Most of the emails I receive these days is asking about how to easily grow a business, but the most common line is “Hey Justivyke, I would love to grow my income while I still do my main job, I just can’t think of how to do that right now. How do you afford to put ideas together and make them work? How do you make money without going off the hook? How can I avoid losing money?”
The honest truth here is, I was also asking myself those questions not too long ago. Within the first six months of my research, I invested a lot of time gathering information from different places such as internet, friends, magazines, newspapers, etc. My interests were drained by the second half of the year. My passion started running low and the only thing that still kept the motivation was that I still needed to grow my income by all means. So, I also began asking myself, “How can I make money while I’m out there at work?”
One of the best source of an answer was Google, I researched different forums, emailed bloggers and websites, I even signed up and paid for some useful courses. There are some great information out there, of course with some bad ones. But one thing I learnt is that growing my income while doing some other jobs is possible if I can find the right path.
So far, I don’t make billions nor millions yet (almost there!), but a few thousands per month and hundreds of thousands in some months are really enough for me to add to what i currently earn from my main job, support family members, save for my kids, put some money on the side and enjoy life as little as I can!
Do not miss our tips and discounts, Subscribe now!
Are you ready to increase your earnings this season? Probably, you intend to be more dedicated about supporting your family, save yourself out of bank debt, or save toward a building project, having multiple streams of income is smart way to achieving such goals.
Not ruling out part-time job, you could become self-employed i.e. personal business where you will have control over your income and time. Thus, instead of helping another man to build his business/dream you would be working to build yours.
If you are thinking of starting a small scale enterprise that could make you independent or you want to add extra money to your pocket, I have just the right recipe.
Maximize and Freelance Your Skills
Use the skills you have already developed — maybe even one you use at your work place — to earn extra cash on the side.
Make sure you are not found breaching the terms of your employment by going after your company clients, be wise and be sure you haven’t signed a non-compete agreement. You could increase your net worth/value by building healthy relationships with clients. You could start up a small scale business with any of the following skills which I have outlined below, though the list is not exhaustive.
- Write
If you’re great at crafting engaging blog posts or convincing copy, it’s time to put your writing skills to work. To build up experience, you may want to begin with content sites (though be warned, the pay can be extremely low) or create a blog of your own.
Got a few clips under your belt? Fantastic — it’s high time you associated yourself to a lucrative publishing house . Check out a list of blogs that pay for posts in google, or one of the sites that can pay you to write.
Research your target sites well before attempting to sell to them or edit their articles, and — I can’t emphasize this enough — read the instructions carefully.
If the site wants you to present idea for consideration, email the editor with a few ideas. If the guidelines ask for a draft, write a draft. If they want you to include a secret phrase in your email’s subject line, include the phrase. (I’m not making this up — many sites use this trick to screen out writers who don’t read the guidelines. No secret phrase means your email goes straight to the waste bin.)
How much can you make?
Three cents a word for content sites, $50 and up for guest posts on paying sites. Some blogs might even offer a bonus if your post performs particularly well.
- Do Graphic or Web Design Work
Are you good with color combination? Can you put together an amazing book cover or website homepage in 20 minutes? Is creating a beautiful blog header something you can do even in your sleep?
Not only are you fortunate, but you could be making serious money from your skills.
Make sure your website or blog clearly states that you’re available for hire, and share examples of recent projects. If you can’t link to projects you did for your employer, come up/create some design when you are less busy.
Ask friends for referrals, and consider offering your services on a marketplace like LinkedIn. For more ideas, search google for post on showcasing your freelance graphic design work.
How much can you make?
I have seen designers with little years of experience and convincing portfolios earning up to $100 per hour, nevertheless a designer advocated that succeeding companies prevents hourly pricing in a detailed project pricing analysis
- Develop Websites or Applications
Building a WordPress plugin with your bare hands is fun, if you can do this, then you’ve got a skill! If you spend more time on Instagram than Facebook and you enjoy playing with code is your things, you can definitely earn more money with your skills.
The age-old business advice applies here: Find a problem and solve it.
See a plugin that works, but not perfectly? Build your own improved version. Notice a recurring issue with a WordPress theme? Tweak it to find a fix. Want to be on-call tech support? Find a niche that needs tech-savvy help, and fill it.
Web developer Ben Meredith is a great example. “In the process of cobbling together a website for my church, I learned enough to get a degree in ‘how not to do websites.’ To save people from having to go through what I went through, I started writing down what I was learning.”
The result is Church Web Help, a site “for churches who can’t afford to pay a full-time (or even part-time) webmaster,” which offers resources, training and custom WordPress sites.
How much can you make?
High-quality freelance developers can charge anywhere from $75 to $150 per hour, says Meredith. You can easily double your rates for “crisis situations” or fast turnarounds, such as when a site has been hacked.
In addition, the more specialized and server-side you are, the higher your potential rates.
- Take Photographs
Have you got a decent camera? (No, your smart phone doesn’t count), talented in taking photos? Shutterbugs, this one’s definitely for you! Having a basic understanding of photographic principles and experience with photo-editing programs can earn you money taking photos
Whether you’re keen to start a side business as a portrait photographer, would like to capture memories as a wedding photographer, or simply want to sell your pictures through a stock photography website, earning money as a photographer is a popular side hustle.
If you’re pursuing the portrait business, find clients through word-of-mouth and by posting an online portfolio on your own website. Focusing more on wedding business can be very challenging, but start with word-of-mouth for that as well. Ask families and friends who are about to get married whether their photographer could use a second shooter, or offer to spend a few hours taking engagement photos they can use on their wedding websites.
Looking into submission guidelines on micro stock websites like istockphoto.com or shutterstock.com are the best for stock photography and researches and advices are quite important for beginners on Everything Micro stock.
How much can you make?
As a family portrait photographer, a photographer charged $100 per session, which involved about three hours of work, though she noted this was for friends and family. “I haven’t pursued this as a serious side business, but if I did, I’d probably charge a lot more.”
Wedding photographers charge a wide range of prices depending on location, experience, style and demand. A full-day wedding shoot in Whistler, Canada could cost between $1,500 and $6,500, and a estimates that high-end wedding photographers can charge $9,000 or more per wedding.
Stock photography websites often pay between 15 and 50 cents per photo sold, though some photos can sell for up to $60, according to Pop Photo.
- Offer Calligraphy
Do you have beautiful handwriting? Have you mastered the art of the perfectly crisp pen stroke?
Turn your calligraphy skills into cold hard cash by offering freelance calligraphy services. While handwritten envelopes, place cards and signs are most common for weddings, you may also be able to drum up business from baby showers, birth announcements and milestone birthday parties.
Expert calligraphers recommend practicing constantly, investing in quality tools and taking an introductory course. Find clients by promoting examples of your work on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and connecting with other calligraphers for potential referrals.
How much can you make?
Hand-lettered envelopes run $2 to $5 each on Etsy, and signs go for $50 or more. Depending how much time you’re keen to devote, especially in the run-up to the busy wedding season, you could earn a fair amount of cash.
Look at what other sellers are charging to figure out how to set your own rates.
- Paint Murals
Skilled with a paintbrush? Earn extra cash while making your neighborhood a little more beautiful. Whether it’s showcasing an iconic view on a prominent downtown building or decorating a child’s bedroom, mural painting is an often-overlooked creative side gig.
Start by asking friends and family if any rooms could use an artistic makeover; perhaps a plain room could use a cool update before a baby arrives, or a baby-themed room needs redecorating as its owner enters elementary school.
To find other clients, ask satisfied customers for referrals and list your services on sites like FindaMuralist.com.
How much can you make?
One muralist charges $60 per hour, while others charge $10 to $20 per square foot or even $200 per square foot.
- Officiate Weddings
Look outside the “hard” skills like your ability to write code or take amazing photos — can you talk to anyone? Are you a great speaker? Do you love celebrating love? Consider a weekend side gig as a Wedding Master of Ceremony.
Your business set-up will vary based on your state, and the legal requirements vary, but officiating weddings could be a fun side hustle. Once you’ve performed a few weddings for friends or family members, ask them to mention your availability to other couples they know.
How much can you make?
Funke Bucknor of Zapphaire Events , who has officiated about 20 weddings in Nigeria, usually charge for their services wedding.
- Babysit or Nanny
Yes, this counts as freelancing — knowing how to baby sit is certainly a skill! Parents, oldest siblings and former camp counselors: This one’s for you.
Whether you want to look after school-aged kids on Saturday nights or help tired parents as a night nanny, you’ll find lots of opportunities to use your childcare experience to earn cash.
Look within your circle of friends and acquaintances first, as parents are more likely to trust someone they know. Ask friends if they know anyone else who could use a few hours to themselves, whether it’s to grocery shop without toddlers or simply to head to the gym.
How much can you make?
Average rates for babysitters start at $12 an hour, but vary depending on the market — you could earn more for watching more kids, working late nights or simply living in a bigger city.
Night nannies can earn between $15 and $25 an hour, depending on location and experience.
These are just eight of the many ways you can turn your skills into lucrative freelance businesses. And we’ve only scratched the surface of ways to earn money on the side…
Make and Sell Art and Crafts
Plenty of people earn extra money from something that started as a crafty hobby. Whether you love knitting, felting, soap-making, woodwork or metal-smiting, there’s likely a market for your creations.
Sell your crafts online to reach customers around the world. Look closer to home by pitching your products to local stores and renting a table an open market, and target a niche market by signing up for a dealer’s table at conventions.
What can you sell? Here are a few ideas.
- Carve Walking Sticks
Using wood you’ve harvested from your own property, a friend’s or public land, create one-of-a-kind walking sticks. Adding special touches like stones, mirrors or leather straps will help you charge more.
How much can you make?
It depends where you sell and how fancy your walking sticks are. Simple sticks could sell for $8 at flea markets, but fancier options could bring in $60 each at craft shows or even more online, according to Steve Gillman.
- Make Jewelry
Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, bead-making that wrap around your face and neck—designers jewelry make all kinds of amazing products.
How much can you make?
It depends on what you sell and how you sell, remember not to price your pieces too low. Make sure to cover the costs of materials, time, shipping, listing fees and other costs.
Keep an eye on seminars for advice from experienced designers and sellers on what sells well.
- Create Holiday Crafts
Yes, I know the long holidays are over. Start practicing holiday crafts now for next year, or create similar options for other holidays.
While there may not be quite as many craft fairs before Valentine’s Day, Easter or Christmas, many people and businesses decorate for these holidays.
How much can you make?
Anywhere from $11 for simple garlands to $80 for a wooden wreath, according to Etsy. Be creative and experiment with different price points to see what works for your creations.
- Paint, Sculpt, Draw, Print and Make Art
Consider what other crafty creations you could sell. From screen-printed T-shirts to framed prints or comic books, find a creative product that works for you.
Think outside the box here: Sculptor Aaron Lewis creates and sells latex monster masks for $60 to $400 each, depending on the design.
Package Your Knowledge
Are you great at something? Know a lot about a particular program, activity or hobby?
The beauty of creating a digital product to share your knowledge is that when people ask for advice, you can point them in the direction of your eBook or course — where your knowledge is nicely packaged up and ready to go.
And the biggest bonus? You create these products once, and earn money from them with every sale.
- Write and Sell EBooks
Are you very familiar with a course that you can write a book, yes? A standard eBooks should be around 20,000 words as advised by Somi Ekhasomhi though many eBooks are even shorter.
Outline your ideas, then fill in your sections with more detailed advice. If you already blog about a particular subject, you may be able to turn your blog post into a book!
When you’re ready to sell, consider whether you’d prefer to sell through your own site or popular sites like Kobo Writing life or my eBook.
How much can you make?
Popular writer Anero has earned more than $35,000 from a short, self-published eBook; kobo writing life pays writers 78% royalties on eBooks priced between $4.99 and $11.99.
Here’s a guide to royalty rates on other websites.
- Create an Information Product
More complex than an eBook, an information product is often a package of resources that provides in-depth advice on a particular subject. Sometimes including video or audio recordings in addition to text, info products pack a lot of training into one package, and their price often reflects that.
For example, Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Guides generally include a PDF eBook, additional resource sheets, checklists, audio and video interviews with subject experts, and other tools.
How much can you make?
Depends on your niche, target market, authority and information.
For example, Guillebeau’s Upgrade Unlocked guide to luxury travel on a budget starts at $39. Authors Joanna Penn and Roz Morris sold their How to Write a Novel training for $99 (before discontinuing it in 2015 due to new EU VAT laws).
- Launch an Online Course
If you’re keen to try a different format, try creating an online course. You could work through a platform like Udacity or class2go, or through your own website.
Create a course around any skill — or element of a skill — you can teach. Whether it’s mastering a piano concerto, planting a cost-effective vegetable garden or leading a killer workout, pick something you’re great at.
How much can you make?
On Udacity, your earnings often depend on your category; IT-related courses are often priced between $50 and $100, while cooking or music courses usually cost less than $50. The average instructor earns $7,000 a year on Udemy, reports Forbes.
Teach and Tutor
If you’ve ever been a teacher, or you’re an expert on a subject, share your knowledge with new students as a tutor, coach or instructor.
Whether you’re explaining high-level algebra or how to hit that perfect arpeggio, instructing community college students or 8-year-olds, your teaching skills could help you boost your monthly income.
- Tutor Students
If you’re great at a particular subject, consider tutoring students for extra cash. This is an especially lucrative option for those with advanced education or training in a particular subject.
As Leah Thayer noted in her post on teaching home-schooled students, her clients love that she’s a writer and can share real-world experience while explaining grammar and syntax concepts.
Whether you start your own business or join a tutoring agency, focus on higher-level subjects like math, science or foreign languages; because this material is more challenging to master, parents are less likely to be able to support kids themselves, recommended Thayer. You’ll likely have less competition and be able to command higher rates.
Find clients through word-of-mouth, though Thayer has also had some success with using Craigslist. Meet your clients at their homes or at local libraries or coffee shops. Be prepared to share references and even a background check to prove to parents that you’re trustworthy.
How much can you make?
Private tutors often earn between $13 and $20 an hour, depending on age and experience. You could make more money if you have advanced degrees or live in a strategic environment.
- Start an Online Tutoring Business
You’re not limited to your local community; use tools like Watsapp or ULearn to connect with students outside your region.
You may not need to get a background check for these jobs, but you will have to prove your education or expertise in a field before starting.
How much can you make? Ulearn says its tutors charge between $30 and $60 an hour, and the site takes a 40% commission.
If you’re running a Skype tutoring business, you can set your own rates. One interview coach charges $150 for a 90-minute session.
- Give Lessons
Whether you’re a champion chess player, an accomplished public speaker, the best guitarist, chances are someone wants to learn your skill.
Share your expertise through word-of-mouth; make sure friends know about your awesome abilities. If you’d like to teach something that might be useful for students, such as music, art or chess, ask your tutor friends to recommend you to their clients.
Head online to reach a wider range of clients. Consider starting your own Blog site by uploading short videos and articles that teach small, bite-sized elements of your skill.
How much can you make?
Income vary depending on your skill and how you teach it. A website could bring in a couple hundred dollars in ad revenue if you get enough views.
- Design an Adult Education Class
These programs go by many names, including continuing education, adult education and community learning, but have one thing in common: They pay instructors to share expertise with local students.
Classes are diverse, ranging from Spanish language to making bead jewelry to fashion design, and are usually offered by NGIOs and private organizations.
Keen to try it for yourself? Search for “adult education classes + [your city]” to see where classes are offered, then get in touch with the host organization to pitch a class of your own.
How much can you make?
Adult education programs may pay hourly, a percentage of student fees, or a flat rate, according to Steve Gillman. His wife earned $20 an hour teaching Spanish at a local adult education program.
- Create a recreational Centre
If you love being outside and working out, why not create a recreational Centre as this could be a simple way to earn a decent amount of cash in an hour or two on weekend mornings.
Bring in a D.J. to entertain people with cool music, get creative with stairs, benches and even sand. Start by offering your services to friends and family and encourage people to bring a friend, and also advertise it on social media too.
How much can you make?
Mike Thorpe recommended charging $10 per person for an hour-long recreational— if 10 people sign up, you’ve just earned $100 an hour!
- Make Money from Your Body, Brain and Opinions
Yes, you can get paid simply for being yourself — though you’ll have to decide whether these particular gigs are right for you.
Whether you’re happy being a human guinea pig or you’d prefer to stick to sharing your thoughts on a product, these side gigs can add some extra cash to your wallet.
- Sign Up for Focus Groups
Share your thoughts on products and services with the teams behind developing and marketing them, and you could earn cash or gift cards for your time and feedback.
You’ll want to sign up with several focus group companies to maximize your chances of being called for a group.
How much can you make?
While some focus groups pay $250 or $300, the vast majority pay less. Participating in focus groups is a fun way to earn extra cash, but probably shouldn’t be your only money-making venture.
- Participate in Research Studies
Researchers studying new medical treatments or human behavior need to test their ideas on subjects, and usually those guinea pigs get paid.
Whether you’re open to testing new drugs or prefer to stick to counselling, you could earn extra cash as a test subject. You might have to do unusual things, though, like burning the midnight candle or not meeting with a planned event.
This option is especially handy for those who live in urban areas or near large universities, but those who live rurally can also participate through online trials.
How much can you make?
Anywhere from $10 to more than $5,000, depending on the time commitment and invasiveness of the study.
Be sure to read the fine print, as some university psychology research subjects are only compensated with college credit.
- Become a Standardized Patient
Is your acting Oscar-worthy? If you can pretend to be sick well enough to fool a medical student, working as a standardized patient could be a fun side job. You’ll get paid to help students practice diagnoses and bedside manner.
Find these jobs at large medical schools or on online job boards like Indeed.com. You’ll need to be healthy, over 18 and likely available during normal business hours.
How much can you make?
Standardized patients can earn between $15 and $20 an hour, according to Catherine Alford.
- Try Art Modeling
Yes, you will likely need to be naked. But posing for art students in a legitimate class can be an interesting and lucrative side job.
To find these opportunities, skip Craigslist and head to local colleges, adult education programs, art schools and even galleries. Ask whether they offer drawing classes and ask about live model gigs.
- Sell Your Body
Legally, of course.
Moms have made news lately for selling extra breast milk, and sperm donation has long been an option for men. (Though, as Sean Berkley noted on Cracked, sperm banks are picky about who they’ll accept; you’ll usually have to be young, tall, educated and in good shape.)
Young women could earn $5,000 or more as egg donors, though as one donor notes, by the time you’re finished the intensive process, you’ll likely feel you’ve earned every penny.
Need a less-invasive option? Selling your blood plasma is a simple option open to most people, as long as you’re healthy.
How much can you make?
Up to $60 a day selling breast milk; $20 to $125 per sperm donation; or $20 to $45 per session selling plasma.
Get Creative
Not convinced any of the above ideas will work for you? Try one of these crazy jobs and weird businesses.
Come up with a unique venture and maybe it’ll be a hit, like these out-there ideas. Which of your interests or skills could fill a need.
- Make people laugh for Cash
Professional comedians earn up to a million naira in one night just to make people laugh, sometimes they do this just by abusing you that has paid to come listen to his jokes. Comedians get a reasonable amount per one hour on show. How about writing jokes and contacting them to ask if they will to buy?
While these businesses can be controversial (as they have sometimes made for themselves enemies, and another snuggling business in Lagos closed down after the government arrested some for libel), they’re an interesting example of thinking outside of the box.
- Breed Chickens
You could open a poultry farm where you could breed fowls and make cash sales of meat, eggs and the chicken itself. This is a very lucrative venture as the chicken tends to reproduce, you could start with ten hens and end up with over a hundred.
The target market ranges from families with young children, to schools and daycares, to people wanting to test out the idea of raising chickens in their backyards.
Sales of the chicken depends on its size and kind, sales of a Crete of egg you could earn $ 50 and in two months your poultry may worth over $400.
- Make and Roasted meat or chicken
People will always have the need to go out with friends and loved ones to spend ample and memorable time together. Especially, young lovers they are likely to patronize you just ensure you are in a strategic location.
You could improve the packaging, ensure the environment is enticing and clean and you could cream the roasted chicken too.
There have been cases you might be given a contract to supply to products to eateries, wedding parties, ceremonies, etc. and here you could earn as much as $8,000.
- Invent a Product
Rather than sinking your life savings into a product that requires a ton of testing and paperwork, try low-risk inventions that solves a problem
Who could have predicted the success of the Pet Rock?
To generate ideas, try a few of these plan of action suggested by Steve Gillman:
Combine Ideas (vacuum + bug control = motion-activated bug vacuum device)
Find New Applications (books become hollowed-out hiding places for valuables)
Find Problems to Solve (sore feet led to “Foot Petals,” a million-dollar business)
Challenge Assumptions (“bicycles need leg power” becomes a bike you row like a boat)
Create a low-cost prototype. Crowdfund on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, submit your idea to innovation lab Quirky, or simply bootstrap until you sell enough products to cover additional production costs.
Making money on the side is a smart way to pay off your debt faster or boost your savings account. Whether you start a small business, freelance with your existing skills or find a way to make money from a hobby, let this be the year you start earning extra money.
How do you plan to make more money in 2017? Drop your opinion in the comment section below
It’s not my first time to pay a quick visit this web page,
i am browsing this website dailly and take fastidious facts from here every day.
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed
reading it, you can be a great author. I will always bookmark your blog and may come
back in the foreseeable future. I want to encourage
you to ultimately continue your great job, have a nice morning!
I need to leave within the hour. Would like to know what
ad they are referring to.
Wow! This could be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Magnificent. I’m also a specialist in this topic therefore I can understand your hard work.
Can I just say what a relief to search out someone who truly knows what theyre speaking about on the internet. You definitely know methods to bring a difficulty to light and make it important. Extra folks need to learn this and perceive this aspect of the story. I cant imagine youre not more well-liked since you positively have the gift.
I watched as the cock from next door was withdrawn from the hole.
Her full lips and practiced tongue were a joy.
Nick patted the mattress between them and said we ve kept this space for you.
Apparently she had forgotten her coat in her haste.
” Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it’s truly informative I am gonna watch out for brussels I will be grateful if you continue this in future A lot of people will be benefited from your writing Cheers!
Had done a very nice job of choosing businesses of class for it s
community. It was also wide open and glistening with moisture.
The problem though is that while shes desensitized to it.
I mean you leave for a couple of minutes to use the restroom.
We usually enjoyed a few drinks and had a good chat. If you enjoy this good on you but
chances are she will develop.
The parking lot is spread out before us. Just isn t the same thing.
Can you take him all . She didn t even care.
She got up, pulled him up and they walked to the other room completely naked and sat down to watch it.
The loincloth was made of the same material as
her gown and covered his ass and crotch fully but still was skimpy, leaving his side hips exposed.
It said on tv that it would improve sex. I left the
bar leaving douglas to finish he drink and texted my fb.
Do not attempt to argue with or assert yourself over a Borealan. He slowly turned his
head and raised an eyebrow.
And a couple of those sheer blouses. I sat on the rim as
Bert started to fingering my little bald honey pot.