In a tight economy where inflation is causing all kinds of stress, budgets are getting stretched thin. Sometimes you may find yourself checking your budget and not finding any more ways to cut expenses. If this is you, you are probably wondering, how can I make some extra income? You could google this and get thousands of different results. But for this article, I want to focus on the ever famous side hustle. Once again, you can find endless articles online about the best side hustles, but I am going to take a different approach: Finding the best side hustle for you.
Tips to find the best side hustle for you
- Assess your skills-most people have a general idea of what they are good at. They are more than likely things you do every single day, or things that just seem to come easy. Or in other cases, you might have an interest in doing something but don’t have the skills. There is always learning them. Not sure what your skills are? Take a skills assessment online
- Your experiences-List out experiences you have accumulated. Some questions to consider: Do any stick out in your mind more than others? Any that you enjoyed or any that bring you bad memories? Did you feel passionate about it or feel that time flew by when doing?
- Helping others: Has anyone ever come to you for help in any way? Have you ever volunteered to help others and enjoyed it?
- Personality Type: Do you know what your personality type is? I always recommend people take an assessment like Myers Briggs. This can show you things like whether you are naturally an introvert or extrovert, or how you process information. Similarly, the enneagram categorizes you into 3 main groups (heart, head and body) and then 3 subgroups in each of those. Do you react with emotions, analysis or your gut? This can help show you how you approach handling money. I love this article by Rachel Cruz that can help illustrate this.
- Ask a friend: if you have no idea, then its time to ask friends or family. Ask those you are closest to on what they think you’d be good at. Many times, others may see something in you that you can’t yourself.
Going further on number 4 above, I like to separate possible side hustle ideas into whether you are an introvert or extrovert because I believe all of us fall into one of these two categories. Sometimes we can be both in the right situation, but generally speaking, most are inherently one or the other.
Top Side Hustles for Introverts
Bookkeeping-thinking of a side hustle for accountants? Bookkeeping is definitely one of the top earning side hustles someone can do and is perfect for introverts. As a bookkeeper you will be responsible for updating a business’ financials including their balance sheets, income statement and statement of cash flows. While this is something that doesn’t require a college education, it does require training. You have to be familiar with programs such as QuickBooks or Freshbooks and you have to have an understanding of basic accounting principles and rules. There is a program called Bookkeeper Business Launch that can help people launch their own bookkeeping business. I did this program and I can honestly say there was a ton of material and it was very informative.
Proofreading-this is another side hustle for introverts that could potentially be lucrative over time. If you are good with catching grammatical errors & structural issues then proofreading could be for you. There can be opportunities to do freelance work and earn extra income on the side. Caitlin Pyle’s proofread anywhere is a program that you can do that will help teach the basics on how to get started
Blogging-just like reading and proofreading, blogging is another option for introverts as a side hustle. If you consider yourself to be a good writer and enjoy it, blogging may be for you. Blogging can earn you money again over time with content that you create on a website. Through your content you can add affiliate links, you can do sponsored content and you can eventually have advertising on your blog that can earn you income. Again this is not an overnight thing, this takes time but the sky is the limit on how much you can potentially earn overtime. I did this course from the Savvy Couple and thought it was a good place to start,
Top Side Hustles for Extroverts
Social Media manager-lots of small businesses need help managing their social media accounts, how to market and advertise themselves, set up recurring posts, communicate with people, etc. This is great for an extrovert as they tend to love working with people anyway
Event Planner-think business events, weddings, birthday parties, etc. People love to have parties and gatherings, and some don’t want the hassle of having to organize them. That is where event planners come in. They are hired by companies or individuals to organize all the little facts and details. Communication is key for this role
Photographer-Photographers could really go either way on the introvert/extrovert scale, but many times they are hired to take pictures at events like weddings, parties, etc and so more often than not the photographer is more outgoing in nature. They also have to be decisive on locations to shoot at, angles and communicate to the parties on different poses.
Other Resources
I love reading books and listening to podcasts on this topic. A couple I enjoy and listen to regularly are the Side Hustle Show by Nick Loper and one book I own is 100 Side Hustles by Chris Guillebeau.
Conclusion
There is so much information online about side hustles. But it is important to do research on things that fit your personality and style before attempting a new one or investing money in one. Whether you are in introvert or extrovert, there are a lot of opportunities out there for people to make a little extra money. And who knows, if you find something you are good at and enjoy, it could become something bigger in your life.
