Side hustles are more popular than ever today. In fact, they’ve become such a buzzword that it can be difficult to know exactly what even constitutes a side hustle. But you shouldn’t let that deter you! With inflation on the rise, a side hustle can be just the thing for financing your goals. Read on for the best side hustles for going into the new year, plus extra tips and what side hustles to avoid.
Why Have a Side Hustle?
So why have a side hustle? There are many great reasons to consider adding one to your routine. Having a side hustle can have many benefits and opportunities, such as:
Schedule Flexibility
Having a side hustle allows you to build your work around your existing schedule, including jobs, hobbies, and other commitments. After all, there’s a reason it’s called a side hustle, right? One of the best things about side hustles is the ability to set your own hours and work in smaller increments, as opposed to a full workday. It’s a great way to garner income without the hassle and responsibilities that come with getting a second job or other part-time commitments. Plus, you don’t have to worry about coordinating projects and other work-related tasks with a supervisor and coworkers. More schedule flexibility equals more freedom!
Work From Home
Another awesome benefit of side hustling is that a lot of the work involved can be done from home! In the increasingly virtual era of COVID-19 and Zoom, having the flexibility to work from home, even on a hybrid basis, can be a huge productivity boost.
You can enjoy the comfort of your home while you generate income and gain knowledge and connections. Plus, working from home saves you money on gas and on other commute-related items, such as car maintenance and fast food.
Be Your Own Boss
Much like how you can work from home and set your own hours, having a side hustle allows you to be your own boss and build valuable leadership skills. It’s not just about setting your own schedule — it’s also about how you choose to approach your side hustle and how you reach your entrepreneurial goals. Being a boss means being a leader and being responsible. You must be accountable to yourself and to your business (that is, your chosen side hustle).
Having a side hustle is a huge opportunity to prove yourself as a driven, results-focused individual. Viewing your side hustle as a means to gain leadership experience can offer a helpful perspective during moments when you might be feeling discouraged. Remember, failure is normal and not the end of the world. What matters is how you work through the experience and rise to meet the challenge.
Boost Your Resume
Add flair to your resume with a side hustle. Remember, you’re gaining valuable skills and experience. Now it’s all about how you word it! Adding a side hustle or two to your resume can also help to fill any gaps in your work experience and establish you as someone who is a go-getter and a hard worker.
You should remember that many of the desired skills in job candidates today are skills that are easily transferable. This means that these skills can be learned almost anywhere and then applied in almost any setting. Valuable traits you’ll develop from your side hustle, like customer service, listening, teamwork, and an excellent work ethic, are all attributes that can help you stand out from the crowd.
Hone Your Entrepreneurial Skill Set
Working a side hustle or two can be a valuable opportunity to hone those budding entrepreneurial skills. Having a side hustle can help you build confidence and develop important marketing and customer service abilities, which inevitably makes you a better, savvier entrepreneur. So don’t look at your side hustle as a mindless grind that you have to do. It’s an excellent opportunity for self-improvement!
The Best Side Hustles
Now that you’ve read about just a few of the many benefits of side hustles, read ahead for the hottest side hustle trends on the horizon!
Selling Figma Templates
You might be wondering what a Figma template even is. In case you haven’t heard of them already, Figma templates are dynamic digital files that you can use to create a 3D model of something, such as a design prototype. Figma is the name of the program used to create this kind of particular template file. Figma templates have many uses, such as helping builders create and design structures faster or helping artists animate characters.
Selling Figma templates can be a great side hustle. The market for Figma templates is a hot one right now, provided you have the capability to design quality, in-demand Figma templates. Some examples of popular designs being created right now are user interface (UI) templates and learning software templates.
A few of the perks of creating and selling Figma templates are that it’s a project you can do by yourself, it provides a great deal of creative freedom, and there are many opportunities to specialize in one particular thing. However, it is vital to remember that you must also keep an eye on current industry trends — and follow them! There’s no point in spending hours creating an awesome Figma template if, at the end of the day, there’s absolutely no market for it. So plan ahead and make sure to do lots of market research and stay up to date on what’s happening in the tech world.
Also, remember to stay fresh and innovative with your designs. While you are your own boss with this particular project, it is important to remember that you must cater to your customers as well! It’s also key to ensure that you are not putting on the same (or a very similar) project over and over again. Keep it new and simple, and remember that it's okay to experiment and play around. Just make sure that you always have a reason for creating the design that you have in mind so you are always making the most of your time. Learn more about Figma and how to get started.
Selling Notion Templates
Another sort of template that is getting popular to sell is Notion templates. If you’re not familiar with Notion already, it’s a good idea to invest some time in learning more about it since it is so versatile. Generally, Notion is used as a program to organize something, similar to other apps like Google Drive or Trello. You can build templates specifically designed for certain kinds of businesses like restaurants or research companies.
Many of the same general rules and guidelines apply to selling Notion templates that apply to selling Figma templates. You should keep content original, remember to cater to your customers, and always do ample research before committing time to a particular project. Make sure you also take time to consider things like your launch strategy and how you will market your templates to your target audience.
Selling Access to Discord
Discord can be used for virtually anything and can be a great way to form online communities and share knowledge and information with other people around the world. Creating a Discord community about a topic or activity that you are already familiar with and passionate about can be a great way to combine those interests with monetization.
Selling access to a Discord community as a side hustle can also save you time because, provided it’s a topic you enjoy, you’ll already know a lot about it, and you may even know other people who share the same interest. You'll have less research to do, and you will know where to go to make the industry connections you need. You’ll also likely be less prone to burnout and will probably look forward to spending time on Discord and working on your side hustle.
Discord also has the benefit of being both online and mobile, so you can work wherever you are (as long as you have an internet connection) and won’t need to worry about commuting.
Whop can help you stay organized and help you monetize your Discord server in no time! Here at Whop we also have an official Discord server to help answer all of your questions and help you get started with your Discord journey!
Reselling Sneakers
The flipping and reselling market is known to be valuable, but you don’t have to start flipping huge commitment items like cars or houses in order to get in on the action. Sneaker reselling is more popular than ever and is sure to be a profitable side hustle in 2024. Sneakers are valuable collector's items, and there are a number of different ways to bid and resell.
You should decide whether you want to buy and resell new or used shoes or a combination of both. You should also focus on other essential aspects of your side hustle, like building your inventory and deciding what auction sites you will use. However, it’s essential to remember that the sneaker reseller market is one that can easily become oversaturated. As with any side hustle, it’s always wise to do market research beforehand. Make sure to discover which shoes are trendy and which are no longer as rare as they once were, such as Yeezys.
Make sure you also have some money to invest in your business up front! Obviously, reselling of any kind comes with some initial expenses — and sneaker reselling is no exception to this vital rule. Take time to budget ahead of time and make sure that you actually stick to that budget. Doing so will ensure maximum profitability while ensuring this fun side hustle stays low-stress and easy to manage.
Side Hustles to Avoid
Now that you know some of the best possible side hustles in the game, it’s time to get started with your own! However, it’s always smart to be cautious when you are thinking about getting started with any sort of side hustle. So with that in mind, here are a few side hustles that you should always avoid:
Multi-level marketing
You’d be smart to avoid Multi-level marketing (or MLMs) as an umbrella rule. Also sometimes known as direct sales, these companies work by recruiting salespeople who then, in turn, recruit more salespeople, and so on. It can be very tough, if not impossible, to turn a profit in a multi-level marketing position, and they’re generally not regarded as very reputable. Thus, it’s best practice to avoid them, tempting as they may be.
Surveys and Sweepstakes
While it can sound convenient to fill out surveys on your phone from the comfort of your couch, many of these can be scams. It can be difficult to know who is getting your personal information or what they are doing with it, and many companies simply take your data and run. In addition, filling out sweepstakes and surveys and hoping to win big is unlikely to help you to develop any skills or connections. To prevent wasting time and forking over your personal data, avoid these kinds of gigs.
Personal Assistant Gigs
While there can be lucrative personal assistant opportunities, this field is also rife with scams and legally complicated areas. It can be virtually impossible to tell if a business or person is legitimate or not, and pay can vary wildly. In addition, the arrangements and schedules can be unpredictable, and you lack the opportunity to be your own boss. You may also need to do other things, such as running errands in a personal car, which can add on expenses. Leave this side hustle to someone else and enjoy freedom and flexibility with a side hustle that allows you to work from home. Your budget and time will certainly thank you!
Side hustles can be a great addition to your life moving into the new year. Not only are they a great way to boost your finances, but they can also be very rewarding — both personally and professionally. Having a side hustle that offers the convenience and flexibility of working from home can be an awesome way to grow your job skills and reach your entrepreneurial goals in 2024.
Visit us over at the whop marketplace to be in the know and even sell your digital products, templates, discord servers, SaaS products, or pretty much anything else and get take your 2024 side hustle to new levels!
