As rewarding as your full-time job may be, working for yourself will always be that little bit more meaningful than the great benefits and pay. However, quitting your job to build a business is an incredibly risky move that could result in instability and financial hardship for you and your family. To remain stable, it’s often recommended that you keep your day job until your business is off the ground and making a regular profit. This won’t always be easy, but it will be made so much harder if you choose the wrong side hustle opportunity. With that in mind, here are twelve great business ideas that you could start while you continue to work full-time.
- Start Posting Blog Content
Not too long ago, it was only professional journalists and authors who could make a living with their writing, but, these days, almost anyone can. Thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to turn your words into a source of income, so why not create your own blog? This can be about any topic you choose, from cooking and cars, to finance and travel. It will take you a while and a lot of work to grow your audience, but you’ll create several revenue streams when you do.
- Manage Social Media Platforms
If you’re guilty of spending far too much time on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, you could try getting paid for your expertise. There are lots of companies out there, as well as influencers, who use the online world to connect with their audience and build their brand. Unfortunately, they don’t always have the time to do this work for themselves. To help them out and earn yourself some cash, you should offer your social media management services to those who need them.
- Rent Out Your Property
Thanks to sites like Airbnb, renting out empty space in your home is easier than ever. However, if you wanted to take things one step further, you could do a property search and consider investing in real estate. Renting out these properties can earn you a steady and reliable stream of income, often for very little work. That being said, you can take the load off even further by hiring a property management company to find homes for you and deal with tenants and repairs.
- Brew Your Own Beer
A cold pint of beer after a long day at work can really hit the spot, but a pint of your own beer will be that much more satisfying. If you like to drink beer and are fairly interested in how it comes to be, then you could try brewing your own. At worst, this will give you something fun and interesting to do for a few days, but, at best, you could brew up something that other people are willing to pay you to drink. Just make sure that you have the correct licenses before you start to sell.
- Develop A Popular App
These days, it seems like there is an app for pretty much anything that you can think of. However, that doesn’t stop developers from coming up with new and exciting ones that they then sell for lots of cash. With some thorough market research, you might be able to spot a niche that hasn’t yet been filled. You could then learn the basics of coding and app development and create one of your own. Make sure you validate your idea before you make any major commitments.
- Become A Cab Driver
Although there are people who need lifts during the day, most people are after cabs in the evenings and at weekends. Since this is when you’re free, you could try becoming a cab driver yourself. This could mean building your own cab company or working for yourself as an Uber or Lyft driver. Whatever you decide, you would be able to set your hours and take whatever journeys you choose, giving you freedom and flexibility many business owners can’t attain.
- Take Care Of Children
Babysitting isn’t a job reserved for teenagers and students alone. In fact, as an older person, you can probably earn even more and find it easier to get work due to the experience and maturity. If you call yourself an Au Pair, you can even go and live with families for free, looking after the children on evenings and weekends, while working during the day. Alternatively, you could set up an evening and weekend daycare in your home, just as long as you have the right certifications.
- Open An Online Store
Take advantage of the popularity of online shopping and open up your own online store. As mass produced as most thing are these days, there are still plenty of people out there who prefer their goods to be handmade and unique. You could cater to this audience by selling things that you make, whether they be scarves, paintings, pots, or phone cases. If you’re not into crafts, you could always buy goods in bulk at a discounted rate and then sell them on for a profit.
- Teach Over The Internet
Everyone has something that they can teach someone else. For you, this might be how to play a musical instrument, how to take better photographs, or how to plan a monthly budget. Even if you know none of these things, as a native English speaker, you will always have one vital skill that is in demand all over the world. Whatever talent you choose, you could teach it remotely, over the internet for money. You can do this using video chats, online courses, and quizzes.
- Look After Local Pets
Doing what you love means that you’ll never have to work a day in your life. With that in mind, you may want to build a business that lets you cuddle cats and dogs whenever you choose to. While pet sitting work can easily become a full-time job, you could limit your hours to evenings and weekends alone, offering walking, feeding, and playtime services. You could also provide a weekend house sitting service for pet owners going out of town for a few days without their pets.
- Offer Your Beauty Services
The beauty industry isn’t going away any time soon, so there will always be a demand for companies offering manicures, makeovers, spa treatments, haircuts, and more. With that in mind, as long as you have the right qualifications for the work, you should have no trouble finding clients looking for your help. When you’re working full time, you could keep appointments to evenings and weekends, offering to complete treatments wherever works best for your clients.
- Help Out Other Businesses
If you’ve gained valuable certifications or learnt important skills in your industry over the years, you could put these to good use and offer consulting services to other businesses in your free time. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a marketing master or expert strategist, there will probably be a business in your local area willing to pay for you to help them solve their problems. This work could even put you in touch with companies and business people who can help you out too.
Running a business while working full time can be a challenge, but finding the right idea can make the process a little easier. Hopefully, one of the side hustle opportunities above is of interest to you, but, if not, there are plenty more out there that you could consider.
