Whether you realize it or not, you are probably more skilled at something than someone else is, which means there will be a business or an individual willing to pay you to do that task for them.
Whether it’s graphic design, copywriting, blogging, recording voice overs, or transcribing, it doesn’t matter. All you have to do is list which tasks you can do on an appropriate freelance site such as Upwork or Fiverr and start your journey as a freelancer.
With earnings in real terms increasing at minimal rates compared to pre-2007 (before the global financial recession), many people are looking to freelancing to earn an extra side income online in order to supplement their stagnant wages. We take a look at the top five careers you can try on the side.
- Social Media Manager
There are thousands of small business who want to increase their online presence. Many of them do not have the expertise to be able to do so, or they can’t afford to hire an employee that does.
You can fill the gap by offering a flat fee for increasing their social media presence which gets them the online exposure they need at a price that they can afford. All you need is a laptop, a social media scheduler and access to their social media profiles and you are good to go.
- Blogger
Many companies want to keep their website up to date with the latest news and information about their company. However, this is often tasked to employees who already have too much on their plate and no incentive for getting the company blog written.
You can easily set up a writing service to fill their need. Usually charged on a per word basis (e.g. $5 for every 100 words) you can quickly start to see the returns for even jobs as small as writing a 500-word blog about the latest employee hiring.
- Graphic Designer
This is perhaps the most obvious choice as there are always going to be companies that need logos, and other individuals that require illustrations or some other form of graphic component. All you need is a graphic design software such as Adobe Illustrator, a good eye for detail and preferably some level of skill in the graphic design industry.
If you feel you don’t have much experience, why not offer something simple and specific like colourful and unique graphs or charts to spice up company presentations? Then once you get good at those, learn and add one more graphic design task you specialize in.
- Video Editor
It may be that you already enjoy making video in your spare time, so why not offer it as a service to businesses and individuals? Whether they want you to edit a client testimonial video or perhaps a tutorial video series on how to use a specific product, the chances are they have made the film but have no idea of how to edit it.
Once again all you need is a laptop and a program like Final Cut Pro and you can turn amateur film footage into professional quality video for their business.
- Website Developer
Every business needs a website, and there are plenty of individuals who also need their own online presence for a variety of reasons. The chances are if you have set up a freelancing side business then you might have already set up a website yourself.
There are some folks who will pay for even the simplest of websites, and what is more they will pay handsomely for it. Often it is just as simple as using a free WordPress theme, connecting it to their domain and then filling it with the content they give you. So why not give it a try?