6 ideas to make a side income while growing your business
being an entrepreneur is synonymous with being financially unstable at times. while you’re growing your company, it’s important to be focused. but what if you could get a side hustle that would help bring in a healthy secondary income to alleviate some of that financial stress? and, best case, what if this side hustle could also help you grow your core business?
the good news is that there are a lot of companies that create opportunities for entrepreneurs that don’t require full-time work and can become a great companion to the work you’re doing.
better yet, they take out the hassle of having to create a second company to supplement your income because they do the legwork and allow you to plug in your skills and time.
here are some examples of opportunities that might be the perfect side hustle for you as you continue to grow your company (with more ease and less financial stress)!
outsource your skills
can you do graphic design, data mining, website development, video editing, software development or customer service? then you can parlay those skills by signing up on sites such as taskrabbit or upwork and get hired by their members to do jobs in any of these areas (remotely or in person). you can pick and choose how often you want to work and what jobs you take.
do temp work
long gone are the days of temp agencies and scouring the internet for part-time or short-term work. enter wonolo, which helps people “work now locally” for “a few hours or a day at real companies doing real work," says aj brustein, the company's co-founder (and my big brother). "want to help an ecommerce company fulfilling orders when they are busy, help out at a conference taking tickets, or assist in data entry at a wealth management firm? you can get numerous career experiences around the flexibility of your own schedule.” you can get alerted of jobs available in your area immediately via wonolo's app. sounds perfect for a busy entrepreneur.
become a rideshare driver
most of us are familiar with uber and lyft but have you considered being a driver for them? i’ll never forget one of my rides where the driver told me that he uses his spare time to make money driving as well as to leverage the networking he can do with each of his passengers as he grows his new business -- genius!
rent out your pad
are you traveling for a business meeting and leaving your home empty? do you have a spare room or guest house? it’s time to put them to work and list them on airbnb or vrbo and make money on your property when you’re not using it.
rent out your car
if you can get on board with renting out your home, you’ll certainly understand the model created by companies like turo which allow you to rent out your personal vehicle to their users. i recently used turo during a trip in san francisco and had a great experience that didn’t require me to find a rental car center, and the cost was right. i even was able to get acquainted with the car’s owner, to whom i offered to help find a job. it's another way to make money and network when you’re not using your car.
don’t just buy online, sell there
you can sell items you already own on sites like ebay or poshmark, or you can make it into a side business. my twin brother, garrett, used to do this and created an incredibly lucrative income from it by flipping high-end jeans he’d buy at thrift stores. just think -- you can unload the stuff you don't want and go shopping to resell items all in the name of making money.
might one (or more) of these appeal to you to create some financial stability while you grow your business? are there other options you’d add to the list?
i’m a big believer that the more you can set yourself up to win (by alleviating stress and fear over money) the more likely you are to make focused and level-headed decisions in your businesses.