For creative minds looking to monetize their skills in 2024, I've compiled a list of the nine best side hustles, with tips from myself and top industry professionals, including creative directors and founders. From embracing AI-driven digital content creation to officiating personalised celebrations, these insights offer a spectrum of opportunities to fuel your passion and your wallet.
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What is a Side Hustle?
A side hustle is a type of online or in-person employment that individuals have outside of their full-time work, providing an additional income. Side hustles can be passive or active incomes, and the individual has more freedom over how many hours they devote to them and the freedom to explore and experiment with how to make extra money on the side.
Passive Income: These types of incomes require an initial expenditure of time and are then generated with little further input or active involvement. They can include courses, digital products like ebooks, rentals, affiliate marketing or online businesses.
Active Income: An active income is one where your effort and time are directly tied to the amount you earn. This can include wages, tips or commissions.
Having a side hustle is a great way to pursue a passion and provide a supplementary income. Some people use them to explore business ideas before turning them into full-time projects.
If you're a creative individual looking to monetise and turn your hobby and passion into a lucrative income, then read on for nine side hustles to consider with input from some top professionals.
Tips for Side Hustle Success
Here are some tips to help ensure your side hustle is a success.
Before starting any business, it’s important to do your research and see what similar businesses exist.
Pick a passion for your side hustle as a creative outlet and one that requires minimal learning.
Consider the financial implications of how much you will need to invest initially and whether the financial rewards will balance out this cost.
How much time will the side hustle require, and are you able to balance it alongside your 9-5 main income? Are the spare time sacrifices worth and can you still maintain a work-life balance?
Set yourself milestone steps towards your overall goal completion to ensure you keep on track to setting your side hustle up successfully.
Design Websites for Online Presence
If you have a flair for creative design and websites, why not consider a site hustle, designing websites for businesses and individuals? With the rise of AI and an increasingly borderless world, more and more businesses require a strong online presence and part of this is having a website. You can help them by creating a visually appealing, user-friendly website that reflects their brand and values.
Designing websites requires diverse skills and qualities, including attention to detail, creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and an understanding of digital marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO), which can help you stand out above competitors.
"In my opinion, web design is a great starting point, as the demand for online presence has been growing every year, and there will always be a need for skilled designers/developers who can deliver high-quality results.
Also, creating websites is a great way to express your creativity and showcase your portfolio, which can help you attract more clients and expand your business. Plus, it flexes your creative muscles and earns you some extra income without any strings attached."
Tom Molnar, Operational Director & SEO Specialist, Fit Design
Freelance in Creative Writing Services
If you have a passion for writing, why not monetise your skills and consider writing articles for blogs, ebooks, social media management, copywriting, or content creation? You'll need excellent written and verbal communication skills, imagination, the ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines, a strong understanding of grammar and punctuation, and the ability to produce high-quality content that engages and entertains readers.
"I always recommend being a freelance service provider (blog writer, VA, social media manager, etc.) as a side hustle for creatives to start—especially because it could quickly turn into a full-time career if you do it right! Freelancing is an amazing opportunity for artists and creatives to run their businesses without a high start-up cost and to learn as they go.
As they continue to gain more experience, they can raise their rates and start funding any other creative projects they want to invest in. This is exactly what I've been doing as a creative, and it's paid back tenfold. I highly, highly, highly recommend freelancing to any creative!"
Kira Violet, Founder, Creative Director, Violet Gaze
Freelance Graphic Designer
How about a side hustle as a graphic designer for individuals or businesses? This could include creating logos, branding, producing digital illustrations or marketing materials for websites and social media. You could even print on demand, upload and sell your illustrations to companies like Canva, or open your own Etsy digital shop.
To work as a graphic designer, you'll need the skills and qualities to pay attention to detail, create visually appealing designs and use software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. You'll also need great communication skills to understand your client's vision and communicate any ideas.
Officiate Personalised Celebrations
The need for Officiates is growing every year. Those interested in this role will need good communication, multitasking, adaptability, and public speaking skills and qualities. You will also need to be adept at engaging a range of people from different backgrounds and cultures and have a good knowledge of the customs and traditions of the ceremonies you officiate, and ensure you have the correct certification to officiate weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies.
"In 2024, with the rising demand for personalized and non-traditional celebrations, the job of celebrant/officiant is a hidden gem for creative souls. It's not just about reciting a standard script; it's about infusing every moment with warmth, personality, and meaning.
As a celebrant, you'll dive deep into the stories, values, and preferences of your clients, forging connections that go beyond mere business transactions. You'll weave together their tales into ceremonies that feel like a warm embrace, filled with laughter, tears, and everything in between. Whether it's a wedding, vow renewal, or baby naming, your creativity will shine through in every aspect—from the heartfelt words you write to the way you deliver them with sincerity and grace. And the best part? Flexibility.
With most ceremonies happening on weekends, this side hustle fits seamlessly into a traditional Monday-to-Friday schedule. Plus, you have the freedom to choose which gigs to take on, allowing you to balance your passion for crafting meaningful ceremonies with other commitments. So if you've got a knack for storytelling and a heart full of warmth, consider stepping into the world of celebrancy—where every ceremony is a chance to create something truly special."
Julie Muir, Celebrant + Mental Health Advocate, Julie Muir - Celebrant
Start an E-commerce Business
If you're interested in starting an e-commerce business, make sure to read my article on Essential Tips for Starting a UK Small Business in 2024 with Minimal Funds. You'll need to write a business plan outlining your goals and target audience and conduct some market research. Once you have a plan in place, you can start building your website, choosing your payment methods and adding products to your online store.
"A great side hustle is starting an e-commerce business. One way to go about, without spending a lot of money, is to start with drop shipping, with two initial goals: to understand what kind of products your audience prefers and to raise some initial capital. When setting up your first shop, you'll probably want to go with Shopify if you're completely non-technical. However, for a free version, you can build everything on WordPress. It requires a bit more tinkering, but you'll get the hang of it in a few days. After that, set up your Facebook ads and start promoting your products. Use email marketing like Omnisend, which comes with popups so that you can turn your website visitors into subscribers and then email them your promotional offers. Remember, you own your list, so your goal should always be to build up your email & SMS list.
After you've sold some products and you understand what kind of merchandise your target audience prefers, move away from the dropshipping model and start planning to produce your own products."
Bernard Meyer, Director of Communications and Creative, Omnisend
Innovate Through Community Co-Creation
If solo work isn't for you, perhaps a side hustle through community co-creation is. Once you've identified your business idea, reach out to the local community to find a group of people interested in it. Then, together, you can input ideas to create your business plan. As your business progresses, you keep them engaged and informed in the decision-making process with regular updates. Using this method helps you build a side hustle that benefits not only you financially but also the members of your community.
"Joining a community of like-minded individuals stands out as one of the top side hustles for creative minds in 2024. Co-creation has emerged as a groundbreaking path to innovation and disruption. The collective creativity and expertise of diverse participants foster an environment where new ideas flourish. In a community, individuals benefit from the exchange of perspectives, skills, and knowledge, which can significantly accelerate the innovation process.
By collaborating on projects, creators can tackle complex problems more effectively, leading to more innovative and disruptive solutions. Additionally, being part of a like-minded community provides emotional and professional support, helping members stay motivated and overcome obstacles.
The synergy of co-creation not only amplifies individual potential but also paves the way for breakthroughs that might not be possible in isolation, making it an ideal endeavour for creative minds looking to make a significant impact in 2024."
Virginie Glaenzer, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, AcornOak
Provide Expertise in Creative Execution
"Offering coaching expertise or service to others in an area you excel in that also doesn't require a considerable investment of your time can be beneficial. As an author, I offer ghostwriting services and manuscript assessments. These require less of my time creating and more time as a reader, editor, or advisor. I also help people determine the direction to go with their creative content.
Sometimes, that involves launching a YouTube channel. Other times, it's creating a podcast. I even helped one woman realize she could be “Your TikTok Grandma,” based on her personality and the short stories she excels at telling. A side hustle where people can pay you for vision execution in your area of expertise is a great way to supplement your income and feel great about helping others."
Amy Vogel, Author, Speaker, Story Coach
Utilise Your Voice
Are you an actor who loves playing around with accents and characters? Then why not use your acting and voice as a voiceover artist? You can record on location in a studio or set yourself up with a professional home studio. Then, use your network to promote your new offer to your contacts and spread the word. You can provide voiceover services for a range of projects, including commercials, audiobooks, animations, and more.
Once set up, you could also consider combining your audio with video and start a YouTube channel or even start a podcast to share your creativity with the world and earn ad revenue or sponsorships.
Online Course Creation
Another option to consider is to pass on your experience and knowledge to others by building and selling online courses. The need for online courses is on the increase in 2024, with more and more people having to pivot and keep up with the changing economic landscape. You can build and share your expertise by creating and selling online courses on platforms like Udemy, Thinkific and Teachable.
Some tips for creating online courses:
Do your research
Choose a profitable topic
Create a detailed plan
Develop quality content
Use multimedia
Build a community
Promote your course
Final Thoughts
Starting a side hustle can be a fantastic creative outlet and a way to pursue your passion while maintaining the financial security of your main job. It's also a great way to test the viability of your ideas before deciding whether to switch and pursue your passion full-time.
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