How do you find a side hustle and work from home that’s actually worth your time and gives you an income to support your lifestyle? You need simple ideas and methods to earn more money without spinning your wheels. But in order to command the high rates you deserve, you need to align your side hustle idea with a key problem you’re solving.
Solve a problem with our side hustle
What seasoned side hustlers aren’t telling you is the one thing that rapidly increases your odds of success when working from home. To make real money, you need to solve a real problem. Clicking on surveys for a few pennies to a dollar is an easy side hustle, but you need to solve a bigger problem to make money. Instead, you can build your own side business to reach the level of success you’re looking for by searching for problems.
So let’s take a look at some relatively simple side hustle ideas to put more money in your pocket, and more importantly, what problem it’s solving. There’s also a quick-win gig on this list to help you start earning money in a side gig immediately.
1) Podcast show note editor
Serious podcasters include show notes or transcripts and need help editing, formatting and creating a compelling narrative that audiences actually want to read. Think about the problem the podcast is answering for its audiences to dig deeper into what your potential client is really looking for. Your best bet is to religiously listen to a handful of podcasts you love, and then send the an email to let them know you appreciate their show and would love to help.
Problem you’re solving: Giving busy bloggers and podcasters more time in their day to help them focus on their success instead of busy work.
2) Social media consultant
This is one of my favorite jobs for work-at-home Moms. One of my clients is a family travel website and I get to experiment with their Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter channels to help grow and engage their traffic. I also help them run their social media campaigns with their paid sponsors. Look for jobs on LinkedIn or UpWork, and spend some time looking through their social media feeds. The better educated you are about their voice, audience, and content; the more likely you are to create a brilliant cover letter.
Need help getting started? Get started a Social Media Manager.
Problem you’re solving: Helping companies broaden their reach and deepening relationships with audiences to discover what they want from their company or service.
3) Cake decorator
My husband and I picked out our wedding cake with a flashlight and our shoes off. The power had just gone out after a bad storm swept through, and we had just arrived at our cake decorator’s home. She designs, bakes and decorates all of her cakes in her home while looking after her kids. Find clients through other wedding or event planner pros. For example, we hired our “cake lady” strictly based on the recommendation of our wedding florist. You can also specialize in a niche like kids birthday cakes or gender reveal cakes and advertise in online parenting newsletters in your community.
Problem you’re solving: Helping clients personalize their special occasion with a beautifully crafted, delicious treat that takes the stress out of their big day.
4) Executive virtual assistant
You don’t have to compete with overseas assistants charging $5 an hour to thrive as an executive assistant. Instead, market yourself as an Executive Virtual Assistant to help entrepreneurs, business owners and managers with specific business needs. Skip the data entry jobs. Go after an area like creating sales funnels, setting-up online lead magnets, hunting down business leads and doing high level research. UpWork is a goldmine for virtual assistant work, but the trick is only looking for gigs with a healthy pay rate and sending a polished and professional cover letter.
Ready to Learn How to Dominate Freelancing on Upwork?
Problem you’re solving: Helping busy executives build systems for success to improve their bottom line.
5) Niche freelance writer
If you’re new to freelance writing, the worst thing you can say is that you’re a “freelance writer”. You’re competing with too many other “freelance writers” without any real experience under you belt yet. (Full disclosure – I say I’m a freelance writer, but have been doing it for nearly 15 years).
Pick one or two niches that you thrive at like turning technical jargon into something easy to digest. Or maybe you’re great at writing landing page copy for small businesses looking to make a deeper connection with your audience. If you’re new to the game, create some powerful samples or look for a pro bono client to get your feet wet.
I have the most success researching potential clients, identifying their needs, and cold emailing them with my services. Need help launching this side hustle? You can use this course to get started.
Problem you’re solving: Helping inform, educate or entertain audiences with compelling copy that sparks action like making a sale, signing-up for a newsletter or inquiring for more information.
6) Website tester
I added this one to the list as a “quick win” that anyone can get started doing today. Testing websites is fun and easy to do from home, but still solves a problem.
Most companies require you to download their software and record a screencast of what you’re doing. That means they can see what you did, where you clicked and what you looked through on their website. The software usually records your voice so you can give your opinion as well. This type of job pays $10/hour on up, but is relatively easy to complete, even with kids in the house. Get started with a site like UserTesting.com.
Problem you’re solving: Helping companies get a fresh perspective on how consumers interact with their website and how to improve the user experience. The more you bring these concepts into your ‘review’, the more in demand you’ll be!
7) Online teacher
You don’t need a teaching degree to be an online teacher, and can launch a digital course within a week if you’re motivated. Pick a topic you’re knowledgeable about like bookkeeping, Photoshop tutorials, learning guitar or crate training dogs. Building up your own online presence and website can take time, but you can pick a DIY platform to get started quickly. Udemy and Gumroad are both popular options with a friendly interface and monthly payouts.
Problem you’re solving: Helping others bust through their learning plateau and master a skill that improves their lives, careers or personal development.
8) Lesson plan writer
My friends who teach are always tell me they can’t use their skills to work from home, unless they tutor. Tutoring is actually a lucrative option if you get into a high-paying field like Test Prep, but isn’t the only way to earn money with your skills. I also remind them teaching a digital course is an option.
But plenty of teachers offer their lesson plans for sale to help other educators save themselves headaches and tons of time. Starting a blog and membership site with access to your lesson plans is a lucrative way to start your business, but can take awhile to gain a following and scale. To get started right away, try a site TeachersPayTeachers.com to get started.
Problem you’re solving: Helping teachers short on time or inspiration with made-for-you lesson plans that can be implemented immediately.
9) Pet foster parent
I fostered a cat for six months in New York and made a bundle. The cat owner advertised on Craigslist that she needed a temporary home for her cat. This woman was moving to London for a short-term job stint and didn’t want to take her pet with her.
This is a common problem. If you don’t go through the appropriate channels with paperwork and shots in the right order and time frame, most countries require pets to undergo quarantine in an animal shelter for months. Instead, people hire foster parents for their pets.
Your rates need to be reasonable enough, but you can still earn big when booking clients over a several month period. Look for clients on Craigslist, Rover, or in community newsletters.
Problem you’re solving: Giving pet owners who are transitioning to a new phase in their life the peace of mind that their furry one is cared for and loved.
10) Community manager
Blogging and membership sites have swelled in popularity over the years, and usually come with group support. These website owners need someone to monitor the forums, answer questions, send daily digests for review, and respond to emails. These positions are sometimes posted on sites like ProBlogger, but can also be found through strategic cold emailing.
Problem you’re solving: Helping busy website owners who want to focus on growing and monetizing their business. You help foster and care for their community by keeping customers happy and retention rates high while increasing conversions to paid products.
Nailing down your side hustle takes strategy, but doesn’t need to be complicated. Focus on solving a problem and taking action to bring your side hustle to life.