teach others.
In graduate school, I was studying information and cybersecurity. I found someone on Wyzant who had experience in the cybersecurity industry. The tutor explained concepts in my class in more detail and clarified any questions I had about the cybersecurity programs covered in my classes.
Creative Side Hustles
Etsy
Etsy is an online marketplace allowing creative individuals to sell unique products. From t-shirts to phone covers to printable productivity PDFs,
Etsy allows you to sell physical and digital products. To start selling on Etsy's platform, you only need to create an account and open a seller's store on the website.
Sell Merch
You can sell merchandise, including t-shirts, hats, and coffee mugs, on platforms such as Teespring, Amazon, and Etsy.
Side Hustles To Building An Online Business
Are you thinking about starting a side hustle or a business? Then, you must consider having a website, even if you have a physical store. These ideas can help you offer your potential customers products or services with an online business.
As a solopreneur, you need to focus on your strengths. But, as your business grows, you can establish a more efficient infrastructure by hiring contractors and employees.
It is crucial to determine your goal. Do you want extra income or to become your own boss with an online business? The choice is yours.
Summary
These twenty-five side hustle ideas can help you earn extra money to increase your income. All of these ideas require action. You may already have the necessary skills and knowledge for some side hustles, or you can learn the basics by watching and reading relevant content to pivot to something you may enjoy more than your current job.
Views expressed in this article are the author's opinions and views and do not reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Secure Single does not give health, medical, relationship, travel, or financial advice. Secure Single does not provide advice of any kind. Always consult and speak with a professional. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). It is now available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.