7 Money-Making Side Hustles You Can Start in 2018

January 8, 2018 Money

Whether you want to become your own boss or make some extra money, a side hustle can help you get ahead financially. The start of the year is a great time to build new things, and with a little hard work, there are no limits to what a side gig can bring. Here are 7 money-making side hustles that you can start now.

1. Create and Manage Facebook Ads for Local Businesses

Let’s be honest, Facebook ads are the new billboards. Everyone is constantly looking at a screen these days, and local businesses often need help to reach more online customers. Facebook ad management is a hot commodity and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

The industry standard pay for this type of work is $1,000 – $2,000 per month, which is a great paycheck for a new side gig. You’ll just need to get some training first, and once you know your stuff this side gig doesn’t take up much time. Once you’ve created the initial ad and tested the audience, the ad will pretty much run on autopilot from then. You can learn how to manage ads from Facebook’s Blueprint courses, or any one of these Facebook Ad Marketing courses on Udemy.

2. Teach English from Home Through VIPKID

VIPKid is a pretty simple side gig with a skill that you don’t need to learn – English language. On VIPKid you can teach foreign children and students English online. You don’t need to have any teaching qualifications to join, only some experience working with children.

This includes:

Raising your own children
Working at a daycare
Tutoring
Babysitting

You can easily schedule VIPKid tutoring before or after your regular 9-5 job. It’s very simple and doesn’t require any lesson planning as VIPKid walks you through the entire process.

3. Become a Virtual Assistant

Becoming a virtual assistant is a great way to make money working online, and it can also provide you with some experience if you plan on becoming a blogger or online business owner. A virtual assistant is somebody who helps bloggers and small businesses complete online tasks. An easy way to market yourself as a virtual assistant is to create your own blog and market your services via your website.

If you don’t know where to start looking for clients, join Fancy Hands where you can be paired up with people who need tasks done. You can earn $2.50 – $7.00 per online task that you complete.

4. Start a Pet Sitting or Dog Walking Business

If you’re an animal lover this could be your dream career, as it’s not that hard to start a pet-sitting business. You can start by volunteering at a local pet shelter to build up your reputation. You’d be able to meet clients and get referrals from other volunteers and veterinarians. You could even place your business cards at the pet shelter desk and in the vet’s office. Additionally, you should join Rover which is a large network that provides dog-walking and pet sitting gigs. According to the Rover website, you could earn $1,000+ every month.

5. Start a Blog

Blogging can be a great side hustle to start, even though it’s not exactly a get rich quick scheme. Don’t expect to see income for at least 6 months, but once you understand the world of ads, affiliates, and sponsorships your earning potential is unlimited.

If you want to become a blogger, there are thousands of guides to starting one and building your audience all over the internet. To get started, think about your “niche” and how you can offer good content.

6. Handle Social Media/Marketing for Small Businesses

This next side hustle actually works hand in hand with blogging. To become a blogger, you need to master the world of social media marketing, and by doing so, you could start a business handling the social media of other businesses.

Small businesses usually have blogs, websites, and social media that need to show up in Google. If you’ve got a decent sized blog (5,000 – 30,000 views per month), you should have enough skills to freelance as a social media marketing manager. While growing your blog, you can use your new social media skills to bring in some extra income.

7. Make Money by Flipping Furniture

If you’re not into making money online or cute dogs, try flipping furniture instead.

This is great side-hustle as the cost of inventory is very low, and you can even find pieces of furniture on the side of the road that you can turn into cold hard cash. Generally speaking, most furniture only needs a few coats of paints before it can be sold to a new buyer. If you’re particularly creative, you could turn average cupboards and bedside tables into shabby-chic/vintage aesthetic – check out these awesome ideas from Pinterest. To source your first few pieces of furniture head to neighborhood Facebook groups and yard sales.