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A beginner’s side hustle guide for introverted entrepreneurs

If at the end of a normal working day, the prospect of yet more formal interaction doesn’t appeal, here are some ways you can generate extra funds while keeping to yourself.

It takes all sorts to make a world, but everyone deserves a chance to make bank.

Side hustle is a word that has increasingly entered the zeitgeist in recent years. Having a second paid gig on the fly to supplement a full-time job is not only considered normal, but is probably sensible considering rates of inflation and housing spikes.

One in three working Americans earn extra wages through a side hustle, and two-thirds of this population begun their extra financial endeavours within the last three years.

A decade ago, any mention of self-driven business would probably have led to talk of networking and functions, but now there are many opportunities available to the more introverted folk out there – which make up around 25% to 40% of us.

Whether you’re more socially anxious than your average person, too shy to mix it with a room of strangers, or just prefer to be in your own company after a taxing 9 to 5, it’s important to know that extra cash doesn’t necessarily correlate with further strain on your social battery.

If any of these personality traits apply to you, here are just a few options of side hustles that may pique your interest. There’s no need to miss out.

On demand creative

If you’re a particularly artsy person, why not take some of those designs on your second Insta account and stick them on a T shirt?

If you can purchase a domain name and an e-commerce subscription (such as Shopify), your designs can be printed on an inventory of clothing or household items. Crucially, these don’t need to be overly stocked up either.

Provided you garner some legitimate interest, when customers request an item, you can print and ship to order. If you’re lucky enough to really take off, you can also outsource third-party printing and shipping.

Because initial start-up costs are so low, there’s no real downside either. You can keep tinkering with ideas until you find something that resonates with customers, or just keep the side hustle open as a potential bonus if orders come in.


Freelance content

In the dizzying world of online content, there’s always demand for more.

If you’ve a background in content writing or graphic design, there’s money to be made with little interaction beyond a few emails.

Many publications out there outsource a bunch of their creative stuff and they pay decent money for on-the-fly video editing, unique graphics for articles, and promotional writing.

As someone who started on the freelance scene writing football pieces full-time from home, I can attest that this would definitely make a lucrative side hustle for any aspiring journalist.

With a bit of research, it’s fairly simple to find gigs tied to your particular passion, whether that be film and TV or writing longform feature pieces on musicians.

Reach out to publications via email and DM, or list your services on websites like Fiverr or Flexjobs to get started.


Gig economy deliveries

The beauty of the gig economy is that you can work as long and often as you wish. If you desire extra funds without much human interaction, this is a great option.

Requiring little more than a valid over 18 ID and proof of right to work, apps like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat, DoorDash, and countless others, will pay for deliveries on a case-by-case basis.

You can accept and reject jobs at your own discretion, and wait around for high-value orders which return better profit. In some cases, you can also keep all tips.

While as a lone venture, a lack of social protection and health benefits may be off putting, delving into this line of business as a side hustle can be lucrative if you’ve got free days spare.


Circular selling

Second hand markets are booming again and thrift shopping is ultra-popular.

If you’ve got mountains of old clothes you no longer wear, there are people out there that will pay for items. Besides, it’s better for the environment than chucking stuff in a clothes bin.

Circular fashion sites like Depop and Preloved allow anyone to make profit from second hand threads so long as they own a PayPal, though they take around 10% from all sales.

There are full-time sellers on these apps who make an absolute killing through procuring rare vintage clothes or trainers and moving them on. A keen eye for rare gems and patience to go through bundles of market clothes is required, but the results can definitely justify it.

Beyond this, there’s big demand for pre-used electronics on eBay and Etsy too.

Chance your hand and who knows, you could become the next Joe Franklin.


Clean-up crew

Requiring little more than some serious elbow grease and a good music playlist to get you through, there are freelance cleaning jobs everywhere.

A quick search on Facebook Marketplace will show that folk are already on the lookout for willing cleaners on a one-off basis, ahead of big events they’ve got going on. It’s summer, so now is well and truly prime time.

All you need to do is turn up the day after the night before, and sort out the mess. For an introvert, it’ll just be you, the empty bottles, and your marigolds.

James Hookway, a full-time accountant from Australia, is currently earning around $23,000 a year extra through such a company called ‘Hangover Helpers’ – which received its first booking on Facebook Marketplace two years ago.

Your flatmates won’t pay you to keep your property clean, so maybe give this a whirl.

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