Earning extra money is one of the best ways to improve your financial situation. About 12 percent of the United States population seeks a second job or second source of income so that they are able to do the extracurricular activities they enjoy or save more money.
When it comes to earning extra cash outside of your main source of income, it’s best to choose from a variety of flexible jobs that you can work around your regular schedule. Here are a few flexible jobs you may want to consider when searching for extra cash:
Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is a popular and flexible job that you can turn into a thriving business. Companies, entrepreneurs, and bloggers pay writers to come up with original content about various topics. No matter what you want to write about, there’s most likely a client looking to pay you for your content and expertise on particular subjects. You can write from the comfort of your own home and work whenever you have available as long as you meet deadlines.
As a freelance writer, you can earn a part-time or full-time income depending on how much time and effort you put into finding gigs and connecting with prospects. To get started, you need to create a website or online portfolio to showcase your work. You may have to start by providing free content and guest posts for other sites to gain some writing samples to show others. To find clients, you can send pitches to editors and content managers or apply to leads posted on job boards like ProBlogger, Odesk, Upwork, Indeed, and related websites.
Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistant work is also another flexible job you can perform as long as you have a computer and basic typing and communication skills. Virtual assistants do everything from managing email accounts and social media to bookkeeping, sending out invoices and managing websites.
Virtual assistants (VA) are paid hourly and realistic start rates can range anywhere from $12-30 per hour. As a VA, you must be willing to learn new things and help your client improve their processes and level of efficiency with the tasks you take on. That’s how you gain referrals so other people can work with you too. To find virtual assistant gigs, visit sites like Zirtual.com.
Freelance Photography
If you like to take photos and have a nice camera, you could try your hand at freelance photography. Photographers can make hundreds of dollars shooting events for just a few hours along with quick money for shooting portraits or head shots in less than an hour’s time.
Another way to make money by taking photos is to sell your images to stock photo companies like iStock Photo and Getty images. You may not be able to make a living from this, but you can earn commissions every time someone downloads your photos which is a great opportunity for some passive income.
To market your photography services, see if you can start by photographing friends and family members along with their events to build your portfolio. Then you can print out business cards and search for leads on sites like Craigslist to find your first few clients.
Product Demonstrator
Being a product demonstrator is not a job you can do from home but it’s a great option as a second job if you need something that pays more than minimum wage and has flexible hours. Product demonstrators conduct what’s called a ‘demo’ in certain stores to promote products and allow people to try a sample. Demos can last anywhere from 4-8 hours long and most jobs pay anywhere from $10-15 per hour.
The demos are conducted in stores like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Walgreens and Jewel. If you have a friendly personality, basic cooking skills, and don’t mind being on your feet for a while and interacting with shoppers in the store, this job could be perfect for you.
Most demos run during the weekend making this an ideal job for people who work a regular 9-5. You can apply for product demonstrator positions with companies like Meijer, Costco, Advantage Sales, and Marketing, Eat Well Distribution, and MCG Connect.
Which flexible job would you prefer?
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Photo: Flickr: GotCredit
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