Our generation is being faced with multi-faceted financial problems. Consequently, most of us need more than one means of income: regular check and a hustle check. Below are five examples of side businesses you can start so that you have a hustle check coming in each month.
1. Freelance Writing and Blogging: Thanks to the internet you can literally find writing jobs just about anywhere. If you want to make some money as a freelance writer check out: Make A Living Writing.
2. Virtual Assistant: This side business is becoming very popular. Small businesses are always looking for administrative assistants, and it just so happens that most administrative tasks can be done via telecommuting. For a great example of this see: Virtual Assistant Services for Bloggers.
3. Social Media Management: Small businesses and professionals are constantly looking for people to run their social media accounts and no one has more experience in this area than young people.
4. Online Tutoring: Have a special skill that you can help people with? All you need is Skype and a PayPal account and you can run your own online tutoring business. That’s what Ashley over at The Middle Finger Project did back in the day to make some extra cash and now she’s a web entrepreneur extraordinaire.
5. Web Design: Many of us computer savvy young people know our way around WordPress and Adobe Photoshop. Even if you only have basic skills you can still make some extra money by helping those who are completely web design illiterate. A good example of a web design business run by 20somethings is: Shatterboxx Media.
Earning some extra money can be easier than you think. It will take time and perseverance to turn ideas into money generating gigs, but those are two things our generation’s got. So get creative!
Have you already started your own side business? What is it and has it been successful?
Thanks to The Smart College Grad for these tips & more.
This list bares an uncanny resemblance to my pre-career exploits! Before I landed in Marketing I did a few freelance writing stints while juggling social media management, and before that I was a private tutor for a couple of years straight out of college. At several points in between, I did some contract design work (while not web design, it still involved digital illustration) for several clients.
Needless to say, these were all great side-opportunities for me during my job seeking days. These gigs kept things interesting and busy, and sometimes that’s all you need to keep the motivation afloat.
Sites like http://jobs.ziprecruiter.com make it extremely easy for people (say, students at Biola, for example) to find these kinds of opportunities close to home. Doing an area search (zip code: 90639) for the five jobs listed above, I was able to discern that web design has the most available opportunities at this moment in time, followed by social media management, freelance writing, then online tutoring and lastly: virtual assistant.
These extra-money-making jobs are out there, whether or not you’re in your 20′s!
My problem is figuring out what to charge for my services. How does one go about that?
Hey Fee Fee,
The answer to this obviously depends on what service you offer. However, a general rule is to look for those offering similar services in your area. Can you compete with their prices? If they have more experience, then perhaps offer your service for a little cheaper. Find out what your work and time is worth and then stick to it.
If you need more help or want to talk in more detail, stop by our office to make an appointment with a career counselor.
Best of luck!