Navigating today’s dynamic economic and professional landscape often means looking for ways to earn some additional income beyond the traditional 9-to-5 job. Enter the side hustle: a way to bolster income, follow passions, or transition into a new role or industry.
But what exactly is a side hustle? How should you approach it? And which gigs are worth your time? In this article, we explain why you should consider a side hustle, provide tips on starting a successful side hustle, and offer 12 ideas to consider.What is a side hustle?
A side hustle is a way to make money outside of your primary job. It’s an additional job or endeavor that you can take on, both for extra income and also often to pursue a passion, test a business idea, or gain experience in a different field.
Side hustles can include freelancing, selling handmade crafts, starting a blog, or driving for ride-share services. They offer flexibility, allowing individuals to work on them during their free time while still maintaining their primary employment.
Side hustles have become increasingly prevalent in the gig economy. High inflation through 2022 and into early 2023 drove many people to look for ways to earn extra money. But the perspective about what work looks like has changed, as have the technologies used to access work. Instead of applying to a second major company to work a part-time job in addition to their full-time work, many people are creating home offices and working online.
A 2023 survey from Bankrate found 39% of Americans had a side hustle, and a 2021 survey from Dollar Sprout found 14% of side hustlers earned more than $1,500 a month. These jobs are easy to find, lucrative, and often fulfilling.
Reasons to consider a side hustle
Side hustles have many benefits. You may want to consider a side hustle if you want to:
Make extra income or pay off debts. Whether you’re eyeing a special purchase or aiming to free yourself from student loans or credit card debt, a side hustle can be the key to unlocking those financial goals.
Develop a new skill. Whether it’s honing a professional talent or diving deep into a personal hobby, side hustles offer a platform to learn and grow, and get compensated in the process.
Make a career change. Feel trapped or uninspired in your 9-to-5? A side venture in a field you’re passionate about can serve as a steppingstone to a more fulfilling professional life.
Pursue a passion. Maybe it’s the joy of working with animals or crafting unique art pieces. Side hustles can allow you to indulge in what you love, adding a layer of satisfaction to your daily life.
Be your own boss. With a side hustle, you’re at the helm. The autonomy to set your hours, define your terms, and be your own boss can be both liberating and empowering.
How to start a successful side hustle
We offer five main steps to launching a successful side hustle in your free time.
Side hustle steps:
Identify your skill set
Research the market
Plan your side hustle
Set up your side hustle
Promote and grow your side hustle
1. Identify your skill set
The first step to starting a successful side hustle is identifying your skills and interests. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? What do you want to get better at? Do you have any qualifications or training, like certifications or degrees?
Consider each factor and think about how it could be turned into a lucrative side hustle. Additionally, consider areas you want to avoid or jobs you dislike.
You likely already have the skills you need to earn some extra cash. Choosing an in-demand skill for your side hustle can help you get started more quickly.
2. Research the market
Once you’ve identified your skill set, research trending platforms. Check out e-commerce platforms like Etsy, Amazon, and Shopify to identify gaps in the market and connect with other people to better understand the landscape.
What seems to be working well for other side hustlers? What can you implement? You should also reach out to friends with side hustles and see what they enjoy as part of your research. Don’t forget to look at Upwork’s Hourly Rates Guide to figure out how much you can charge for your services.
A key part of market research is identifying your ideal customer. How old are they? Where do they shop? What’s their online behavior and family setup? You can create buyer personas with names to help you remember who you are trying to reach with your side hustle.
3. Plan your side hustle
Develop a business plan for your side hustle. What is your startup strategy? How much time do you have to dedicate to your hustle each week or month?
Assess if you can invest any upfront costs and figure out who your ideal customer will be. Determining what your benchmarks of success look like before you start can help alleviate frustration.
A well-rounded business plan can help you create a side hustle that can grow with intention.
4. Set up your side hustle
Depending on your side hustle, you may need to set up a social media presence. Create a branded email address, register on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork, or build your online storefront. If applicable, create branded pages on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to drive customers to your website or email.
If your side hustle includes a part-time job for Uber, Lyft, Rover, or Instacart, ensure you meet the necessary requirements. And don’t forget you’ll have to follow any related legal and tax rules. This should go into your business plan so you aren’t hurting come tax time.
5. Promote and grow your side hustle
Once your basics are set up, promote your side hustle through social media and word of mouth to start earning extra money. Post on your platforms and tell friends and family what you’re up to so they can pass it along, too. Consider vertical video marketing on TikTok or Instagram to reach new customers.
As your side hustle grows, think about ways to expand your income streams for a more passive or lucrative income. Referrals, customer reviews, and word of mouth are powerful marketing tools. Don’t forget to refer to your business plan as you grow to make sure you’re hitting your goals.
12 side hustle ideas to consider
We offer 12 side hustle ideas to get you started.
Best side hustles:
Freelance writing
Social media management
Pet sitting or dog walking
Virtual assistance
Online tutoring
E-commerce or dropshipping
Ridesharing
Food delivery
Babysitting
Bookkeeping
Affiliate marketing
Podcasting
Freelance writing
Do you have writing skills or experience from your primary job or schooling? Freelance writers offer their expertise in storytelling, writing, and editing for pieces like blogs, articles, press releases, and more.
Platforms like Upwork make it easy to explore available writing jobs, and you can make between $15 and $40 an hour. Check out our guide on how to set your freelance writing rate.
Social media management
A social media manager helps create social media posts and a growth strategy for an individual or brand. Social media manager tasks include creating and managing content calendars, creating content like photos and videos for social media, engaging with followers, managing direct messages and comments, and tracking analytics for trends.
If you have experience growing a brand on social media, whether it’s your own or a company page, you can apply those skills to this growing field for between $14 and $35 an hour.
Pet sitting or dog walking
If you’re interested in animals or have pets of your own, consider a pet-related side job. Many pet owners are willing to pay for help taking care of their pets. You can offer to walk dogs at specific times or visit a house to feed a cat while an owner is away on platforms like Rover. And you set your own rates, with average rates of around $19 an hour.
Keep in mind that dogs and cats aren’t the only pets who need sitters. You can differentiate yourself in this field by specializing in care for birds, snakes, lizards, and other pets. Like babysitting, customer referrals can help.
Babysitting
Don’t underestimate babysitting as a side gig. Babysitters can care for children of all ages, play with kids, and help with homework.
You can make anywhere from around $7 to $24 an hour taking care of kids. Babysitting gigs usually have an age requirement of 18 and may ask for references or certifications like CPR. Keep in mind most babysitting gigs take place on nights and weekends.
Virtual assistance
A virtual assistant can make between $10 and $20 an hour providing administrative service to clients remotely. You may need experience as an administrative assistant or office manager, but new opportunities are opening up all the time.
Typical tasks might include organizing files, managing email accounts, making travel arrangements, or taking phone calls. As a virtual assistant, you may have set hours each week, but some jobs are more flexible and allow you to work in your spare time.
Online tutoring
Online tutors typically provide academic or professional assistance to others over the internet. Responsibilities might include helping elementary children with homework, tutoring high school students for the SAT or ACT, or preparing college students for exams.
You might even tutor English as a second language (ESL). You can also teach creative skills like musical instruments, voice lessons, photography, or painting, if those are your greatest skills.
To make yourself stand out, consider earning a certificate through the Association for the Coaching and Tutoring Profession (ACTP) or National Tutoring Association (NTA). Once you’re ready to start, check out online tutoring jobs on Upwork.
Online tutoring rates average about $18 an hour.
E-commerce or dropshipping
Dropshipping allows you to sell a product directly to a customer without having to buy any inventory. The manufacturer creates the product and does the shipping for you, leaving you with just marketing and customer service work.
Check out platforms like Shopify, eBay, Amazon, and Etsy. You can also partner with companies to promote their e-commerce sites. Dropshippers can make $19 an hour.
You can also sell handmade items or thrifted items in an online shop as a side gig. The majority of e-commerce business owners make between $34 and $44 an hour, and the average hourly pay is $55 an hour.
Ride-sharing
If you own a car, enjoy driving, and like meeting new people, ride-sharing is something to consider. Platforms like Uber and Lyft are great side hustle options, especially near airports and during high-profile events like sports games or concerts.
The ride-sharing space has been recovering steadily since the pandemic. The global ride-sharing market was valued at $59.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $205.8 billion by 2030.
However, many variables can determine your earnings as a driver. Apps usually take a service fee from each ride, but you’ll typically keep 100% of your tips, bringing the average rate to $16 an hour.
Food delivery
If you enjoy driving but don’t want strangers in your car, you can become a food delivery driver, taking food orders from restaurants to customers using platforms like DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Postmates. There’s also Instacart or Spark Driver (Walmart’s delivery app) for grocery delivery.
Food delivery drivers also make an average of $16 an hour.
Bookkeeping
Bookkeepers manage a company’s financial accounts and make sure everything is accurate and organized.
If you’re detail-oriented and enjoy working with numbers, bookkeeping gigs could be for you. Bookkeepers can make between $11 and $25 an hour doing tasks such as completing payroll, recording incoming and outgoing funds, and generating invoices.
One thing to note: Bookkeeping is different from accounting. While bookkeeping mostly deals with recording finances, accounting interprets those financial documents to prepare statements, analyze costs, and prepare for taxes.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing allows you to make passive income by earning a commission for marketing another company’s products. Your sales are tracked via affiliate links from one site to another, and affiliate marketers typically make an average of $19 an hour.
Affiliate marketers can sell both physical objects and services, like tutorials and guides—the only catch is you have to disclose that you’re receiving a commission off the product. Amazon Associates, AvantLink, CJ.com, and ClickBank are examples of large media sites with affiliate marketing programs.
Consider this side hustle if you have a penchant for small business.
Podcasting
Do you have an idea for a podcast or run an existing podcast? You can monetize this side gig, too. Your earnings are usually tied to the number of monthly downloads, sponsorships, or affiliate sales you make. Sponsors usually pay a cost per thousand (or cost per mille) downloads, with a range from $18 to $50 CPM.
Expand your audience to attract advertisers and sponsorships, ask for donations, offer paid memberships, or create bonus premium content for subscribers. You can also take podcasting gigs on other people’s shows.
Note that podcasting may have an upfront investment cost for microphones and equipment.
Get started with your side hustle today
Whether you want to make more money for a big life event, explore your passions, or be your own boss, side hustles are a great way to supplement your income and activities.
Pick something you’re passionate about, and there’s likely to be a way to make it a side gig. Get started with your side hustle today by checking the freelance jobs available on Upwork.
