What's this buzz word “side hustle” you keep seeing everywhere on the internet?
We are now entering a “gig economy“, where this free market system allows people to bank on short-term and project-based work by working as independent freelancers.
This study by Intuit even suggests that by 2020, more than 40% of American workers will be independent contractors! Sure, side hustles used to get a bad rep. Mostly from the word “hustle”, which yields negative connotations such as fraud and swindling money from the innocent.
For millennials, this trend towards side hustling is not an entirely bad thing. As the cost of living and mounting student debts are rising, the option of making money from a side hustle or two provides hope, financial security and even vast career and business opportunities!
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to start a side hustle of your own, let's touch briefly on what it actually is.
In this post, you'll learn:
- the 8 benefits of side hustles
- 9 side hustles you can start today
- 50+ side hustle resources and ideas
Bonuses you'll get:
- Ultimate Side Hustle Binder-write down all your side hustle ideas in this binder and start side hustling NOW!
Make sure to read to the end of this post for these awesome resources!
Contents
What is a side hustle?
A side hustle is essentially a great way to do something you love during your spare time without quitting your day job. It's sort of a lucrative hobby that is flexible and allows you a certain amount of freedom in terms of what kind of work you choose to do.
You can take a simple idea that fills a demand, launch it and even grow it into your own business and work for yourself.
Beyond the financial gains from your side hustle or hustles, it yields some unexpectedly life-changing benefits.
In this post, you'll discover the personal, social and financial benefits of starting a side hustle, plus 11 side hustles you can easily start today!
8 Life-Changing Benefits of Side Hustles
1. Gain life experience and opportunities
When you have a side hustle, you're going to learn many new things along the way. That's because it's outside the realm of your comfort zone and forces you to improve your skills within a short period of time.
By starting a side hustle or two, you'll also expand the realm of your knowledge, interests and opportunities.
When it comes to starting a side business or hustle, learning how to communicate is key. Thus, not only will you gain life experience, you'll see be exposed to new and different opportunities your day job does not offer!
2. Have extra financial security
Back then when I was a part-time piano teacher, my income was erratic. Depending on the time of year, my income will fluctuate outside of my control.
As I live in an expensive city, I needed to feel secure about my financial situation.
That was the beginning of my obsession with having a side hustle. I always had more than one job at a time, for that extra financial security. Without another source of income, I would feel utterly vulnerable to sudden life events or changes.
That's one of the life-changing benefits of side hustle: the extra source of income or cash helps you plan your life better, have emergency money as well as provide you and your family a sense of security.
3. Provides you with a sense of purpose
Your side hustle is not just your best friend when you need extra dough. It also provides you with a sense of purpose, that nothing else can provide.
Sure, having a hobby might also give you something to focus on after you finished work at your day job. However, a side hustle usually involves some form of responsibility.
Instead of doing it just for fun, a side hustle keeps you accountable as you're responsible for delivering a service, product or given a deadline to complete a project.
4. Gives you more options and choices in life
When I started thinking about starting my Pinterest VA business, my main motivation was to have more freedom.
The extra income would definitely help me pursue my goals, as well as provide me with more options in life.
From how I enjoy my daily life to who I choose to spend time with, my side hustle turned full-time job gave me more options!
Instead of feeling stuck with a job and life I hated, I felt as if I had control over how I spent my day. I could also distract myself with my side hustle(s) whenever I felt sad or frustrated with my job.
Having a side hustle allowed me to imagine a life with more choices, instead of having to bow down to the status quo and less-than-ideal life circumstances.
5. Expands your knowledge and mindset
Side hustles could literally transform your life, financially and mentally. On top of acquiring new skills to help you adapt to huge life changes, you will also be able to quickly change careers if need be.
For example, I used to be in the music education industry but now am in the social media and online marketing space. It is a huge change, but that is okay.
Expanding my skill set widens my knowledge and expertise, as well as my sources of income.
Furthermore, I no longer feel anxious that I might one day lose my job and cannot support myself. That's because I have many skills that will make me money. More skills mean more money!
6. Allows more flexibility for your finances
When it comes to running your own business and being an entrepreneur, one of the biggest risk is the lack of income stability.
If you're side hustling while keeping your day job, however, the extra income provides you with flexibility and security!
Instead of worrying about how you're going to survive your next rent and car payment, your side hustle or hustles will give you that extra peace of mind.
Another great thing about the extra income from side hustles is that you now have more choices in life. Sometimes, it's not about having more money to splash and have fun. It's the mere availability of choices that make us feel free, and thus much happier!
7. Transforms your mindset
Before I started side hustling and writing about side hustles, I never knew these 25 unusual side hustles even existed! Little did I know about this world that was so foreign to me.
Slowly but surely, these unique side hustle ideas changed my mindset.
Instead of being stuck with the traditional way of making money, which means slaving away doing more than one part-time job or getting a full-time day job, I started to realise the power of side hustles.
I can honestly tell you that I've made around $10,000 from blogging, Pinterest virtual assisting as well as freelance writing.
All these have opened up my eyes to new possibilities and expanded my mindset about myself, money and career.
8. Improves your self-worth and confidence by getting you out of your comfort zone
Before doing side hustles as a way to make extra income, I lacked confidence in terms of my income. Feeling worthless because of my low income, I began to lack self confidence and started to hate myself.
It's not because I value myself entirely on my income! More often than not, the feeling of helplessness was the root cause to my frustration.
Everyday, I would try to find solutions to my financial situation and come up blank.
It wasn't because I have never thought of side hustling or had the chance to pursue side hustles. The fact that I just point blank thought to myself, “it won't work” was stopping myself from finally making the income I wanted.
The turning point came when one day, I just could not stay in my toxic work environment any longer. Nobody gave a sh*t about the quality of work, including my boss. He even told me himself that he was tired of running the business.
Confronted with my escalating frustration and depression, I decided to give this one side hustle a try. It's my first step towards stepping out of my “financial comfort zone”.
9 Side Hustle Ideas To Start Today!
1. Freelance with Fiverr
Do you have a skill or two that you think would benefit business owners, bloggers and entrepreneurs? Whether it is social media skills or mad graphic design chops, you can sell them on Fiverr!
All you have to do is decide which skill you'd like to bank on, create an account with Fiverr and start making money.
2. Sell your art or craft with Zazzle
Do you have a knack for making arts and crafts? Selling your craft has never been easier now than ever!
My favorite thing about Zazzle is the humorous products that are just so unique and heartwarming, that I just can't find anywhere else.
From funny dad t-shirts to hilarious gift cards, Zazzle has it all. So if you are artsy and a great sense of humor, why not make some money from it on Zazzle?
Start making money with your art or craft as a designer with Zazzle here.
3. Teach foreign language online
Are you fluent with foreign languages other than English?
It's time to bank on your unique ability to speak fluently in sought after languages such as French, Spanish and more.
All you have to do is sign up as a teacher with Foreign Languages for Kids here. They already have lesson plans and the tools you need to become a professional foreign language teacher here.
Do you use social media everyday and have a good amount of followers? As an influencer on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, you can make money just by sharing products you love with Magic Links!
Yes, you can make money by referring people to products you already use or love using.
Signing up for an account with Magic Links is super easy.
So far, I've already made $17.67 passively from affiliate links I posted on Pinterest months ago. I mean it's not like I can survive on this paycheck, but at least it's still a meal, no?
5. Pin all day long and make money from it
Out of all the side hustles I've tried so far, Pinterest virtual assissting is still my favorite. My second favorite is of course blogging!
But first, let's talk briefly about how you make money by pinning professionally on Pinterest. Basically, I manage Pinterest profiles for business owners, bloggers and online sellers.
For more info on how I make a full-time income as a Pinterest VA, feel free to drop by this post.
*Psssttt…Become A Pinterest VA Today! is not always open for enrolment. So get yourself on the waitlist here for discounts and early bird promotions! Don't miss out! I myself saved almost $300 by getting myself on their email list.
6. Start a blog and make money affiliate marketing
Starting a blog is one of the best things I've ever done in 2018. Since launching this blog, I have made at least $1200 from it. Most of my income is from affiliate marketing.
The great thing about affiliate marketing is having recurring income MONTHS after the work is done.
If you would like to learn more about how to make money affiliate marketing, I highly recommend this course. It's the ONLY course I took that taught me everything about affiliate marketing.
But first, you'd definitely need to invest in your own hosting here.
I use Bluehost and love it!!
Every time I have a technical issue or any problems with my website, Bluehost provides the best customer service by helping me solve my problems on the spot. Their 24/7 online chat is amazing, and I highly recommend getting a Bluehost domain if you're serious about starting a blog business.
7. Write articles on Hubpages
I stumbled onto Hubpages a while ago, and found it a great way to make extra cash with my writing. It's a great way to practice your writing chops, as well as save money on hosting if you don't want to start a blog.
Hubpages is a great place for you to make some money from articles if you have very niche-based topics to write about and have a consistent writing schedule. Instead of doing all the promotion and marketing yourself, Hubpages is already an established website with a good amount of traffic.
It's a great place to start as a beginner freelance writer. So get yourself a FREE account with Hugpages today and get typing!
8. Start your very own proofreading business
Do you have a pair of eagle eyes and squirm whenever you see a grammatical or spelling error? Don't waste your proofreading talents! You might be a great proofreader and you don't even know it!
The most comprehensive and best course to become a freelance proofreader is of course Caityln Johanna's Proofread Anywhere.
Discovering her course on Facebook triggered my journey towards creating my own online business and an immense interest in freelancing and side hustling.
I owe my life transformation to Proofread Anywhere. As even though I did not end up becoming a freelance proofreader, the mindset tips I learnt from the course has helped me realise my unlimited potential, ultimately helped me quit my job and create the life I now truly love.
If you are looking for online proofreading jobs you can start doing, here's a list of 21 beginner proofreading jobs you might like.
9. Create your online course with Teachable
Are you extremely knowledgeable in a topic? Never discount what you know, especially when it comes to anything to do with online marketing, social media tips and business hacks!!
You can easily create your very own online course with Teachable, set up sales funnels for it and make recurring passive income for years to come.
It's easy to setup an account with Teachable. What I love best about this platform is the free webinars and resources they provide to help you succeed as an online course creator and seller.
More Side Hustle Ideas
Don't like any of the side hustle ideas I've mentioned?
Here are more side hustle ideas for you to choose from:
- Epic List of Side Hustle Ideas-Believe In A Budget
- 99 Side Hustle Business Ideas
- 12 Epic Podcasts for Side Hustle Ideas You Can Start Too
Related posts:
The Ultimate Side Hustle Binder
Every successful venture starts with the first step.
Just like Elon Musk who said “the first step is to establish that it's possible“, I believe writing down your thoughts is a powerful way to manifest what you want in life!
To help you get started with the perfect side hustle idea for you, I've created this super handy “ultimate side hustle binder”.
What's inside:
- Side Hustle Brainstorm Worksheet
- Top 5 Side Hustle Ideas To Try+Action Steps
- Side Hustle Income Tracker
Want a copy of this FREE resource? Make sure to drop your name and email below!