19 Ideas for a Productive Side Hustle
If you're looking for ways you can earn a few extra bucks with a side hustle, you'd likely encounter hundreds of strategies for make some money. However, depending on your unique needs and your skills, earning a respectable amount of cash, and doing it quickly, might be well within your reach.
No matter where you're from or what you do for a living, thanks to the conveniences afforded to us by the internet, making money is no longer a constant and never-ending struggle. With the proverbial world at our fingertips, as long as you know how to tap into the vast amount of opportunities found in the digital ether of cyberspace, you can earn some extra income, even if you're in a tight bind.Some of the strategies listed below offer a quick fix for making some money, others will take a sizable investment of your time. Either way, select a method that fits within your skill set and ensure that you deliver a serious amount of value. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about.
1. Sell items on Ebay or Craigslist.
One of the surest ways you can make cash if you're in a bind is to sell items on Ebay or Craigslist. Any used items like furniture, household appliances, collectibles or anything else that you're just not using or is collecting dust, can be sold online to make some money. If you're serious about this, you can even do it professionally for others and collect a small commission for each sale. Take quality photos and write a good description and you'll be in great shape.
2. Recycle used smartphones on Gazelle.
I've sold a few used smartphones on Gazelle and it's a no-hassle way of making some cash if you have an old iPhone or Samsung smartphone or another device sitting around. While you won't get top-dollar for it, you will be able to get a little bit of cash that might just help you out depending on your financial situation.
3. Drive for Uber or Lyft.
One of the most widely-available ways for making money is to drive for Uber or Lyft. The sharing economy has quite literally exploding, and both Uber and Lyft are at the forefront. The best part? You can turn on and off your availability through these networks with the simple click of a button, effectively allowing you to make money no matter what time of day or night it is.
4. Deliver for PostMates.
Another option for earning a side income is to deliver for PostMates. Similar to working for Uber and Lyft, you can work whenever you want. While the pay might not be enormous, you do have the ability to earn tips. If you're in a highly-trafficked area such as Los Angeles or New York City, this is a great way to earn some cash and you don't even need a car.
5. Rent your spare room on Airbnb.
AirBnB offers a great resource for people that are willing to rent out a spare room or even their entire home. If you're in a bind for some fast cash, AirBnB offers you an avenue for creating an income. You'll get paid 24 hours after a guest checks in, which is to avoid any problems or potential scams that might arrive. Some people earn their primary income just by renting out rooms or homes on AirBnB.
6. Manage social media for small businesses.
Many small businesses need a social media manager and simply don't have the time nor the expertise to be constantly posting on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat or Twitter. Take it upon yourself to contact local businesses and offer up your services for a contracted monthly fee. This is an easy way to make money no matter where you live.
7. Answer questions on JustAnswer.
Websites like JustAnswer pay you to answer professional questions. If you have a high-level skill such as in the law or medicine or information technology, you could get paid to help others navigate certain topics or areas of contention that they might be faced with in life.
8. Sell services on Fiverr.
Fiverr helped give birth to the Gig Economy. Although services start out at $5, some Fiverr sellers are earning six-figure-plus revenues annually. You can sell just about anything on this platform, but to succeed and become a Super Seller, you need to deliver massive amounts of value, even at those lower price-points.
9. Do micro-jobs on Mechanical Turk.
Amazon's Mechanical Turk platform is one way you can earn money, albeit it won't make you rich by any measure. However, if you're looking to take on micro-jobs that can be done in a few minutes each, by stringing them together, you could earn some cash that might help you out if you're in a bind.
10. Tutor over Skype.
You can tutor people over Skype, no matter where you might live. This is great especially if you're a digital nomad and you're looking to earn more money than the local job market can potentially provide. Tutor people from the U.S. or U.K. if you're traveling through Asia or another low-cost-of-living country around the world.
11. Get a part-time job.
Okay, so maybe you need some cash and you already have a full-time job and you're just not comfortable making money online or trying to hustle with some web-based project. You could get a part-time job. You can kiss your social life goodbye, but it's certainly a more guaranteed additional stream of income.
12. Start a blog.
Okay, so you won't make money that fast with a blog. But, if you start a blog and deliver enormous amounts of value, you could set yourself up with a platform for ending a tremendous amount of passive income. This is something you can easily build on the side with just a few hours of work per week, but you need to stay consistent and post great content regularly.
13. Create an online course.
Create an online course with a platform like Udemy or Teachable and leverage some of your skills to create a healthy income. Depending upon how much time you invest in your course, you could make a substantial side revenue stream by creating courses that deliver tremendous amounts of value.
14. Build a sales funnel with ClickFunnels.
As an online marketer and a software engineer, I am obsessed with sales funnels. However, many people struggle with creating the proper funnel that converts. It takes a high degree of technical and marketing knowledge. However, ClickFunnels, a SaaS business with over 40,000 customers, which was started by Russell Brunson, takes all the guesswork out of that. Build a sales funnel and automate your selling with a platform like this.
15. Write an ebook.
I've long been drawn to the passive income supplied by creating an ebook and publishing an accompanied print-on-demand paperback. By using platforms like KDP and CreateSpace, both by Amazon, you can create an easily create and sell an ebook that costs nothing to produce, and a paperback that earns you money only when it sells, removing much of the prior friction it took to get published.
16. Produce an audiobook.
Use a platform like ACX to create and sell audiobooks on platforms like Audible and iTunes. If you have a great idea for a non-fiction audiobook where you can teach a difficult skill like stock trading, foreign currency investing, accounting, online marketing or others, you can easily create a five-figure monthly income with the right volume of audiobooks.
17. Become a personal chef.
Are you a good cook? You could become a personal chef and prepare meals for other people. You could easily market your services on social media or even go all out and build yourself a website. There are also plenty of websites you can use to market your services such as HireAChef.
18. Do mystery shopping.
Companies of all kinds are looking for mystery shoppers. Mystery shoppers buy in secret, documenting their experiences with the retailer. This can be done at a physical store or an online store. If you do a simple search on becoming a mystery shopper, you can likely locate several services that will assist you. Or, you can simply contact companies directly to pitch your mystery shopping services to them.
19. Write resumes.
Good at writing resumes? Use sites like LinkedIn and other professional sites to advertise your resume writing services. Do a few for free and grab some raving reviews, then watch your sales skyrocket.