Everyone has a skill that someone else will pay money to acquire.
There are two important points here.
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- Your work doesn’t have to be a source of freelance inspiration. If you are a project manager during the day, you can also become a creative writer on the side. Anyway, both share similar skills. You have to stay organized, create structure out of chaos, and focus on delivering on time. Now you know that turning your hobby into income is not a cookie-cutter method. Because what could a project manager do if he could make $1,000 on the side as a creative writer? Suddenly, it’s overwhelming.
- No matter how unique you think you are, your work skills can be passed on to others. You’re a dolphin trainer at SeaWorld. Wow, what a unique job! not much. Since you have the skills to handle animals, it is recommended that you train your pet. But you also have expertise in behavior change, which many academic institutions and companies would like to tap into. And pay. You can tutor your child. Can help people stop biting their nails. Or 100 different options.
Don’t simply say, “I’m a process engineer!” No one hires freelance process engineers. I give up! “
Instead, ask yourself: “What do I enjoy?” What am I good at?
Here are just a few of my students who have made money on the side.
circus performer:
Cellist:
Full-time dad:
Simplified process: Match your hobbies and skills to your side hustle
It’s overwhelming to think that there could be literally 500 ways to make money. That’s why people prefer simple SEO and automatic ways to make money on the side that provide repeatable formulas that rarely work.
Take it one step at a time.
What industry do you belong to?
Oh, finance? Well, you probably don’t want to be a freelance investment banker. But…well…you’ll spend all day analyzing it. How can it be used?
Example 1: Excel is easy. Maybe there are people (like me) who hate Excel but need in-depth analysis for their business. Can you build someone else’s model?
Example 2: You are very good at evaluating industries. Are there pre-launch founders who need that skill? (Warning: Observant readers will have noticed a big red flag when it comes to pre-launch founders. (So if your goal is to generate revenue, you need to rethink your target market to make sure they can afford to pay you.)
Do you identify your hobbies or specialties? Then think more broadly.
The most common question I hear is, “I’m a really good communicator, but I don’t know how to turn it into extra income.” Because you can’t do that.
No one hires someone with “great communication skills.” They hire people to solve problems. What does it even mean to be a good communicator, anyway? That’s because you haven’t spent the time researching the options available to you to make your skills worth your money. This is a lazy way of saying.
Let’s be specific. Are you good at writing press releases? (I’ll pay for it.) Are you good at training speakers? (Maybe you can find a certain demographic of people who will pay you. But this is difficult. Do you know why?) Are you good at communicating because you speak Chinese? Boom, I I would like to become a tutor for Chinese children soon. Because parents love and trust Chinese speakers when it comes to teaching their children any subject.
Even if you don’t have marketable skills, you have options.
Etsy is a great example of people making great extra income, but many of them don’t have any skills that would generally be considered “valuable.” Still, they successfully sell a niche product to a niche audience.
You don’t have to be an expert with software engineering skills or online marketing experience. Could you hammer something into the wall? (I will pay for that.) Can you cook? (I’ll pay for that too…in fact, I do.) Can I walk the dog? Would you like to tutor kids in 4th grade math? Do you help your mother with daily tasks?
Can you make money with all this? Is it good money? You don’t need to have difficult technical skills to find a market that will pay you.
I would like to go a little deeper.
People are very bad at recognizing their own skills. They say things like “I don’t know,” but I think I’m good at writing and communicating. I also think you have good organizational skills in general?? Great! ! Here’s your $4,000 monthly retainer! (Sorry, that won’t happen.)
Repeat this many times. People will pay for your solution, not your skills.
For example, I was on a webcast where people suggested ways to make money on the side, and I said I hate cooking and am not good at it, so I would appreciate it if someone would do the cooking for me. I received an email from someone later that night. “Ramit, I’m going to help you.” A weekend will teach you everything you need to know. That way, you’ll be able to make 3-5 great dishes. ” I appreciated the offer, but replied, “Thank you for the offer!” But you never know. I don’t want to learn, I want someone else to do it for me. ”
Again, people have problems. They want solutions.
They don’t care what you’re “interested” in. Too busy to organize your closet? Need someone to help you redesign your website? Maybe you want someone to teach your child how to play the flute?
When making an offer, you need to have a deep understanding of what kind of market your prospect wants. This will allow you to make your offering so appealing that people will actually pay for it.