Looking for a cheap side hustle that can help you make some quick buck?
Or looking for a part-time business you can start with just your skills and grow into a profitable business?
You are not alone.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 60% of today’s global population need more than one job to survive.
Safe to say that in today’s world, having a single job or business isn’t enough for the majority of us.
While there are a few lucky exceptions, most people would need side hustles to complement their monthly income if they want to live a good life.
So, in this article, we’ll look at 10 side hustles that you can start from nothing to grow your monthly income. I started out with number 7 on the list. Shh!
Graphics & Design
Design is one of the easiest side hustles to start.
Not only are design learning tools available in abundance, there are also a lot of DIY tools that can help newbies to quickly go through the learning curve.
With graphics and design, you could carve a niche in so many categories and even build a brand from there.
Here are some niches you can target:
- Business prints and flyers
- UI/UX Design
- YouTube thumbnails
- Logos and brand designs
- Shirt prints and souvenirs
- Etc.
The good news is that you don’t even have to be a pro to start building a career in graphics and design.
You could easily outsource the core job or use one of the many online graphics design tools.
eCommerce Jacking
This is a real hustler’s delight.
eCommerce Jacking is simply helping people sell things online.
You don’t have to own any products or inventory, and you don’t have to build your own website.
I’ve done this several times on classifieds websites and there is really money in it.
Many people also do this via social media platforms such as Facebook groups or on Twitter trends.
The idea with making money doing eCommerce Jacking is to simply match demands.
Find a market in need of a product, usually a trendy product that you can see a lot of people buying.
Then find a merchant who has this product in abundance, but doesn’t have any online presence.
Then you talk to the merchant, strike a deal, and take photos of the item.
After that, post the item on any eCommerce platform or social media product page, with the price of the item slightly higher due to your added commission.
Start selling.
Video Editing
With the growth of Video vines like YouTube and TikTok, there’s been a higher demand for people skilled at video editing.
Now, most brand influencers do not only need pictures of products, they also need high-quality product videos that are professionally edited.
Video editing isn’t easy to learn or master, but could be the perfect side hustle for a creative who enjoys tinkering with motion pictures.
I’ve tried my hands on video editing, and I must say that it’s quite complex even for a person like me who considers himself a creative.
So, before dabbling into video editing, make sure it is something you enjoy doing and have the required skills to deliver.
Social Media Growth Hacking
Social media has really opened up a lot of markets and created new niches.
Before 2010, there was nothing like social media growth hacking.
Everyone was just excited to use social media for checking up on friends and family, and posting about their lifestyle.
Fast-forward to today, the current social media saturation has created the need to hack the media in order to create visibility.
People need to be seen if they want to create an audience and have any influence.
And that’s where a social media growth hacker comes into play.
To do this, you have to be skilled in creating viral contents and grabbing attention towards building followership.
While this skill could be learned, it is quite a nerdy skill and would demand a lot of social media time.
So, it is best suited to a social media addict who knows where to go to grab the right amount of attention and make money.
SEO Consulting
This is one of the most technical and useful skills you can unleash as a side hustle.
Without Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you wouldn’t be reading this article right now.
In fact, at the tail end of last year 2022, I had to spend over $1,500 to hire two SEO pros to help me solve a recurring SEO issue on this site.
So, that’s an average of $750 from one client. If you get just 5 clients per month, that’s $3,750 in pure profit.
Rinse and repeat that, and you have a side hustle that can translate into a very profitable small business.
eBook Publishing
eBook publishing is one of the easiest ways to earn passive income online.
I believe that it is one of the most sustainable online businesses anyone can build, as long as you have the right skills and are willing to put in the work.
You could publish a body of work on Amazon KDP and before long start receiving monthly paychecks for royalties earned.
Now, eBook publishing isn’t for everyone. If you don’t enjoy researching and writing content, then you shouldn’t consider eBook publishing as a side hustle.
You don’t want to be caught plagiarizing other people’s works or spinning a movie into a fiction book.
eBook publishing is great for creatives who have full-time jobs but are looking for channels to express their creative writing skill while earning something on the side.
If you’ve ever received genuine compliments for a written work, then you should consider eBook publishing as a side hustle.
If you’ve ever written an article or story and thought to yourself, “wow, I should be doing more of this”, then maybe you should try your luck publishing some eBooks.
Copywriting
Copywriting was my first love when it comes to side hustling online.
I made my first income online by doing a few copywriting gigs, even though I was as green as a leaf back then.
That should tell you that anyone with a good writing background can take up copywriting as a legitimate side hustle for making money.
The average copywriter today makes about $500 per copy if their skill level is above intermediate level.
So, if you’re skilled in copywriting, and have a portfolio of sample works, you can start applying for freelance copywriting jobs as a side hustle.
Comedy Script Writing
Comedy script writing is one of the fastest growing niches today in the digital space.
What most people don’t know is that most of the comedy short films, skits, and vines you watch online are scripted.
Comedy script writing is hard because you have to know how to come up with content ideas to make people laugh.
Hence, comedy script writers are sought-after and paid really well.
If you are a natural comic and can imagine ways to make people laugh, then you could take up comedy script writing as a side hustle.
Most comedy script writers also double-up as comedy directors, so that could translate to double income for a simple weekend side gig.
Web Development
The truth is, all my life, I’ve never met a part-time web developer.
All the web developers I know do web development full time and make money from it.
It would be quite difficult or even possible for anyone to pick up a few web development skills and end up with a side hustle.
The only people who take up web development side gigs are people who ready work in web dev jobs.
And they wouldn’t need to be reminded to look up side gigs online that pay reasonable income.
So, why add this to the list.
Web development was added to this list as a reminder to anyone thinking of switching careers into tech or a fresh starter looking for a skill that could guarantee an upward career trajectory and a huge income.
If that’s you, what are you waiting for?
Ghostwriting
Finally, the niche for ghosts.
Ok, that’s literally.
I’ve made money in the past doing ghostwriting jobs, but I’m not a ghost, not even in the literal sense.
My first ghostwriting job was a long-term project where I helped a client write eBooks on a series of technical subjects.
All the client did was pay me off, and slapped their name as the author of the book.
I got paid, I was happy and the client was happy.
Well, a happy ghost makes a peaceful society.
Forgive me for being satirical.
The crux of the matter is that you can do ghostwriting as a side hustle and write content for people incognito.
You only have to know your niche where you are very knowledgeable and have the necessary writing skills to deliver compelling content.
The good news is that ghostwriters are well paid.
The average fee for a ghostwriting project is almost on par with that of a copywriting project, as most copywriting projects are written by ghostwriters anyways.
So, it’s quite lucrative and could serve as a financially fulfilling way to earn a side income.