We could all use some extra money, and a good side income is one way to get it. A side job can help you save enough for a down payment on a car or house, finance the vacation you’ve always wanted, boost your investment portfolio, help you pay off debt, or where you can find some extra cash. needs for.
In an ideal world you would be able to put your money to work and enjoy true passive income, otherwise your side hustle would be so lucrative that it could end up being your main job. But even if you have to keep your day job, a side hustle can make you money in an area you’re passionate about.
A side hustle is something you do on top of your main job, so the best ones don’t require much time, give you flexibility in working, and can help you make a decent amount of money. The ideas below include a mix of low or flexible time commitment and good value for money for the amount of effort likely to be required.
Top side hustle ideas that can help you earn more
1. Selling stuff on an online marketplace
People are familiar with third-party selling sites like eBay, Etsy or Amazon, but you can make it even more luxurious by selling on a site like Poshmark, which offers new and used fashion items. One benefit of moving up is that you may be able to earn more for the same amount of work.
You can sell items from others who don’t have the time or ability to do it themselves. But as you develop a deeper knowledge of the market, you can take it a step further by purchasing the best items directly from customers and then earning that profit margin yourself.
2. Become a virtual assistant
If you’re an Excel wizard or are particularly good at organizing your online files, you can use these everyday skills to make extra money. Online platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Outsourcely post administrative tasks that people around the world need, and are often as simple as organizing someone’s calendar or searching through an Excel file.
Virtual assistants are paid for numerous reasons and can charge a rate they prefer based on the amount of work. There are no limits to what you can help with online. Some use online platforms to illustrate children’s books for those who write them, or even create family photo albums. Whatever you’re good at and talented at, it’s worth seeing if anyone is looking for it online.
3. Speaking engagements
Are you a master of motivation, a doyen of design or a ninja of cybersecurity? Bring your expert skills and knowledge to an audience willing to pay for your time. You’ll need to build authority (via social media, blogs, books, videos, or something else) and probably grow your audience first, but then you might be able to monetize that. Find a conference that’s willing to pay you to talk about what you love, then repeat the performance in new locations and to new audiences.
4. Guidance
Everyone wants to take the SAT or ACT, or even just their next exam. Take your knowledge of the field and teach someone how to achieve success there. Today, you may even be able to do this from the safety and comfort of your own home via Zoom or other video conferencing software. If you have skills for standardized professional school entrance exams like the GMAT or LSAT, you may be able to take it a step further and make even more profit with your time and skills.
5. Freelance writing
Freelance writing can be an attractive side job if you want to do some work when you have time. It’s an even better setup if it’s in a specialized field with few competitors, so wages stay higher. Find a niche to write about, build a reputation for turning in clean copy that needs little editing, and then scale up as much as you want. You could turn that side hustle into writing about something you love, or even into a full-time job if you’re a noted authority.
Is writing not your thing? Do the equivalent in media as a freelance video editor. Determine your credentials and then specialize in one or two fields you love.
6. Open a mobile business
Consider opening a mobile business for services that a user may not be able to travel for. Consider, for example, a mobile service for replacing broken glass in windows in houses or cars. Make an appointment in advance and come by to solve the problem. You can focus on your business outside of normal hours to gain a competitive advantage and still keep your most important job.
Another option on the mobile theme could be a car detailing service. Bring your gear and make sure someone’s ride is ready to go in style.
7. Work as a hail driver
Ride-hailing services have become popular in recent years, although COVID-19 has certainly made it more challenging. But one advantage is the flexible hours. You may be able to work around your schedule and limit your availability to nights or weekends, for example.
Many people choose a large ride-hailing player such as Uber or Lyft, but you may also be able to partner with a regional player.
8. Move stuff
In a growing economy, people are constantly on the move, even if it’s just across town. Imagine yourself as someone who can show up at any time and move that heavy object around the block or to the other side of town in your unused truck. You could expand to storing things for people while they are in the process of moving from one home to another.
9. Set up an online store
It’s never been easier to set up an online store through a service like Shopify, and if you get everything going, you can really make money while you sleep. It’s hard to beat that flexibility. Of course, the hardest part is finding the products consumers can’t live without and getting that community of people to your site.
But building an online store is something you could work on in your spare time and gradually expand as you learn the ropes.
10. Dog walking
Dog walking sounds so old-fashioned, but it can offer a better payout than you might think. Plus, you can scale the business at least a little. Pet owners are probably wealthier than average (according to at least one study), and a busy pet owner in a city may not have time to walk their dog. So they might be willing to pay you to do the work regularly – and if you coordinate things well, you might be able to walk a few dogs at once, doubling or tripling the money you make in the same period.
If pets are not your thing, you can take a turn as a house sitter. While some homeowners pay cash, others can be away for months and offer you a place to stay, saving you on what is likely your largest expense.
In short
The best side hustles can help you make good money on your own terms, but it can take some time to grow your side hustle into something worthwhile. You need to inform people about what you offer and show that you reliably deliver what you promise. From there you can see how big you can build your side hustle and whether it can become something even more lucrative.
Note: Bankrate’s Georgina Tzanetos contributed to an update to this story.
