If you are looking to make some extra income in your spare time and are looking for the best side hustles in the UK or the most profitable side hustles then you are in the right place as we at Coffee Money have listed our favourite side hustles below.
There are so many different side hustle ideas for the UK out there, and depending on your skills, available time, and dedication, there is potential to earn quite a bit of extra money.
Most side hustles have low barriers to entry, so you can give them a try without having to invest a lot of money to get started.
This is great if you are not 100% sure if your side hustle idea will make money or not as you can just go ahead and get started. Once you have tried a couple of different ideas you will get a better idea of what are the most profitable side hustles for you and be start making money.
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What is a Side Hustle?
A side hustle is something you do in addition to your main job that generates extra money for you. A side hustle could be anything that provides you with a supplemental income. Ideally, most people are looking for some sort of passive income where they are not required to do a lot of time working.
Examples of passive income would be where you have created an ebook, course, video and make money each time someone buys your creation. With this passive income, you are literally making money while you sleep.
If you are wondering what are the best side hustles in the UK I have discussed some of these below so let’s find out what are the best side hustles in the UK.
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1. Become A Social Media Manager
As more businesses move online, the demand for Social Media Managers that can develop solid social media strategies to drive traffic to websites, increase sales and increase the visibility of a brand continues to increase.
If you are passionate about social media and have a good understanding of how to improve achieve results you should consider becoming a freelance Social Media Manager. Most business owners do not have the time to schedule content for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and this is where you would come in.
Your role for each business will likely vary from posting on social media a few days a week on one platform to posting numerous times a day on a wide variety of social media platforms.
You will also need to plan and schedule social media content. Social Media Managers also analyse the success and failures of their campaigns so they can report these to the business owner. This helps them to identify trends that they can use to grow their brand and media presence.
This is a side hustle that you can successfully operate online from the comfort of your own home if you can find the right clients. It is also a great option if you want to dip your toe in the water to see if this side hustle is for you before scaling it up if you are successful and enjoy it.
2. Become An Online Travel Consultant
If you have a flair for booking great holidays and saving money on flights and accommodation? Put this skill to use and start a side hustle as an online travel consultant.
This is a great side hustle to start if you love traveling and helping people. You can start by offering your services to friends and family and grow either by word of mouth or by marketing yourself online. You could also consider becoming a franchisee as there are loads of online travel consultancy franchises available.
If you’re not ready to dive in with planning entire trips, you can even start by focusing on affiliate marketing for travel booking programs (such as Expedia or Booking.com). If you have a blog you can write travel-related articles and earn a commission for every sale you refer through these affiliate programs.
3. Create And Sell Digital Templates
In this modern hectic world, people are always looking for things to make their lives easier. One tool that has been on the rise lately to help with this is digital templates.
Digital templates are available for a wide variety of different applications. They are particularly beneficial to people who do not possess the skills to create them themselves. They are also in great demand by people who simply do not have the time to spare to create for themselves.
If you have skills or knowledge that can be turned into a digital template, this could be a great side hustle idea for you.
Perhaps you’re great at creating beautiful pins for Pinterest, gorgeous Canva templates for Instagram, or amazing Power-Point presentations then you can create these and sell them to make some extra cash on the side with this side hustle.
Whatever your area of expertise, if you can create a useful, professional-looking, and customizable template that will help resolve a problem for someone, it could be a lucrative side hustle.
4. Sell Stuff Online
Selling stuff online is a really easy side hustle to get started with, but it’s super flexible and scalable too.
You might start by selling items you no longer want or use on eBay, Depop or Gumtree. I have made lots of money over the years selling old mobiles, clothes, and furniture. It is a great way to de-clutter and raises some extra money at the same time.
The stuff you sell is not restricted to the unwanted clothes in your wardrobe or an old mobile in the back of your drawer. You can make extra money using retail arbitrage. This is where you buy things cheap for example in a charity shop or clearance items in a shop and then sell them online for a higher price to make a profit.
You need to do some research before jumping into retail arbitrage, as you need to know which products are in demand, and you can sell for a decent profit. There is no point buying lots of really cheap stuff if you are going to struggle to sell it for a profit so research is key.
Spend some time on eBay watching which items sell and those that don’t. Also, pay careful attention to the selling prices as this will give you an idea as to how much you can sell your products for. You do not want to be buying stuff for more than this price as otherwise, you will make a loss. If you can buy it cheaper than this then you know you should be able to make a tidy profit.
Getting a good price can be a bit tricky for some items. One proven method to finding stuff to sell is to shop for heavily discounted brand name items at stores like TK Maxx. If you can find items that are uncommon or rarely discounted, you’re almost guaranteed to be able to make a profit.
5. Start a Blog
Starting a blog as a side hustle today won’t help you earn a lot of extra money fast, but think of it as an investment in your future. It is a way of getting yourself noticed.
Blogging has decent earnings potential on its own but if you use it to showcase your skills in social media management, building digital templates, or online travel consultancy skills then it can make it easier for you to obtain side hustle jobs in these areas in the future.
Blogging is so much easier if you enjoy writing about a subject you are interested in and passionate about. That way it feels much more like a hobby than work.
There are various ways you can monetise your blog including sponsored posts, affiliate marketing sales, and placing adverts on your site.
Getting started with a blog is easy all you need to do is buy a domain name. This will be the name of your blog so something like coffeemoney.co.uk. Once you have selected a domain you need a host for your blog and can buy this relatively easily online from a wide selection of providers such as Godaddy and Hostinger.
After that, all you need to do is write about whatever inspires you.
6. Become a Freelance writer
Businesses often outsource the writing of articles or to freelancers as they may not have the time or skills to write an article. With the explosion of online websites and blogs, everyone is trying to promote themselves and drive customers to their sites and build their brands.
This is where you can come in especially if you can demonstrate your ability to write well-written articles. Fiverr, People per Hour and Upwork are all sites where you can sell your freelance skills and make some extra money.
If you have a portfolio of your work that potential employers can peruse on a blog or a website then it makes it a lot easier for you to get a gig as a freelance writer.
On your blog, you can also have an About Me page telling potential clients about yourself and a Hire Me page telling people about the services you offer and the areas you specialise in.
7. Looking after pets
Pet sitters are always in demand as more and more people take long weekends or go away on holiday. Some people even look for pet sitters whilst they are working to provide company to their pets and to feed and water them.
Becoming a pet-sitter in your local area involves building up trust as people will not let just anyone look after their pets.
If you can get a few pet sitting jobs and do these well you can obtain testimonials from your satisfied customers and use these to win more customers and grow your side hustle.
As well as just house-sitting for pets there is money to be made taking dogs for walks. Dogs need regular exercise to keep them fit, and it also gives them a chance to do their business.
Keeping their dogs fit and healthy is good for the owners as it means there is less chance of them making a mess in their homes and also helps to reduce their vet bills so it is beneficial to them, their pet, and to you.
If you love dogs then this is certainly a side hustle you should consider as you take several dogs for a walk at the same time and also get yourself fit at the same time.
8. Get paid to walk
Whether you are taking a dog for a walk, taking an evening stroll, or walking to the local coffee shop you can get paid money just for downloading a few apps that unbelievably pay you to walk.
There has been an increase in the number of apps such as Sweatcoins, Betterpoints, and WinWalk who are all willing to reward you for walking and getting fit.
Sweatcoins currently has over 30 million users so getting paid to walk is certainly proving popular.
The apps will not make you rich but they might encourage you to exercise a bit more and earn some rewards at the same time. If you can combine with dog walking or other side hustles you are effectively earning twice.
9. Become a local tour guide
If you know your local area well then you can earn some extra money by advertising yourself a local tour guide.
Tour guides are in particularly high demand in areas popular with tourists. The tourists learn a lot more from a local than they would simply by wandering aimlessly around. You can show them the best restaurants and cafes to eat and drink in, as well as showing them the places to avoid.
You can begin by offering you services for free and ask for a tip at the end of the guide. Most people will pay you automatically but it doesn’t hurt to prompt them as if you don’t ask you won’t get.
To be a success you need to know about your area and be able to tell a few tales about its history. If you can throw in a few jokes and build up a demand for your services then you can switch to asking for payment in advance of your tour.
This side hustle may be seasonal depending on where you live but can be combined with the walking apps above. I wouldn’t recommend you combine it with dog walking as that may be off-putting for the tourists unless the dog is cute in which case it might increase your tips.
10. Sell coffee online
If you are passionate about coffee you could set up a business to sell coffee online to make some extra money.
Coffee is in high demand and is always popular as demonstrated by the success of coffee shops such as Starbucks and Costa Coffee. However, some people like to try different types of coffees not offered by these mainstream stores and this is where you could come in.
You can sell your coffee products online through sites such as Shopify, Amazon, and eBay.
You can either sell the coffee directly from your home or go down the Amazon fulfillment route. Either can be successful but the fulfillment route might be easier if you not have anywhere to store the coffee at home.
Other side hustles
There are lots of other side-hustles you can try such as cleaning, gardening, giving music lessons and anything else you can think of. If there is a demand for something then people will be prepared to pay you for providing a service.
Happy side-hustling!
