Long gone are the days of Tupperware parties. Today there are many more opportunities for women wanting to start a lucrative side hustle and earn a solid secondary income. So if COVID hit you hard or made you shift your perspective, have no fear. There’s a whole world at your fingertips.
You need only to define what you want to achieve and the rest will follow. To start, ask yourself two simple questions: “What do I love to do and why now?”
To get those creative juices flowing, here’s a long list of side jobs for women and a list of resources to help you get started. If you let passion drive you and bet on yourself, you’ll go way above and beyond your wildest expectations!
If you love to write…
Freelance copywriting and content writing
Freelance writing is really one of the best side hustles for women, as you can work from home and only need your brain, a laptop, and one client to start. If you’re a writer by heart, brush up on your copywriting skills by watching YouTube videos by other successful copywriters. For content writing, start reading blogs to help hone your long-form writing voice. Over time your style will shine through, and you’ll build your client base either through word of mouth or by telling everyone and anyone you know.
Start a paid email newsletter
You can write the content yourself or curate it based on what’s going on around the world. To start earning money, build up your subscriber base, turn your newsletter into a paid subscription, add affiliate links, and sell your products. Email newsletter platforms like SendFox, Ghost (blog and email in one), or Substack make monetizing your blog easier.
Write a blog
Think of your blog as an online side hustle for your niche topic and audience. Combine it with a newsletter and build up your subscriber base. Use it as a place to sell products and build your community. Illustrator, Designer, and Podcaster Andy J Pizza teaches “Social Media for Creatives: Five Exercises to Power Your Freelance Career” and how you can get yourself 200,000 paying fans in just under two and half years. To keep yourself motivated, think of the people who need your work in their life right now.
If you love to teach or inspire others…
Tutoring
If you’re a teacher and you’re thinking about a side hustle, tutoring would be a good fit for you. Starting a tutoring business is a great way for teachers or students to earn extra money every month. It’s not hard to get started, and you can offer tutoring on the weekend or after school. You can even offer SAT tutoring, which every student will need to study for at some point or another.
Sell an online course
Create a paid course on a topic you’re passionate about and target your niche audience. There are even people out there selling online courses on how to sell online courses (whoa, meta).
Life coach
If you’ve focused much of your life on self-improvement, becoming a life coach or lifestyle guru might feel right for you. You’ll be able to advise people on how they can live their best life and thrive despite the many challenges they’re sure to face.
Consulting
Over the years, you may have gained a lot of experience in a specific profession like human resources, corporate financing, or marketing. Now you can offer your expert recommendations and strategies to help other businesses improve! As a consultant, you can attract new clients by speaking at conferences, writing a blog, or selling a guidebook online.
If you love to bake…
Custom cookies & seasonal treats
Sell custom cookie packs for special occasions, events, or holidays and ask for designer prices. Cater your baking business to a specific audience that seeks the unique value you offer. Whether it’s gluten-free baked goods or customized Gingerbread people during the winter holidays, make sure that whatever you offer stands out from the grocery-store alternative.
Care package delivery service
Curate a care package that solves a specific problem. Think: “get-well” packages for the common cold, a quarantine kit with all the essentials, or a “that time of the month” package with chocolate, tampons/pads, and debloating tea. Offering door-to-door delivery will make it easy for people to order online for their loved ones from afar.
If you love art and design…
Interior decorator
If you find yourself naturally drawn to enhancing spaces with the perfect furniture, color palettes, and accessories, then interior decorating might be your true calling. As a personal stylist, an interior decorator creates a home atmosphere that matches the client’s lifestyle.
Flea market upcycling
Find yourself roaming vintage or undervalued products from thrift stores, yard sales, or Facebook Marketplace? If you’re also handy, try flipping them to resell at a much higher price on eBay. You can also resell IKEA furniture that’s been unmodified and completely assembled back to IKEA for store credit.
Sell printables on Etsy
Open an Etsy shop and sell digital downloads that customers can print at home. You don’t have to be an illustrator or even an artist. You just need to have an eye for design and a little creativity. Think outside the box and create digital designs that are either practical or aesthetically pleasing, like a printable calendar, coloring page, or thank you notes.
If you love organizing…
Virtual assistant
Become an admin professional working from home and take care of your client’s email, calendar, customer support, client management, data entry, and more. You don’t need any experience to do this as long as you’re organized and patient.
Home organizer
If you’ve got an eye for detail (Virgo, much?), offer home organizing services to clients with limited time or a lack of storage. Similar to an interior designer, you’d recommend how to declutter or store products, clothing, toys, and books for good vibes only. You’d be surprised how many people need help getting their sh*t together (literally).
If you love to drive…
Become a rideshare driver
If you love to drive or can imagine yourself picking up a few hours every day, rideshare apps like Uber or Lyft make it easy to get started.
Note that you’ll need to meet these requirements (which, if you love driving, you should pass with flying colors):
- Have a valid US driver’s license
- Have an eligible 4-door vehicle
- Have at least one year of licensed driving experience above 25 and 3 below
- Proof of residency
- Pass the driver screening
Food delivery gig
Similarly, delivering meals as a side hustle is an excellent way to earn extra income without dealing with clients. Just choose your favorite delivery app, like Uber Eats or DoorDash, and join their crew. Of course, you’ll need to be 18+, have reliable transport, and pass the background check.
If you love fashion…
Personal stylist
Does getting dressed in the morning, trendsetting, and shopping light your heart on fire? Well, that’s not to be taken for granted! Many people have a hard time finding their style and presenting themselves. As a personal stylist, you can help others look and feel amazing, just like you do!
Sell arbitrage on Amazon or eBay (reselling)
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure 🤷♀️. If you’ve always been good at finding brand names that have long been forgotten in thrift stores or garage sales, you could have a future as a clothing reseller on Amazon or eBay. Just think, if Sophia Amoruso hadn’t started selling clothes from local thrift stores and estate sales, we wouldn’t have Nasty Gal!
If you love hosting and community building…
Offer Airbnb experiences
Do you have a unique skill that you think many people would benefit from learning? On top of that, would your unique perspective make learning that skill an experience?
For example, are you an Italian living in New York with the most authentic family recipes? Are you a jazz musician who knows all the hidden piano bars in the city? If you’d consider yourself an expert in something easy to share, you might want to offer private experiences through Airbnb.
Rent a room
Maybe you don’t have a unique skill, but you have an extra bedroom or a family cottage you can rent. Becoming a host on Airbnb is a great way to earn extra money (plus, you can even raise prices during seasonal times of the year). You can see your earnings potential right on the site. Of course, hosting will depend on your availability, price, acceptance, and cancellation rates.
If you’re a natural storyteller…
Start a podcast
Similar to a paid email newsletter or blog, you can start a podcast on a niche topic you’re passionate about for a niche audience who’s interested. Use it as a place to have meaningful conversations, share knowledge, and inspire others. A podcast is another fun gateway to your paid content, products, services, and affiliate links.
Voice-over actor
If you’re naturally blessed with a smooth or quirky voice, then reading scripts for commercials, cartoons, and video games, or narrating audiobooks might be your thing!
Being a voice-over actor can be a very financially lucrative side hustle, and you can do it from home if you have a microphone, mic suspension, headphones, and good acoustics. Otherwise, renting time at a local studio also works. As a voice-over actor, you can join an online marketplace like Voices to find clients.
Virtual bookkeeper
Whether you have an accounting background or love numbers, you can offer virtual bookkeeping using online accounting software and video call meetings. Basically, this requires recording transactions, account payable, account receivable, managing expenses, data entry, and payroll reconciliation. Even without professional training, you can charge more than $60/hour.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Whether you’re thinking, sheesh, this is overwhelming!, or you’re buzzing with excitement, just know that you are the master of your domain no matter what side hustle you choose. So get out there and make it count. You’ve got this!
