Getting a Side Hustle in 2021 : 6 Ideas to Boost Your Family’s Finances 

By Holly Grattan

There are so many different ways you can earn a few extra euros with a side hustle and so many of them can be done from the comfort of your own home. Thanks to the internet, we have the possibility to tap into a vast amount of opportunities found in the digital ether of cyberspace, but finding the right one for you will depend on your unique needs, your skills and market demand.  

If you already have an idea, what’s stopping you? If not, get ready for our pick of some simple side hustle suggestions to inspire you and eventually you might even be able to say goodbye to your 9-5. 

 

1. Sell Stuff: 

The first idea is to sell belongings that you already have by decluttering items like clothing, kitchen items that you no longer need. Leboncoin.com or Vinted.com are great places to do this. But what if you have or make your own products? During the pandemic, some of the businesses who see high levels of success are those selling products and services directly to consumers online. As retail has been closed, manufacturers and entrepreneurs have simply skipped the middleman and been able to achieve much higher mark-ups by selling through shopify.com, Amazon, or Etsy or by using an add-on shop plugin on their website like Woo Commerce. My research shows that health and exercise products and gifts have seen huge success in the past year. Another booming sector to consider are digital products that people can access and download online. Examples include printables, courses & eBooks. So, if you are highly knowledgeable and passionate about a subject this might be for you. 

 

2. Online Tutoring 

Tutoring is extremely flexible and can be done around another job on evenings and weekends. There are lots of apps and companies online who employ part and full-time tutors. You can also offer tutoring services privately via Facebook groups. I reviewed and signed up for cambly.com as part of my research for this article. This platform is really easy to use, does not require teaching qualifications and offers opportunities to simply chat to people and make money. You can choose to tutor adults or children. 

 

3. Virtual Assistant/PA  

If you have an eye for detail and are super organized, why not support a small business owner or CEO with their administration. This can be a fantastic opportunity to offer a few hours of your time to a startup and help them grow. There is really no limit to types of jobs a VA/PA might be doing including but not limited to inbox management, organizing travel arrangements, dealing with clients, comment response, organizing google drive, graphic design or writing social media posts. There are lots of tools you can use but my favorite one that I use myself is toggle.com, an effortless, free, time-tracking software. 

 

4. Social Media Manager  

Social media is an important part of any marketing plan. No matter how big or small a business’s social following, a lot of work goes into building an engaged audience to keep them coming back for more. And just when you think you’ve got it just right, boom! there’s an algorithm change and you need to revise your now ineffective strategy. While it might sound like a dream come true to actually earn an income tweeting, snapping, pinning, and posting, being a professional social media manager is a lot different than posting on your own personal accounts. It can be a full-time job on its own to keep up on social media and that is why many business owners seek to outsource these tasks to someone who is social media savvy. The role might see you developing a strategy on how to post and when, what social channels a business should even devote their energy to in the first place, building a social media calendar and even writing, designing and scheduling posts. Check out canva.com for designing posts and hootsuite.com for scheduling.  

 

5. House Sitting / Pet Sitting  

Yes, this can be considered a genuine side hustle as it can save you quite a bit of money in rent and utilities and it is quite popular on the Riviera. There are property and estate owners who will hire you to come and look after their home and look after their pets whilst they are away. Take a look at trustedhousesitter.com and mindmyhouse.com .  Rover.com is another great platform where you can register to look after pets either at the owners' home or yours. You can offer other services too like dog walking and dog grooming. 

 

6. Handy Man / Woman 

Are you a dab hand at a bit of DIY? Do you know how to mount shelves, do you find painting walls therapeutic? Why not consider doing odd jobs for local residents. All along the Riviera there are people looking for a trustworthy individual to help them with all sorts of small jobs around their homes and gardens. 

 

Pick Your Side Hustle 

With so many options, it’s easy to become overwhelmed figuring out which one is right for you. Whatever you choose to do, make a business plan and follow it in easy to achieve steps and goals. 

Just pick one that suits you and get started. The flexibility of these side jobs means you can stop if you don’t like it or pause if life gets crazy.  

Why not challenge yourself to pay your weekly food shop with your side hustle, and see where it takes you.