Side hustles are a really great way to earn extra cash in today’s economy! If you want to make more money or you are looking for a way to gain experience in a new field, then side hustling is the perfect option to help you reach your goals.
Starting a side hustle has so many opportunities.
You can earn extra money while learning a new skill, turn your hobby into extra cash, start your own business, or even turn your side hustle into your full time job.
My side hustle has turned into my part-time job while I’m a stay at home mom. I started working online by doing data entry and a few other jobs that helped me earn $1000 per month. Now my blog is the main focus for my side hustle and I LOVE it!
There are so many benefits to having a side hustle. Obvious benefits like making money to put towards paying off debt or saving money, but you gain so much more when you choose to start a side hustle. For me, working a side hustle gives me the chance to actually use my brain and take on a new challenge while being a stay at home mom. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids, but I also love learning new things and taking action in my business.
Side Hustle Quiz
You may be wondering what is a side hustle and how do you choose the best side hustle for you.
Basically, it’s a way to make money on the side of your regular job or responsibilities. Side hustle jobs can be anything ranging from a part time job at the mall to walking dogs to online work at home jobs.
There are so many options when it comes to choosing a side hustle. Everyone who wants a side hustle doesn’t have the same goals, time investment, or flexibility.
So we created the Side Hustle Quiz to help you narrow down your options for a side hustle!
Choosing a Side Hustle
~ This article may contain affiliate links. Read the full privacy policy here ~
There are a few things that you should consider when choosing a side hustle. Think back to when you were choosing the perfect career. There were a few things you considered like your dreams for what your future holds. So many people make the mistake of working any old side hustle they can find without thinking through what they actually want from their side hustle. These steps below will help you find the right side hustle!
Create a List of Your Skills and Interests
Start out by making a list of your skills and things that you love to do.
This is the time to really explore your strengths and the things that you enjoy. There are endless opportunities to start a side hustle, and the good news is that you don’t have to start a business to begin working a side hustle doing something you love.
Do you love to teach? Are you good at writing or proofreading? Do you love social media? Do you love to DIY and craft? Do you enjoy talking to people? Do you love helping people solve their problems? Are you a storyteller?
When you start with a list of things that you love and skills that are your strengths, you are in control of the type of side hustle you can start. And it makes working your side hustle easier because it will be something that you are excited about doing.
Consider Your Availability
We all want to make a lot of money while not investing too much of our time, right? Making money while you sleep would be amazing! Unfortunately, when you are beginning a side job it requires a lot of your time.
It’s important to set your goals in alignment with how much time you can actually invest into your side hustle. If you are overwhelmed with work, being a mom, and other life circumstances you may not be able to put in as many hours as you want to.
When we are dreaming and setting big goals for our side hustle, we can forget about the details like our schedules and when the work will get done.
It’s important that you know it’s ok to work towards a job or income goal on your own timeline. It may take you longer to start earning the money you hope to bring in from your side hustle.
Speaking from my experience, I think the best stay at home jobs for moms are the ones that have flexibility and are project based. When I first started working these jobs gave me the freedom to work when it was convenient for me.
Explore Income Potential
Do you need to know how to make money fast? Or are you comfortable with working a side job that has the potential to make unlimited income over time.
There are 2 ways to make money with your side hustle.
You can work for an employer as an independent contractor or employee.
The second way to make money is by starting your own business. You create products or services to sell and make money when someone purchases those.
Typically working in a position for a company as either an independent contractor or employee, your income doesn’t grow exponentially. There are limits to how much money you can make because it is based on the pay of the employer.
If you start your own business, then your earning potential is unlimited. You have the opportunity to make more products or provide additional services, you can raise prices, and as the business owner you receive all the profits. It sounds great! However, running a small business definitely is more involved than being an employee. Earning income in the beginning may take longer as you work to establish your business and find clients or customers.
I chose to start side hustling by working for a few different online companies that paid between $10 – $15 per hour. It was a great way for me to start making money and be able to eventually invest in starting my own business with Smart Cents Mom.
Ultimate Side Hustles Online
The ultimate side hustle really depends on YOU…your flexibility and schedule. This list has some of the most popular side hustles in 2019.
Social Media Manager
Graphic Design
Web Design
Think About When to Start Making Money
If you are anything like me, then you are excited about having a side hustle and you want to get started on it as fast as possible.
When we start dreaming about our goals and ways to make them a reality, we can get ahead of ourselves. Depending on the type of side hustle you start, it could take awhile before you start making money. My first side hustle in data entry paid 30 days after the end of each month. Essentially the company holds your pay for one month. So if you work the month of April 1 – 30, you wouldn’t get that pay check until June 1st.
I will say that I was paid on time each month for the work that I did with that company. And I still recommend data entry as a flexible way to make money at home.
Read more about my first data entry job here!
If you need to make money fast, then you might want to consider working for a company like UberEats or Instacart. These companies pay weekly and you can still have a flexible schedule.
Starting a business can also take longer to start bringing in any real income. Whether you are selling crafts on Etsy, flipping flea market treasures on Ebay, or starting a Pinterest Virtual assistant business, it takes time to develop customers and clients.
As a new blogger, I remember the first time I made $0.20 from online ads on my blog. I think that first month I earned $3.00 total, while I had invested hundreds of hours building my website. Now my side hustle is helping my husband and I reach our goal of paying off our mortgage early so that we can live totally debt free!
Focus on a Side Hustle Niche
Now that you have thought out your strengths, interests, time commitment, and how much you want to make; it’s time to narrow down your list of side hustles.
I recommend writing down your top 5Â side job options. If you’re still not sure what types of jobs are out there make sure to read through this list of side hustles.
Make Money Online with No Investment
11 Side Hustle to Start from Home
Work at Home Jobs for Introverts
Now it’s time to compare your 5 options. I like to make a list of the pros and cons for each side job, and then rate them from most excited to start to least excited. Put a star by your dream side hustle.
Every person is going to have a different list. There’s really no wrong way to choose a side hustle. The most important thing for you to do is to think about what you actually want to do. For some, it may not be the right timing for you to start your dream side hustle right now.
You can still create a plan to help you begin working towards your dream side hustle. Maybe you need more skills, maybe you want to start a business but don’t have the investment to open, or maybe you don’t have the time to do it right now.
That doesn’t mean you give up! Now is the time to create a plan. Choose a side hustle that will help you work towards your dream side hustle. That may mean finding a way to make money fast until you can save up enough to start your business. You could find virtual assistant position through a company that would allow you to gain experience, before starting your own business.
Get Started!
Now that you have a side hustle idea, it’s time to get started!
Learn everything you can about the side hustle job you’ve chosen. Take action by investing in yourself with free courses, training, and even paid courses.
Did you know that research shows that people who invest money into their goals are more likely to succeed? I know that if I am willing to invest money into something, then I am ALL in. When I started my blog, I didn’t know anything about how to drive traffic, write a blog post, or make money. I know that the paid courses and in-person trainings I have taken are the reason I’m making money today. I’ve invested in my business so that I can continue to grow, because it’s important to me.
You don’t have to jump in and take every course you see. It’s really important to be discerning when it comes to choosing the right courses to take and that those courses are aligning with your goals for your side hustle.
Find a mentor. Reach out to people online or in real life to ask questions and find out tips from someone already doing what you want to do. People who are a few steps ahead can help guide you as you start your side hustle.
Surround yourself with a tribe of like minded friends. Having people you can talk to about your experience in your side hustle is really important. So whether you find friends in real life or you join an online group, make sure it’s people who get what you’re doing and can be supportive. Working a side hustle can be hard and you need people are you who can cheer you on!
Are you ready to start a side hustle?Â
Smart Cents Mom is here to help you create the financial freedom you crave while doing something you love. Life is too short to spend hours working on something that you don’t care about. When you do something you aren’t excited about, you quickly lose interest and it just becomes another thing you have to do.
And trust me, I get it. There are things that we have to do in life. We have to do the laundry, wash the dishes, feed our kids… But starting a side hustle is a chance to break through the fog of the mundane and do something for yourself. Find your confidence, be creative, solve problems, set goals, and achieve those goals.
That’s why I’ve put together the Make Money at Home Workbook to walk you through questions that guide you towards finding a side hustle you love. We will cover mindset, goals, time commitment, and finances.
