5 Side Hustles For Parents  

It wouldn’t be right to start this list without talking about blogging. Blogging isn’t just pouring content out to the internet for absolutely no return (although you can do that!), there are several ways you can monetise your blog and earn money. From brand PR to affiliate links, there are lots of creative ways to make money through blogging, without compromising useful or interesting content for your readers. Linked in with blogging but not always necessary, some parents find a lot of success being Social Media influencers, Instagram and YouTube are particularly good platforms for parenting-related content. Your blog or social media presence can revolve around parenting (like here at The Yorkshire Dad!) but it doesn’t have to. You can blog about anything you’re passionate about, just remember to keep your target audience in mind and who you’re talking to!  

If blogging isn’t for you, but you’re still pretty good with words, how about becoming a freelance writer? Companies often outsource a lot of their written company including web copy, blog posts and more formal pieces like white papers. If you’re a decent writer, picking up freelance copywriting gigs could be a nice earner for you. Getting started and finding those first few clients is the hardest part but if you do a great job, you could find some retainer clients and earn recommendations. You can also try advertising your services on platforms like Fiverr – just be aware that the rates you can earn through Fiverr are typically lower than the work you source yourself, it’s a good way to build your portfolio up though!  

If you aren’t a creative type, selling on Amazon as a side hustle is easier than you think! There are a couple of routes to take when selling on Amazon…you can sell other people’s existing products and make a small profit, white label products as your own brand, and eventually, you could design and import your own products. Before you buy any products to sell you need to carry out a bit of market research and it always helps to pick a product you care about yourself and would use. If you can’t find products you would like to resell in the UK, importing goods from overseas, particularly China using sea freight is a lot simpler than you may think.  

Are you any good at making things? If you have a creative hobby don’t stop there, have you thought about selling your creations? From jewellery to woodwork, whatever it is you do, people might want to buy it! People love handcrafted items and enjoy supporting smaller artists and creators by buying unique pieces. Etsy is recognised as the number one place for most creatives to sell their work – the platform processed over £9 billion in goods in 2021! There are fees involved with Etsy though so you could try selling through your own website or social media.  

This is only really an option if you already have a skill that you can teach…don’t learn a new skill to sell courses as to pass skills over you need to be experienced and knowledgeable, and that usually comes after you have spent quite some time perfecting a skill. Online courses have boomed over the last few years, particularly since the Covid 19 pandemic. To sell what you do online you also need to be a little marketing savvy and have the right personality to get out there and promote your courses! But you can sell courses for just about anything, from social media to teaching people how to do DIY. Business coaching and courses are very popular, particularly if you have a niche.  

Remember, if you try out any side hustle ideas and they don’t work out you can always try something else. You may try a couple of things before you fall into something you love or are good at. Also, there is absolutely no pressure to even have a side hustle, the option is just there for parents that want to take the first steps into running their own business or being self-employed.