With side hustles being an increasingly popular thing in the UK, what are some ideas you could use to turn your spare time into extra income?
Thinking of a good business idea can be difficult, especially when you if you don’t have much to invest at the start. It’s important to understand what you’re passionate about and how you can apply your skillset to launch a business but also being realistic and weight up your strengths and weaknesses.
We’ve listed a few small business ideas that you can kick off in the new year that require little money upfront, helping you earn a little extra money on the side and help you make ends meet.
Uber driver
Becoming an Uber driver provides you with flexible earning opportunities, allowing you to work as and when you want to. Feel free to use your spare time to earn some extra cash whilst undertaking relatively simple work.
You can manage your own hours and ultimately, get paid to drive and chat to your customers. Whether you decide to take this up full-time or part-time, it’s completely up to you. You’ll soon become your own boss, so there’s no obligation to stick to set hours if it doesn’t work for you.
Private chef
As a private chef, you can turn your passion for cooking into a business. Typically, a private chef will visit the client’s home and take over their kitchen to freshly prepare, cook, and serve meals as requested. This goes without saying that you will ideally need your own vehicle to travel around different clients homes and venues so you may consider car loans if you haven’t got a vehicle already.
Depending on your clientele, you could cook for private residences, dinner parties and special occasions. The role differs slightly from a traditional restaurant chef, as you’ll be running your own business and the kitchen, as well as serving food and hosting your guests to a high standard.
You’ll be required to be incredibly organised and personable, whilst demonstrating flexibility. It would be good to have some experience and training under your belt to help you kick start your private chef business.
With a lot of hard work, some time and a bit of luck, you could bag yourself some high-end clients and make this a full-time thing.
Freelance writing
If you enjoy writing and feel confident in your abilities, going freelance can be a great opportunity to make an additional income. You’ll constantly be learning on the job and will have the freedom to work when and where you want. Plus, you can be in charge of your rates and therefore, control your potential income.
Depending on your clients and the topics you’re writing about, you’ll be gaining plenty of knowledge and experience when dealing with either simple or complex writing tasks and projects. The job will require you to do extensive research into the niche, so taking up some writing courses can certainly help broaden your offering.
