Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Making money is tough. There is no denying that trying to dig yourself out of the minimum wage rut that most of us find ourselves in can be hard, but it’s not impossible. Almost all of us have found ourselves stuck at some point in our lives, existing paycheck to paycheck, hoping that somehow we can gain enough experience to haul ourselves from minimum wage struggle to comfortable living. In fact, over 12 million people in the U.S. are living in poverty despite working full time, according to PolicyLink , an organization that advances racial and economic equity. Even before the pandemic, 78 percent of all workers were living paycheck to paycheck, CareerBuilder found in a 2017 study. If you’re tired of spending your days weighing whether you can afford to put gas in your car or be able to make your insurance payment, think about starting an online side business . It might seem like online side businesses are for the highly skilled, but we all have skills that are valuable to someone. Don’t let yours go to waste when you could be harnessing them to improve your bank balance and help others at the same time. Here are three ideas for how you can earn extra cash with an online side hustle. 1. Freelance on the side Freelancing is an excellent way to build your income because it’s flexible. Unlike full-time employment, freelancing means that you can choose your hours and clients, making it a perfect side business if you’re not able to commit a dedicated number of hours each week. As of October 2019, there were 57 million people in the U.S. alone who were using freelance work to boost their incomes and build their businesses. CNBC reported that freelancers doing skilled services earn a median rate of $28 an hour — more per hour than 70% of workers in the economy overall. Freelancing isn’t limited to professional skills. In fact, freelancing can be so varied that it is possible to offer a service for almost anything, providing there is a requirement for it and you can build a client base. According to Preston Lee, founder of Millo, one of the quickest ways to find new clients is via job boards. “If you don’t have clients, you don’t have a business, and if you don’t have a business, you’re just a hobbyist. Getting your first freelance clients will give you confidence, momentum and traction from which you can find success more quickly.” So how do you get started with freelancing? Find your niche. What skills do you have that other people or companies might need? Can you write engaging content, are you great with graphic design, can you offer administrative skills or do you have a knack for accounting? Find a skill that you can offer to solve a problem for your potential customers. The more valuable the skill, the more profitable and in demand your freelancing will […]
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