Side Businesses You Can Start Quickly
Did you know that about 25% of people in the United Kingdom have a side hustle? Yes, you heard that right. That’s about one in four full-time employed people in the country. Moreover, the side hustle contributes to 3.6% of the UK GDP.
And given the benefits side businesses offer – from financial stability to the chance to do something you love – this trend isn’t likely to slow down any time soon. But with a side hustle also come long hours of work and pressure from working two jobs. Worse still, choosing a side hustle isn’t easy, with thousands of ideas out there.
This post details side businesses, including what they are, why you should start one, how to come up with a side hustle idea, and the side businesses you can start quickly.
Let’s get started!
What is a side business?
Also known as a side hustle, a side business is a business you run in addition to your regular full-time job. It’s a way to make money outside your full-time day job. It could be something you are passionate about or a way to make extra cash.
For instance, if you own a bakery, your side hustle could be what you do to earn extra money – such as selling baking content. You can have more than one side hustle, which helps diversify your income streams.
Why should I start a side business?
A side business provides you with innumerable benefits, ranging from the chance to monetise your passion to financial freedom and independence. It also gives you the freedom to explore self-employment.
Here are the top benefits of a side hustle:
- You get the chance to monetise something you love
- It gives you financial independence and freedom
- It gives you the chance to explore self-employment
- It provides you with unlimited earning potential
- It gives you time to test your ideas
How do I come up with a side business idea?
Having a side business sounds glamorous – you get to earn extra income from a business idea while still working in your full-time job. However, the moment you decide to start a side hustle, you realise there is a great barrier ahead of you: choosing the side business to start.
To make your life easier, here are three tips to help you come up with a side hustle idea:
Look for the market gap
A market gap is a business opportunity. It’s when you identify something consumers need that isn’t in the market. In his book, Side Hustle: From idea to income in 27 days, Chris Guillebeau encourages people to find profitable ideas around them.
There is always a market gap around you; you need to look closely.
Make your hobby pay
Whether baking, fitness, swimming, making arts, reading, or dancing is your hobby; there is always a side hustle business opportunity you can pursue. For instance, you can start a dancing class and offer online and in-person classes if dancing is your hobby.
Or, if you bake, you could start a YouTube channel to showcase your skills and train other people. If art is your hobby, you could start selling creatives and designs on such marketplaces as eBay, Notonthehighstreet.com, or Etsy.
Use your skillset or background
You can use your skills or experience background to start a side hustle. For instance, if you work as a software engineer, you could create systems or applications that solve problems in your environment. You can also look for companies that need quick tech fixes.
What are some of the side businesses I can start quickly?
Earning extra cash through a side hustle has become quite mainstream nowadays. It’s also a great way to start if you want to become an entrepreneur.
If you are looking to get into the side hustle game, consider one (or more) of these easy-to-start side businesses:
Pet sitting and dog walking
Nowadays, people barely find the time to give their pets all the necessary attention. This is especially the case for our fur friends, who need regular daily walks and exercises. This also applies during weekends, when people are busy with personal things.
People are willing to pay you to attend to their pets, take their dogs for a walk, and feed their cats. With enough numbers, this could become a sustainable side hustle and a fun thing to do for pet lovers.
Freelancer
Freelancing is one of the best ways to monetise your passion. And the best about freelancing is that you can do it remotely, giving you freedom over how and where you work from. You also have the freedom to choose the number of clients to work with and how long per week.
Here are a few freelancing side hustles to consider:
- Freelance writer
- Freelance developer
- Freelance translator
- Freelance graphic design
- Virtual assistance
Airbnb
If you live in a popular tourist spot, hosting your home on Airbnb is a great side hustle idea, especially during peak months. It’s also a brilliant idea, with the trend of staycations still a thing in the U.K.
Plus, signing up your home on Airbnb is easy; you only have to fill in a few details on a user-friendly platform and wait about 72 hours to have your home listed in the search engine.
Become an affiliate marketer
This is one of the fastest and easiest ways to make money online. You are paid to drive traffic to a merchant’s website through affiliate markets.
And affiliate marketing is already a thing in the U.K., with a market share of 15% – second to the United States. And the best thing about affiliate marketing is that you don’t need to be a great copywriter to earn money. You only need to share the links on social media, blogs, emails, etc.
Become a blogger
Blogging is one of the best ways to make money online with your website. You can start your blog or become a guest blogger for another site. You can check blogging sites like Wix, WordPress, Web.com, and Squarespace to get started.
And the best thing with blogging is that you can write anything you like.
Final thoughts
A side hustle is an excellent way to earn extra income. However, deciding what side business to start isn’t always a walk in the park, especially with thousands of options. This post looks to simplify things for you by discussing how to come up with a side hustle idea and the side hustle businesses you can start quickly. Remember Clyde Offices provides a range of back office support services to small businesses including, the virtual office we can also provide virtual administration support and telephone answering.
Good luck as you use it to boost your income.
