How to make money fast: Finding the perfect side hustle
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Let’s be honest – anyone looking to start a side hustle wants to learn how to make money fast, right? There are several items to take into consideration before just jumping into one though. Nothing is more discouraging than trying a new side hustle, struggling with it, and giving up. That’s a financial freedom killer right there.
Below is a list of ways to help you find a side hustle not only faster, but also something that’s going to work for you. Consider these points when you’re looking to pick up extra work, and you’ll not only get work quicker, but you’ll be more likely to stick with it.
Start with what you know.
The best way to learn how to make money fast is to jump right into something you already know. Think about your current job and the skills it entails. Which of those can you use to find extra work?
For example, if you have a Bachelor’s Degree (in any subject!), you could use your mornings or evenings to teach kids English through companies like VIPKid. Not only can you set your schedule, but you can make upwards of $22 an hour. If you’re quick at typing, consider doing transcription services. You get the picture. The less time you spend learning a completely new skill, the sooner you can bring in that extra income.
Examples of side hustles anyone can pick up:
- Instacart
- Yard work, cleaning gutters or snow removal
- Running errands
- Delivering pizzas
- Help organize / declutter
- House cleaning
Or, pick something with the smallest learning curve.
Sometimes there’s not a side hustle in our field, or we don’t have a marketable skillset. Totally fine. Pick something with a small learning curve, so that you can get working and earn money as quickly as possible.
No one’s going to know everything about a job before beginning it, and we all learn as we go. However, if you’re a vet tech, don’t expect to get to work quickly in a completely different field like interior design.
Examples of side hustles that are easy to learn:
- Freelance writing
- Uber
- UberEats
- Flipping furniture or clothes for a profit with free items from curb alerts or dumpsters
- Postmates
- Selling items on eBay, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, like your old car
- Lyft
- Door Dash
Pick something you’re passionate about and enjoy.
The more passionate you are about your side hustle, the more likely you’ll be to actually want to do it and work hard at it. Finding and keeping motivation while paying off debt is hard enough. Adding a side hustle you hate on top of it? Fuhgeddaboudit.
And who knows – if it’s something you love, maybe it’ll turn into a full-time gig. The opportunities are endless, especially if you are doing something you like and want to pursue.
Side hustles that you might enjoy:
- Dog walking or pet sitting
- Making and selling crafts, soaps, desserts, etc.
- Education First – Teach Part-Time
- Qkids
- Create printables to sell
- Create an esty shop
- Instacart (if you love to shop and/or spend someone else’s money! 😉 )
- Blogging
Pick something with low start up costs.
This one can be a killer. I see folks in my budgeting groups ALL the time talking about the MLMs they signed up for and couldn’t get much, if any sales. Not sure what multi-level marketing is? Think Lularoe, Pampered Chef, etc.
They talk about how they’ve paid in to get their kit and start selling, but end up fizzling out. Totally understandable – I suck at sales myself. However, they’re out $500 or whatever the start up cost was.
I understand the excitement over a great product, but stop and think about your skillset. And your financial situation. Having to shell out a large amount of money to start any side hustle can put you into a worse financial situation than when you started.
Instead, try to find something that has low startup costs. Examples include dog walking, house sitting, transcription…you get the picture. Consider what you already have or can get cheap for your side hustle so you don’t have to spend (a lot of) money to make money.
I’m not slamming MLMs, but please make sure that it (or any side hustle) is a GREAT fit for you before putting out a lot of startup fees!
Examples of side hustles with low start up costs:
- VIPKid
- House sitting
- Transcription services
- Data entry
- Babysitting
- Selling pics of your feet
Ask coworkers, friends, and family about their side hustles.
Look for inspiration around you. Talk to coworkers, friends and family about side hustles they’re doing. Chances are they can help you find a side hustle that you like and can start up quickly.
If nothing else, it’ll start the conversation about the financial changes you want to make in your life. You never know what you’ll be able to learn from them, including tips on how to make money!
Think outside the box.
It’s easy to get caught in the trap of thinking of traditional side hustles. The world is evolving quickly and we have some crazy side hustles that we didn’t have five years ago, like Uber, website testing, and shoppers for grocery delivery services like Shipt.
For example, pallet flipping is a new and different way to earn money. You purchase pallets of returned and overstocked goods from large retailers like Target, Home Depot, Walmart, and others. Then, you sell those items on sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, OfferUp, or Amazon. Learn more about starting a pallet flipping business here.
If there’s something different or off the wall you enjoy doing, google it and chances are there’s a way to get paid for it.
Once you’ve picked a side hustle, network like crazy.
I know, I dread the idea of networking online too. But every freelance job I’ve ever gotten has been through someone I’ve already worked with, or was friends with. No kidding.
You don’t have to go out and schmooze it up at painful networking events, but find ways to get your side hustle gig out there. Get business cards printed at VistaPrint and put them up on the community boards at the library and Panera.
Pass them out to friends and family and ask them to keep you in mind. They’ll remember and pass it along to someone else. You never know when or how you could get recommended for a job!
These are just some tips to help you learn how to make money fast. Finding a side hustle can be easy. Finding one quickly and that you actually enjoy is a different story. The sooner you implement these ideas, the sooner you’ll be on your way to becoming debt free.
What are some tips that you’ve used to find a side hustle that you love? Leave your tips in the comments below!
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A forty-ish web designer/developer by day, a budget & financial fanatic by night. I’m a mom, wife, avid reader, and DIY enthusiast who’s tracking our journey to debt freedom. Read More
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