5 Side Hustles You Can Do at Home

Have you ever dreamed of earning more money from the comfort of your own home? Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, a student, or someone with chronic health issues that limit your work possibilities, the idea of making extra money without leaving the house is appealing.

Fortunately, technology makes numerous possible side hustles that you can do from the comfort of your couch or home office. Here are five that could be right for you.

Virtual Assistant

If you’d like a flexible side hustle that can pay pretty well, you might consider being a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant(VA) is just what it sounds like—it’s an assistant that works virtually from home.

A virtual assistant’s duties can vary depending on who they’re working for, but typically VAs help manage some of the administrative tasks for a business owner. For example, a virtual assistant might manage email accounts, perform research, schedule meetings, upload content, and more.

Nearly all business owners could use some help with administrative tasks, so this side hustle isn’t going out of style any time soon. And as some entrepreneurs may need help just a few hours a week, you can decide just how much time you want to dedicate to this gig.

• How much you can make: Between $20 to $45 per hour.
• What you need: A computer, internet connection, and phone.
• How to get started: Upwork can get you started. You can also cold pitch business owners, bloggers, and other online entrepreneurs to let them know about your services. Creating your own Wix or Weebly website can help advertise your services, too.

Freelance Writer

Do you have a knack for words? If you can write, there are many side hustles that you can do from home. You can write:

• Blog posts
• Newsletters
• Email campaigns
• Website copy
• Product descriptions

If there are words involved, you can write it! Freelance writing can be a great side hustle that you do on your own time.

• How much you can make: $10 to $60 per hour or more.
• What you need: A computer and internet connection. Word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
• How to get started: Create a writing portfolio using Wix, Weebly or Wordpress to showcase your work. You can use sites like Fiverr and Upwork to get started. Follow editors on social media and send them your best ideas.

Social Media Marketer

Let’s be honest: You’re probably spending a good chunk of your day on social media already. Why not get paid to post on social media? In today’s digital world, having social media accounts is a must.

Unfortunately, social media marketing can be a huge time-suck for business owners and distract them from the core of their business. You can take that burden off some busy entrepreneur’s shoulders and help ensure they’re always marketing, promoting and engaging.

If you’re savvy with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, then working as a social media marketer could be a good side hustle for you. And there a range of social media scheduling tools out there (like Buffer or Hootsuite) that help make this side hustle flexible, as you can schedule posts for your clients at hours that work for you.

• How much you can make: $15 to $75 per hour.
• What you need: Computer, internet connection, and a social media tool like Buffer or Hootsuite.
• How to get started: You can list your services on Upwork or Cloud Peeps to get started. You can also pitch your favorite company to see if they can use your skills.

Transcriptionist

If you have quick fingers and a good ear, transcription work may be the side hustle for you. Transcription work is the process of listening to audio text and transcribing it to written text. Accuracy and speed are key. Transcriptionists can make money transcribing video or podcast content, business meetings, and more.

If you think that’s something you can do, give it a try! One positive of this particular gig is that you don’t have to be an expert right away—but as you can better at transcribing, you’ll be able to make more per hour.

• How much you can make: $9.69 - $25.10 per hour.
• What you need: Computer, internet, fast typing skills, and headphones.
• How to get started: You can post your services on Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, or Rev.

Graphic Design

Graphic design is one of the most in-demand skills in today’s visual-based culture. If you have graphic design skills, why not make some extra money on the side? There are many uses for graphic design, including:

• Newsletters
• Logos
• Flyers
• Advertisements
• Social Media Posts

You can work with a range of groups from nonprofits to small business owners, bloggers to entrepreneurs. All of this can be done at home, in your own time if you have the right tools.

• How much you can make: $11.28 - $27.01 per hour and up.
• What you need: Computer, internet, and graphic design programs like Photoshop or InDesign.
• How to get started: Create a free website using Wix, Weebly or Wordpress to showcase your portfolio. You can find your first clients on Fiverr, Upwork and Freelancer and also let your friends and family know you’re available for projects.

Bottom Line

If you want to earn extra money on the side, you don’t have to drive for Uber or start babysitting. There are side hustles that you can do from your own home that offers good pay and flexibility. The key is to build up your client base so you can establish a portfolio and easily get referrals.

Having your website can add legitimacy and professionalism to your side hustle, but you don’t have to have one to get started. And don’t think that you need to be an “expert” or have everything figured out to get started—while gigs like graphic design require some real experience and skill, transcribing or acting as a virtual assistant requires less in the way of work background.