The Secret to Succeeding with a Side Hustle
Is Having a Side Hustle Worth the Time and Effort?
Side Hustle Introduction
You may have heard about people who got rich from their side hustle, and if you haven’t, you probably know someone who will tell you all about it at any opportunity they get. But that doesn’t mean that every side hustle has such great earning potential.
The truth is that most side hustles are part-time jobs that supplement the income of the primary job, and many of them will take a lot of time without resulting in enough money to be worth the effort invested. So how do you figure out which side hustles are worth your time?
Side hustles have become increasingly popular in the last few years, with plenty of experts and articles dedicated to exploring their benefits and offering advice on how to succeed with one.
But despite their popularity, many people are still confused about why they should even consider pursuing one in the first place — let alone what’s involved in making them successful. If you’re wondering why you should care about having a side hustle, here are the some reasons why everyone should have one!
A Side Hustle Makes You More Attractive to Your Employer
You may be thinking that a side hustle will take away from your time at work, but it can actually make you more attractive. With a side business, you’ll show your employer you are ambitious and committed to learning new skills. And when they see that kind of passion, employers are more likely to invest in their employees.
What’s even better is that side hustles give people an outlet for exploring different career paths while they’re still employed full-time. It makes them much more likely to try out something new once they do find themselves out of work or unhappy with their current role.
A Side Hustle Prepares You For Your Future Career
Launching any new business is risky, and starting one on top of your full-time job is more so. However, having a side hustle will help ease some of that risk and help you learn crucial skills for running your own business down the road. It will also give you an idea of what it feels like to be self-employed in case that’s something you want or need in your future career.
There are many benefits to building up savings through multiple streams of income — that’s why many people who eventually quit their jobs become entrepreneurs.
A Side Hustle Gives You Freedom
A side hustle, or even just having a part-time job on top of your main gig, gives you freedom. You’re not locked into one company and can choose where you want to work and when. You can be in charge of your life instead of being stuck in an office for hours at a time.
Maybe you love writing but don’t want to get locked into one type of writing. Maybe you need supplemental income but don’t want to sacrifice your time away from family and friends; maybe you have dreams of starting a business on the side… whatever it is, have it!
All it takes is some research and patience, which are two valuable skills that will benefit any aspiring entrepreneur!
A Side Hustle Makes You More Confident
A side hustle gives you more confidence by allowing you to try new things and learn new skills. A side hustle also helps build your personal brand, which is increasingly important in today’s job market. Confidence and personal branding go hand in hand with success.
If people see that you are driven, capable and able to succeed in multiple areas of your life, they will feel more confident hiring you for their business.
A Side Hustle Develops Your Skills
One of the benefits of having a side hustle is that it gives you an opportunity to develop skills and experience in areas where you may be weak. For example, if you’re good at writing but terrible at sales, developing a part-time business on Fiverr will help round out your skill set. This will make you much more attractive when applying for jobs later on.
In fact, people who start their own businesses are often seen as more skilled than job applicants who don’t have much experience in running their own businesses. With enough hustle and ambition, your side gig could lead to full-time employment down the road. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even get your company acquired by Google or Facebook one day!
A Side Hustle Pays Off Your Debt Faster
Whether you’ve got credit card debt, student loans, or any other kind of personal loan, every dollar counts. And that’s exactly why saving money by doing extra work on the side can make such a big difference. Sure, your paycheck may not be much, maybe it’s even less than minimum wage, but those extra hours add up quickly and you could find yourself debt-free in no time at all.
Best of all? If you’re using side jobs as an excuse to avoid getting an official job that pays more, your debts won’t go away just because you quit working; they’ll still be there for you when it’s time to pay them off! What are you waiting for? Get hustling today!
What Side Hustle Pays the Most?
Want to make some extra cash? One way you can do that is by starting a side hustle, or taking on an additional part-time job. But which side hustles pay well?
According to Glassdoor’s annual report, dental hygienist is tops when it comes to average hourly earnings: $69 per hour. Coming in second place at $65 per hour is physical therapist, followed by graphic designer ($58 per hour), salesperson ($55) and software engineer ($51).
Sure, not all of these jobs will be available in your community — but some might be, so start your search today!
What Side Hustles Can I Do From Home?
If you’re thinking about starting a side hustle, ask yourself how many hours in a day you have available. Do you want to use them on your side hustle or do you want to put that time toward something else?
For example, if it’s possible for you to cut back on your full-time job (if, say, they don’t require that much time anyway), then consider doing so as an option. You can use those extra work hours toward your side hustle. If not, think about what parts of your full-time job could be done from home, so when doable and feasible, try that out for even more time availability. That way, there’s no barrier preventing you from working on your project.
Here are some ideas you can start from home:
#1 Deliver Groceries and Food: Food and grocery delivery follows closely behind ridesharing. This has become one of the hottest trends in the country, as well as one of the best side hustles. This is a terrific way to generate additional money on your own terms if you don’t enjoy having strangers in your car.
Places to Start:
DoorDash: Currently the fastest growing platform, with locations in a variety of cities.
UberEats: One of the larger varieties may still be found on the original meal delivery site.
Earning Potential from this Side hustle: $600 per month
#2 Begin Blogging: This is my favorite side hustle (and the reason I started my blogs), but it isn’t an income generating opportunity right away. It takes time to start and maintain a blog, but I believe you may earn at least $1,000 per month after 12 months if you do it consistently (e.g. 3x per week).
How To Start:
BlueHost: Sign up for a domain and hosting.
GoDaddy: Sign up for a domain and hosting.
Earning Potential from this Side Hustle: $1000 per month after a year.
#3 Buy and Sell Things: This was one of my very first side hustles. I’d go to garage sales and estate sales, then sell the stuff on eBay or Amazon.
How to Start:
eBay: Sign up at the eBay marketplace
Amazon: Become an Amazon associate
Earning Potential from this Side Hustle: $1000 per month.
How Do I Get Started With a Side Hustle?
Starting a side hustle is as easy as setting up your online store or enrolling in an online course — there are no official licensing requirements. But to be successful, you’ll need time, money and patience.
If you’re already working full-time and have a family, adding another job on top of your day to day can seem like an enormous challenge. Thankfully, it’s not impossible.
Some entrepreneurs start their side hustles slowly by spending just a few hours per week selling products on Etsy or taking courses that teach them skills like Photoshop or digital marketing. Other business owners manage their side businesses alongside work; if you work from home, try scheduling your business tasks for late at night or early in the morning when everyone else is asleep.
Final Thoughts
A side hustle is a part-time job or second source of income in addition to your primary job. Everyone has different reasons for needing some extra cash, and there’s always room for earning money outside of your 9-to-5.
In fact, according to data, almost 40% of Americans have a side hustle (that’s over 70 million people)! For many, having an extra stream of income allows them to pay off debt and save for retirement more easily and it can be as simple as selling goods online (i.e., eBay), signing up with digital task websites (i.e., TaskRabbit), renting out space in your home on AirBnB, and so much more!
I hope this information both inspired you and helped you out. Let me know what you think and feel free to share some of your personal ideas for others.
Feel free to check out my other article, “What is a Good Side Hustle to Make Money” for more information.
