Looking for a Side Hustle or Want to Boost Productivity? Look Into These Websites
I was speaking to a friend the other day who will be entering graduate school in the fall. She seemed a bit stressed about finances and finding a part-time job while remaining in school. While helping her brainstorm ideas, I was inspired to write this post. The power of technology is phenomenal and it's amazing how many internet crowd-sourcing resources are out there that can help you make easy money; the main challenge is helping these companies increase visibility with the right consumer and ensuring a high quality of service. While blogging or creating a YouTube channel can definitely bring in extra cash, it may not be a fit for everyone. I complied an extensive list of different websites (and potential opportunities) to help those earn some extra cash on the side. These websites are also great ways for businesses and consumers to boost their productivity and make life easier. This list is applicable to students, stay at home parents, people in-between jobs who want to keep busy, or the over-achieving professional who wishes to do more.
Disclaimer: most of these companies have their own application process and way of evaluating the qualifications of the individual to assess if there is a good fit. The top of the list demands higher skill sets, while the bottom portion tends to require lower skill set (and presents higher risks). Hourly rate and commission information is pulled directly from their websites and may change accordingly, so be sure to double check on your own.
Embrace that inner entrepreneur of yours!
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Freelance: Want to find freelancing projects relevant to your skill set? Here are a few sites to check out.
Elance, Odesk, and Freelancer: These three platforms are great to browse for remote projects. There are different projects available, such as writing, data science, legal, IT -- so plenty to choose from!
Hourly Nerd: This site is more geared towards MBA students who want to find a side consulting gig while in school. The site says they are open to general (strong) graduate students as well.
Online Virtual Assistant Jobs: A resource for small businesses or start-ups to outsource their administrative duties.
Zirtual and Fancy Hands: For busy people who could use an assistant, but don't know where to look, I recommend checking these sites out. You can apply to be a virtual assistant and work remotely. Zirtual's website writes part time workers get paid $10/hour (full timers get $12/hour with potential benefits); Fancy Hands' website lists they pay from $2.50 up to $7 per task.
Amazon Mechanical Turk: I'm throwing this in here, though it's probably the least paying project out there (couple cents per task) and requires low skill set. If you have lots of time on your hands and open to micro jobs, then you might want to check this link out. Either way, Mechanical Turk is a good resource for companies to outsource menial tasks externally.
Tutoring: These platforms help you find and connect with students, enabling you to build up your clientele.
Wyzant and University Tutor: I found my GMAT tutor through the Wyzant platform and she was great! I was surprised and impressed at the quality of tutors I found in the Bay Area. Huge ranges for hourly tutoring; I've seen anywhere from $40-$180, but beware of the fees associated for using the platform.
Creative services (Beauty/Fashion/Design): There are many up and coming beauty/fashion start-ups that help independent contractors find more clients. If you are in the beauty/fashion industry and want to boost clientele on the side, you may want to look into these sites.
Fashion: Keaton Row, Stitch Fix, and Share Some Style are helping people find their individual style and become more fashionable. Keaton Row is based on a sales commission; Share Some Style stylists can set their own rates, with current rates averaging $40-$90/hour.
Beauty: Styleseat is one of the biggest ones out there for individual beauty artists to promote their business, set up their own profile, and create brand awareness. Check out this site for more related examples.
Design: Dribbble and DesignCrowd are great for designers to showcase their work and find small projects. My start-up has used these platforms to source for designers. DesignCrowd allows designers to pick up small projects, such as creating logos, banner and business cards, ranging anywhere from $80-$300.
Crafts: Etsy is definitely a big player in the crafting world, allowing local artists to sell and showcase their work.There are also many other similar competitors. I'm a big fan of Etsy whenever I'm looking for something more unique.
Recruiting:
RecruitLoop: I included this in here because I'm a recruiter :) I love following their blog, and it looks like a great place for freelance recruiters to find other side projects. Again, there's a fee associated with using the platform; looks like average rate is $100/hour.
Services:
TaskRabbit: This is a marketplace where tasks are outsourced to the community; hourly rates will vary and a 20% service fee is charged on each task.
HomeJoy and Exec/Handybook: I've heard really great things about these cleaning services, and I believe they are looking for cleaners in their open markets. Homejoy's site claims $12-$15/hour; Exec claims $22/hour as a cleaner and $45/hour as a handyman.
DogVacay: If you love dogs, why not dog-sit and get paid for it? Rates vary anywhere from $25-$60, with a 15% service charge for hosts.
Rentagent: I read about this a couple months ago, as the company has been getting a lot of press; found the idea hilarious. Nonetheless, throwing this in here, since these gentlemen are making $200/hour and getting paid to go on dates (ya, rly!).
Driving: Whether you plan to be a driver or not, these sites are amazing for busy consumers who are on the go.
Uber, Lyft, Sidecar: This article claims that Uber drivers can make a good couple thousand per year. I love using this service when I travel. (Disclaimer for drivers: read the insurance policy carefully and be aware of the liabilities and hidden costs (i.e. gas, insurance, revenue share, etc.)
Doordash and Fluc: I love using these food delivery services for days I'm really busy and have no time to pick up a meal. I believe both Doordash and Fluc are looking for local drivers to help with food deliveries. Doordash's website claims that drivers make up to $20/hour; $25/hour for Fluc.
Instacart: This is another service focused on delivering groceries. The website is looking for "personal shoppers" to pick up and delivery food, and can make up to $25/hour.
Sharing Services: If you are open to sharing on the crowdsourcing platform, there are ways you can make extra cash. But of course, there are always risks involved with renting your processions to others.
Airbnb: Share your extra room in your house/apartment for some extra cash, but beware of squatters. I've used this a couple times while traveling, and really enjoy the local experience of staying at an Airbnb listing.
Getaround: If you're sick of the traditional rental care services, look into this website. You can even rent out your car, and get paid when not using it. The company takes 40% commission on the service transactions for renting out your car.
RelayRides: Similar business model to Getaround, but with a few additional features. You can drop off your car at at airport when you're heading out of town, get free parking and get paid by letting others drive your car when it's not in use! I believe they take 25% of the total reservation.
Whew! That is a lot of information and concludes my list for now. I'm sure there is a ton more out there; you can probably search for others by typing in any of those listed companies + "competitors" into Google, and a bunch more services may pop up. As always, be sure to network and embrace each opportunity -- you never know what new doors may open up!