Until recently, I thought the best way to help others was to work for someone else and share my gifts on the clock. But, the truth is (and it’s a truth I’ve known for a while now)...I’d be better off if I didn’t cap my talents and skills at 40 hours.
Like you, I’ve dreamed of earning more without sacrificing my personal life. I’ve tried to find the perfect side hustle. I sacrificed countless hours trying to absorb everything I could from Google and Youtube videos, only to be met with both success and failure.
Along the way, I realized that a lot of future side hustlers struggle to find a profitable side hustle idea. Some struggle to determine where to start. Others struggle to settle on one thing.
That’s why I’ve put together this list of 18 side hustles to help you move past your initial hurdle.
Services
Services are probably the easiest types of side hustle to start because many of us already have skills from work that can be turned into a side hustle or business.
Become a Customer Success Thought Leader
Build up your network and expertise as a Customer Success Thought Leader with a blog, podcast, Youtube channel, or some combination of all of these. Write a book or several on your Customer Success perspective. Then, you can charge a fee to speak, offer a paid course or charge a consulting fee.
Start a paid newsletter for sales reps or account managers
If you worked in sales or account management in your day job, you could adapt these skills to the freelancer world. Maybe you create a paid newsletter to help start-ups build their programs or you consult and offer appointment setting or outbound sales consulting.
Influencer marketing consulting
I'm starting to see a lot of software pop up in the influencer marketing management space, which tells me that there's an opportunity there. If you care about influencer marketing done well or you were a social media manager in your day job, you can become a consultant and help influencers navigate working with brands, or help brands better work with influencers.
Virtual assistant
If you’ve ever worked a 9-5 or managed your own social media, chances are you already have the building blocks of a great virtual assistant. You can pay for a course to teach you the ropes or because it’s so easy to get started, you could also just reach out to your contacts and go at it alone.
Printables
A printable is a digital file that can be easily printed from your computer, providing a physical copy for use at your convenience. Printables have become an indispensable tool for educators, parents, entrepreneurs and individuals alike, offering a convenient and creative means to access a wide variety of resources. These easily downloadable and printable materials range from artwork, crochet patterns, educational worksheets to planners, coloring pages, and beyond.
Monthly planners for moms homeschooling toddlers
Create printable pages or sell physical planners. You can do this on your website or through a third-party site like Etsy.
Nursery Artwork
Got an eye for design and dream of designing nurseries all day? Create nursery artwork and sell it on Etsy.
Custom greeting cards
Do you have trouble finding the right words or finding cards for every occasion? Blank cards just don’t make the cut anymore. For some, it’s more intimidating to write a card yourself.
Wedding announcement graphics for social media
Think video pins or moveable gifs for IG. Create a template or template pack and sell them on your website or Creative Market.
Sell crochet clothing printables
You could create the clothing, sell it on Etsy, pay for shipping, and all that jazz or you can teach others to crochet their own.clothing and sell the patterns. This approach has less overhead and larger margins and could be easier to get it up and running quicker.
Dropservicing
Drop-servicing, also known as service arbitrage, is a business model where a company or individual offers services to clients without delivering the service themselves. Instead, they act as a middleman by outsourcing the job to freelancers or another third-party service provider at a lower cost. Essentially, they "drop-service" by taking orders, then hiring someone else to fulfill those orders, and they make a profit from the markup. This model is similar to drop-shipping, where physical products are sold without the seller holding inventory, but instead of goods, services are being delivered.
You can create a team, hire contractors or outsource the work to people on Fiverr or Upwork. This works really well from the following agency models: graphic, web design, virtual assistant and social media.
Creative projects/hobbies
Creative projects and hobbies play a pivotal role in enhancing personal growth. They are not only outlets for self-expression but also incubators where individuals can explore, innovate, and escape the mundane, tapping into a world where possibilities are endless and creativity knows no bounds.
Instagram boutique
Take your passion for fashion or unique clothing designs and sell them on Instagram. I love utilizing a simple platform like Instagram to get started because it's no cost and no learning curve -- you know how to use it already.
Shady store reviews
Lifestyle bloggers and bloggers have made videos reviewing shady purchases, and they do really well. I’d love to see someone take this and turn it into a full-on brand, and create a dedicated hub to help people evaluate the trustworthiness of these shops.
Minimalist meal planning or meal prep
If you love food maybe you can take the typical food blog idea a step further and create a site geared towards minimalist meal planning. I could see this going a few ways, either in minimalist as in a shortlist of ingredients, or as few pans and utensils, or with an emphasis on reducing waste. Whatever angle you take, there's a market out there for you.
Start a blog
This one is on every list of business ideas out there so we decided to put a spin on it. Rather than simply tell you to start a blog or influx a ton of affiliate links to convince you to use our favorite hosting provider, we’ve created a list of sample blog topics that you can swipe and use to create a money-making business in 2021.
True Crime Content Roundup
I envision a monthly spotlight on a case, with a round up of great content from all over the web covering the case from different perspectives. Maybe a few different podcast episodes, a few Youtube videos, a book, some forum posts... almost like a book club, but more like a crime club. I think the key is, don’t tell everyone everything they need to know, give them enough information to pique their interest and let them explore for themselves.
Adult Backpack Reviews
There are so many cool backpacks now -- for daily wear, for work, for travel. Help us adults sort through the options and find the best backpack for us. This would be a great affiliate site.
Journal Prompts
This is a broad topic, so my challenge to you would be to focus your journal prompts around a specific person or life event. Some ideas: prompts for new mothers, prompts for high-achieving careerists, prompts for couples, prompts for grief, prompts for antiracism, prompts for building a specific skill, prompts based on your enneagram type.
A Digital Subscription Box
There are so many ways this can go. A free newsletter that includes referral and affiliate links, or, a paid product that delivers free digital and downloadable goods. Maybe it’s themed, like a Printables Subscription Box or an ebook Subscription Box. Maybe it's a list of products you create each month.
Whether you’re into the creative scene, have a knack for service delivery, or you’re eyeing that innovative drop-servicing niche, there’s something for everyone. I’ve shared a mix of ideas, each leading to a future where your income doesn't just come from the hours clocked in at the office. Imagine converting your skills, your passions, heck, even your weekend hobbies into something that not only fills your pockets but also feeds your soul. Sounds amazing, right?
So, what’s the next chapter of your story? As we wrap this up, remember, these aren’t just words on a page - they’re your next steps, waiting to be taken. Your side hustle journey doesn’t have to be a solo ride; we’re all in this together, a community of go-getters ready to make our marks. Your talent has no ceiling, your skills are your currency, and your potential is just waiting to burst into the scene. So, are you ready to step into a world where every day is a new chance to create, explore, and succeed?