How to Start Your Own Part-Time Business

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such as Ebay , to help you sell your product.
Auction off unwanted items from around your house to create some extra cash flow or sell handmade products in order to turn a profit. Setting up an account is easy and once it’s ready, you a safe and secure way to sell and receive payments from customers. Simply set up a PayPal account and you’re ready to go.
 
Sell On Amazon
If Ebay isn’t your cup of tea, then Amazon is another well established eCommerce store that will help you sell your products to the world.
Starting a part-time business in which you sell items on Amazon is easy to do, and with a little help from optimization of your listings, you can see customers from all over the world coming to your profile to buy your product.
8. Best Businesses to Start in 2019
Podcasting
Millions of people are heading to their podcast app of choice every day, whether on their commute to work or at the gym, to tune into their favorite presenters and escape the world around them for an hour or two.
If you’ve got a lot to say about a certain topic, or just want to take to the airwaves, starting a
part-time business in podcasting is a great business idea that you can start from home. All you need is the right equipment. As is the nature of all online media, nothing happens instantly – unless you get very lucky. Keep with it and watch your audience grow while you build your part-time empire in podcasting.
 
Stitch Fix Stylist
In the hustle and bustle of daily life, people often find it hard to hit the highstreet to find the perfect clothes for them.
Becoming an online stylist with the help of Stitch Fix can be the perfect way to pursue your passion for fashion while also earning money as part of your side business.
Stitch Fix is an online clothing subscription service in which customers sign up to have clothes selected for them by a professional stylist and delivered to their house by post. Starting a side business as an online stylist couldn’t be easier with their platform and once you fit the customer brief you can help hundreds of other customers fix their fashion woes from the comfort of your house.
 
Instagram Marketing (Influencer)
Instagram is fast becoming many companies platform of choice when it comes to marketing and selling their products through the power of influencer marketing.
While you will need to put a lot of work into building a loyal and engaged following, starting a side business in Instagram Marketing is one of the most sought after careers in the online world today. The most important thing to do, once you’ve gained a loyal following, is to build lasting relationships with brands who are looking to reach potential customers on Instagram. Once that is achieved, you can start charging businesses a fee to promote their product or service on the platform in the hopes that your followers will buy in.
9. Easiest Business to Start
Proofreading and Editing
If you have an eye for grammar and spelling, or even pursue a full-time career in publishing, becoming a proofreader and editor on the side is a great way to help businesses nail their content while starting your own part-time business!
Start up costs are virtually non-existent when starting this side business as all you need is an email address in which to receive information or documents and a word processing tool on your computer and away you go.
 
Affiliate Marketing
For those who may not be familiar with the idea of affiliate marketing but are eager to find good businesses to start with little money, this may be the one for you! By becoming an affiliate marketer for a company or website, you are rewarded by this site for every new customer that you bring their way in the form of a percentage payment.
The vetting process for becoming an affiliate marketer varies depending on the business whose affiliate program you sign up for. But with that being said, once you are accepted as an affiliate, the only cost incurred is on the side of the client whose business you are promoting as part of your side business. All you need is a computer or phone and a gameplan to direct people to the site you are trying to promote!
 
Content Writer
If you have a strong way with words and looking to build a professional portfolio that will stand to you in the future, starting a part-time business as a Content Writer could see you fulfilling a lifelong aspiration while also earning some extra cash in the evenings.
There are many avenues you can pursue if you are hoping to start a side business in content writing but once you have a laptop and word processor, you’re ready to go. For example, you may want to explore ghostwriting or perhaps in tie it into your affiliate marketing efforts. It is important to decide, however, how you are going to charge, promote and maintain various deadlines before starting out as a part-time content writer.
 
Window Cleaning
Not all part-time businesses have to be based from home office. One of the easiest part-time businesses to start to work on a service that almost everyone needs!
If you live in a suburb with lots of residential housing, grab a bucket and cloth and take to the streets as a window cleaner. Not only is it a cash in hand business model, it will also allow you to work both indoors and outdoors to help people keep their houses looking spik and span!
 
House Cleaning
We’ve discussed starting a part-time business in window cleaning but what about the rest of the building?
Home and office owners are often too busy to give their properties the TLC that they need, so offering your services as a cleaner could be a great way of creating a part-time work schedule that works for both you and your client.
 
Babysitting
One part-time business that has withstood the test of time is good, old fashioned babysitting. If you have a way with kids and a trustworthy personality, starting a side business in which you helping out working parents or those looking for a night on the town is a great idea.
Create flyers , post them online and around your neighbourhood and watch as the calls come flooding in for those highly sought after evening and weekend slots while maintaining a full-time job or college studies.
10. Creative Small Business Ideas
Sell On Etsy
If you are a dab hand at knitting or maybe even create clothing from recycled materials, starting a part-time business by selling your products on Etsy is easy to do!
Someday, when your side business turns into a full time career, you may be able to rent your own shop front but for now, utilising Etsy’s digital marketplace and global reach is the perfect way to get your handmade or vintage items and craft supplies out to the world and bring in a bit of extra money while you’re at it.
 
Start a Youtube Channel
A great way to break into the world of part-time business is to set up your own YouTube channel . While the money might not roll in straight away, for the likes of make-up artists and technology experts, part-time careers on YouTube have evolved into multi-million dollar companies over the last 10 or so years.
Having a good editing suite on your laptop or computer is crucial when it comes to starting a part-time business on YouTube. Apple’s iMovie or Adobe Premiere Pro are great tools to get you started and while they come with a price tag, it’s an investment worth making in order to produce video content your viewers will love!
 
Portrait Artist
We’ve talked a lot about graphic design but what about artists who prefer to stick to the traditional paintbrush and easel? One of the easiest businesses to set up, if you are a talented artist, is to create custom portraits for clients.
You don’t have to limit yourself to portraits either! Landscapes, recreations…if you can paint it, you can sell it and with the right advertisement you can create a lucrative side business in which you can pursue your passion!
 
Video Editor
Video marketing has taken the world by storm in the last 5 years, and businesses are more eager than ever to produce high-quality videos to help showcase their company and go viral.
Starting a side business in video editing is relatively easy to do once you have the right editing tools. Simply find a client who is looking to blend all their hard work into a show stopping video and you will soon see yourself building a portfolio that will result in more and more customers grappling for your expert skills.
 
Photo Editor
Similar to starting a part-time business in video editing, building a side business in photo editing is all about having the right tools to get you started.
Edit in large batches for clients or focus on more specialised projects and you can set your rate and working hours to suit accordingly.
11. Part-Time Business Ideas for Students
 
Translator
Whether you’re a student studying languages in university or studying abroad as part of your degree, starting a part-time business as a translator will allow you to not only develop your skills but also give you invaluable experience before entering the workforce after college!
Marketplaces such as Fiverr, which we will discuss in a bit more detail later are an easy, security and lucrative place to start a side business in translation. All you need is to be fluent in at least two languages, own a computer on which you can translate the document, and wait for the clients to come in droves.
 
Transcriptionist
Depending on your field of study, starting a side business as a transcriptionist could be a great way of earning money while also learning more about the industry you hope to one day establish a career in.
As your client list grows and you establish yourself, you may be able to invest in tools such as a foot pedal which will help your productivity, but when you’re starting out a computer, headphones and a knowledge of the grammar and theory will make the foundations of your part-time business.
 
Start A Blog
There are many different directions you can take this side business when starting it and while you might not be able to monetize it right away, if done right it could launch a full time career that branches off into Influencer Marketing and maybe even book deals!
With the likes of WordPress, setting up a part-time business as a blogger is easy and free. The hardest part about this process will be selecting a focus or theme for your writing. If you’re studying fashion and merchandising in college then a fashion blog may be the best way to go. Or perhaps you are studying nutrition and want to showcase your knowledge while also providing a place for people to come who are looking to lead healthier lives. With persistence and well thought out content, starting a side business in the blogging world could potentially launch a career from the comfort of your college dorm!
 
Remote Language Teacher
This part-time business doesn’t have to be confined to students! Starting a side business in remote language teaching can be applicable to anyone with the relevant qualifications and a thirst to help eager online students master a second, third or even fourth language!
With many online tutors charging anywhere between $10 and $75 dollars, tutoring even for 2 hours a day, 3 days a week holds the potential of making you $450 dollars a week while you complete your studies.
Chapter 2
How to decide whether your part-time business is viable
Now that you’ve figured out what type of part-time business you want to start, we strongly advise that you do some research to make sure there is a gap in the market that you can fill and therefore make an earning doing so!
In simple terms, if there is no gap in the market or if the market is oversaturated, there will be little to no money for you to make, and in the end this should be a goal of any business, even a part-time one.
If you’re not familiar with market research or how to conduct it, we’ve put together a handy list of posts to help get you started:
1. What is market research and why do you need it?
Chapter3
Financing, budgeting and pricing for your side business
Now that you know which part-time business you want to start and you’ve determined there is a market for your product or service, what is the next step? It is crucial that you make a clear overview of your startup costs and what the projected expenses for your business will be, even though they might be quite low.
In the end, this determines if you can afford to start a side business and how much money you need to have, to not only get it off the ground, but also to ensure its survival in the early days.
Not only will you need to ensure that you’ve budgeted enough for running costs, you’ll also need to ensure that you are charging enough when sending invoices to keep your business going.
The following articles show you how to create an effective budget, and also show you how to determine what you should charge for your product or service.
1. Financing your part-time business
Not every budding part-time business owner will have the option of financial backing but that is not to say there is a business that can survive purely on passion alone.
When starting a side business there is a baseline that will need to be invested in promotion, marketing etc. in order to make the business successful and generate leads/ customers.
In order to determine those costs and initial investment, have a look at BPlans article on startup costs to get you started:
Chapter4
Tools To Help You Build A Part-Time Business Empire
A master tradesman will have a box of trusty tools and the toolkit your part-time business uses, whether physical or mental, will be no different.
By setting up your part-time business with the right tools, you will have a better chance of succeeding. In this chapter, we will show you some tools that will support your part-time business in its crucial early stages and allow you to produce high-quality work for whatever size your client base will be.
Within this list we have included a mix of tools you can leverage and base your entire business on, as well as tools that can save you time and help you better manage your business. You will come to appreciate these tools and even rely on them to help you achieve success, especially the ones that solve a problem outside of your area of expertise.
So for example, just because you haven’t mastered web development yet, doesn’t mean you can’t sell web design as a service, because tools like Squarespace and Wix allow you to create professional standard websites without coding experience with their drag and drop tools.
If you have a more technical background you can try more advanced and complex website platforms like WordPress, Prestashop or Magento.
In this chapter, we’ll introduce you to some of the tools that may help you expand the knowledge you gained in chapter 1, but it is important to note that there are a lot more options than these, so be sure to explore all possibilities. The perfect tool for your part-time business is out there.
1. Design Wizard Whether you’re starting a social media management or graphic design side business, Design Wizard is the perfect tool to launch your career. Resources are often limited when working from home. With the help of Design Wizard, all you need is a laptop, internet connection and creativity.With its customisable image and video templates it will help you during all stages of your business. Create a logo to hehttps://designwizard.com/lp advertise your services and give your clients showstopping graphics for their next digital or print campaign!
2. Wordstream When starting your own part-time business, it’s crucial that you make the most of the time you have – especially if you’re juggling entrepreneurship with a 9-5 job. This tool will be a gamechanger for business people looking to launch their business online or on behalf of a client!Wordstream will help you house all your online marketing efforts from the comfort of one easy-to-use interface.
3. Shopify If you’re looking to create a successful eCommerce side business, Shopify should be on the top of your list when it comes to tools you need for success. It’s a retail point-of-sale system that will allow you to sell your product from the comfort of your home!Setting up a Shopify account is so easy and will allow you to create the perfect online store for your part-time business with minimal stress.
4. WordPress In today’s day and age, every business needs a website where visitors both old and new can come to find out more about your product or service. That’s where WordPress comes in.The great thing about WordPress, especially if you’re running a side business, it’s that is gives you the freedom to start with the basics and build it out over time as your business grows.
5. Yocale When running a side business you need to be on point when it comes to scheduling meetings and appointments with clients and customers. One missed conversation with a prospective customer could mean you spend months scrambling to make up for lost time.This is where a business management tool such as Yocale can save you from the stress of consulting your notebook every time someone asks for a meeting because Yocale does it for you! Your clients (and yourself) can see exactly when you’re free to talk and eliminate the back and forth that traditionally comes with scheduling meetings!
6. Atavist The attention span of online users is dwindling by the day so it’s more important than ever to keep readers engaged with every inch of your content. Chunks of text just aren’t going to cut it if you’re setting up a blog or website, and you need to be able to incorporate a multitude of media to keep visitors on your page!Atavist allows you to embed everything from videos to Tweets in your content and makes for an overall more engaging and professional appearance for your part-time business projects!
7. Pressbooks While the hustle and bustle of modern life has meant that short-form content is the content of choice for some, for others looking to gain a more in-depth knowledge eBooks and whitepapers are the resource of choice.Pressbooks is a fast and easy way to create eBooks and establish yourself as an industry leader in your spare time. Simply create the content that you want your readers to see and Pressbooks will help you mould it into a professional eBook that can be easily read and distributed online.
8. Adespresso If you’re a part-time Social Media Manager with clients relying on your to boost their sales, Adespresso is the perfect tool to add to your arsenal when it comes to creating and executing ad campaigns.From the creators of Hootsuite, Adespresso allows you to have a centralized, online location for your clients Facebook, Instagram and Google Ad campaigns. Create, manage and analyse campaigns from your favorite armchair and make sure your part-time business flourishes.
9. Tailwind Time is of the essence when you run a side business and you will often need to schedule content a week at a time to make sure clients and customers stay happy – especially when it comes to social media.Tailwind started as a tool to help business owners and marketers tap into the power of Pinterest and has since expanded into Instagram with gusto! This tool will help you schedule posts and even tell you which posts are worth republishing!
10. Buffer Social media can seem like a minefield to part-time business owners when they start out. People look for instant access to the world’s hottest topics and trends so being able to provide content on a regular basis is key to side business success.Buffer allows you to schedule, monitor and analyse posts across all the major platforms – saving you hours of work when time is already tight!
11. Falcon Building a successful side business is all about building lasting relationships with prospective customers. Most potential customers will come to your social media profiles to learn more about your business and, if done right, will push them to engage with you on a more personal level.Falcon allows you to engage with users via your content and in turn, allow you to analyse data in order for you to improve your part-time business. With the added benefit of onboarding from their experts, you can make sure you’re nailing your online interaction at every turn.
12. Buzzsumo Whether you’re looking to establish your part-time business as a blogger or testing the waters to see what your competitors are doing right, it’s all about research.Buzzsumo is the perfect tool to help you find and analyse content that works well online and will in turn help you to create content that gets customers flocking to your website.
13. Sprout Social Customer advocacy is something that will come over time to every side business but not without carefully planned postings and interactions with prospects and customers.Sprout Social is a social media management software that allows you to streamline your social media marketing efforts in order to minimise confusion and stress. Not only will it help you schedule content for weeks in advance if you so choose, it will also allow you to conduct social listening which will help you to keep your finger on the pulse of all things important to your customers.
14. Ahrefs Research and constant evolution are the cornerstones of a successful side business. When your part-time business is in its infancy, it’s important that you are aware of the industry’s key players and what they’re doing that keeps customers coming back for more. With that being said, it’s also important for any part-time business owner to be able to audit the content they are putting out to the masses.This is where Ahrefs comes in to save the day. Whether you’re looking to improve your part-time blog’s content or conducting keyword research as part of your SEO business, Ahrefs provides you with all the information you need to analyse all the data available on the web.
15. Moz Poorly executed SEO can result in the downfall of website, whether it be for your own part-time business or that of your clients. If you’re starting a side business, but have little knowledge of SEO, it can feel like a daunting and time-consuming task to get yourself up to speed on.Moz aims to take the grey area out of the idea of search engine optimization and provides users with everything from beginner’s guides to up-to-date access to the internet’s latest data.
16. Quuu Millions of new pieces of content are uploaded online every second so it can often become a hard task for any part-time business to emerge successful from the masses. However, content curation is one sure fire way to ensure that your content is consistent and therefore more reliable to the people who choose to consume it.Quuu is a content curation platform that allows users to find content that is specific to their needs and wants. If you’re running a side business which relies heavily on creating up-to-date content for customers, Quuu will help you not only stay on top of industry trends but also provide inspiration for your next social media or blog post.
17. Tweet Deck Twitter is the home of some of social media’s most engaged and rapidly responding users so being able to monitor what people are saying about your business and the world more generally, will allow you to make sure your part-time business gets the press and publicity it deserves.Tweet Deck is Twitter’s now integrated scheduling and management system which allows you to create a customised view of the inner-workers of your account and its followers. Schedule tweets, monitor responses and see what people are saying about the things that matter most to your business through their handy software.
18. Hootsuite Draw your mind back to our recent mention of Adespresso – this is where it all began. Hootsuite is a social media management software that set the bar when it comes to like minded software on the market today.We cannot stress it enough when it comes to social media – organisation and analysis is everything! Hootsuite allows you to not only schedule your posts, thus save your hours of stress but also provides you with data on where it’s going right or wrong.
19. Leadpages Let’s face it, not everyone is a natural born closer, but if you’re starting your own side business closing deals with those first few clients can set you on the upward trajectory you need to achieve success. But at the beginning of every customer journey there comes a curious prospect.Leadpages allows your to create lead magnets for your side business’ website that will help move them further down the funnel towards the ultimate goal of that initial sale. From newsletter sign-up forms to an ‘About Me’ pop-up to help peak their interest, Leadpages is a must have for any part-time business owner looking to up their lead generation game.
20. Unbounce Inbound marketing is arguably the most powerful tool for any business, whether for your own part-time business or that of your clients. Inbound marketing is a pretty well established concept in the marketing lingo of today, and it’s easy to see why. The people that are visiting your site have – whether through ads or manual search – come to your site in the hopes of having a problem solved.This is where a lack of structure within your site can result in your part-time business’ downfall. Unbounce allows you to create amazing landing pages, pop-ups and sticky bars that will capture your visitors attention, and if done correctly get them to stay on your site long enough to prompt them to make an inquiry or better yet – a purchase!
21. Click Funnels Having a clear idea of the traditional marketing funnel is always a great place to start when it comes to starting your own part-time business. You need to know exactly what your ultimate goal is and how you are going to get customers or clients to move towards the finish line in which you secure their trust.Click Funnels is a fantastic tool that provides dozens of various funnels that are tailored to the needs of your business and it’s goal of turning website visitors into customers. Is the aim of your part-time business to sell a product? Do you want to find a way to secure more qualified leads? Click Funnels provides you with the funnel you need to achieve your goal and eliminate the stress of starting from scratch.
22. Kajabi If you are looking to start a side business as an online coach or tutor, but have limited resources when it comes to creating and promoting your content Kajabi will be your one-stop-shop for success.Not only does Kajabi allow you to create online courses that will make up the core of your part-time business, but also give you all the tools you need to create amazing landing pages and marketing campaigns to help get you in front of the right audience.
23. Teachable As the saying goes, ‘content is King’ and when it comes to creating online courses this is very true! If, as part of your part-time business, you are hoping to sell an online course to customers, then you need to make sure the quality of the course will meet and even exceed expectations.Teachable is an online course creation software that allows you to make professional course material that will rival even the most respected online academy and establish yourself as an industry expert.
24. Freshbooks A lax approach to financing just isn’t going to cut the mustard when running a side business. In order to maintain a professional persona, you need to be precise when it comes to invoicing and accounting or else you run the risk of burning out before you reach your full part-time potential.Freshbooks is a fantastic tool that allows you to house all your financial information in one online dashboard. When starting a side business, you are CEO, marketer and head accountant of your company so make sure you stay on top of the numbers to ensure success.
25. Anchor Podcasting has taken the world by storm in recent years and if you’re looking to start a part-time business it could be just the thing you need to get up and running. Podcasting allows you to not only focus on the things that you are most passionate about, but also broadcast that passion to like minded people!While you may not have your very own podcast studio (yet), Anchor is a great tool to help you to get your podcast business started. Not only does it allow you to create the podcast but it also will help you broadcast and monetize to help you achieve your ultimate goal of part-time business success.
26. Wix One of the first steps in starting any part-time business is to set up a website. This will be your online office where customers can come to find out more about your product or service and provide them with everything that they need to get in contact with you.Not everyone who starts a part-time business, unless that side business is in website design or development will have the time or money to invest. Wix allows you to create a professional and mobile-friendly hub without breaking a sweat.
27. Squarespace Another great company that makes website design a breeze when it comes to starting a part-time business is Sqaurespace.Having a strong online presence and consistency is key to ensuring that you start your home business on the right foot. With the help of their responsive templates, you can create a site to rival even the biggest players from the comfort of your living room at a fraction of the cost.
28. Bulkly Time is of the essence when you start a side business, so being able to automate your online content in a smart and organised way will allow you to focus more time of the thing that matters most – your customers!Bulkly allows you to schedule your social media content to ensure that you are constantly providing relevant updates across all of your social media channels. This works two-fold as it keeps customers engaging and allows you, as a part-time business, to broadcast content outside of your part-time hours.
29. Manychat A happy customer makes for a happy side business. In the modern age that we live in today, customers and prospects expect an instant response to their most pressing questions. Falter in your communication with them and you run the risk of losing a customer.One way of eliminating this is by setting up chat bots that automatically respond to customer queries and buy you time to give them the hands on approach they need. Manychat is a Facebook Messenger bot that allows you to respond to customers immediately with a personalised message and create a positive relationship from the very first message.
30. Mobile Monkey We’ve talked a lot about small business social media marketing in a broad sense but it’s time to focus it in a little more and ensure your part-time business communicates on a one-to-one basis with customers. Facebook Messenger marketing gives you the opportunity to market your business in a more personal way and Mobile Monkey will help you to take it to the next level.Their amazing features not only allow you to set up automated responses but also allow you to switch over to live chat with the click of a button and with a seamless integration with WordPress, you’ll never have to worry about a missed opportunity or unhappy customer again.
31. Trello Whether you’re working from home or starting a side business, you’re sure to enlist the help of contractors every once in awhile. Expanding your side business comes with further responsibility and an even stronger focus on organisation and morale.Trello is a brilliant tool to utilise when starting a part-time business that involves plenty of teamwork. They’re easy to navigate dashboard allows you to create team agendas, centralise all your productivity apps and ensure over all else, that you are all singing from the same hymn sheet.
32. Bookmark As the owner of a part-time business, you need to be able to constantly evolve and learn in order to keep your side business fresh, relevant and successful. Bookmark is dedicated to helping small business owners create a lasting online presence.“A website tool for non-technical people”, Bookmark makes creating your online side business easy without the need for overly complicated jargon. On top of providing you with a broad range of designs to choose from, the tool is jam packed full of e-Learning courses and online coac
33. CanIRank Search Engine Optimization is the topic on everyone’s lips and if you’re starting a side business, it’s something that you need to invest heavily in to ensure that you get your online presence off to the best possible start.CanIRank is an SEO software that combines up-to-date SEO data with ranking models to help you understand how best to execute an SEO strategy for your part-time business with content that works best for you and the needs of your customers.
Chapter5
Courses and Resources To Help You Improve Your Side Hustle Skills
When starting a part-time business you might soon come to realise that you need to obtain or improve certain skills. After all, the better you are able to perform a service, the more likely it will be that your client will be happy.
You’ll also find that if you are highly skilled in an area, you will be able to charge more. As well as that, you could avoid outsourcing a task in your business by teaching it to yourself which could save you a lot of money in the early stages of your business.
These tasks can range from simple design work all the way to website coding.
These skills could also be directly linked to your business or regard a supporting process. In any case, the courses outlined below are some that we have hand-picked in order to help you go from beginner to pro in no time at all.
1. Blogging & Content Marketing Courses
If you’re looking to start a part-time business in the world of blogging, it’s always good to lay good foundations on which your side business can grow. When starting your part-time business in the online world, you will be the head of management, marketing and strategy carefully rolled up into one part-time powerhouse.
That’s why it’s important to bring yourself up to speed on all things content marketing and writing. Below are some useful courses – both paid and free of charge – to get you started in the world of blogging and content marketing:
Chapter6
Building a client base for your side business
You can have the greatest product or service, but if you don’t know how to sell it you won’t get far.
If you start a part-time business, you will need to know how to market it, but that’s only half the battle, because once you get a new lead you need to know how to turn them into a happy customer.
It might be scary to approach your first customer but there are ways you can prepare yourself and minimise any first time jitters.
In this chapter, we will show you some great resources to learn the basics of sales and be perfectly prepared for your first sales contact.
1. Outreach and pitch
Every great salesman knows that the key to success is a great sales pitch. But you’re not going to pitch that to an empty room, are you?
There are plenty of resources online to help you create a great sales pitch that gets potential clients excited. Here are just some of our favorite introductory courses to help get you started:
Chapter7
Sell Your Side Business Services on These Marketplaces
Online marketplaces can be ideal in making the search for your first client a lot easier. Why should you try to acquire each customer with hard labour, if there are websites that have tons of customers who need help and are ready to order?
With such a wide variety of marketplaces online, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to starting your part-time business. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the world’s most reliable and successful marketplaces to help you make an informed decision.
These sites vary from those that offer low skill, one off gigs all the way up to high skilled ongoing work.
These marketplaces can be competitive and often times you are competing against other freelancers, and part-time business owners who need the work just as much as you do, but if you do great work and get great reviews, you can quickly gain a reputation and have potential clients approaching you. These are some of the marketplaces we are familiar with but with enough searching I’m sure you can find.
1. Fiverr Starting a side business as a freelancer can often seem like a minefield but having a centralised location in which you can sell your services – whether as a part-time translator or graphic designer to name just two – will help you to reach an audience that is hungry for your services.Fiverr is a great place for any small business owner to start as it provides you with the opportunity to become a seller where potential clients can search for your services and pay for a ‘gig’ which is all housed within their easy-to-navigate system.
2. Upwork No one is an island, especially with the small business world. There may come a time, while working on a project – in whatever area that project may be – that you will need the help of freelancers to help you get the job done or perhaps they will need you!Upwork works like Fiverr in that you, the person seeking the services of a freelancer, can post a project and get responses from suitable freelancers registered on the site. From architecture to customer service, simply list the needs of your project and hire the perfect person for the job.
3. People Per Hour While you find your feet in the part-time business world, it is often the case that projects develop over time. Paying a freelancer by the initial project size may not always been the best option for you so People Per Hour allow you find freelancers in your industry and pay then by…you guessed it…the hour!People Per Hour gives you a platform in which all transactions are fast, safe and supported. With the help of the highly-skilled team, you can be sure that when money changes hands, it’s done in the most efficient way possible and communication with your chosen freelancer is always easy. Alternatively you can list yourself as a freelancer on the site and select the perfect projects for you to launch your side business.
4. Konker.io Konker.io is another tool that can be used by service seekers and providers alike. Say you work are a part-time web designer who works from home; Konker allows you to create a profile in which you can list your services and showcase your expertise in the area of web design.To look at it another way, if you are a small business owner who is looking to launch a website in which you showcase your amazing cleaning services, Konker will help you find the perfect freelancer to create a website and alleviate the stress of creating it from scratch yourself!
5. Freeeup Freeeup up is a freelance provider service with a difference. While some of the other marketplaces we have mentioned work on a review system, Freeeup organises it’s freelancers based on their level of expertise – basic, mid level and expert level.This means that as a part-time business owner looking to freelance, once vetted by their team, you can establish yourself amongst other leaders at that level and therefore charge more for your services. On the other side, if you are looking to enlist the help of a freelancer on your site, you can determine the budget according to the level of expertise needed in order to help your part-time business succeed.
6. Guru When it comes to easy businesses to start on the side, Guru is a great place to start earning a steady income from your part-time work. Clients can choose to pay by milestone, task, hour or using recurring payments so monetizing your side business is as simple as signing up as a freelancer and securing your first client.Say, for example, you are a part-time Social Media Manager. You may agree to receive payment once a social media strategy has been tailor made for your online clients. This not only creates a great relationship with potential clients but also increases your chance of maintaining their trust in your services which will ultimately keep them coming back for more!
7. Freelancer If you’re a freelancer starting their own part-time business, working by project rather than by hour could be a great way to get started and establish yourself within the industry.Freelancer allows you to register your side business and upload examples of previous projects you’ve worked on in order to increase your chances of capturing the eyes of prospective clients. Clients pay for your work when a project is complete and Freelancer’s live chat feature means that communicating with your client is seamless and fast.
8. Microworkers Microworkers is a great marketplace for freelancers and clients alike. As a freelancer, you may not be needed to work on the entirety of a project and their platform allows clients to list specific (or micro) tasks they need the help of an expert like yourself to complete.If you are looking to start a side business in photo or video editing, this marketplace is a great place to get started in order to build your portfolio before moving onto larger scale projects.
9. Gigbucks When it comes to creative small business ideas and setting up your own part-time business, Gigbucks is a marketplace that tailors its approach to digital marketers and other creative minds.As a freelancer on Gigbucks you can list your services under categories such as advertising to writing and charge a maximum of $50 per gig. It’s free to post on the site and there’s not limit to the amount of gigs you can accept so as a creative looking to start a side business, it’s a win-win all-round!
10. DesignCrowd Setting up a part-time business in the design industry can be an incredibly lucrative and rewarding task! DesignCrowd is a marketplace built specifically for designers to register themselves as freelancers looking to work and in turn provide potential clients with a way to select from the best of the best for their next design project.What makes DesignCrowd different however, is that rather than a client reaching out to you before a project, you create a design before submitting it for consideration along with other designers on the platform. While this may seem hyper-competitive, it is also a great way to establish yourself if your design is chosen.
11. Crowdspring As a freelance designer looking to venture out on your own side business adventure, one thing you’ll need to create is the perfect pitch with which to capture your clients attention. Crowdspring will get you working that pitch on a daily basis as their business model involves clients posting project descriptions and potential designers pitching their big and bold ideas in the hope of a commission.While it may take you a while to get into the swing of this marketplace, the platform rewards hard work and clients can create a 1-to-1 project away from the prying eyes of other design competitors.
12. 99 Designs Not everyone’s side business story will be the same, especially within the creative industry. While some artists may like the thrill of competition, others may favour a more relaxed and one-to-one approach. Luckily 99 Designs has created a marketplace that caters to both instances.As is evident of their website, 99 Designs advocate designers work from home – “from Sydney to Serbia” so if you’re looking for an easy business to start from your kitchen table, 99 Designs will be the creative marketplace for you.
13. Task Rabbit Running a side business doesn’t always have to involve late nights slaving over a laptop! In fact, one of the home business ideas with low startup costs is handyman work!One great side business to start in that case would be to get yourself set up on a marketplace such as Task Rabbit and help people with projects and repairs that they need done around the house! Task Rabbit allows you to find jobs that suit you, with prices determined by you and all to fit around your busy schedule!
14. Design Contest Design Contest is another creative marketplace in which you, the freelancer, compete with other creative minds to wow potential clients!The client creates a contest in which you and other designers compete to win the ultimate cash prize as set out by the client. While some may not be comfortable with investing time in a project without a guarantee, when starting a side business risks are needed. So why not get your adrenaline pumping and secure your first client through pure talent?
Chapter8
Setting And Measuring Your Part-Time Business’ Milestones
One key factor for the success of your business is setting achievable milestones. These milestones will measure your progress and hold you accountable for your goals. They also mark important steps in the life of your company and can be a great motivator for you, if you implement them correctly.
There are a few things to consider when setting these up, so we’ve compiled a list of useful resources that teach you everything you need to know about setting and measuring milestones.
1. Why do you need to set milestones?
There are many reasons why, even as a part-time business owner, you need to set milestones. If met, they will give you the boost you need to keep the hustle going. If missed they will provide you with the tools to learn how best to improve what you are doing.
In order to give a more in-depth understanding of how to get this aspect of your side business in order, we’ve put together this handy list of resources that will talk you through everything you need to know in order to ensure you set and hit your milestones.
2. How to measure these milestones:
Chapter9
Side Hustle Blogs To Read
Don’t know where or how to start your part-time business journey? Do you need some extra motivation to get going?
The internet is awash with entrepreneurs who have done just what you are hoping to do by reading this blog – start a side business which thrives and grows over time!
These side hustle blogs will keep you up-to-date on everything you need to know about creating and growing a part-time business.
They are some of the highest quality blogs for people looking to make money outside of traditional business hours and no matter what type of side business you have decided to create, you will find use in all of these:
Chapter10
Side Hustle Podcasts to Listen to
Blogs can be great, but if you are looking to make use of dead time then podcasts are perfect, because you can listen to them while driving, running, cleaning or any other activities that require you to keep your eyes facing forward.
Or maybe reading isn’t your thing and you find that you retain information better when someone articulates it to you. Podcasts allow you to listen to advice, stories and tips from and about people who have created successful side hustles and will help you stay up-to-date on everything side hustle related.
The podcasts listed below address many topics that could benefit you and your new part-time business. The hosts and the guests they speak to are usually people who started and successfully built a side business and often converted this business into their full-time occupation.
Not only are they incredibly insightful but you can listen to them during your commute or while doing your chores. Here are our top choices: