Side gigs make money
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. After all, he is on our favorite coin. Whether you want to be more aggressive about paying off student loans , dig yourself out of credit card debt , or save toward a down payment or vacation, making extra money on the side is a smart strategy for working toward your goals.
How will you earn more money this year? You can start a freelance business with a huge variety of skills. Got a few clips under your belt? Check out this list of blogs that pay for posts , or this one of sites that pay you to write. If the site wants you to pitch ideas, email the editor with a few ideas. If the guidelines ask for a draft, write a draft. No secret phrase means your email goes straight to the trash.
Some blogs — like The Penny Hoarder! Do you always know which colors complement one another best? Can you put together an amazing book cover or website homepage in 20 minutes flat? Is creating a beautiful blog header something you can do in your sleep? Ask friends for referrals, and consider offering your services on a marketplace like Upwork. Can you build a WordPress plugin with your bare hands? Do you spend more time on Github than Facebook?
If playing with code is your thing, you can definitely turn your skills into extra income. See a plugin that works, but not perfectly? Build your own improved version. Notice a recurring issue with a WordPress theme?
Tweak it to find a fix. Want to be on-call tech support? Find a niche that needs tech-savvy help, and fill it. Web developer Ben Meredith is a great example. Breaking into the wedding business can be challenging, but start with word-of-mouth for that as well. Ask friends who are getting married whether their photographer could use a second shooter, or offer to spend a few hours taking engagement photos they can use on their wedding websites.
For stock photography, look into the submission guidelines on microstock websites like istockphoto. Wedding photographers charge a wide range of prices depending on location, experience, style and demand.
Turn your calligraphy skills into cold hard cash by offering freelance calligraphy services. While handwritten envelopes, place cards and signs are most common for weddings, you may also be able to drum up business from baby showers, birth announcements and milestone birthday parties.
15 Side Gigs To Make More Money - And Then We Saved
Expert calligraphers recommend practicing constantly, investing in quality tools and taking an introductory course. Find clients by promoting examples of your work on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and connecting with other calligraphers for potential referrals.
Look at what other sellers are charging to figure out how to set your own rates. Skilled with a paintbrush? Earn extra cash while making your neighborhood a little more beautiful. Start by asking friends and family if any rooms could use an artistic makeover; perhaps a plain room could use a cool update before a baby arrives, or a baby-themed room needs redecorating as its owner enters elementary school.
Are you a great speaker? Do you love celebrating love?
Consider a weekend side gig as a wedding officiant. Your business set-up will vary based on your state, and the legal requirements vary, but officiating weddings could be a fun side hustle. Yes, this counts as freelancing — knowing how to wrangle children is certainly a skill!
Parents, oldest siblings and former camp counselors: Look within your circle of friends and acquaintances first , as parents are more likely to trust someone they know. These are just eight of the many ways you can turn your skills into lucrative freelance businesses. Plenty of people earn extra money from something that started as a crafty hobby. Adding special touches like stones, mirrors or leather straps will help you charge more. It depends where you sell and how fancy your walking sticks are.
Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, crazy contraptions that wrap around your face — jewelry designers make all kinds of amazing products. It depends on what you sell, but remember not to price your pieces too low.
Make sure to cover the costs of materials, time, shipping, listing fees and other costs. Keep an eye on craft forums for advice from experienced designers and sellers on what sells well. Yes, I know the winter holidays are over. Start practicing holiday crafts now for next year, or create similar options for other holidays. Be creative and experiment with different price points to see what works for your creations. Consider what other crafty creations you could sell. From screenprinted T-shirts to framed prints or comic books, find a creative product that works for you.
Think outside the box here: The beauty of creating a digital product to share your knowledge is that when people ask for advice, you can point them in the direction of your ebook or course — where your knowledge is nicely packaged up and ready to go. You know enough about a subject to write a book, right? Writer Jeff Goins advises that ebooks be around 20, words, though many ebooks are even shorter. Outline your ideas, then fill in your sections with more detailed advice.
If you already blog about a particular subject, you may be able to turn your blog posts into a book! More complex than an ebook, an information product is often a package of resources that provides in-depth advice on a particular subject.
Sometimes including video or audio recordings in addition to text, info products pack a lot of training into one package, and their price often reflects that. You could work through a platform like Udemy or Pathwright , or through your own website.
Create a course around any skill — or element of a skill — you can teach. This is an especially lucrative option for those with advanced education or training in a particular subject. Whether you start your own business or join a tutoring agency, focus on higher-level subjects like math, science or foreign languages ; because this material is more challenging to master, parents are less likely to be able to support kids themselves, recommended Thayer.
Find clients through word-of-mouth, though Thayer has also had some success with using Craigslist. Meet your clients at their homes or at local libraries or coffee shops. You could earn more if you have advanced degrees or live in a big city. You may not need to get a background check for these jobs, but you will have to prove your education or expertise in a field before starting. Share your expertise through word-of-mouth; make sure friends know about your awesome abilities.
Head online to reach a wider range of clients. Consider starting your own YouTube channel by uploading short videos that teach small, bite-sized elements of your skill. Earnings vary depending on your skill and how you teach it. These programs go by many names, including continuing education, adult education and community learning, but have one thing in common: They pay instructors to share expertise with local students.
10 New Ideas for Making Money on the Side
Classes are diverse, ranging from Spanish language to making bead jewelry to cheese-making, and are usually offered by local community colleges or school boards. Keen to try it for yourself?
Adult education programs may pay hourly, a percentage of student fees, or a flat rate, according to Steve Gillman. If you love being outside and working out, why not lead boot camps in a local park? Start by offering the class to friends and family on social media, and encourage people to bring a friend.
Flexible Side Gigs to Bring in Extra Income | DailyWorth
Share your thoughts on products and services with the teams behind developing and marketing them, and you could earn cash or gift cards for your time and feedback. Researchers studying new medical treatments or human behavior need to test their ideas on subjects, and usually those guinea pigs get paid. You might have to do unusual things, though, like staying awake for hours or pooping on a set schedule.
This option is especially handy for those who live in major cities or near large universities, but those who live rurally can also participate through online trials. Be sure to read the fine print, as some university psychology research subjects are only compensated with college credit.
Is your acting Oscar-worthy? If you can pretend to be sick well enough to fool a medical student, working as a standardized patient could be a fun side job. Find these jobs at large medical schools or on online job boards like Indeed. Yes, you will likely need to be naked. But posing for art students in a legitimate class can be an interesting and lucrative side job. To find these opportunities, skip Craigslist and head to local colleges, adult education programs, art schools and even galleries.
Ask whether they offer drawing classes and ask about live model gigs. Moms have made news lately for selling extra breast milk , and sperm donation has long been an option for men. Need a less-invasive option? Not convinced any of the above ideas will work for you? Try one of these crazy jobs and weird businesses. Which of your interests or skills could fill a need in the marketplace?
You read that right: Renting chickens to fledgling farmers is a growing business, according to chicken entrepreneur Tyler Phillips. The target market ranges from families with young children, to schools and daycares, to people wanting to test out the idea of raising chickens in their backyards. Traditional candles smelled too girly, thought year-old Hart Main.
Why not sell scents like bacon, pizza, dirt and sawdust? Each candle comes in a real soup can and the company donates the soup to a local community kitchen. Rather than sinking your life savings into a product that requires a ton of testing and paperwork, try low-risk inventions that fill a need. Who could have predicted the success of the Pet Rock? To generate ideas, try a few of these strategies suggested by Steve Gillman:.
Create a low-cost prototype. Crowdfund on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, submit your idea to innovation lab Quirky , or simply bootstrap until you sell enough products to cover additional production costs.
Making money on the side is a smart way to pay off your debt faster or boost your savings account.
Whether you start a small business, freelance with your existing skills or find a way to make money from a hobby, let this be the year you start earning extra money. This postoriginally appeared in , but we brought it back to help you make more money on the side in We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here.
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