5 Side Hustles You Can Do This Holiday Season

A holiday survey shows that 86% of millennials spend more during the holidays, with 21% going over budget by at least $500. We all know the holiday season usually means more spending so now’s a good time to start a side hustle for you to make the most (money) of this season. Here are 5 side hustles that you can do to earn money to compensate for your spending!

Working Part-Time At Retail Stores

With the holiday rush, you may notice that stores are starting to get packed — raising the need for extra pairs of hands to manage the influx of customers. If you happen to be shopping and notice a “help wanted” sign in the store, and you enjoy giving out suggestions to fellow customers, you could consider applying for part-time roles at these retail stores.

Stores often have their job boards on their website, so if you’re targeting a specific shop, you can check them out. There are also physical job boards in malls or online job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed where they post availabilities. 

With a part-time retail job, you can earn up to $20 per hour plus tips (in some places), and the store might even give you an employee discount for your own shopping spree.

Dropshipping

Do you spend a lot of time online buying trinkets from e-commerce platforms? Become your own boss this holiday season and delve into the world of dropshipping for hot gifts. Instead of setting up a physical store to sell goods, you can set up an online store without having to invest in inventory — partner with suppliers who will handle storage, packing, and shipment of items like electronics, clothes, or toys that you want to sell directly to customers. 

Finding a reliable dropshipping supplier will be the hardest part of this side hustle, but once that’s settled, you can start earning from your online business. Just make sure that you can easily integrate your supplier into your online store or e-commerce platform like Shopify. 

Profit margins for dropshipping can range from 10% to 30% of the product’s retail price, so be strategic in finding good quality and reasonably priced products to sell. Building a strong online presence is also a key factor in making dropshipping a more lucrative venture for you. 

Becoming A Personal Shopper 

The holiday rush also comes with the holiday traffic and some people would rather outsource their holiday shopping duties. So they hire someone else — a personal shopper — to do it for them. If you like shopping and you have the gift of “taste” in handpicking gifts, this side hustle is perfect for you!

To get started in becoming a personal shopper, you have to establish what services you want to provide — it could be shopping for clothes, furniture, or personal gifts. I would also recommend getting in touch with your network if you know a busy friend who you could help out with their shopping, and ask them to recommend you to others to build a clientele or look at personal shopping assistant apps like Threads and Boon + Gable who might be hiring. Online forums and your neighborhood’s Facebook groups are also good places to find clients. 

According to Indeed, you can earn around $15 per hour as a personal shopper in the U.S., but you can adjust your rates based on your clientele and the kind of items that you’ll be purchasing for them.

Offering Support As A Virtual Assistant 

Everyone needs extra help during this season to manage their jobs and celebrate the holidays with family and loved ones. So if you have spare time, you may consider starting a career as a virtual assistant, or VA, to senior executives and startup CEOs. Tasks for VAs range from project management, bookkeeping, and customer support, to personal errands like shopping or making reservations for dinners and holiday accommodations. 

There are companies like Remote CoWorker, UpWork, Ossisto, and BELAY that match VAs with clients. Once you have established your niche as a VA, I recommend developing a social media presence on Facebook and LinkedIn to advertise yourself to potential clients.

VAs can charge differently, with VAs from UpWork charging $15 to $25 per hour for customer service, email handling, and website management duties, and around $30 to $50 for more technical responsibilities.

Starting Your Own Business 

If you’ve been thinking about dipping your toes into entrepreneurship, then you can start your own company that you think will work well during the holiday season. You can offer products or services like gift wrapping, event planning and decorating, or making personalized gift boxes for giveaways. 

Are you the family’s designated travel planner? If so, you can explore becoming a travel adviser and make itineraries and bookings for holiday trips and tours — so you can make money out of your great planning skills. You can also become an Airbnb host for holiday travelers if you have a spare bedroom in your home that no one’s using. 

Turning your hobbies and interests into a side hustle is a good way to supplement your income and give yourself an additional budget for gift-giving and holiday trips with family and loved ones. Just don’t lose sight of the spirit of the season and don’t spread yourself too thin that you can no longer celebrate the festivities. Happy holidays!