Best Side Hustles for Busy Freelancers

Are you looking for side hustle ideas for freelancers who are super busy with tons of projects? We have you covered!

You can quickly complete a few simple gigs that have the potential to ensure long-term passive monetization or income generation.

Having a couple of side gigs is always a good idea because you should never keep all your eggs in the same basket. Whether freelance work in your field is seasonal or you’re going through a simple dry spell, having an additional source of income can give you that much-needed financial security blanket.

Some side gigs tend to be much easier to monetize than others. In our experience, these are the opportunities worth pursuing in your spare time.

Course Creation

Turning your specialized knowledge and skills into money doesn’t take much.

You can create a few courses that interested individuals can access through online platforms dedicated to the purpose. Udemy, Skillshare, Teachable, and Podia are all great choices for the purpose.

Before picking out one platform or the other, however, you should probably dedicate enough time to acquaint yourself with the terms and conditions.

Niche courses are in high demand. If you have a very specialized skill that others would like to acquire, you can monetize that knowledge. Ebook drafting is a similar approach to income generation. To make it work, however, you’ll need to be at least a partially good writer.

Having the perfect course out there isn’t enough to make enough money from it. A little bit of marketing will also be needed. Starting your own website and being active on social media will help you attract an audience that you can later on promote courses and ebooks to.

Coaching and Business Consulting

If you’re not that good at creating courses, you can still employ your knowledge to make some money.

The best side hustle ideas for freelancers take into account their biggest strengths. So, if you have excelled at a specific part of running your own business, start offering coaching sessions and business consulting to others.

Websites like Upwork allow you to set up your paid consultations. These opportunities give you a chance to teach and mentor others.

There will be lots of people interested in acquiring professional skills, especially now that freelance work and self-employment are more popular than they’ve ever been in the past.

To attract clients, you need to build your reputation as an authority figure in the respective realm. An active social media presence, especially on platforms like LinkedIn will help you build your brand and get others interested in learning from you.

Starting a YouTube Channel

Some of the best side hustle ideas for freelancers focus on content creation.

Blogging used to be an amazing idea but with some of the latest Google updates, it has become a difficult field to break into.

Instead of attempting to monetize a website, you should consider generating some revenue through your social media presence.

YouTube gives you a great starting point.

You have the freedom of creating all kinds of videos. The more specialized and unique your content is, the higher the likelihood of monetization.

Eventually, you can begin pursuing corporate partnerships but to do so, you need really well-crafted content. Find your tone and find your niche. Work on building your audience. This side gig takes some time to start monetizing but the rewards can be massive in the long run.

AI Training and Microtasking

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more advanced and present in our lives. While many freelance professionals fear the technology, it can be a good thing that creates opportunities instead of threats.

This side hustle allows you to learn about AI while also making a bit of cash.

There are various platforms out there who employ people interested in “training” AI engines. You’ll be responsible for checking prompts, responses, and digital content created by AI engines. The job will entail spotting errors and fine-tuning the performance of the artificial intelligence solution.

If you do a quick online search, you’ll find various websites that make such opportunities available. UHRS, ClickWorker, RemoTasks, and OneForma are probably some of the most popular names in the realm. The benefit of joining those is that you have the freedom to pick and choose the gigs that make the most sense and are aligned with your knowledge.

Ecommerce and Digital Selling

Launching your online shop doesn’t require a lot of time and effort.

To make it work, you’ll need to choose the right model and the types of products that will be easiest to sell.

Some people opt for dropshipping – an ecommerce model that can still work. In order to make it profitable, however, you should choose the right niche. Just selling anything isn’t going to cut it.

Alternatively, you can sell your own products. Photographs, paintings, digital prints, or any form of art you create in your free time can be sold online. The demand for original art and handcrafted pieces is high. If you don’t feel like setting up your own store for the purpose, you can employ platforms like Etsy and eBay to find buyers.

Finally, selling digital products is also an option. We’ve already mentioned ebooks and courses but these are just two of the possibilities. You can sell digital art, audio, video, apps, software you’ve developed, templates, games, and lots of others.

Start a Podcast

This one can be a lot of fun, especially if you have a passion or an interest that you’d like to share with others.

Making a podcast is easy and these products have a growing fan base. The best aspect of podcasting is that you can focus on just about anything. You can share your point of view, invite guests to talk with, or even launch your own narrative podcast.

Podcasting can be really exciting, as it provides a brand new opportunity to connect with an audience. If you pick topics that are similar to the focus of your freelance career, you can also count on podcasting to build your reputation and acquire new clients.

The key to making podcasting work is not taking it too seriously. If you are solely focused on making money, you’ll probably be disappointed. Building your presence takes time. Sticking to a regular podcasting schedule, however, and making sure that the quality is there will help you start monetizing sooner or later.

How to Assess Side Hustle Ideas for Freelancers

Going through this guide, you’ve acquainted yourself with some of the most popular side hustle ideas for freelancers.

How do you, however, choose the one that’s best for you?

The best side gigs are fun to do and they match your strengths. Think about your knowledge, experience, and the things you enjoy the most. Turning a hobby or a favorite form of art into something that makes you money will feel so good.

Also, understand the fact that most side gigs can generate enough money if you are consistent. You have to put the work in. Starting something to abandon it soon after will only give you sporadic income and not the consistent financial stream you’ve been hoping for.

If you have an original idea, do some research to determine demand and competitiveness. Good side gigs are niche ones. There are enough people who’d be interested in the concept and there’s limited competition. Hoping on a bandwagon that’s already full will make the task of earning a lot more difficult.

Final Thoughts

Being a freelance professional can be time-consuming and even draining.

Still, looking for side gigs makes sense.

Freelancers don’t have long-term security and stability. There is always some risk of losing clients and being incapable of finding new projects immediately.

It’s during these periods that side gigs will prove to be the most beneficial.

Don’t push yourself too hard, especially if you have a lot of freelance work to do. Once you end a major project, however, you can start planning a side gig. Giving it a few hours per week will be enough to get things going. Eventually, you’ll know if the idea is a profitable one and whether it deserves more effort.