We could all use a little extra Money, and a good side job is one way to get it. An extra hustle could help you save enough for a down payment on a car or house, finance the vacation you've always wanted, grow your investment portfolio, help pay off debt, or anything you need some extra cash for.
In an ideal world, you could put your money to work and enjoy a truly passive income, or your side hustle would be so lucrative that it could eventually become your main job. But even if you have to keep your day job, a side hustle can earn you money in an area you're passionate about.
A side hustle is something you do in addition to your main job, so the best ones don't take a lot of time, give you flexibility when you work, and can help you earn a decent amount of cash. The ideas below include a combination of low or flexible time commitment and good value for the amount of effort likely to be required.
The best ideas to help you earn more
1. Selling things on an online marketplace
People are familiar with third-party selling sites like eBay, Etsy, or Amazon, but you can take it up a notch by selling on a site like Poshmark, which offers new and used fashion items. One advantage of going higher is that you can earn more for the same amount of work.
You could sell items for others who don't have the time or ability to do it themselves. But when you develop a deeper understanding of the market, you could go a step further and buy the best items directly from customers and then earn that markup yourself.
2. Become a virtual assistant
If you're an Excel wizard or particularly good at organizing your files online, you can use these everyday skills to earn some extra cash. Online platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Outsourcely post administrative tasks needed by people around the world, and they're often as simple as organizing your calendar or sorting through an Excel file.
Virtual assistants get paid for a myriad of reasons and can charge whatever rate they want based on the amount of work they do. There is no limit to what you can help online. Some use online platforms to illustrate children's books for their writers or even create family photo albums. Whatever you are good at and have a gift for is worth a look if someone is looking for it online.
3. Commitments to talk
Are you a master of motivation, a dean of design, or a cybersecurity ninja? Bring your expert knowledge and skills to an audience that is willing to pay for their time. You'll need to establish authority (through social media, blogs, books, videos, or something else) and probably grow your audience first, but then you'll be able to monetize that. Find a conference that is willing to pay you to talk about what you love, and then repeat the concert in new venues and for new audiences.
4. Tutoring
Everyone wants to excel on the SAT or ACT or even their next test. Take your subject area knowledge and teach someone how to be successful there. Today, you can even do it from the safety and comfort of your home via Zoom or other video conferencing software. If you have skills for standardized college entrance exam tests like the GMAT or LSAT, you may be able to kick things up a notch and make an even bigger gain on your time and skills.
5. Independent Writing
Freelance writing can be an attractive side hustle if you're looking to fit in a job when you have the time. It's an even better setup if it's in a specialized field with few competitors so that salaries are still higher. Find a niche to write about, establish a reputation for delivering clean copy that needs few changes, and then expand as much as you like. You could turn that side hustle into writing about something you love or even a full-time position when you're a well-known authority.
Writing not your thing? Do the media equivalent as a freelance video editor. Establish your credentials and then specialize in a subject area or two that you love.
6. Start a mobile business
Consider opening a mobile phone Business for services that a user can't get on a trip. For example, consider a moving service to replace broken glass in home or car windows. Schedule an appointment ahead of time and show up to fix the problem. You could focus on business after hours to establish a competitive advantage and still maintain your core business.
Another option on the mobile theme could be a car detailing service. Bring your gear and pack someone's ride to roll in style.
7. He works as a taxi driver
Ride sharing services have become popular in recent years, although COVID-19 has certainly made it more challenging. But one benefit is the flexible hours. You may be able to accommodate your schedule by limiting your availability to nights or weekends, for example.
Many people opt for a major rideshare player, like Uber or Lyft, or you can also set it up with a regional player.
8. Move things
In a growing economy, people move all the time, even if it's just across town. Prepare yourself as someone who can show up at any time and move that heavy item around the block or across town in your unused truck. It could be expanded to store things for people while they are in the process of moving from one residence 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 when it all kicks in, you can really make money while you sleep. It's hard to beat that flexibility. Of course, the hard part is finding the products that consumers can't live without and attracting that community of people to your site.
But building an online store is the kind of thing you could work on in your spare time and gradually build on as you learn the rules.
10. Walking dogs
Dog walking sounds old fashioned, but it may offer a better payout than you think. Also, you can scale the business at least a bit. Pet owners are likely to be wealthier than average (according to at least one study), and a busy pet owner in a city might not have time to walk their dog. So they may be willing to pay you to do the job regularly, and if you time things right, you may be able to walk a few dogs at a time, doubling or tripling the money you earn on the same period.
If pets aren't your thing, you could take a turn as a house sitter. While some landlords may be able to pay cash, others may be away for months and offer you a place to stay, helping you save on what is probably your biggest expense.
Bottom line
The best side jobs allow you to earn good money on your own terms, but it can take time to turn your side job into something worthwhile. You'll need to tell people about what you offer and show that you reliably deliver what you promise. From there, you can see how big your sideline can build and if it can grow into something even more lucrative.
Note: Bankrate's Georgina Tzanetos contributed an update to this story.
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