What would you do with an extra $500 a month? Invest it, pay off debt, and put it in your kid’s college fund? Most people know immediately how they would utilize extra cash, which is why one in three people in the United States has a side hustle.
Extra money isn’t the only reason people start a side hustle. A lot of people desire to be their own boss but aren’t quite ready to be an entrepreneur full-time. A side hustle is just a pit stop on their journey to entrepreneurship. And while side hustles have been framed as something millennials do, the reality is people of all ages and income levels have side hustles.
If you’re in the market for a side hustle, here are five you can do from the comfort of your home:
- Create a course: Throughout your career, you’ve likely gained expertise in a particular area. If you’re good at explaining things in an easy, digestible way, creating a course may be a good way to make some extra cash. Numerous platforms exist, of varying pricing and complexity, for hosting and creating your course. Creating a quality curriculum with exercises and assignments is no small feat. Although it’s a big-time investment, you only have to make the course once to sell it multiple times and make additional income for years to come.
- Tutor: If you’re proficient in a particular subject like math or English, tutoring can be the perfect way to bring in some extra income. Not only are there sites for virtual tutoring such as Tutor.com that will bring clients right to you. Most freelance tutoring sites have built-in platforms for video chatting with clients. You can also lean on your own network to find clients. When considering tutoring, you don’t have to teach a general subject matter either. Tutoring for standardized tests such as the SAT or GRE is in high demand. You can set your prices and working hours to best suit your needs.
- Write for freelance writing/editing sites: If you’re a strong writer, freelance writing is a great and flexible side hustle. Sites such as Contena, ContentFly, and Contently all match freelance writers with clients. It’s important to decide what kind of writing you want to do. Writing blog posts for businesses is very different from writing social media posts or editing an academic research paper.
- Sell a service on Fiverr or Upwork: The best thing about sites like Fiverr and Upwork is that they allow a wide range of services. Whether you can create logos, develop chatbots, or serve as a virtual assistant, there’s a place for you. On most freelance sites, you can set your rates and choose the clients you want to work with.
It can be hard to stand out on sites like this when thousands of others advertise the same service. Focusing on branding yourself and communicating your unique value proposition can go a long way to help you stand out from the crowd.
- Start A YouTube Channel: A YouTube channel can be about anything: cooking, traveling, product reviews – you name it. If you’re passionate or knowledgeable about something, YouTube can be a great place to showcase that expertise. As your followers grow, you can monetize your account and make money off ad revenue. The only downfall of this side hustle is that it can take a significant amount of time to grow your followers enough to be able to monetize. However, if you’re passionate about your channel, the process can be a lot of fun.
Deciding what kind of side hustle to start can be tricky, but think about the things you do well in your professional and personal life for inspiration. Once you choose a side hustle idea, you can begin to focus on the logistics of running a side hustle and making additional income.
