With the rise in popularity of remote and gig-style work, side husting is becoming an easier method than ever to earn some extra income. With over 57 million Americans working some type of freelance job in the past year, it’s clear that side hustling is a trend in the American economy that is here to stay.
However, it’s important for people looking to side hustle to be aware of the benefits and challenges of the work. Side hustle jobs can range from freelance and online work to physical labor such as service or app-based gigs. It’s crucial to determine what type of side hustle work is the best fit for you, so you can pursue it as a long-term stream of income rather than a one-time influx of cash.
Below, we outline the benefits and challenges of side work, different types of gigs, and some of the best tips to get started in the field of gig work.
Side Hustling: Benefits and Challenges
One of the main benefits of gig work is that you are, for the most part, able to be your own manager. If you are working online from home, you can set your own hours (so long as your work is completed by the deadline). Side hustling can help you better manage your finances, improve your skills, and fulfill your passions while still making an income. Additionally, the average pay for gig work is $19 per hour, so it’s clear that side hustling is a great way to earn some extra income in a way that works with your lifestyle.
However, being a serial side hustler also comes with a plethora of challenges. For some people, the lack of structure can be difficult—especially if you are working from home, it can be all to easy to feel like you are “on-call” 24/7. Another main challenge of side hustling is decreased performance at your day job. When you are working a full-time job and doing gig work on the side, it’s easy to get burnt out, so many gig workers set blocks of time specifically for their side hustle and stick only to those to combat this.
It’s important to remember that a side hustle job can range from being just a few hours each week to more than the traditional 40-hour week of a full-time job. With the flexibility that side hustling allows, it’s crucial that you are finding a gig that you can stick to and try to scale long-term. Before taking on another side hustle, you should first look at what’s currently on your plate and determine if you have the bandwidth for adding another project on top of your current responsibilities.
Types of Side Hustles
In our current economy, there are a plethora of different ways to side hustle depending on what your skill set is. Whether you are an online marketer or an eyelash technician, these are the main types of side hustle gigs available that can be tailored to fit your skills.
Freelancing
Freelancing is a great side hustling option for people with marketable skills such as graphic design, writing, programming, event planning, and consulting. Freelancing has the advantage of being extremely scalable work, and can be fulfilling if you are working in an industry you are passionate about. To attract clients to your freelance gig, try focusing on your online presence by featuring reviews, work examples, and an easy method to contact you.
Service
A side gig in the service industry is a great option for people who are very hands-on and are experienced in their fields. Options for service side gigs include child care, food service, cleaning, and cosmetics services. Seeing as the industry has a growth rate of 5.4 percent since 2015, it’s clear that side hustling in the service industry is becoming the way to go.
Online
Online side hustles are a good option for people with limited time on evenings and weekends—due to the nature of the work, as long as your online gig work is completed by the deadline, you’re good to go. Some options for online side hustles include blogging, focus groups, surveys, copy editing, and being a virtual assistant.
App-Based
Especially in light of the stay-at-home orders in place all over the globe, app-based courier services such as Uber Eats, Postmates, and Grubhub are becoming all the rage. If you’re looking to make some extra cash, working as a delivery courier for take-out, groceries, and essential items is a smart way to make some extra cash in your free time.
Whether you are an experienced side hustler or just starting out in the field of gig work, it’s important to always be looking for opportunities to scale and improve your side hustle. For more tips on how to side hustle like a pro and a flowchart to help you decide if side hustling is right for you, check out the infographic by ZenBusiness below.
This post is published in collaboration with Siege Media.
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