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There are plenty of reasons why parents may want to start a side hustle: they need extra income to support their living expenses; they like working but only have a few hours a week to take on another gig, or they’ve seen one too many episodes of Shark Tank and want to try their hand at entrepreneurship. Regardless of the reason, the number of options can sometimes be overwhelming if you have decided to go down this path. Here are a few ideas that can get you started on the search for your perfect side hustle.
Your Hustle Starts Here Busy Parents:
1. Selling and Reselling Online
Selling items online is a booming industry for side hustlers. With various online platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Fiverr, Etsy, etc., selling your crafts, clothing, or artwork is easier than ever. Don’t have time to go to the post office to ship your goods or cash to buy products? No worries, Shopify has easy plugins that will drop ship your store products without you needing to pre-purchase goods or manage any of the day-to-day logistics work. Still don’t know what to sell? We all have clothes our kids have grown out of over the years; why not resell them? Once Upon A Child will buy your child’s slightly used clothing.
2. Start a Parent Focused Blog/Website
A good starting point is right where you are today. You have three kids in three different schools, all with various after-school activities and schedules, but somehow you seem to manage it all. Did you know that there are other busy parents like you, and they aren’t managing their schedules nearly as well as you are? Herein lies an opportunity.
Start a blog about your busy parenting life and how you manage it all. The key to making the blog successful is to add value for your readers. Provide a downloadable copy for parents if you have a specific spreadsheet or calendar coloring system for scheduling. Give the specifics of what works well, what doesn’t, and ideas for how parents can succeed with their scheduling.
Once you have created your blog, you need to monetize it. Sites like Medium make it easy for parents to write blogs and earn money from the reading time readers spend on their blogs. You won’t get rich overnight, but the more quality posts you add to your blog, the more you’ll earn overtime. Bonus tip: Use your current or create new social media profiles as a free way to start marketing your new blog.
3. Create Tutorial Videos
The internet is full of how-to videos, so why not make one yourself? Have a specific talent, life hack, or artistic ability? Hit the record button and earn some cash. Makeup, cooking, household hacks, with YouTube, the possibilities are endless. Like a blog, advertisers pay YouTubers based on video and channel performance, number of subscribers, video watch count, etc. Here’s a helpful video for getting started with earning income from YouTube.
Have a fear of being in front of the camera? Most YouTubers will tell you they were terrified when they started their channels. Here’s a pro tip to get you started: Hit the record button, edit, and retake as much as you need. The great thing about pre-recorded content is that you have complete control of what you decide to share. Plenty of YouTubers will tell you that their first few videos sucked. You can get over the hump, and best of all, you can decide if you want to be on or off-camera. There are plenty of youtube channels where you never see the face of the channel host.
4. Start a Podcast
Somewhere between a YouTube channel and a blog, a podcast allows you to create content you’re interested in and gain additional income without needing to be in front of a camera or spend aimless hours typing and editing. Podcasters primarily earn money from ad sponsors. You can find sponsors by directly approaching businesses your listeners frequent or using a podcast ad marketplace. Podcast ad marketplaces directly connect brands with podcasters. Marketplaces earn between 10% to 30% commission from your sales. Shopify has created an easy guide: How to Start a Podcast in 2022: A Step-by-Step Guide.
Although it may seem like you need a lot of equipment to get started with a podcast, you don’t. There are plenty of guides and tutorials on YouTube on getting started with a podcast with just your iPhone or minimum equipment. Search YouTube for “how to get started with a podcast for under $100 or whatever your budget is, and you’ll find plenty of helpful information and recommendations. The key to podcasting and YouTube is consistency. Don’t expect to get followers immediately, but if you stick with it, there’s an opportunity to be creative, have fun, and earn money.
5. Become a Virtual Assistant
Small business people often need additional support on a limited or part-time basis. They may forward calls, ask you to open their email, book appointments, order items, and even sell products. These jobs are often flexible and are not too taxing for a busy parent. As a good starting point, Clever Girl Finance has created a guide on How to Become a Virtual Assistant. In this role, you negotiate the pay, typically hourly or weekly.
Side Hustles for Busy Parents
With sites like Etsy, Fiverr, and Shopify, there are endless opportunities to make extra income from your home on your own terms. All you need is the internet and a device to access it. Very often, you don’t need a lot of experience or spend a lot of money to get started. Now is a great time if you prefer to work for an employer. Although I would never say the pandemic was good, it got employers accustomed to letting employees work from home. Start your side hustle today regardless of where or how much you prefer to work!