Beginner Side Hustles You Could Try Right Now
Three Online Hustles that could pay well if done right…
These are legitimate ways of making money online when your career is on pause or simply looking for additional streams of income. I have stumbled upon these a year ago and since then started making passive income consistently. They are also ideal for beginners as they require minimal design and writing skills, to begin with.
- Print-on-Demand Dropshipping
Print on Demand (POD), is a business model that lets you sell your customized products, such as shirts, hats, and various products, in partnership with a supplier. The supplier completely handles the fulfilment process, from printing to packaging and delivery.
Your designing skills don’t have to be the best as you can also submit minimal designs such as text statement designs. My best-sellers have minimal text designs. Of course, improving your designing skills as you go on your POD business would be an advantage and gives a professional touch to your merchandise. Basic Photoshop editing skills would be beneficial, or you may use internet tools like Canva.
The best site I found which is easy to sign up for and the most beginner-friendly is Redbubble. You can explore other similar sites such as Teepublic, Merch by Amazon, and many more.
2. Self-Publishing Low Content Books
Publishing books has been one of my ambitions, but it seemed to involve a lot of work and research. I have stumbled to the idea of self-publishing low-content books after some time doing print on demand. A lot of designers already doing print on demand have converted their pod designs for low content books such as colouring books, journals, drawing books, children’s books, and many more.
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), (formerly known as Createspace) is Amazon’s platform to self-publish ebooks and paperbacks fast and at no cost to you. KDP prints your book on-demand, deducting the cost of printing from your royalties.
I tried out with a less competitive niche that already sells on the POD platform. I sold over a hundred copies in my first month on KDP with only 12 low-content books. There are already tons of lined journals populating the KDP scene. Get creative to experiment on low content and less competitive niches out there that still worth a try.
3. Designing Digital Products
Creatives like me turn to Creative Fabrica and Etsy for various digital downloads such as templates, illustrations, graphics, and backgrounds in high-definition png or vector formats. Small businesses like crafting, publishing, shirt printing, and various eCommerce businesses have a demand for readily available designs that cater to their needs.
I have sold some of my illustrations for profit on Etsy and they were selling hot for few months. These designs were helping home-based crafters who also sell online and locally. I advertised on Facebook groups that have a demand for them.
Starting a digital download business requires initial small capital for listing and basic know-how using design tools such as Photoshop, Affinity Designer, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape or similar. Some businesses require working using vector graphics. Studying the formats required by your potential customers is necessary.
Final Thoughts
Side hustling has been a lifesaver for me and many out there in these critical times. You must have the effort and dedication for any type of business. Experiment a little, experience failures, and fine-tune until you find what works for you. Give it a few months to try or move on, some side hustles just don’t work for everybody.
Consistency is the name of the game. Find the thing that interests you and you’ll end up doing it better.
