The 10 Best Side Hustles We’ve Learned About So Far This Year

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The usual suspects of side hustles include freelance writing, virtual assistance, and ride-sharing. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do something completely different?

What if you had a side hustle that sparked your creativity, tapped into your hidden talent, or just sounded cooler and more lucrative than “content creation?” This post dives into a collection of unconventional side hustles you might not have known existed until this year, each categorized to fit your unique skill set.

1. Become a Board Game Reviewer (or Designer)

We are in the midst of a boom in the board game industry. The global board games market size is expected to grow from $13.06 billion in 2023 to $32.00 billion by 2032. As a result, there is a growing demand for reviewers.

To capitalize on this trend, consider starting a YouTube channel or blog dedicated to board game reviews if you want to delve deeper into the tabletop adventure world. You can play new releases, analyze them in-depth, and build a community of gamers. If you’re insightful and engaging, game publishers and online retailers might sponsor you.

Alternatively, let your inner game designer loose! Using platforms like BoardGameGeek (https://boardgamegeek.com), creators can connect with potential publishers and share their ideas. You can refine your masterpiece by taking feedback from online communities and designing a unique game.

2. Create No-Code Apps

Do you have an app idea but lack coding skills? That’s no longer a problem. A no-code platform like Softr.io or Bubble.io allows anyone to create an app without coding a single line. This makes it an excellent choice for entrepreneurs, business owners, or anyone with a brilliant idea for an app. As subscription-based apps grow, for example, recurring revenue can be lucrative.

However, while it is easier than coding, no-code platforms still require some learning.

3. Invent Products and Get Paid on Quirky

Do you have great ideas but struggle to implement them? On Quirky.com, you can help invent products.

Invention ideas can be submitted to Quirky, a website that crowdfunds inventions. After an idea is accepted, it is developed by the crowd and ultimately sold. Each time an item is sold, the person who came up with the original idea and anyone else who contributed along the way receives a royalty. Simply by sharing their ideas, some people have made thousands of dollars.

4. Airbnb Experiences Host

As a side hustle, Airbnb is one of the most well-known. But have you heard of Experiences.com, which the company launched in 2016? Using this service, locals, usually tourists, can join groups to participate in exciting activities.

Locals with charisma and interest can benefit from experiences as a side hustle. How? If you know your locale well, you could host a walking tour of delicious restaurants, breweries, and historical sites. Or, for couples visiting from out of town, you could curate date-night experiences.

If you want to host an activity, you can create a new Airbnb account or attach an Experience to your existing Airbnb account. The amount you can charge is unlimited, but Airbnb takes 20 percent.

5. Resell Open Box Furniture

Sharetown Reps (https://sharetown.com/) pick up, sort, store, and resell open-box furniture, mattresses, and fitness equipment on sites like Facebook Marketplace and Offerup. Reps only pay for their inventory when it sells, so this side gig doesn’t require a large initial investment.

You will need a large vehicle such as a truck, van, SUV, and helper to transport items. However, you will definitely see a return on your investment.

6. Freecash: Earn Money Online

Freecash (https://freecash.com) is a newer GPT (get-paid-to) gaining traction rapidly. It is super easy and a free way to make money from home.

You can earn money by completing various tasks on this site. These include installing apps, watching videos, playing cash games, and completing paid surveys.

Additionally, Freecash offers a lot of rewards. Besides gift cards, you can redeem crypto, PayPal cash, and unique rewards from video games.

7. Rent Out Your Backyard for Events

Are you lucky enough to have a backyard that is spacious and charming? If so, list it on unique venue-sharing platforms like Peerspace (https://www.peerspace.com/). Your outdoor space could be used as a venue for a birthday party, a small wedding, or even a movie night.

You can set up a projector or decorate the space with fairy lights if you’d like. After all, adding a touch of creativity to your marketing can significantly help attract new clients.

8. Wash Other People’s Clothes

With Hampr (https://www.tryhampr.com/) or Laundry Care (https://www.laundrycare.biz/), you can earn money by washing other people’s clothes.

Using these platforms, you can drive to the customer’s home, pick up their laundry, wash it according to their instructions, and return it the next day. If you use Hampr, this side hustle will pay you weekly via direct deposit. Laundry Care allows you to cash out payments at your convenience, any day of the week.

9. Data Annotation

Do you notice that posts are popping up on TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube about users who claim they are making $20 per hour or more doing small tasks on places like DataAnnotation.tech, Taskup.ai, Remotasks.com, and Amazon Mechanical Turk? These aren’t scams. It’s a side hustle called data annotation.

OK, here’s the deal. To be truly useful, artificial intelligence needs labels on data. Here’s where you come in! Annotating data sets helps train AI models and make them more efficient by adding labels.

What kind of work is involved? You could label objects in images, classify text by sentiment, or tackle other exciting tasks. And, the best part? The demand for data annotations is high, so finding side hustle gigs isn’t difficult. You can connect with companies that need your skills through platforms like Labelbox (https://labelbox.com/) and Scale AI (https://scale.com/).

10. Become a Prompt Engineer

Have you ever felt stuck using powerful AI tools such as Chatsonic, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DALL-E without the right prompt? Many people who are new to AI feel the same way.

Thanks to AI prompt marketplaces, that gap can now be bridged. The AI prompt marketplace is a digital marketplace where AI prompts can be bought and sold. As a result, this AI revolution introduced many new things, including prompt engineers.

Prompt engineers know how to query ChatGPT and its AI cousins to get excellent results. These prompts can be sold on PromptBase.com, AIPRM.com, or Chatsonic Prompt Library (https://writesonic.com). You can even sell personalized prompts on freelancing marketplaces like Fiverr (https://www.fiverr.com/).

By John Rampton

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