I’ve collected 15 ideas on how you can make some extra money apart from your regular job. Some of these ideas are very practical, some are a little bit more ambitious. However, all these ideas can be tried out by most of you.
Note that, in this post, we are not interested in talking about passive income. We are interested in talking about ideas that can be implemented without requiring huge amounts of investment, but only some time and dedication.
Lets examine these ideas one by one..
1. Consulting in your domain
If we are experts in some area, we can always offer our consulting services. We can help families with large terrace gardens to establish their own balcony gardens and make some extra money.
Look back at all the knowledge and skills you have acquired through the years, and you will realise that you have a lot of knowledge and skills in a specific field that some people are looking for in their workforce. Maybe you can offer these skills to a lesser amount, compared to what a typical full-time company will pay you.
2. Referral Business
One way to make extra money is to connect two entities and have them agree to a financial transaction. For example, you can hire someone to design a logo for you based on a referral from a business that has a printing service. You will not make money on the logo design, but you will make money by having the designer refer you to someone who can print the logo.
You may not know that even builders pay you 20-30k for each client referred (who bought the house). If you have a friend that’s into business or some kind of service, have them talk to you. In turn, you can then refer this client to them.
3. Create products and sell on eBay
On the World Wide Web, you can sell virtually everything. Sell your handicrafts or products that you make in extra time. Sell a product that is not available in other parts of the country. Or, find a product that is selling at a huge discount in a store and then sell it on Amazon at a fair price.
4. Create a Course and Sell on Udemy.com or Skillshare.com
If you are an expert in a particular subject, you can sell your course on Udemy.com or Skillshare.com and make money off of your fees. For example, if you are an expert on cooking, you can sell a cooking course for $10.00 on Udemy.com.
5. Freelancing online
If you have extra time with you, you can freelance and take projects on the Internet. These freelancing websites like odesk.com or freelancer.com are great ways to earn money with extra time. There are many freelancers in India who are already working online full time and earning in lakhs. It is a serious way to earn money and not just a time pass activity.
6. Become a tutor online if you love teaching.
If you have a knack for teaching and you are an expert in a certain subject, you can become a tutor online for students. There are many websites like TutorVista or Tutor.com where you can try out this. If you are ready to work late in nights as many students from US and Canada would be a great fit for you.
7. Tutions at Home
This is one of the most common ways of making some extra money. You must have heard of people who have supported their families and their studies just by taking tuitions. So, why not to earn some extra income, even if you have a job?
Tutions is a perfect thing to start, if you are good at what you claim to be. It is a great way to refresh your dying knowledge by learning with other people. You earn money by tutoring at your home, and it is a great way to kill time.
8. Rent your empty house/room on AirBnb.com
Goa will soon be home to hundreds of thousands of tourists, which will result in a significant increase in rental properties available for people from all over the world to rent.
Airbnb allows you to rent out your house, your room, or even your empty space. You can always offer your extra room to travellers and people who are looking to stay for one day a week. Airbnb will find your listing, make a payment online, and if you accept, it will be your guest’s home for one day a week.
9. Teach someone live on Google Helpouts
If you have a skill, you can teach someone on Google Helpouts. There are many categories of skills that you can choose from, including art and music, cooking, home and garden, fitness and nutrition and many more.
10. Do Odd jobs at Fiverr.com
Imagine you want your brand to be designed, or need your website or app to be created? It can be done at only $5 (Rs 300). There are tons of odds things you can do at fiverr.com, such as a small manual task. It’s a tough job for others, but a simple one for you.
There are a variety of small and large services that can be performed online for a small fee. For example, there are people who can write a report, make and assemble a website, and make an infographic.
11. Cooked meals Pickup
I recently ordered some delicious Egg Biryani at a restaurant, and the lady sold it from her home through Tastykhana. In order to pick up the biryani, I had to visit the place.
As entrepreneurs, we have to recognize when a market is ripe for us to enter. I was thinking about a friend who cooks some amazing dishes that he doesn’t capitalize on, and I became inspired by his idea. He could start a home delivery service where he delivers your order and prepares it for you at your home.
12. Starting a Creche at Home
There is not much demand for full day creches. If your home is big, you can start a simple creche or day care center. You can consider it if most of the couples living around you choose to work full time.
However, if it means renting another studio apartment and starting a new creche in the city, it is a good investment. See how you can implement this – I just gave a direction.
13. Freelance writing for someone websites/newspapers
If you are good at writing and can come up with creative ideas, you can freelance as a writer, and you can make money writing for newspapers and magazines. I have received numerous emails from people who were looking for freelance writing work, and here is what one Abhijit Kulkarni did.
14. Sell nutritious health drinks, such as juices, around the Park.
A reader sent this idea our way. If there is nearby park or place, where people come for walk or jog in the early morning, you could always sell healthy drinks and various healthy breakfast items there. I’m sure it will help you, too.
15. Passive partner in someone else’s business.
I know most of the people can’t do full time business, because they are into a regular job. But you can always invest your money, your ideas and some basic level of administration to run a side business along with a 3rd party whom your trust.
There are a variety of reasons why a business person may need some help. One reason is that they may not have enough money to start a business. However, they may also not have access to other people with ideas for potential businesses. They may not have the time to do the work, or it may be that they lack the ideas to start a business. In order