We get you: you’d like an extra source of income, but you’re busy. A demanding job, a household and perhaps a family life. Earning money from home, in your spare hours, is nice then. In this article, we share 11 side hustle tips with you. All extensively tested by the Elfin team. Do you read quickly?
Making money from home
Receiving extra income in addition to your job is not a crazy idea at all. Many people today work part-time for an employer and also have what is known as a sidehustle. This way you provide multiple sources of income which is quite a strategically smart choice financially. You are less dependent on your employer and have extra income behind you should something go wrong. Nice to know, right?
Looking for help and concrete tips to start a side hustle? Take Elfin’ s Boost Your Income course now and get lots of tips, ideas and help with your new side hustle!
How much can you earn extra with a side hustle?
This depends very much on the kind of side hustle you choose. A good affiliate website can certainly earn you €1000 to €5000 per month, while filling out online surveys, on the other hand, is more likely to be about tens of dollars. Setting up a side hustle takes a lot of work and requires patience. Some side hustles you can start today, while others need a longer lead time.
If you’re going to choose a side hustle, it’s smart to consider the effort it takes to set something up and the earnings it generates.
- If your goal is to generate a steady €500 per month in extra income in 6 months, then it is worth looking into setting up a technically sound website for affiliate income.
- Want to go for at least €1000 and have at least one day a week to focus on making money from home? Perhaps you can make your fierce and pour all your knowledge into a valuable e-course.
- Want to start now and have €200 per month income with little effort? Then website testing or mystery shopping might be your way to go.
Pitfalls of making money from home
If you want to set up a side hustle, making extra money from guise, our impatient brain is what can hinder us the most. We at elfin have personally tested almost everything we mention in this article. Also, elfin herself started as a so-called side hustle. What we concluded is that you must teach yourself two traits to be successful around side hustles and passive income:
- Consistency
- Patience
Mindset is an important factor in being successful with a side hustle. Anyway, we quickly move on to the 11 examples.
Passive income from home
Side hustles are something other than passive income as far as we are concerned. Passive income = receiving money without doing anything for it. Some side hustles may eventually result in passive income, such as an affiliate blog, but it will never become truly passive in relation to negotiating. If you are looking for passive income, then investing is your way to go! By investing in dividend stocks, for example, you will receive dividends, profits, every year/quarter/month. Read more about dividend investing here. You can do dividend investing in stocks or ETFs, for example, at Degiro or BUX Zero. Read more about these parties to invest in here .
11 side hustle ideas
- Youtube & Instagram
- Affiliate marketing
- Selling your own product
- Selling through Bol.com
- Online services
- E-learning products such as an e-course or an e-book
- Print on demand
- Dropshipping
- Taking surveys
- Mystery shopping
- Website testing
1. Youtube & Instagram
YouTube lets you make money if you have at least 10,000 subscribers. Here, you need to keep creating new content regularly or you will quickly drop in rankings. Same goes for making money if you are an influencer on Instagram. If you have a lot of reach, companies are only too happy to work with you. Influencer marketing is called this.
Income with vlogging
We are of course talking about YouTube & Instagram here. Because income from YouTube & Instagram can be a hefty money-making machine when handled properly.
‘Vlogging’ is making videos that you then share on YouTube or other social media channels (such as Instagram). Before making your channel a success, you need to engage as many viewers of those vlog videos as possible. And when you do that well then you can make quite a bit of money from it. However, the digital world has turned a lot of people into content creators. Whereas it was easier to stand out in 2012/2014, today it takes much more time, energy and a unique tone of voice.
The rules of the game
The rule for YouTube is that your channel must have at least 4,000 hours of views within 12 months. In addition, you must also have at least 1,000 subscribers on your channel. If you succeed, you will earn between €0.50-€4 per 1000 views in no time. YouTube then pays you for attracting viewers, obviously because they then also have more views on ads they place around your videos. Nice, but of course you understand that if you really want to start earning you have to have a lot of views. With Instagram, it becomes financially interesting when you are above 10,000 followers.
Ads
So Views is one way to make money on YouTube, but you can supplement your income by running ads on your vlog videos. You probably know them; those irritating ads before and during YouTube videos. When someone clicks through that video ad to that advertiser, you receive money on that. Think of it as an affiliate link but with moving images. By the way, you only get paid money on this from €70 in income.
Sponsored & affiliate content
You’ve probably seen it listed: ‘sponsored content,’ ‘branded post’ or ‘in collaboration with…’. This means that in your videos on YouTube and posts on Instagram or Tiktok, you advertise products of a certain brand in return for payment of money. You also often get to keep this product free of charge. You see this especially with vloggers who are incredibly highly viewed. For Youtube, however, there are some rules attached to this such as the rules of the advertising code foundation and supervision by the media commissariat. And you pay a contribution of +/- €600 per year for this.
If you still find this a bit too much, you can also just work with affiliate products. You then recommend products just like sponsored content. From the selling party, you get a URL link to that product that you can put in the description of your video. When a viewer through that link then buys the recommended product, a portion of the purchase price is yours.
Cash cow channels
On YouTube, you also have so-called cash cow channels. These are channels that show videos that are generic, and by that we mean that they are videos that do not show your own head. But they are, for example, compilations of episodes of your favorite show, nature footage, funny movies in succession and so on.
These videos are optimized to be found well in YouTube and they are also videos that are highly searched. So cash cow channels allow you to amass many followers in a short time because often the videos are watched all the way through and they also go viral quickly. And so that means you make the videos and then make money from ads that can be shown.
This sounds easy, of course, but there is also work involved. First of all, you must (have) the movie made. And so before you can do that, you need to know what the movie should be about. Therefore, first do research on search terms that have high volume but little competition.
Pros and cons Youtube & Instagram
Advantages:
- creative way of making money
- anyone can be a content creator because there are many good tools that help you
Disadvantages:
- before you start earning you are months, if not years, away
- there is enormous competition
2. Affiliate marketing
If you have a well-visited website or blog, affiliate marketing or ads can make money. Affiliate marketing means that you have a link on your website or blog and if someone purchases something or registers through this link you receive a small amount of money for it. The same goes for advertising on your website (simply views can make money even then).
How does affiliate marketing work?
Actually, affiliate marketing is very simply put, online promotion for someone else’s products and services. You get paid for that promotion through an affiliate fee.
With the advent of the Internet, this has become a whole revenue model that generates millions in revenue. The Internet is huge and many brands are looking for places to promote their products and services in addition to the channels they control themselves. A good affiliate strategy allows them to have their products and services promoted by other people, and the promoters get paid for that.
Affiliate marketing through websites
The most familiar way of affiliate marketing is through a website. You probably know the stories: you build a website, link to other products through that website, and get a commission for that referral. Sounds very simple, but it’s a lot more complicated than that. Because how do you build a website and how do you make sure that visitors actually come to that website?
Pros and cons of affiliate marketing
Advantages:
- this could provide a nice passive income once it is in place
- You can write and create content around a topic that suits you
Disadvantages:
- Some technical and online marketing knowledge required to set up a good website with ditto SEO structure
- there is enormous competition
- takes a long time (at least six months) before it starts to pay off
In our opinion, if you have found a topic that you have an affinity for, create good content and set up the technical base properly, an affiliate blog is a fine way of making extra money from home.
3. Selling your own product
Maybe you have a hobby or an idea to make and sell your own products, then this could be your side hustle. Think clothing or jewelry making. Cards or decoration.
Think about what you want to sell and also look critically at purchasing and the time you have to spend on it. For example, if you want to make jewelry, write down what the materials cost and how much time you will need. And then do the math on how much you want to charge per item sold and how quickly you’ll get out of expenses.
Often you have to buy from a wholesaler, for example, and you can’t buy materials for 1 bracelet, but you have to buy a lot of materials right away.
Want to buy and sell a product? Then look at the procurement terms and conditions. How much to order, can you return, what is the delivery time and what will be your margin. Make sure you have a good idea of the purchase prices and terms and the possible selling price and time commitment.
Advantages and disadvantages of selling your own products
Advantages:
- creative!
- you can make and sell something that has your unique signature
Disadvantages:
- time intensive depending on product
- lots of hassle with shipping – this is not a “side hustle for it
4. Selling through Bol.com
Everyone agrees by now, the potential of marketplaces is mega! But how can you make money with that from home? Where do you start? On which marketplace do you start selling? Here we briefly touch on (because we could write an entire book about this!) how selling through Bol.com works.
What is an online marketplace?
Online marketplaces have been around for a long time, but the influence of marketplaces is getting better and better understood. An online marketplace is a B2C/B2B e-commerce platform where third parties (your business with cool products) have the opportunity to offer products and/or services to sell through this platform.
The marketplace acts as an intermediary, so to speak, between the consumer and the third parties. Often an e-commerce platform has serious and targeted visitors looking for a product. If a visitor proceeds to purchase your product, in most cases you pay a commission to the e-commerce platform, to the intermediary.
We know of 3 types of marketplaces
Horizontal marketplaces
These marketplaces sell different brands, products and or services, but they are all related. A good example for this is Booking. You can book cars, flights and, of course, accommodations here to plan a trip.
Vertical marketplaces
Vertical marketplaces consist of products, brands and or services within one product group. A good example is Vinted. A marketplace for used clothing only.
All-in-one marketplaces
An all-in-one marketplace sells virtually everything. These are not focused on one type of product category or target audience. For example, a good example is Marketplace.
Every marketplace has advantages and disadvantages for you as a seller but also for the consumer. The basics are the same everywhere, and one important advantage applies to almost every online marketplace: selling your products on an online marketplace creates a win-win situation. Supply and demand for information, products and services come together.
Pros and cons of selling through Bol.com
Advantages:
- you can easily sell products without the hassle of inventory, engineering, shipping yourself
- if you set this up right it can be very lucrative
Disadvantages:
- find a good product!
- you carry quite a bit of margin for the relief
5. Online services
The Internet has made it tremendously easy to pick up work from anywhere in the world. You can do copywriting for global clients, maintain social media accounts, learn specific tools and help other people with them. The possibilities are endless.
Sites like fiverr.com are places where you can offer your services. Here the price level is a bit lower per hour though and you are competing with 1000s of other providers. Look closely at, for example, a niche or language that you are very good at.
There are also large companies worldwide that seek people to write articles, review books or other remote tasks, for example.
Thus, we already came across the following:
- Becoming a tagger for Netflix. You then watch their series and other content and indicate which category they fall into. Sounds good anyway! Although this job is only offered very occasionally;
- Recording books (your voice must be approved);
- Reviewing websites for a fee.
Other common services you can do as a side hustle:
- Copywriting – writing articles / blogs / web copy / emails / social copy etc. This is in high demand and you can often fill it flexibly (you do often work with a deadline).
- Maintain social media accounts. Consider creating visuals(in Canva, for example), writing social media copy and scheduling posts.
- Design – think web design or logo design. Yes, you need to have this skill then, of course, or you can learn it through online academies such as udemy.com, coursera.com or lynda.com.
There are a few “marketplaces” in the Netherlands for this type of online service. Some well-known websites are:
- Upwork.com
- iWriter.com
- Flexjobs.com
They always grab a percentage of course, so it is much more interesting for you to build your own network in which you work. So look very carefully at your market, your offerings and how much time you want to spend on this.
Pros and cons of online services
Advantages:
- working worldwide! Digital nomad, anyone? Not only make money from home, but also make money from a tropical beach
- You can use your skills and talents
Disadvantages:
- competition is pretty high
- it often involves working on an hourly billing basis, so no passive income
6. E-learning products such as an e-course or an e-book
This is booming, thanks in part to the rise of the knowledge economy. People who have certain knowledge and expertise about something incorporate it into training courses, e-books and webinars and sell it online. This requires quite a time investment, but if you have a really good online product you can lean on it for a while. Of course, it is crucial that you also have reach and a target audience for this.
Because putting a product together takes a lot of time, it is advisable to build outreach first and then test what is needed and in what form. That way you can be sure you are using your time for the right product.
Once you have that clear, start with a small launch so you can gather feedback on your product. For example, say; I am launching a new product and you can only get in now for a starting fee.
Make sure people can purchase and use your online product without you being in the middle of it. That way it can continue to sell itself even when you are doing other things.
Advantages and disadvantages of e-learning products
Advantages:
- once a well-designed product can provide passive income
- You can use your skills and talents
Disadvantages:
- competition is very high
- Technical and online marketing skills are highly desired to set this up and build reach online properly
7. Print on Demand
New to the side hustle market is Print on Demand. Consider getting printed on:
- Clothing;
- Cups;
- Phone cases;
- Calendars;
- Bags;
- Stickers;
- And much more.
The big advantage is that something is not printed until it is actually ordered. So no surplus that has to be thrown away and especially no inventory that costs money as a start-up investment.
How do you begin? Three things are important with print on demand:
1 Your design
You can really design anything, but the important thing is that you design something that you will actually sell (at least if you want to earn extra income from it). So start by brainstorming what you would like to design.
So first consider who your target audience is, what they need, and only then move on. Again, you can do keyword research or maybe you have a hobby where you know a lot of people. We’ve said it before, but try to research what works before you put all your time into it.
If you have an idea of what you want to design and for what product, you can get inspiration from Pinterest, as well as from Canva itself. For example, you will get a sample of a sticker or a t-shirt. But please note that you may not copy these examples 1-to-1, they are copyrighted. So use it purely as inspiration. Create your design in Canva, for example, and save the image.
2. Your partner to press
If you search on “print on demand,” you will find a lot of parties. We haven’t researched them all, but have had a good experience (and see good reviews) with Printify ourselves. It also has standard integration capabilities with Etsy, for example.
3. Sales channel
Designing a product is actually the easiest part, but now you have to start selling as well. As with many side hustles, it is important that you put out the actions yourself to actually generate sales. So think about where your target audience is, how you will reach them and how you will spread the word about your product.
So think about visibility on social media, opening a shop in Etsy (note, here you really need to work on visibility) or starting a website (again, you need to work on visibility).
Advantages and disadvantages print on demand
Advantages:
- Selling products with your design, cool!
- no inventory and unnecessary production
Disadvantages:
- competition is very high
- technical and – online marketing skills are highly desirable to set this up properly online and create a sales channel
8. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is selling products (often online) after which the product is sent directly from the factory to the end customer. Or in other words, for example, you offer a cup holder through your sales channel, someone buys it, and the factory where the cup is made gets notified. The cup is now sent from the factory to the consumer who made the purchase.
The difference with print on demand is that these are now generic products. So not products with your design on them, but products already in the factory. Also in this way, your job is to make the sales, but you do not have to stock your own inventory. You get the difference between the sales price and the purchase price.
The downside, however, is that you are responsible in the eyes of the consumer. So if there is something with the product they contact you about the product. So make sure both your product and supplier are reliable.
Advantages and disadvantages dropshipping
Advantages:
- Huge growth potential if you have a good product
- no own stock
Disadvantages:
- competition is very high
- technical – and online marketing skills are really needed to set this up properly online
9. Taking surveys
Another common side hustle is taking surveys for brands and large organizations. There are several parties offering this in the Netherlands. You sign up with a party and actively complete surveys yourself is. Per survey, you can then earn a few euros and thus earn some extra income.
Consider sites such as:
Advantages and disadvantages of completingsurveys
Advantages:
- very easy, no skills needed
Disadvantages:
- the earnings are not very lucrative as far as we are concerned
10. Mystery shopping
Through Smartspotter, for example, you can do assignments in stores. This involves, for example, photographing a particular product or shelf and answering questions about it. Doing a job usually earns between €2 and €10. It’s an easy side hustle when you’re in the store anyway, such as a supermarket, and if you do this occasionally, you can make some extra money in an easy way.
Advantages and disadvantages of mystery shopping
Advantages:
- very easy, combine with daily shopping
Disadvantages:
- the earnings are not very lucrative as far as we are concerned
11. Website testing
Website testing is a perfect way to work from home. What you need is a computer or smartphone and a working Internet connection. You can earn up to about 28 euros an hour by testing websites. One popular company where you can do this is UserTesting. Here’s how it works:
- you get paid about €8 via PayPal for every 20-minute video you complete.
- UserTesting pays to visit websites or apps, perform some tasks and share your experiences
- While visiting a website, your screen and voice are recorded.
Major customers are of UserTesting are Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, FaceBook and other companies. So if you are an avid internet scroller, then making money from home with this side hustle is for you!
Pros and cons of website testing
Advantages:
- very easy
- accessible, you only need internet and a laptop or phone
Disadvantages:
- the earnings are not very lucrative as far as we are concerned, but it is still a nice perk
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What about taxes with making money from home with your side hustle?
Read this article about paying taxes on your side hustle
and find out what extra income means to you!
