{"id":17335,"title":"How to start a side hustle the easy way: 5 ideas","description":"Starting a side hustle is a fun, exciting way to spend spare time, and with new pick-up-put-down online business models it's easier than ever to earn an extra income stream, where you control your hours. If you\u2019re wondering how to start a side hustle or how to make money online, this is the blog for you.","content":"

As of 2020, almost half of people in the UK say they have a side hustle. In the age range of 25-34, that number rises to 78%. Starting a side hustle is a fun, exciting way to spend spare time, and with new pick-up-put-down online business models it's easier than ever to earn an extra income stream, where you control your hours. If you\u2019re wondering how to start a side hustle<\/a> or how to make money online, this is the blog for you.<\/p>

A \u2018side hustle\u2019 is defined by the fact you have a \u2018main hustle\u2019. It\u2019s in the name. When that main hustle inevitably has to take priority, it can seem impossible to find the time to keep up with everything you do on the side. That stop-start nature prevents a lot of people from starting at all. Given the technology available today, you can have something that you could stop<\/em> whenever you needed to prioritise something else, so you can finally start.<\/p>

\"\"-- It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re a uni student, looking for a change of career, or wanting to start a small business. Teemill is for anyone who wants to start a side hustle.<\/em><\/p>

Teemill<\/a><\/u> has everything you need to startup as an entrepreneur online. All you do is sign up, turn on the traffic and as we print and dropship orders direct then send you the profit, you have a green light to take orders - whatever you are doing. Work when you can, and even when you can\u2019t, it will still work for you. Set up your free store<\/a><\/u> to get started today, or keep reading to learn more about side hustles, old and new.\u00a0<\/p>

Comparing 4 old low-risk side hustle ideas (to 1 excellent new one)<\/strong><\/h2>

You can see the potential in the internet for lean startups and side hustles. When you go online, you have access to near-unlimited knowledge, and to over 60% of the world\u2019s population.\u00a0 But for all the reach and opportunity, there\u2019s lots of noise, and perhaps that\u2019s why decades into the mainstream internet, we\u2019re only just starting to see real online business side hustles start to work for everyday people. It\u2019s not that people haven\u2019t tried before, it\u2019s just that the models were sort of prototypes and a bit \u2026 sketchy.\u00a0<\/p>

There are four things to look for in the best side hustle. We\u2019ll start by giving examples of low risk side hustle ideas - each has one great thing going for it - and then one final example that ticks all four boxes in one. So, starting with an older, more basic (but still free) idea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

\"\"1. Affiliate marketing<\/h3>

Affiliate marketing<\/a><\/u> is like the original side hustle - the first evidence of it dates back to 1750 BC (that\u2019s another story)! And, almost four thousand years later, affiliate marketing was given a new lease of life by the internet. With social media, websites and blogs, you can make money promoting products from anywhere in the world.\u00a0<\/p>

Affiliate marketing is when you promote a product or service to your audience, and get paid under specific conditions. Usually, this means that when someone uses your unique link to buy a product, you get a cut of the profit. This business model allows you to make money from marketing, without needing to set up your own business. This can be a great way to monetise an existing audience - if you have one. However, you are selling someone else\u2019s product, to someone else\u2019s customer. The company decides what cut you get and under what conditions, and once you\u2019ve made a sale, you only get a small percentage of the profit. You might build a community of loyal followers, but they are not your<\/em> customers.<\/p>

\"\"2. Dropshipping<\/h3>

Dropshipping<\/a><\/u> is like the next step up from affiliate marketing. You can start a business online without having to deal with manufacturing, stock or fulfilment. When a customer buys from a dropshipping business, they send the order data on to their supplier and the supplier takes care of preparing the order and sending it to the customer.\u00a0<\/p>

Dropshipping means you can start a business with no money, and it makes being a business owner much more flexible. But you\u2019re still selling someone else\u2019s product, and unless you have a supplier you can trust, that means you have no control over design, quality or any other details from the manufacturing process. You often end up dropshipping pre-made items, which might be the same as what everyone else is selling. While you have the advantage of being free from stock constraints, it can be hard to stand out and make your brand your own without the right tech to help.<\/p>

\"\"3. Marketplaces<\/h3>

Since the invention of the internet, there have been online marketplaces where you can sell items you don\u2019t need anymore, something handmade, or your own products. Selling on marketplaces is easy, because you don\u2019t need to worry about making your own website and online store; there\u2019s one already built for you, full of potential customers.<\/p>

The issue is, though, it\u2019s not your store. You have to share space with everyone else selling on the platform, and customers may trust the marketplace as a whole, but they don\u2019t know you, or your brand. It can be very difficult to build a business on a marketplace full of competitors, where the customer can see multiple versions of the same item. And it\u2019s near impossible to ensure customers return to your store after they make a purchase. Over 40% of an established business\u2019 sales are from returning customers - by selling on an online marketplace, you\u2019re giving up almost half your potential sales.<\/p>

\"\"4. Social media<\/h3>

According to Google, most people in the UK who are looking for side hustle ideas are actually searching for \u2018how to make money on YouTube\u2019, or \u2018how to make money on TikTok\u2019. Social media can seem like a very easy way to make money - after all, it\u2019s free. Building a following, however, can be harder than it seems.<\/p>

That\u2019s the issue with making money on social media: most of the time you can\u2019t start until you already have a following. Whether you\u2019re hoping to get sponsorships or ad revenue, your earnings are directly tied to the size of your audience. Even if you do strike out on your own by selling your own products on social media, you come up against the same issues we\u2019ve mentioned above. Your social media profile is yours when it comes to content, but it is still limiting - it\u2019s not your shop.<\/p>

What makes the best side hustles<\/strong><\/h2>

So, how can you find a side hustle to fit your lifestyle, where you have as much control as you\u2019d like over your stream of income, products, shop and branding? Look for this side hustle checklist:\u00a0<\/p>