Earning a little extra income is music to most ears, and that’s exactly what we’ll cover in this article: the best ways to make extra money on the side.
To tackle the cost of daily life, many people are searching for side hustle ideas. In fact, Google saw a huge spike in the term ‘side hustle business’ in 2023. Earning additional income has become a strategic and relatively easy way to deal with financial hurdles, with 44% of Brits already pursuing a side hustle. The average income generated from a side job is £206 per week. While it may not be millions, a little goes a long way.
Whether it’s a side hustle from home or a hobby you can turn into a career, we’ll list the best side hustle businesses in 2023.
10 side hustle ideas to make more money in 2023
Pursuing a side hustle is a great way to make extra money, and we’ll cover everything from launching online businesses to easy side hustle ideas that don't require hard skills.
Pet sitting or walking
If you’re comfortable working with animals, pet sitting or walking is one of the best and easiest side hustle ideas.
Most dog walkers can earn between £14-£17 per hour, and pet sitters can earn around the same amount. If you’ve got spare time and energy, or you’re available during holiday seasons, you can earn a lot of extra money by accompanying furry loved ones.
You can use online sites like Pawshake, BorrowMyDoggy, or Bark to advertise your services and find clients.
Tip: Even if this is a side job, you should prove to clients that you’re reliable and professional. Always prepare a client contract and invest in equipment that will make your life easier. Also, this side job has the potential to become a profitable career, so you could consider starting a dog walking business in the future!
Start a podcast
While it may not be the easiest side hustle, starting a podcast is one of the most profitable side businesses. As people’s listening habits adapt to a digital era, the number of adult podcast listeners has grown significantly in recent years.
Starting a successful podcast presents a huge opportunity to earn extra income. Some podcasters can make £954 in one month through adverts and sponsorships.
It may take some time to perfect your theme, purchase recording equipment, and market your podcast, but there are platforms out there to set you up for success. Audacity for recording and editing, Spotify or Buzzsprout for hosting, and PodBean for monetisation.
Tip: Podcasting is extremely competitive, so you need to find a way to differentiate yourself. Even if it’s a side hustle, you need to be unique and position yourself in relation to thousands of other podcast creators.
Deliver packages
Wondering how to make quick money? This is your answer.
If you’ve got a car, a smartphone, and a valid UK driver’s licence, you could deliver packages in your spare time or on weekends. Becoming an Amazon Flex driver is an easy side hustle that offers flexibility and quick extra income. You can earn between £13-£17 per hour, and you get paid weekly.
This is one of the best ways to make money in your own time.
Selling upcycled items
If you’ve got a creative streak, selling upcycled items can be a lucrative side hustle if you find the right audience. Turning trash into treasure is a great side hustle to make money from home.
Whether you’re upcycling furniture, or turning arbitrary items into household accessories, upcycling can bring in extra income, help you reduce waste, and protect the planet.
How much you’ll make will depend on the item, but it’s possible to earn between £173 - £1,200 per item.
You can sell your items on eBay, Etsy, or start your own e-commerce store.
Tip: Although selling upcycled items can be a side hustle, you should still treat it as a business. Start simple, set realistic goals, and always aim for the best results.
Baking
If you’ve got a passion for baking or you’re just very good at it, then starting a baking side hustle could be a smart move.
Baking is a great side hustle from home, but it does take up a lot of time. While it may not be the easiest side hustle, it’s a great idea to make money on the side.
You’ll still need to create a standard business plan, purchase the right equipment (which you probably already have if you’re an eager baker), market your products, and follow legal requirements for starting a food business from home.
Tip: If you plan to keep this a small-scale side job, you’ll need to control the demand for your product. You can stick to creating sample batches for local food stores, sell your baked goods at markets, or sell your products to a small circle of friends and family.
Virtual assistant
Looking for a stay-at-home side job?
Becoming a freelance virtual assistant (VA) is an easy online side hustle, and you can work remotely.
Freelance virtual assistants support businesses with administrative tasks, organisation, travel bookings or social media. You can earn £15-£25 per hour, and qualifications aren’t usually necessary (unless a company has specific requirements).
You can find VA jobs on Indeed, LinkedIn, Upwork, or through a quick Google search. Make sure your client understands that this is a side job.
Product tester or reviewer
Becoming a product tester or reviewer is an underrated side hustle, and it can be one of the easiest ways to make extra money (and get free products).
There are multiple product testing opportunities in the UK, ranging from cosmetic product testing to website testing, but not every company will pay you in cash. Some may give vouchers, free products, or no compensation at all.
Product testing opportunities are available on Toluna, TakePartInResearch, or on regular job boards.
Translating
If you can speak, read, and write multiple languages, then translating is an ideal side hustle to earn extra income. Translation roles vary, so you won’t be stuck doing the same project.
Finding a translation side job is relatively easy - job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed have various part-time translation jobs. It’s possible to earn £14.10 per hour translating or proofreading documents, customer communications, websites, and more.
Gardening
While gardening is an easy side hustle to make extra money, it is highly seasonal, so you may not have clients all the time. However, offering your services to help with garden maintenance, planting, weeding, or design is a great way to turn your skills into extra income.
Sites like Airtasker offer multiple gardening opportunities, including other task-related jobs. According to Airtasker, you can earn between £14-£45 per hour doing a garden cleanup or maintenance, or you could earn between £25-£31 per hour helping with weed control.
Tip: If you have a green thumb and a garden, you could also sell herbs, decorative flowers, or sell organic produce at a market.
Hosting international students
If you own a home with spare bedrooms, you could host international students as a side hustle. Most international students coming to the UK are young adults or under 18, so it’s important that you provide a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment.
It’s possible to earn about £250 on a weekly basis, and there’s a tax incentive! The Rent a Room Scheme allows homeowners to earn up to £7,500 tax-free for letting out furnished accommodation.
Tip: You can also become a host family with UK Guardians, which offers the potential to earn up to £40 per student.
Other side hustles worth mentioning:
There are dozens of side hustle opportunities to earn extra money. Unfortunately, we can’t cover all of them, so here are some side hustles worth mentioning:
- Starting a blog or newsletter
- Tutoring
- House sitting
- Freelancing (based on your skills)
- Dropshipping
- Becoming a tour guide
- Reselling vintage clothing
FAQs
What is the best side hustle to earn money?
The best side hustle to earn money depends on your availability, income needs, and skills. Based on the side hustle ideas we’ve mentioned, pet sitting, delivering packages, or becoming a virtual assistant are great side jobs to earn money.
How do you start a side hustle?
Starting a side hustle would share similarities to starting any business. To start a side hustle, you need to:
- Choose an idea that matches your skills, interests, and availability
- Develop a business plan, including your earning goals
- Understand the legal requirements (if any) associated with your side hustle
- Research your competition
- Set your prices
- Market your product
What are the easiest side hustles to start?
The easiest side hustles to start are petting sitting or walking, starting a blog or newsletter, completing task-related jobs on Airtasker, or becoming an Amazon Flex driver.
The bottom line: side hustles to earn extra money
Starting a side hustle to earn extra money is a commendable initiative that many people pursue, but not all side hustles will generate significant additional income. There are also risks to starting a side job.
Before you start your side hustle, you need to ensure that your idea compliments your skills, availability, goals, and budget. It is a side hustle at the end of the day, so if it eats up your free time, affects your full-time job, or impacts your energy and mental well-being, you should probably give it a break.
However, you may find that your side hustle starts growing into a full-time job that supports you financially. If this is the case, will you wind down or keep growing?
If you’re long-term goal is to run a lucrative business, you may be interested in finding out some of the most profitable business ideas.
Alternatively, you can explore thousands of profitable businesses for sale, and find an opportunity that matches your financial goals.
We hope this article has been useful, and we wish you all the best on your side hustle journey!
@Be_theBoss