There might be different reasons for taking a side hustle as an addition to your main job responsibilities. You may want to get extra income or want to settle a debt. It may also happen that you have aspirations to start your own business but are hesitant to quit the office because there are some uncertainties.
There are thousands of options and work configurations to try. Some of them do not require any prior background, and you can start right away, while others may call for additional equipment or preparations. Regardless of your choice, the majority of side hustles come with the opportunity to grow into a fully-fledged business, so let’s check what options are there:
Blogging
The great argument for blogging is that it’s never too late to start. You can find your audience in almost any niche, starting with niche-specific content and sharing your hobbies or peculiarities of a profession to lifestyle. The key to success here is producing interesting content. The main blogging investments include technical expenses for equipment or website and initial promo activity to attract visitors. As for monetization, it can come from different sources like views on Youtube, affiliate links, guest posts on your website, or sponsorships (depending on the audience and brand these may reach several thousand dollars per one integration).
Real Estate
If you always dreamt about dealing with property, you can try a side hustle connected with real estate. Usually, agencies hire assistants and interns to help with the docs part-time, so if you have several free hours a day, it’s a perfect fit. This way, you will be able to get acquainted with the field and gain the experience to become a real estate agent or a property manager. To grow it into a business, you’ll need to receive a proper education for a real estate agent and gain the license. The good news is that it’s possible to learn without leaving your home and online courses give you enough credits to pass the exam to become certified.
Сopywriting
The only things that you need for this job are a perfect command of a language and a creative mindset. And, for sure, love writing. If it’s about you, there are tons of options including academic writing, UX and website copy, content marketing, etc. Good copywriters are always in demand, and with mass business digitalization, this option is getting more popular. Gradually, you start getting more and more orders, so as the load increases, it’s possible to outsource work and grow this gig into a copywriting agency.
Consulting
If you love your profession and are not up to something new, but still have spare time after work to do a side job, you can become an external consultant. Help other companies by sharing expertise in your niche or perform the same duties for other companies. There are two main nuances here. The first one is checking if it’s allowed by your work contract on the main job, as there are some specific niches that may forbid working with competitive companies. And the second one is demonstrating your expertise in the job profile on Freelance networks, sharing info with your working network on Linkedin. It’s a common practice for experts to grow from individual consultants to a company specializing in professional consulting.
Virtual Assistant
This one requires excellent organization skills and proficiency with planning software (Google workspace, Asana, and Trello). As a virtual assistant, you will be doing ad-hoc routine tasks for entrepreneurs, managers, and other busy people. The responsibilities typically include doing some research, working with Google spreadsheets, scheduling meetings, booking tickets, reminding about important things, ordering gifts, etc. So, if you are accountable and disciplined, this work is for you. As strange as it may sound, it’s hard to find a perfect assistant, and your clients can recommend you to their peers who also need one, so it’s a chance to convert this freelancing into a business as well.
These are just a few of the most popular options that are easy to start without huge investments and time to start. So when you are ready, weigh your options and preferences to find your perfect fit. When it comes to making a side hustle work for you make sure to know how many hours per day or week you can dedicate without harm to your health and allocate enough time to have a rest. This way you will be able to renew your energy, stay productive and maintain a work-life balance, which is essential when starting a new activity.
