Simple Side Hustles to Generate Income While You’re Unemployed
Guest post written by Amos Faulkner
Are you looking for ways to make money while you’re in between jobs? Being unemployed might not feel so good, but it’s a great opportunity to test your skills and explore a few side hustles. One of these side gigs might just become your next full-time career! As long as you’re self-motivated and driven to succeed, you can make a living income working a variety of short, one-off gigs. Here are some side hustle ideas from Law Smith to get you started!
Build Your Skills
The great thing about flexible gig work is that it doesn’t have to take up all your time and leave you feeling drained at the end of the day like a typical 9-to-5. This means you’ll have plenty of time and energy to focus on your personal and professional growth! Take advantage of your current availability to work on a skill. Perhaps you want to become an entrepreneur, find a higher-paying position in your current industry, or build a freelancing career as a web developer.
Online courses make it easy to learn all of these skills and more. For example, if you want to go back to school to pursue a degree in education and improve your job prospects, consider this option. After completing the flexible online degree program, you will be qualified to work with small children or move forward with a teaching credential.
For other focuses or careers, you could go through a less formal route by learning from reputable websites and articles. There are great sites that can help you learn more about coding and learn to troubleshoot related issues. Or you can watch videos on YouTube to learn skills from Cricut-based crafts to construction and marketing.
Explore a Variety of Side Gigs
You can make money doing almost anything these days. Don’t limit yourself to a single income stream. This is your chance to branch out and explore! Try a variety of different side gigs, test your skills, and find out what you really enjoy doing. For just a few ideas, The Finance Buzz suggests driving for a ride-sharing or delivery company, working as a virtual assistant, pet sitting or dog walking in your neighborhood, or renting out extra space in your home to out-of-town guests. You could tutor kids, plan parties, or help people declutter their homes. Your options really are endless!
If you find a side gig that holds a lot of promise, consider setting yourself up as an LLC. With this business designation, your personal assets will be safe and you will receive certain tax benefits. Starting an LLC only requires a few steps, and you can complete them yourself or work with a formation service.
Tap Into Your Talents
While many side gigs don’t require any specific skills, others revolve around particular talents. Creative hustles such as graphic design or writing, for example, require some degree of imagination. If you love decorating homes and want to further develop that gift, you might look into taking courses on interior design.
On the other hand, analytical thinkers may thrive at freelance gigs like web development and accounting. These kinds of hustles will prove the most rewarding. Look for jobs that use your marketable talents so you can gain a sense of fulfillment from your work while strengthening the skills that you would like to nurture!
Your marketable skills might not be immediately obvious to you. Think carefully about what you enjoy and what you’re good at, then research jobs for people who share your passions. For example, working as a freelance social media manager could be a great role for someone who appreciates good branding and visually appealing social media content.
Network to Find Your First Clients
The hardest part of starting a new side gig is finding your first few clients. This is when it pays to tap your existing networks. Get in touch with friends, family, and previous colleagues and practice selling your services to them. You can even use an alumni search engine to reconnect with old high school friends! Chances are, someone will be interested or know someone else who you can contact. Once you get those first clients, ask them to refer you to others and keep the momentum going!
It’s important to always have business cards on hand so that you can take advantage of impromptu networking opportunities. You never know who you’ll meet in your daily routine! Don’t worry. You don’t have to spend a lot to get high quality cards. Start with a free online template that compliments your business, use the provided elements to customize it, and send them to print!
Social media is also a very valuable networking tool. ClearVoice urges marketers to choose the right social media platform to compliment the type of work you’re doing. For example, Instagram is great for showcasing design content and handmade crafts while LinkedIn may be better for freelancers offering project management services.
Take Control of Your Situation
Don’t let unemployment derail your financial goals. If you want to work, there are countless opportunities for you to earn an income working part-time gigs and side hustles in your free time. Take some classes or find some great free online tutorials to sharpen your skills and get you moving forward. And don’t forget to make your passion project official with an LLC designation if things look promising. Join the gig economy, start freelancing, and see where it takes you!
Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Then contact Law Smith for a consultation!
