SIDE hustles are no longer just a side show.
The Henley Business School at the University of Reading estimates these jobs on the side contribute £72billion a year to the economy — almost four per cent of our GDP — while side hustle platform Airtasker puts the figure at a whopping £346billion.
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However much you need to earn, there’s a side hustle to suit you. Here are 30 ideas to get you started . . .
1. CUSTOMER SERVICE: The cost-of-living crisis has seen demand for customer service staff soar and many firms offer flexible work-from-home roles. Search at bit.ly/3Tpxfg1.
Average earnings: £12 per hour.
2. SELL PROPAGATED PLANTS: Become a plant parent and sell online and at local sales. Get started at bit.ly/3Trrajj.
Average earnings: £60 per month but you can make £100s for rare plants.
3. SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Could you freelance as a social media manager? You’ll need some experience but can earn great pay. Look for jobs at bit.ly/3pVMiR3.
Average earnings: From £25 per hour to £4,000 for a fixed contract.
4. BE A HOME ORGANISER: Channel your inner Marie Kondo and advertise your services on apdo.co.uk.
Average earnings: From £35 per hour in person and £25 an hour online.
5. CURATE A CLOTHES BUSINESS: Turn old clothes into cash, but rather than just selling your own items, scour charity shops for togs to sell on at a profit.
Average earnings: Around £400 a year upwards.
6. CLEANING: Where’s there’s muck there’s brass. Flexible hours. See mollymaid.co.uk and maid2clean.co.uk.
Average earnings: £10 to £15 per hour.
7. RENT OUT YOUR HOUSEHOLD ITEMS: From power tools to clothes, rent out items you’re not using. Try fatllama.com and hurrcollective.com.
Average earnings: Up to £2,000 a year.
8. VIRTUAL PA: Offer secretarial services, such as arranging meetings and travel for firms from your home. Find jobs at uk.indeed.com/virtual-assistant-jobs.
Average earnings: £12.56 per hour.
9. FOOD DELIVERY DRIVER: Deliveroo and Uber Eats are both hiring for couriers across the UK.
Average earnings: £8 to £14 per hour.
10. SELL ON POSH PACKAGING: Paper bags and perfume bottles from designers such as Chanel and Jimmy Choo are a hit on eBay. Sell on for home decor or to other sellers repackaging items.
Average earnings: Up to £10 for a pristine paper bag and £15 for rare perfume bottles.
11. SELL STOCK PHOTOS: Snappy with your camera? Flog your photos on stock photo sites. Find out how at pixpa.com/blog/sell-stock-photos.
Average earnings: Around £1 per photo sold.
12. IRONING: Charge by the hour or by weight of garments. See allironedout.co.uk or advertise on Nextdoor app.
Average earnings: £12 to £18 per hour, depending on location.
13. WEBSITE TESTING: Try out new websites/apps and give feedback. See testerwork.com.
Average earnings: £10 for a one-hour test.
14. BECOME A MYSTERY SHOPPER: Try out shops, restaurants and services and get paid to report back. See uk.marketforceshopper.com.
Average earnings: £20 per hour.
15. TAKE ONLINE SURVEYS: Earn from 10p to £10 per survey, done on your phone at home. Try panel.onepoll.com and ylive-community.com.
Average earnings: From £5 per hour.
16. RENT YOUR DRIVEWAY: Got a parking space spare? Rent it out at yourparkingspace.co.uk or justpark.com.
Average earnings: Up to £1,800 a year in high-demand areas.
17. MAKE TIME FOR SLIME: The sticky kids’ plaything is one of the most profitable items you can sell online. Simple slime is made from clear glue and an activator. You can buy starter kits online and add colour, glitter, beads or toy gems to customise your product.
Average earnings: Sell for £3.50 per unit.
18. RENT YOUR STORAGE SPACE: Like Airbnb for clutter, stashbee.com lets you rent space in your loft, lock-up or garage for customers to store their stuff.
Average earnings: £83 per month.
19. HOST A NEIGHBOURHOOD SALE: Offer to sell clutter from friends and split the profit. Sell online or hold yard sales.
Average earnings: £25 to £100, depending on what you sell.
20. DATA ENTRY: Are you fast and accurate? Remote data entry roles can pay £20 per hour.
Average earnings: £10 to £20 per hour.
21. PACK PARTY BAGS: Parents pay well for pre-filled party bags of sweets and favours. Theme them with top TV and game characters and sell on eBay.
Average earnings: Around £1 per bag profit.
22. CAKE MAKING: Bake bespoke cakes for events.
Average earnings: £1,560 a year selling four cakes a week.
23. DOG WALKING: Turns wags to riches in as little as an hour. See rover.com or scampsandchamps.co.uk.
Average earnings: £17 per hour.
24. SELL CRAFTS: Hand-made items are big business. Try selling greetings cards, jewellery or personalised products on Etsy.
Average earnings: £30 to £1,000 per month, depending on what you sell.
25. WORK FOR UBER: Drive up your wages with a taxi job. Sign up at ubr.to/3CDZgdW.
Average earnings: The average salary is £22 per hour.
26. TRY BEING A TASKER: Sign up to a side hustle site to see instant jobs near you. Tasks include DIY, helping with computers and event work. See airtasker.com/uk/jobs and taskrabbit.co.uk.
Average earnings: £20 per hour.
27. BE A DIGITAL WHIZZ: If you can code, design websites or create NFT animations. Advertise your services on local small business forums.
Average earnings: Up to £300 a day.
28. AMAZON FLEX: Become a delivery driver for Amazon. Set your own hours, use your own car and you’ll get paid weekly. See flex.amazon.co.uk.
Average earnings: £13 to £17 per hour.
29. AMAZON FBA: Ever wanted to sell items online? Fulfilment By Amazon allows you to sell your products via Amazon’s giant marketplace and Amazon takes responsibility for shipping. Get started at amzn.to/3AvfrHP.
Average earnings: Around £1,000 per month for dedicated sellers, but it can be much more.
30. PET SITTING: From once-daily cat feeds to staying overnight with a pampered pooch when the owner’s away. Sign up at pawshake.co.uk.
Average earnings: £15 per hour.
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‘I RENT OUT MY TOOLS AFTER PAL PAID A TENNER’
MUM-OF-TWO Amanda Thompson, 33, has made £330 in the past three months renting out gardening and DIY tools. The receptionist, who lives with son Harry, seven, and Marie, 12, in Bodmin, Cornwall, says:
“IN May this year a friend offered me a tenner if she could borrow my hedge trimmer and wheelbarrow for three hours.
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“She had a house inspection and needed to tidy the garden.
“It was a lightbulb moment and the start of an accidental side hustle.
“My friend paid me another tenner two weeks later to use my small jet washing machine. She told her work colleague who then hired my electric drill and wood saw.
“I checked all the tools I had for DIY and gardening in my garage. I also asked my mum if I could borrow the ones she had in storage.
“I set my prices so they are affordable, with everyone leaving a £20 deposit. I’ve put together a basic hammer and screwdriver kit which I rent out for a tenner.
“For the bigger items I charge £10-£20 for a few hours.
“It’s a reliable side hustle that helps pay for school clothes.
“One of my friends rents out their pop-up garden canopy and gazebo for people to use for parties.
“Another mate has a spare paddling pool and rents her kids’ toys that they no longer use.
“I insist on seeing identification and most of the people I rent to are friends of friends.”
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EARNING EXTRA
RUNNING a side hustle is similar to running a small business, so get clear on your rights and responsibilities before you begin . . .
1. If you already have a job, you cannot usually take a second job which competes with your employer.
2. Making more than £1,000 extra a year? You’ll need to pay tax on your earnings. Find out more at bit.ly/3TrZJFZ.
3. You can operate as a sole trader, a partnership or a limited company. The rate of tax you pay will depend on whether your side hustle is a limited company or not.
4. Selling online? Know that buyers are entitled to a 14-day “cooling-off period” where they can request a full refund.
5. If you are trading through another platform, such as Amazon, eBay or Depop, ensure you fully understand their legal terms and policies. If you are selling overseas, you may need to comply with rules in other regions too.
6. Keep track of spending so you can be sure you’re making a profit. Software such as Xero (xero.com) can help.
7. Follow Data Protection rules with customers’ details or you could face a hefty fine. See bit.ly/3RmrrSC.
8. Get the right insurance for your needs. Try moneyhelper.org.uk for more advice.
9. Protect your brand. If you intend to grow the business, you may want to protect your name or logo with a trademark. Equally, ensure you are not infringing another business’s brand, product or logo. You can search for a trademark at gov.uk/search-for-trademark.
