To be clear, we don’t mean what is your
favorite hobby. When trying to make some extra money, it’s best to pick a side
hustle that can contribute in some way to your income stream. If you like
knitting but don’t have any friends or acquaintances who knit, then it might
not be worth your time and resources to start a knitting business just because
you enjoy the activity itself.
Think about what you’re good at, and
assess whether that’s something you could use as a side hustle. If, for
instance, you enjoy being outdoors and are an expert gardener, consider
starting up a gardening business where people pay for your services or buy your
homegrown produce.
If nothing else comes up as an option
that can be transformed into a side hustle, think about things you’d be willing
to learn more about if it meant making money on the side.
While it can take
time and effort to learn new skills or hone current ones (and those efforts may
only result in minimal income), it is possible that the experience alone will
lead to other opportunities in the future—or even get you another job with more
pay down the road!
Is
it a good fit with what you do now?
To make things easier, your new side
hustle should have some overlap with the work you do in your main career. It
might be good to explore additional income opportunities within the same
industry or field.
For example, if you’re a small business owner who
specializes in hardware and software installation services, you might want to
consider offering maintenance and troubleshooting services as well.
By doing
so, you’ll be able to take advantage of your existing knowledge and skills
while also making your primary client base happy by expanding the suite of
products or services they can purchase from you.
Another good way to find related side
hustles is by looking at complementary activities within a similar industry or
field. For example, if you’re a graphic designer for an architectural firm that
specializes in commercial building projects, it might be a good idea for you to
use your free time to look for freelance opportunities related to residential
architecture—a lifelong dream of yours that’s not adequately addressed by the
projects assigned through your current job.
You will already have experience
working with design tools such as Adobe Illustrator and SketchUp Pro since
those are used by all types of architects; this means that getting started on
these types of jobs shouldn’t take long either!
Does
it fulfill an important need in your community?
A worthwhile side hustle should fulfill
an important need in your community. For example, a dog-walking service could
be an important way to give busy pet owners the peace of mind that comes with
knowing their dogs are getting regular exercise. On the other hand, selling
goat cheese might not fulfill an important need in your community.
Is
there potential for growth?
As with any side hustle, it’s always
worth considering whether your work could become a full-time job. While this
might not happen for every side hustle, there are several reasons why aiming
for a potential career might not be such a bad idea:
Choosing
the right side hustle is about finding one that works for you.
When choosing the right side hustle,
it’s important to find one that works for you. As with full-time employment and
other investments of time, energy, and money, your side hustle is much more
likely to be successful if you genuinely like doing it!
You also need to consider how the side
hustle fits in with your current job or business. Is there a way to integrate
them? Can you sell something through your current business that complements
what you’re already doing?
For example, if you’re running a small landscaping
business serving residential customers in an affluent suburb, maybe adding lawn
mowers or weed whackers from brands like Black & Decker could be a good
move. Or maybe even gift cards to the local hardware store so customers can
make needed repairs themselves.
Finally, ask yourself: “Is this
something I can grow?” This applies whether you’re making things by hand
at home or freelancing on Upwork. When starting out with any new endeavor—whether
it’s learning how to code or restoring vintage motorcycles—identifying ways
that the project has room for growth is critical. Maybe selling custom-made
leather jackets will get old after a while; but in addition to selling
refurbished Harleys, perhaps there’s an opportunity here to start offering
motorcycle tours of famous American highways (Route 66 anyone?).
