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Now more than ever, people are getting tired of the mundane 9-5, corporate, cubicle, office life and wanting more flexibility and freedom.
Cue: the side hustle.
Did you know that if you snag a few of these at the same time, you can make your side hustle(s) a full-time “job”!?
You may have two or three going on at any given time, which for some people is new and exciting, while others may prefer to a set schedule. It’s entirely up to you!
Not saying it’s easy — it will be hard work to get started, but it could pay off for you in the end.
Check out these side hustle opportunities you could start today:
1. Teach English to kids in China through VIPKID and make up to $19/hour.
VIPKID is a work-from-home teaching platform that connects US/Canada based teachers with young students from China.
Anyone with a bachelor’s degree and at least one year of teaching experience can qualify to become a teacher within this program.
Teachers can earn up to an extra $2,000.00 a month, working just a few extra hours from home a week. Find out if you qualify.
2. Become a professional organizer through Sokanu and make up to $21/hour.
Become a certified professional organizer (CPO) as an independent contractor.
You can work with individual clients or work with businesses in a commercial setting.
Through the National Association of Professional Organizers, you can start the application process today to become registered. You have to pass an exam and keep that updated every three years.
On average, the hourly wage is $13.64 and can go up to $21.17. Salaries typically range from $28,370 to $44,030.
3. Start driving for Lyft or Uber and make up to $18/hour.
Be your own boss and set your own schedule.
The more you drive, the more you make. Lyft drivers make on average $18/hour with additional compensation (cash bonus on average $482, commission sharing $80, and tips on average $781).
Uber drivers make on average $15/hour with additional compensation (cash bonus on average $1,811, stock bonus $250, commission sharing $6,239 and tips $870).
4. Get paid $10-$25 per hour to grocery shop in your area.
There are a few companies out there that hire people just like you to shop and deliver groceries:
- Make $15-$25/hour with Shipt
- Make $20-$25/hour with TaskRabbit
- Make $15-$20/hour with Instacart
- Make $10-$15/hour with Postmates
- Make $10-$15/hour with Favor
To learn more about these companies, check out these 5 Ways to Get Paid to Grocery Shop.
5. Become a Brand Ambassador and make $15-$25/hour.
As a brand ambassador, you can expect to get paid anywhere from $15-$25/hour.
The more events and companies you work for, the more money you will make.
This is a fun job for those who love interacting with people and have an extroverted personality. Being a brand ambassador may require some travel to events, or you may be a brand ambassador just strictly through social media platforms.
RELATED: How to Make Money as a Brand Ambassador
6. Take up pet sitting or walking dogs and make $10-$30/hour through Rover, DogVacay, or Care.com.
The majority of people who sign up treat this as a part-time job and can typically make an average of $1,000/month while some of the more serious pet lovers can make about $2,000/month.
You have the freedom to set your rates and take on as many hours and pets as you would like.
A full-time dog sitter with DogVacay might charge $60/night and typically have about six pups at any given time.
That’s $360 for ONE NIGHT! Another example is someone who typically charges $45/night and another who charges $65/night. You can see where I am going with this.
7. Start tutoring in-person or online and make $40-$90/hour.
Most part-time tutors earn on average $25K annually. You can tutor one student for one hour a week, or you can tutor multiple students and make this a full-time gig.
Tutors need at least a high school diploma to work with students, and some employers may require a certification or license if you are working in school settings. If you are a private tutor, you may set your own rates and advertise your services.
Since tutoring is not regulated at a state or national level, both entry-level and seasoned tutors can select from tutor certification programs.
This will allow you to become certified as well as develop new competencies.
There are no licensing or professional certification requirements, but there are many options out there for voluntary certification programs.
Tutors can work from K-12 as a private tutor or tutoring company. Some areas for tutoring concentration include:
- ACT/SAT Tutoring
- GMAT Tutoring
- Writing Tutoring
- Study Skills Tutoring
8. Earn $18-$25/hour plus tips making deliveries through Amazon Flex.
Opportunities are available seven days a week, so you can work whenever you have extra time! You can make $18-$25/hour by delivering Amazon packages. Simple as that.
Find out more ways to earn on Amazon.
9. Are you good at finding flaws? User Testing or Testbirds will pay you $10-$40 per completed test.
Both User Testing and Testbirds test websites and apps for bugs, error messages, or function defaults.
You get paid anywhere from $10-$40 for a 20 minute test.
The downside to this side hustle is that opportunities go quickly. To increase your chance of landing gigs, sign up with multiple agencies.
You probably can’t make this one your solo full-time career, but it can be a very good source of income along with another side hustle or two.
10. Become a mystery shopper.
Mystery shoppers are hired by third-party companies to visit other businesses and use their services.
You act like a typical customer shopping, but you have a certain objective or task you need to do. Most do this as a part-time gig, but you can do this full-time if you can stay organized as well as sign up for multiple companies at once.
If you live in a bigger city, you will have more opportunities available, and you can expect to make a minimum of $10/assignment or $50+ for larger assignments.
Some legit companies to sign up for include:
RELATED: Can You Really Get Paid for Mystery Shopping?
11. Become a virtual assistant at Worldwide 101 and make $15-$20/hour.
You can earn anywhere from $15-$20/hour depending on your skills and experience.
Worldwide 101 typically looks for candidates with at least 7+ years of professional corporate experience with a proven track record in the job you apply for and impeccable references.
They hire for:
- Executive admin
- Marketing
- Project management
- Customer service
- Social media
- Bookkeeping
- Writing and editing
- Multilingual services
This is not a side hustle opportunity for those fresh out of college but rather those who have put in their years in a corporate setting and are ready to get out.
Side note: the Worldwide 101 team works a maximum of 25 hours a week.
12. Get involved in direct sales and make a 20-35% commission on your sales.
Our moms may have invented the side-hustle years ago. Did your mom used to sell makeup through Avon or Mary Kay, sell PartyLite candles or host Tupperware parties? Probably.
In today’s world, social media is where you spread the word and can build up quite a client base. (I’m not gonna lie, though. Your friends may not enjoy that you’re doing this on social media. Don’t be a sleazeball about it!)
So, how much money can you make being involved in direct sales?
The average commission for a consultant is 20%-35%. If you sold $500 worth of product at one time, and the commission rate was $25, you’d make $125 for just a couple hours. Most companies offer a tiered commission plan, so the more you make, the better your commission will be.
Here are some of the more popular companies that you could join today:
- Stella and Dot (Sells boutique-style jewelry and accessories)
- doTERRA (Sells essential oils)
- Younique (Sells makeup and accessories)
- BeachBody (Sells workout videos and home fitness programs)
- AdvoCare (Sells nutritional and workout supplements)
- Mary Kay (Sells cosmetics, skin, and body products)
- Avon (Sells skincare, fragrances, and beauty products)
- Jamberry Nails (Sells nail wraps, nail lacquer, and other nail care products)
13. Make $12K per year selling used books with Bookscouter.
Say what!?
First things first. Find used books. You can find used books at yard sales or garage sales, on Craigslist, OfferUp, LetGo, or eBay.
Once you do that, you need to resell the books. There are a few places that we recommend checking which include BookScouter, BuyBackTextbooks, BookFinder, Bookbyte, and Amazon Textbook Trade-In.
I found a college student selling a used chemistry book on Craigslist for $10. When I looked up the ISBN code online, I saw that I could sell it and make $90 on it!
Follow the link to learn how a stranger taught me the secret to making $12K per year selling books.
BONUS: Are you crafty? Start an Etsy shop.
If you love making handmade crafts, you might as well make money doing it! Etsy is a marketplace where people can make and sell anything. This is a great place to get your name out there and sell your goodies to others.
If you want to make the most out of your Etsy shop, follow some of these simple rules.
- Use social media platforms
- Use keywords so customers can easily search and find your products
- Realize this isn’t just going to be a hobby anymore, it’s a side hustle
Sign up for Etsy and build your online shop today!
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