The Best Part-Time Jobs With Little or No Start-up Costs

You know the work never stops; how do i get the grind to start ? In addition to my main job of guiding you through the ins and outs of personal finance here at Lifehacker, I also do the hustling. Every year I can expect extra money from humor writing, lyrics editing, voice acting, and even a couple of petting gigs.

It’s hard to estimate how much extra income you can actually get from a part-time job, as pay varies greatly depending on your experience, location, and the amount of time you have. It’s also important to mention that the most lucrative side jobs require huge investments, especially if you’re trying to start a small business. Likewise, many “be your own boss” side-effects require you to have wealth in the first place, such as already owning real estate, in order to be a prolific Airbnb host.

Fortunately, many side effects require little or no upfront cost. Let’s take a look at some of today’s most promising side gigs, where you can start and what you can reasonably expect from it.

Note. All average hourly wage estimates are from Payscale ; You can read more about how they crowdsource and validate salary data here .

Online classes with low start-up costs

According to Side Hustle Nation , the most popular ways to earn extra money are often online (a fact that is becoming more and more true during the pandemic).

virtual assistant

If you have experience in office administrative support, you can turn this into a freelance virtual assistant (VA) job.

What you put in it: A virtual assistant usually does general administrative work like answering emails, making appointments, managing calendars, and the like. More experienced virtual assistants may also handle customer support, data entry, social media management, and a range of other remote office related tasks.

What you can get out of it: Virtual assets can set their own hours and pay rate, and choose the clients they want to work with. The average hourly wage for a virtual assistant is $17.

Tip: Create a profile that showcases your specialties and check out freelancing gig sites like FlexJobs and Upwork .

Transcription of audio and video

What you put into it: Basic typing skills and tech savvy, usually one to three hours per talk (but this can vary a lot).

What you can get out of it: Transcription costs about $15 an hour on average.

Advice. It doesn’t take much to transcribe audio and video well, but having a high-speed Internet connection and good headphones won’t hurt.

Editorial Services

Many people are looking for a second pair of eyes on their writing, whether it be web content, research papers, business presentations, legal documents, and more.

What you put into it: proofreading skills – and proof of your editorial experience so you actually get jobs on sites like freelancing site Fiverr , FlexJobs , and Upwork .

What you can get out of it: According to Fiverr , the average rate for a fully completed project is $50-$75. Most authors on Upwork charge between $0.01 and $0.40 per word.

Tip: You need to stand out from the thousands of other freelancers vying for fast, well-paid proofreading jobs. Use your social media channels for self-promotion and collect positive feedback and reviews.

E-commerce

What you put into it: A few hours of market research, taking good photos and writing product descriptions, interacting with customers, and then physically packaging and shipping the products to customers.

What you can get from it: Income varies by subject; you have tons of flexibility in terms of what, how much and when you sell.

Tip: Good customer service can turn you into a sales leader; conversely, one negative review can have a (potentially unfair) negative impact on your sales. Here are some of the best sites to sell all your old stuff .

Online surveys

Examples: paid surveys, online focus groups, anything on the Survey Junkie .

What do you put into it: Not much! Most surveys will take about 20 minutes of your time and require little or no real effort.

What you can get from it: Not much! Think $2-5 per hour. Considering that it might be pointless and you can do them whenever you have free time, this is a small change.

Tip: Never pay money to take surveys. This is a sure sign of a scam.

Personal part-time jobs with low start-up costs

Consider some of the following odd jobs available to you in the real world.

dog walking

What you put into it: Ideally, when you’re walking dogs , you have some experience with animals (and love!), as well as the ability and desire to take your steps.

What You Can Get From It: HomeGuide reports the following average dog walking rates, depending on the extra pet care provided and the type of clientele you serve:

• Inexpensive dog walking service: $10 for a 30 minute walk.
• Intermediate dog walking service: $20 for a 30 minute walk.
• Upscale dog walking service: $35 or more for a 30 minute walk.

As with all side cases here, how you advertise your services and your flexibility in your business will greatly affect how much money you get to take home, and that’s after dog walking apps take a cut of your income. .

Tip: To find reliable customers in your area, I suggest creating an account with Rover . Once you have a routine in place, offer to start your business with them outside of the app.

professional organization

What you put into it: Organizational skills and the ability to transport to your clients. Use all kinds of organizing services you can provide: offices, garages and kitchens require all sorts of reorganization and decluttering. You should also probably brush up on Marie Kondo.

What you can get out of it: The average hourly rate for a professional organizer/consultant is around $20-$25.

Tip: Advertise your services in various local community groups on Facebook (if allowed by group moderators). Another way to promote your services is to post a service ad on Craigslist for as little as $5.

Mobile notary services

What you’re investing in: Before you start visiting people’s homes and offices to notarize their documents, you need to meet your state’s specific requirements in order to become a mobile notary. The app might be closer to $40-$50, which is more than the $20 promised, but I’m still including it in this review because of how reliable and highly paid mobile notary work can be.

What You Can Get From It: Notaries usually charge $75-$200 per appointment.

Tip: Again, how you market yourself has a direct bearing on the size of your business. Once you’ve launched your mobile notary business, consider ways to expand your offerings such as I-9 services and apostille.

Oddly specific odd jobs

Examples: resume editing, voice acting, car interior cleaning, knife sharpening , pet waste disposal , dating app writer – you get the idea.

What you put into it: A certain set of skills. This is entirely up to you.

What you can get out of it: Pay varies a lot. If you have experience in a particular subject, you can earn $20 an hour as an online tutor. But if you’re, say, an experienced graphic designer, you can charge a few hundred dollars per project.

Tip: Think about what makes you different and think about the services you can provide. Create a profile that showcases your specialties and browse freelance gig sites like Editorr , FlexJobs , and Upwork .