Side Businesses You Can Start Quickly

Posted on 23 Sep at 11:36 in Blog by Alan

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.

Clyde Offices

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Puc

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Setting up a new registered address for my business was so stressful with all the other challenges a new business faces. Clyde Offices took all the stress out of it. The service was so simple to use and we're very happy with the ongoing relationship.

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The registration with Clyde Offices was easy and efficient and the fee was very reasonable. I've been with them for a few weeks now and have been very happy with the service. Responses to a couple of queries I had were prompt and resolved easily. I would happily recommend this service.

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I recommend it, easy access to the website and unrivaled low cost... '

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Not long started using this s service and so far amazing. Easy set up and very fast.

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Found these guys, easy to follow online instructions. Quick to set up. Very fast response times to welcome us on board. Not yet used their services, but I'm sure they will be great!

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Clyde Offices provided us with a consistent and really good service for almost 4 years. Gerry was always at the end of the phone to help us with our queries. I would recommend Clyde Offices if you are looking to add value to your office needs, i.e. outsources answering service etc.

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Gillian's Walks

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I was looking for a mailbox provider as I am studying and I live abroad. I found Clyde Offices and they were very helpful in answering my questions. Very reasonably priced and would allow me to receive a few parcels. I highly recommend them and I will be using them for many years. The staff were very attentive and friendly.

Julie Murphy

15:16 06 Nov 23

This is a great idea if you have your own business but would like an address in the city centre on top of, or instead of your own address or other location.Allows you to advertise as being based in the city centre.Anytime I had to contact the offices the staff were great and very helpful. I didn't need to contact them much at all because the process is so easy and straightforward.

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Really easy to get set up and competitively priced service.

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23:25 19 Oct 23

Very good and very cheap rental

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Can't fault the service; long may it continue. A good choice for most I would think

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09:56 10 Oct 23

Clyde Offices were very helpful and informative when setting up an account with them, they provide the full service at competitive prices and no additional fees.

j caldwell

16:47 21 Aug 23

Setting up my virtual business address with Clyde Offices was so quick and easy to set up in minutes. They also were in email contact to make sure everything was ok and if I needed any other services from them just to make contact with them. I couldn't be happier with the service I received. Thank you

Levati Learning

14:13 21 Aug 23

Very good experience working with the team at Clyde Offices. They have been helping us out for over 5 years now and couldn't survive without them.

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16:12 14 Sep 22

A vastly superior service from Clyde Offices than any of the corporate virtual offices I have used in the past. A fab team, very efficient and friendly, always very helpful. I would recommend them one hundred percent. Great Central Glasgow location if you ever need to visit.

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04:00 03 Jul 22

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18:45 16 Mar 22

Glasgow Clinic

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