If the holiday season has made a severe dent in your funds, why not make 2022 the year of the side hustle? They’re a clever way to make the most of your skills, an opportunity to do something different to your day job, and above all, they’re a practical way to boost your monthly income.

Getting started is the most important thing you can do at this stage and here we’ve put together a guide on how to get your idea off the ground.

You can conduct most of these side hustles from home and for a low cost, so get comfortable, and let’s dive in. 

1. Start a subscription box service

The subscription box business model is where a customer is sent a regular package (typically monthly) filled with something along a certain theme. The reason it’s such a great side hustle idea is that instead of making a one-off sale, your customers will be buying something from you every month (or however often you send your boxes out). 

Plus, it can be fun! It’s exciting creating a box filled with products you’re interested in, and your passion will be apparent to your customers. 

Ideas for subscription boxes

• Book box – create a monthly book club for subscribers in different locations. They could include new novels, self-care guides, or children’s books.

• Food and drink box – whether it’s beer and wine or snacks and unusual ingredients, food or drink boxes are an exciting treat for the eyes and mouth!

• Craft box – this is a perfect idea for kids and adults. Include materials, instructions, and you’ve created a fun project to enjoy. It could include anything like knitting, origami, or embroidery.

How to get started

Create a landing page to quickly understand the levels of interest before you start building or sending out your boxes. You can build a personal website in minutes with Site Maker, and you don’t need any coding skills. Just choose your template, use blocks to efficiently structure your site, and publish it! 

Once your site is up and running you can advertise your boxes wherever you like, then direct people to your landing page. Here you can collect the email addresses of people who are interested. Voila! You have a mailing list of potential customers and you know if your idea is likely to be popular or not.

2. Run a dropshipping business

The dropshipping business model is where a customer places a product order with you at retail price, and you buy that product from your supplier at wholesale price. The supplier then handles the shipping, and your customer receives their product. Simple really!

Just as subscription boxes are a low-cost venture, dropshipping is too. With some great marketing and passion, your dropshipping business could become successful, and you could be handing in your notice by the end of 2022.

Ideas for dropshipping 

• Products for the home – if you consider yourself an amateur interior designer or have an eye for space-saving tools, focus your store on household products. 

• Electrical goods – think useful chargers, fun gadgets, video games, and audio equipment. 

• Home gym equipment – with more people working from home, the interest in exercise equipment has grown. Offer dumbbells, resistance bands, weight benches, and rowing machines. 

How to get started

Check out the big dropshipping companies to find out how it works, what you want to sell and how much you will charge, then create a product store online and start selling! Why not try EasyWP? It’s affordable, it’s easy to create a website, and you can grow as your customer base does. 

If your dropshipping business takes off, find out when you should quit your day job by reading How to turn a side hustle into your dream business.

3. Create an online course

Building an online course can be time-consuming, but once you’ve finished, it’s a lucrative form of passive income that can last as long as your content is relevant. 

The first step is to decide on your course content. Think about your day job or your hobbies. Would you feel comfortable calling yourself an expert? Would your knowledge help others? Once you find a subject, it’s time to start writing. Try pinning down your target audience. While a ‘Weight lifting’ course is fine, ‘Weight lifting for the over 50s” is far more specific and easy to market.

Lastly, give your course to your friends and family to read, and if they’re impressed, offer your course online.

Online course ideas

• Business – share your knowledge on using a particular product, sales strategy, or business plan.

• Art – help your reader find inspiration, use a new painting technique, or how to get the most out of Photoshop.

• Lifestyle – share your expertise on Thai cooking, organizing your kitchen, or how to choose the right beauty products for your skin.

How to get started

Our blog post, How to earn money while you sleep, has some handy guidance on creating digital educational programs and how to get started. Check it out!

4. Write a blog

Whether you write about cooking, video games, gadgets, or hair products, there are many ways for this side hustle to make money. Adding affiliate links to your blog posts is a good place to start, and once your blog is fully established, you can consider sponsored content, where brands offer you money to speak about their products. 

This side hustle has minimal setup costs, and you can get up and running quickly and easily. All you need to do is think about what you want to write about and decide what platform you want to write on.

Blog topic ideas

• Parenting – share your knowledge about school holiday entertainment ideas, weaning tips, or must-have products for new parents.

• Travel – impart your wisdom on backpacking destinations, beachside hotels, or campervan life.  

• Saving money – help your readers live a frugal life, with how to find supermarket coupons, upcoming online sales, and tips on bulk buying.  

How to get started

First, read Why the right platform is critical for your blog for guidance on your blog goal, identifying your audience, and platform choice. Our blog post The business case for blogging also has some handy tips on writing and best practices.

5. Become a virtual assistant

To be a Virtual Assistant (VA) you’ll need excellent organizational, communication, and computer skills, but as the role is virtual (duh!), this job jas the advantage that you can do it from the comfort of your own home. 

If you want to excel in your VA role, there are many courses available online. Although this will cost you money, don’t forget that you will be investing in Future You.

Virtual assistant tasks

• Finance – assist with bookkeeping, invoice management, and processing payments.

• Customer service – help answer customer queries, process orders, and keep records up to date. 

• Admin duties – take calls, manage diaries, data entry, create reports, and write emails. 

How to get started

Start by looking at sites like LinkedIn and Craigslist for Virtual Assistant opportunities and see the types of available jobs and the skills you need to do them. If you already fit the bill, great(!) you can start applying today. If you have identified some areas you need to improve in, you can look into some of the courses mentioned earlier and start brushing up.

A VA job can be incredibly lucrative, but only if your mental wellbeing is sound. Learn how to avoid toxic productivity in Stop what you’re doing…and rest.

Happy hustlin’!

Hopefully, you’re inspired to take on a side hustle in 2022. If you’ve got some more ideas and would like to share them with us, please leave a comment below.

Whatever side hustle you take on, you’re sure to need a suitable domain name to help you grow your idea online, so:

Register a domain today

5 savvy side hustles to start in 2022 .