What exactly is a side hustle? Dictionary.com defines it as “a job or occupation that brings in extra money beyond one’s regular job and main source of income”. In today’s volatile economy, more people are increasingly opting to pursue a side hustle to improve their financial security.
However, it is not always just about the extra money, it can be more than that – this kind of supplemental endeavor can make your life richer and more fulfilling by offering an excellent outlet for the passions and talents that your day job doesn’t always utilise.
To start a successful side hustle, you need to find something that will complement your skills and your lifestyle. Before you start, you must determine how much spare time you have, choose something that dovetails well with your interests and skills, make sure that there are no conflicts of interest with your day job, and decide what budget, if any, you are willing to invest in the venture. And then, all that’s left for you to do is to start!
If starting a side hustle interests you, then read on for inspirational ideas on some of the most successful side hustles out there:
Transport: Buying a new car is not traditionally considered a good investment as it depreciates so quickly. Unless, however, you are using it to generate income. You can use your vehicle in several ways to create a successful side hustle, depending on what kind of vehicle you have.
If you have a sedan, hatchback, or SUV for example, you can start a secure lifting service for school-going children. If you have a bakkie, then you can use it to start a mini-moving operation. Or, if you own a trailer, you can offer a weekly garden refuse or building rubble removal service.
Teach: Teaching can be a lucrative and rewarding side hustle and it can take many forms – from teaching English or other languages online to international students, through to offering tutoring for school-going children. Extra lessons particularly in subjects such as Math and English are in demand. Creating online courses that you sell online or offering after-hour in-person classes teaching crafts, cooking, music, fitness or life skills, there are so many options…
Freelance: Whatever you are doing in your day job, why not try doing it for a few extra hours in a freelance capacity? Alternatively, you can choose another skill that you excel at and look for freelance jobs doing this instead. Some of the more popular freelance jobs include web design, writer and editor, graphic designer, bookkeeper, virtual assistant, life coach and digital media specialist.
Buy and Sell: Buying items that can be resold is an excellent and proven side hustle for someone who loves to shop. If you’d like to start selling products in an online store, you’ll require an ecommerce website, which is relatively easy and affordable to set-up. The products you choose can be imported, sourced locally, or created by yourself. Alternatively, you can source secondhand items that you fix and resell on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook Marketplace. You can also join a company like Honey, Amway or Doterra that uses multi-level marketing where you recruit other sellers to generate a profit by selling their products.
Renting: South Africa is well known for its many large residential properties, and renting out some of the extra space to tenants or guests can be a comparatively easy way to generate extra income. You can opt to rent out a room or a cottage on your property to permanent tenants who will pay you a monthly rental. Websites such as Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or Private Property are great for finding tenants. Or you can choose to rent these spaces out to paying visitors and tourists, using platforms such as Airbnb.
Repping: One of the main dilemmas in almost any business is finding customers. Sales representatives, otherwise known as reps, can help – they help to sell a business’ services or products to new clients. Being a sales rep can be a very lucrative side hustle, although it will take some time to grow your income, which is usually calculated on a percentage of the sales that you generate. However, it can be a solid and ongoing source of an almost passive income once you’re established.
Beauty: We all like to look and feel good, which is why focusing on beauty services can be a fun and lucrative side hustle. You can either travel to each client individually or turn one of the rooms in your home into a mini salon. Popular beauty side hustles include doing nails, eyelash extensions, massages and special event hair and make-up.
House & pet sitting: Pet sitting is a great side hustle if you love animals, and if you do it well, it will almost always lead to repeat work. It entails going to somebody’s home daily, feeding their pets and giving them some love and attention while their owners are away on holiday. You can also opt to house sit, which involves moving into somebody’s home to look after their property and their pets while they are away.
Whatever the motivation for starting a side hustle – it can be a lucrative and life-enriching experience.
The Get Coached Podcast hosted by Catherine Zimba offers some great tips on side hustles. Find out more here: https://getcoachedpodcast.co.za/?page_id=19
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