7 Great Side Hustles to Supplement Your Income
- Michelle S. Lazurek Author
- Published Jul 12, 2023
Money will always be a resource in short supply in our home. Although we've been compensated well for the number of years we've been in the pastoral ministry, pastors simply don't make the income commensurate with their experience, education, and the effort they put into sermons on Sunday, as well as helping a healthy church function well. Because I'm also a writer, writers, in general, don't make a consistent income either. And what we do make is far less than our efforts. Finding side jobs for my husband and me is a great way to supplement our income, pay our bills, and get ahead on our future financial goals. Although time is also in short supply, if we maximize our time wisely, we can work our jobs plus do some side hustles to make ends meet. Here are some side jobs both my husband and I can do based on our talents, our expertise, and within our areas of expertise:
1. Graphic Design
Designing websites, graphics, and other promotional material for churches and other writers is a great way to make a side income. Writers are looking for ways to promote their books constantly but often don't have the time to create quality promotional material. A person with an eye for computer-generated graphics would be great at doing a job like this. Content creation is a growing profession that will not go away anytime soon. Anyone can create content by pulling out quotes from books or sermons to promote their church or author books, both on social media and on their websites. By taking an hour or two, one to two nights per week, we can make quality graphics for people and make a little side income.
2. Publishing Other's Material
So many people have a dream to publish a book. However, most don't know how to get their book published on Amazon or other platforms where it can be accessed quickly. As someone who has self-published books, my husband and I know how to format books in the proper font and design, so we'll match material easily with a pre-made template from a publishing platform such as Ingram Spark, KDP, or other places. These jobs do not take much time and can help someone get their material out into the world and help them realize their dream of becoming an author. Furthermore, many pastors have many sermon series they would love to see published in book format. It may take a simple editing process, book cover design, and uploading the book in the proper format to Amazon to allow a pastor to realize his dream of becoming an author as well.
3. Advertising
Advertising is often mistaken for paid advertisements on the web. While a side joby2 can certainly encompass creating Amazon and Facebook ads, this is not the only area in which someone can advertise. For example, a church looking to get more exposure for their church to people within the target audience can create an advertisement on their website, or they can use social media platforms to do this. They can also use live-stream videos to create clips of sermons or other material for people to see. They can even have the pastor speak into the camera, introducing himself and what their church offers for congregants seeking a new congregation.
4. Giveaways
Churches sometimes like to do bake sales and other sales-type fundraisers, such as Christmas trees, yard sales, etc., to make extra money to bridge the gap between what congregants are tithing and what the church's expenses are. Furthermore, authors like myself like to do giveaways on Goodreads, Amazon, or even just on their own Facebook pages. However, this is something that authors don't often have time for as they're busy writing and editing their material. Organizing a Goodreads giveaway can help get more exposure for authors for their books or pastors for their materials if they have self-published their sermons into a book.
5. Photography/Video
Most community colleges offer photography classes for people who enjoy looking at the world through an artistic lens. Purchasing an up-to-date camera with proper lighting and a good lens might help pastors who want to take pictures of their churches and their staff or even do a video allowing people to take an inside look at what the church looks like. Other photography services could include updated headshots every one to two years to keep their picture current. Creating their own business and allowing people to get headshots done by a professional will not only help increase their credibility in the writing world but also allow them to have a good headshot when they finally get that book contract.
6. Editing
Many people don't know there are three types of editing of any written text. Professional editors know this and are able to offer their services, but sometimes those services can be very expensive. For someone looking to start a side hustle, they can edit people's work for a reduced cost and help pastors have good materials in their bulletin, have someone proofread their website copy, or create copy for their next sermon series in promotion for the next event. Authors also need good proofreaders to help them proofread their websites and content for the next book. Charging less helps people get a good quality product and can also help pad your bank account.
7. Seasonal Work
If work within the pastoral or author space is not for you, seasonal work at department stores or restaurants can also be great to make some money on the side to pay for Christmas presents or pay down debt for when the dreaded January credit card bill comes. Department stores are often looking for seasonal help to help with the extra customer service and stocking inventory for people shopping for the Christmas season. Often this work only ranges for two-to-three-month increments, which will allow plenty of time to still get proper rest and enjoy life outside of work but conduct seasonal work as little as two to three nights a week. Doing two to three nights a week of work can maximize time effectively that we would often be spending watching TV or other activities that may not allow us to make money in the evening. Seasonal work can also help us unwind from an already mentally challenging job. If we do a lot of mental work such as accounting, writing, or any other work that causes us to use our brain in a different way may help us wind down from a stressful day. Simply stocking shelves, cleaning, or running a cash register may help us unwind because we get to meet people, do simple tasks, and make a difference in our community.
Today's economy is more tumultuous than ever before. People are looking for ways to be able to get some extra surplus savings and not have to rely on credit cards or personal loans to pay down your debt. In the wake of COVID, work is never guaranteed. What could be a dream job today could end up with a pink slip tomorrow. With a side hustle, you and your family may not necessarily have to worry about bills if you can build up a surplus before any life change occurs that may cause financial troubles in the future.
