The 3 Side Hustles I Use to Make 1 Killer Job
& How you can create your own
Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash
In the digital age, more people than ever are picking up side hustles and creating unorthodox jobs.
Social media has made it so you can be paid to be yourself simply by documenting your life.
Side hustles are all the rage as they’re a great way to create a new stream of income. You may enjoy it so much that you transition it into a business like I did.
If you have enough side hustles that pay well, you can give up the normal job altogether. Use your side hustles and kill it at hustle hacking.
Here’s my setup.
Dog Sitting
Dog sitting is a wonderful side gig because people pay you to take care of their pets.
You can offer services like dog walking and drop-in visits, but dog sits are the most lucrative.
You get to set your own rates, and you can negotiate them based on how many dogs they have and if they get walks.
Not many people are able to stay overnight because they have pets of their own. If you don’t have any pets, this can be a great way to make money.
image by author
It’s a great opportunity for me because I can live in different places and get paid.
Pets are a billion-dollar industry, and pet owners want someone who will stay overnight with their furbabies.
How well does it pay?
I charge $100/night and extra for more dogs. I recently dog-sat for a week for two dogs and made over $1,000.
I also do 30-minute drop-in visits for $20. You can do these at the same time you dog sit because you don’t have to be at your sit 24/7. You could do multiple drop-ins a day and still have your nightly dog sit.
Make sure you don’t leave the dogs alone for more time than the pet parents like.
How to start
There are a few ways to get started. I got started using the app Rover, but there are many options to jumpstart your dogsitting business.
Word of mouth. Tell everyone in your area that you’re open for business.
Get recommendations. If you have experience, ask previous owners to leave you a review and recommend you.
Set up profiles on apps like Rover, Wag, Care, Housesitting, and TrustedHousesitters. TrustedHousesitters doesn’t pay, but you can travel to really cool places and have free boarding.
Photo by Super Snapper on Unsplash
Writing
Beat the system and pick up writing as well. While your dogs are sleeping, fire up the computer and get to work.
The beautiful thing about writing is you can take it with you anywhere you go. All you need is a solid internet connection.
You can write in your downtime while dogsitting, and you’ll have plenty of time.
No roadblocks are stopping you from starting to write. Decide what you want to write about and pick a platform to publish.
You could start your own blog, but that means you need hosting and a domain. The better option would be to write on Medium because it‘s free to publish, and you get paid.
You can write about anything. It may take some time to establish a reputation and get clients because you need proof of competence. But once you do, you’ll be cashing in checks.
How well does it pay?
Medium has made it clear that writing on the platform is meant to be a piece of the pie.
To get the whole pie, you’ll need to expand your horizons. As you improve your writing skills, you may choose other writing options.
You could do freelance writing, ghostwriting, copywriting, or creating your own products.
Medium earnings are skewed, meaning less than the top 1% make $5000 to $30,000 monthly. And as Medium changes its rules and algorithms, people are earning less.
You want to take your skills off Medium. I recently got a writing gig where I’m getting $150 for each 3,000-word article I do. If I did three of those a week, I could rake in an extra $1,800 per month.
With more experience, you could charge $500 per blog post. As you get better, you can charge more and receive better jobs.
How to start
Pick your niche of choice. If you’re smart, you’ll go with one you can monetize. The three main branches are Health, Wealth, and Relationships.
Begin brainstorming ideas every day. Write down 10 different headlines. Then pick one and start writing.
The most important part is that you publish. Your writing career will go nowhere if all your work sits in a draft folder.
Crocheting
Once you’re done with writing for the night, turn on the TV and pick up a crochet project.
While it’s not the most conducive for earning potential, I still enjoy making physical products to sell.
image by author
I’ve been making and selling physical items in some capacity for over ten years. It started with sewing, graduated to knitting, and then I settled on crochet.
Crocheting started as a way to decrease my anxiety, but I’ve kept it up because I enjoy it so much.
You can easily do it while watching TV, listening to podcasts, or when you’re sitting in the waiting room at doctor’s appointments.
It’s a great thing to pick up when you don’t have a lot of time. You can pick it up and put it down whenever you’re ready.
Another way you could make money is by creating PDF crochet patterns or having a crochet blog.
How well does it pay?
You’re not going to get rich off crocheting alone, but it can be a nice source of side income.
There’s not a great tradeoff of time and money, and it’s not something you can scale unless you hire other people to work with you.
But I love doing it. Depending on the scope of the project, you can sell a single item anywhere from $10 to more than $100.
You have to factor in the time it takes to make it, but you can generally charge more for handmade products.
If you’re making crochet patterns, you make it once and sell it infinitely at $4.99. Over time, that adds up.
It may not be worthwhile for you. For me, crocheting is something I would be doing anyway. While I could have an army of plushies, I prefer to make some money for it.
How to start
Buy the necessary supplies at a craft store. You’ll need crochet hooks and yarn. Anything else is a bonus.
Search for interesting products you want to make. There are so many options: bags, shirts, stuffed animals, scarves, rugs, and more.
Get your pattern and start crocheting.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to be an expert writer or dog sitter to make money. And I was making cool things as a beginner crocheter.
Dog sitting, writing, and crocheting are three great businesses I have going. I can do all of them anywhere I want.
It’s almost like I cheat on one with the others. I’m getting paid double or triple duty, and I love it.
It goes to show you money can be made anywhere. See the opportunities and be creative.
What’s your side hustle stack?
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Maggie Kelly is a freelance writer who writes about mental health, self-help, and psychology. Contact at maggiepkelly@gmail.com
