30 Profitable Side Hustles That You can Start Today

If there is a strong learning point that 2020 has taught us is the uncertainty of life, and with it comes along the uncertainty of employment. At the snap of your finger, you can easily land yourself in a point of no income, no job and you are not just alone, almost everyone you know is also in the same predicament, due to a lockdown or curfews. The question to many of us then is, what can I do? Where can I get that extra income? If you’re looking for ways you can earn a few extra bucks with a side hustle, you’d likely encounter hundreds of strategies for make some money. However, their success to you will depend on your unique needs and your skills, earning a respectable amount of cash, and doing it quickly, might be well within your reach. No matter where you’re from or what you do for a living, thanks to the conveniences afforded to us by the internet, making money is no longer a constant and never-ending struggle. The world is now at your fingertips, as long as you know how to tap into the vast amount of opportunities found in the digital world of cyberspace, you can earn some extra income, even if you’re in a tight bind. Some of the strategies listed below offer a quick fix for making some money, others will take a sizable investment of your time. Either way, select a method that fits within your skill set and ensure that you deliver a serious amount of value. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.

A side hustle is any type of employment undertaken in addition to one’s full-time job. This is generally freelance or piecework in nature, providing a supplemental income. Side hustles are often things a person is passionate about, rather day a typical day job worked in order to make ends meet. A side hustle is not the same as a part-time job. While a part-time job still entails someone else (your employer) calling most of the shots (including hours worked and what you’ll be paid), a side hustle gives you the freedom to decide how much you want to work and earn.

You can start your own side hustle, or you can complete work on a freelance, contract, on-call, or part-time basis for a company. For those who aren’t quite ready to quit their day job, or are terrified by the prospect of becoming an entrepreneur, side hustles can provide an outlet to explore passions, test ideas, and grow a solid customer base should they ultimately decide they want to give notice.

At CrystalPerk, we have a list of profitable side hustles one can start and they include the following:

1. Run Facebook ads for small businesses- Facebook ads for small businesses in many areas act as a way to supplement my income. Running Facebook ads for small businesses is simply digital marketing through Facebook, which continues to be one of the best online platforms for small businesses to increase their traffic and visibility. The reasons this is hands down, one of the best side hustles is because Facebook has a massive reach that small business owners are just starting to tap into. Big companies have been doing this for a while, but many small business owners lack the resources and time it takes to run an effective ad strategy. When you learn how to run Facebook ads for local business owners, you’re helping them strategize and grow their business.

2. Deliver items and food – Grocery and food delivery apps are making life much easier for many people right now. That growing market makes this one of the best side hustle ideas of 2020. The work is there, the pay is good, and it’s very flexible. Drivers for UberEats, and other food points delivering food in their spare time. We recommend downloading both of the following apps and using them at the same time, which allows you to choose which deliveries you’d like to make based on how well they pay.

3. Start a blog- Blogging easily has the highest earning potential of anything on this list. As a blogger, you’re in complete control of when you work, how you monetize your blog, and what you blog about. If you’re interested in starting a blog, a WordPress blog hosted can be a good way to start.

4. Proofread for a living- If you cringe when someone uses the wrong verb tense or can’t tell the difference between their/there/they’re, proofreading might be one of the best side hustles for you to try. Proofreaders are responsible for polishing written content for bloggers, content writers, website owners, and more. This is another super flexible and good-paying side hustle.
5. Become a Pinterest virtual assistant- You’re probably already familiar with Pinterest – it’s a great place to find recipes, workouts, DIYs, etc. This is one of the best side hustles of 2020 because Pinterest VAs make an average of Ksh 45,000 per month/per client doing things like:

• Creating pins
• Optimizing images
• Developing a Pinning schedule
• Doing keyword research

6. Teach English online with VIPKid – VIPkid is a website that connects its teachers to young Chinese students with the goal of helping them learn English. The hours are flexible, you work when you want, and you can earn up making it one of the best online side hustle ideas. To start teaching through VIPKid, you start with an application and interview process that involves doing a practice lesson. It’s less stressful than it sounds, trust me. Also, you don’t need to be a certified teacher to teach through VIPKid, you just need experience working with children.

7. Start flipping furniture- We’ve all seen furniture just sitting on the curb around our neighborhoods. The thing is, a lot of it is in pretty decent shape structurally and really just needs a fresh coat of paint or some new hardware. I honestly think that most people don’t want to take the time to fix or even donate this stuff. The point is to keep your costs low so that you can maximize your earnings. Once you’ve found pieces and refreshed them, you can sell your flips on Facebook Marketplace or through selling apps.

8. Sell things on eBay, Jumia or Cheki.co.ke – Now, there are no guarantees on the amount you’ll make, but this is one of the side hustle ideas that’s insanely easy to start because you can literally start selling what’s sitting around your house. Here are a few tips to get this side hustle up and running quickly and on the cheap:

• Start small by selling items – you’ll keep your costs down and bank some good reviews
• Watch what you spend on packing materials
• Sell what you know, which helps you market and list things correctly
• Learn more through online reseller communities, like blogs, YouTube channels, and social media

9. Walk dogs or pet sit- with sites like Rover an online platform that is dedicated to connecting pet owners with dog walkers and pet sitters in their area. This goes unsaid, but you have to love pets for this side hustle. Pay varies depending on where you live. You’ll be paid more if you live in an urban area. Rover can help you find clients, but you can also list your services on social media. Because trust is such a big part of this side hustle, referrals go a long way.

10. Sell on Shopify  – Shopify is an easy to use platform for setting up and running your own eCommerce store. And if you’re thinking that it sounds like a lot of work running an online shop, it can be surprisingly passive if you use Shopify for drop shipping. You use Shopify’s platform to build your eCommerce site  there are over 70 customizable themes, a drag and drop editor, and custom domains. You select items to sell on your site that can be drop-shipped (You don’t touch, store, or ship these goods. You’re listing them for sale, then connecting the customer with supplier). After your site it is built, it’s pretty passive because you’re not actively managing or shipping orders. Shopify does this for you. You will need to run traffic to your site, and check in to maintain it.

11. Become a rideshare driver – Using ridesharing companies like Uber give customers a comparable or even less expensive option to cabs. They also feel very millennial-friendly, easy to use apps, interacting with fellow side hustlers, and rides within minutes. Rideshare drivers get to set their own hours, and I’ve met a lot of drivers who genuinely love meeting new people and being able to side hustle whenever they want. There is a lot to understand about rideshare driving before you get started, like the average pay often being less than advertised. But the we have heard legit reviews from a number of very happy rideshare drivers who love making money on their own schedule.

12. Freelancing – If you have a marketable skill, working as a freelancer is a super legit side hustle. Now that more and more companies, including big ones, are outsourcing to freelancers, there is a lot of work even for new freelancers. A lot of freelance work can be done online, which makes this flexible work that fits pretty seamlessly in with the rest of your life. You can find your first freelance jobs on sites. Starting your own website once you’ve gotten your feet wet and you are ready to grow your client list.

13. Rent out your car – If you like the idea of Airbnb (renting out a room or your entire house to make some extra income) Any online platform you can list your car, the dates it’s available, and then rent it out to prescreened customers. It is a liability insurance and coverage in the event of theft or physical damage.

14. Side hustle as a tutor – If there is a subject that you know well and can teach to others, tutoring is a great side hustle idea Tutoring is actually one of the best side hustles for teachers because the hourly pay is pretty high depending on where you live. You can find tutoring jobs by connecting with local schools, advertising your services on social media, or through an online tutoring platform.

15. Complete tasks on TaskRabbit- For a low commitment side hustle, doing one-off jobs with TaskRabbit is a great way to make extra money in 2020. And this is not geographically constrained. You only need your laptop and off you go.  The reason this is one of the best side hustle ideas is that you can literally pick it up when you want to make money and put it down when you’re done. You’re not locked into a completely new career; it’s just fast cash when you need it.

16. Freelance writer – Freelance writing is a broad field that can encompass a number of different jobs including:As a freelancer, you own your business and contract your work out to companies or solopreneurs. You work on your own schedule and can set competitive rates, making this one of the best side hustles to grow into a full-time job. Many types of freelance writing work don’t require a specialized degree, but if you want to jumpstart this side hustle, check out 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success.

17. Creative and artistic services – A lot of the best side hustle ideas you’ll find on lists like these are for online work or using an app to find work. Not many ideas are for leveraging your natural abilities, but those side hustles do exist and can be a great way to make extra money. Some of the ideas here can be learned, but the people who are best at these side hustles typically have some innate artistic ability or creativity. To get one of these side hustles up and running, having a website or social media presence is incredibly helpful. You can also promote your skills to your friends and family word of mouth goes a long way.

18. Create a course to sell – Next to seeing so many people get out of debt, one of the most rewarding things about running this site is teaching people such a valuable skill. The great thing about creating and selling an online course is that you don’t have to deal with parents or politics. You just get to help people learn something really useful. How well your course sells will depend on the demand for what you’re teaching, and courses with marketable skills tend to do better. The number one tip for success is to provide value to your students. Know exactly what you’re talking about and give them more than they came for.

19. Start a consulting service – consult for Clarity online is a huge topic related to business, funding, product and design, technology, skills and management, a variety of different industries, and more. If you’re interested in earning, their list of expert standards, will need to fill out an application with CrystalPerk and off you go. Clarity will review your application and assess it based on demand and the completeness of your profile.

20. Find a part-time job – Side hustles are notoriously flexible, but who’s to say that a regular part-time job won’t fill that need for you? Once you approach a part-time job it is about things you enjoy doing or what the perks of the job might be.

21. Start flipping cars – flipping cars is profitable doing basic maintenance and repairs is a valuable asset if you want to make the most money flipping cars. The premise for flipping cars is that you find an undervalued used car, make sure it doesn’t need any serious repairs, buy it, make the necessary repairs, and then sell it for a profit.

22. Sell your lesson plans online – The reality is that lots of kids around the world are learning remotely these days, which means teachers and students are looking for new ways to engage their kids. Like other kinds of digital sales, this could become a fairly passive source of income because you’re not creating and shipping out each item you sell.
23. Rent out your pool- Pools can be both an asset and a burden for homeowners. There’s a lot of maintenance and upkeep, and if you’re not using your pool often, they can become a pretty big headache. If someone has rented your pool and gets hurt, it doesn’t insure you or the guest. You’ll need to check with your insurance company to see what your options are.

24. Work as a personal shopper- These are people you pay to pick up your groceries or make a Target run. This is similar to what you would do working for Instacart or Postmates, except you’re self-employed instead of working as a contractor for a big company. There are pros and cons to that. On the upside, you can set your own prices and build relationships with long-term clients. The major downside is that you’re responsible for marketing yourself and building trust. You can share your post on Facebook and ask your friends to share. Include a friendly picture of yourself, a little background info, and why someone should trust you to shop for them. Make sure your post is shareable – not set to friends only.

25. Become a bookkeeper- First of all, bookkeeping is different from accounting. Bookkeepers record daily financial transactions for a business and accountants interpret the transactions. A bookkeeper is responsible for things like:

• Collecting business payments
• Updating financial records
• Checking records and transactions for accuracy
• Manage payroll
• Reimburse work-related expenses

Accountants analyze things, prepare tax documents, and do financial forecasting, among other things. It outlines the necessary skills, what kind of training you need, and how to find clients.

26. Make money as a transcriptionist- Working as a transcriptionistis a side hustle you’ll find on lots of blogs that focus on work-at-home jobs. Transcriptions take audio files and convert them into text documents. They listen very carefully and type up exactly what they hear. They might work on general transcription jobs like transcribing podcasts, interviews, web conferences, lectures, or instructional videos. Some transcriptionists specialize in legal or medical transcription. All transcriptionists will have to type what they hear and go back and proofread it for accuracy. You can imagine how important accuracy is for legal or medical transcriptionists. What people like about this side hustle is that it can be done remotely.

27. Clean houses- cleaning houses part-time is a fast way to make extra money. Put flyers up at the library and in grocery stores and list the services Looking to your inner circle is one of the best ways to find a job like this, but also platforms.
28. Get paid to grocery shop with Shipt or Instacart- For our friends in the US, working a grocery shopping side hustle is a growing side hustle. Instacartand Shipt are two of the most popular on-demand grocery services for side hustlers. Both let you set your own hours and have pretty minimal requirements for shoppers you just have to be 18 years old, have a clean driving and criminal record, and access to a car and smartphone.
29. Become a social media manager-This was a non-existent side hustle idea not too long ago, but these days brands and companies need someone to manage their social media presence. Plus, where would we be as a society without gems like this that have been strategically crafted and shared by social media managers from major companies. The work can change from client to client, and you can develop your skills as you work.
30. Write an eBook- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing has made it easy for new writers to start publishing ebooks without any previous experience. This platform breaks down the barriers to traditional publishing – finding a publisher, negotiating rates, working under deadlines, etc. Romance is the most popular genre of ebooks, fantasy and mystery books do well too. One interesting thing is that ebooks can be much shorter than traditional novels, which makes it even more approachable for new writers.