Looking To Start A Side Hustle? Here’s How

People all around the world are taking advantage of the benefits a side hustle can offer and have started earning money on the side. Some opt to drive for Uber or Lyft as a way to make a little extra cash to help themselves get out of debt or supplement their income. Others, though, are choosing to start their own thing altogether with hopes of growing it into a full-time gig one day. Whatever the reason you want to start a side hustle, there are a lot of options and opportunities out there.

As great as a side hustle can be, you may not know how to start one and maintain a balance between your day job, side hustle, and personal life. Sometimes it can get tricky, and there will undoubtedly be busier days than others, but the extra income and potential to turn your side hustle your full-time job and become your own boss is worth the effort. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some tips on how:

Come Up with an Idea

There are tons of different possible side hustles out there. It can be difficult to narrow them down to find the one that is best for you, but if you consider your hobbies, things you like to do, and bounce your ideas off of friends to see which one might be best received, you’ll be able to find the perfect fit for you. Here are just a few ideas of side hustles you could start that you could easily do in addition to your day job:

Cleaning Service – Most office buildings are cleaned at night when employees are gone. This makes it the perfect side hustle for someone with a 9 to 5 job. You could also offer residential cleaning services on the weekends or your days off.

Delivery Service – What would you deliver? Anything. You could deliver the mail, pick up kids from daycare and deliver them home, pick up and deliver takeout, deliver flowers (if you charge less than the floral services do, you could pick up a lot of clients). The options are endless.

Rental Property – Whether you have an extra property you could rent out or just an empty room in your basement, renting out your property is a great way to earn some passive income. You can list it on Airbnb and find a nice, clean, temporary tenant.

Build Your Brand

Once you’ve decided what it is you want to do, it’s time to start building your brand and gaining recognition. There are several things you can do to build brand awareness and make a name for yourself, but here are just a few:

Create a Logo – A logo is how your clients and potential clients will recognize you and your brand. There are different free logo creators online that can help you design the perfect logo for your side hustle to start building brand awareness.

Launch a Website – Consumers turn to the Internet for information about businesses more than ever. Having a website is imperative. You don’t have to spend tons of money on a platform and web designer—you can use tools like WordPress to create your own for free or cheap.

Advertise on Social Media – Everybody is on social media which is why it’s important that you are too. Not only should you have a social media presence, but you can use it to advertise to your potential clients and attract more customers.

Find the Right Tools

There are different tools available to help you build up and run your side hustle. They can make everything a lot faster and easier, helping you maintain a better work-life balance. Here are just a few:

EChecks – eChecks make it easy to manage cash flow and get bills paid on time. All you have to do is fill out the check then email to the recipient. eChecks can also be integrated with Quickbooks making it a stellar money management tool.

Streak – Streak is a Gmail extension that lets you schedule emails, see if a message has been opened, create templates, etc. It simplifies the communication process, plus it’s free.

Canva – A picture’s worth a thousand words and can speak volumes about your brand and company. Canva is a free tool that you can use to create beautiful, professional graphics to help you advertise your side hustle.

Stick with It

Having a side hustle isn’t always easy and can take a lot of energy and effort. When getting started, it’s important to be committed and in it for the long haul. As you get going and bring on clients (even if it’s only a few), and as you start to reach milestones, the hard work will become worth it. What kind of a side hustle would you start?