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During this crazy time in our world, many people have unfortunately lost their jobs or are now working their jobs from home. Since many people have had some extra time on their hands, I've gotten many, many questions about what it takes to finally start that online freelancing business you've always wanted to start that is another stream of income and doubles as a fun hobby as well. A side hustle is exactly how it sounds, it's a service you offer that is separate from you 9-5 job in which you do in your extra time.

I started my side hustle as a blogger five years ago and I was 100% self-taught through many youtube videos and google searches. I now make money from sponsorship deals and with brands on my blog and Instagram which feeds my creative drive and gives me another stream of income at the same time. Even though I started my side hustle five years ago, there's still lots of potential to start yours right now in 2020. I've helped some of my close friends turn a passion into an online side hustle and since I've we've all been in quarantine, I've received a ton of DM's and emails asking questions on how to start their side hustles, so I thought I'd put all the information I have into one blog post so that I can get this information out to as many people as possible!

DISCLAIMER: This post is showing you the steps on how to start an online side hustle if you want to, this post is by no means saying you need to do this during quarantine, if you are thinking about starting a side hustle, you can begin these steps at any time when you feel ready to do so.

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1. Choosing Your Side Hustle

Your side hustle needs to be some sort of service you can offer to other people that assists them in some way, fixes a problem, or makes the person's life easier somehow. Your freelancing service can even come from skills that you use at your day job. You might be having trouble figuring out what you want your freelancing service to be, but there more services out there than you think that you can offer. You would actually be surprised how many skills and passions that you have that you could easily turn into your freelancing service.

Website Design = designing websites for brands/businesses and personal use

Graphic Design = creating different types of graphics such as logos, Facebook ads, etc.

Photography = taking and editing stunning photos of people, landscapes or objects

Videography = taking and editing stunning videos of experiences or landscapes

Social Media Management = managing a business/brand social media accounts to drive track and sales to their website

Social Media Marketing = running ads on social media for brands and businesses to increase their sales or website clicks

Influencer Management = managing and leveraging sponsorship deals for influencers

Email Marketing = designing emails for a brand/business that goes out to their mass customer base

Virtual Assistant Work = managing projects, calendars, team members, etc.

Writer/Blogger = writing posts on your own and/or other websites about a specific niche (e.g., fashion, travel, beauty, lifestyle, etc) and leveraging your audience on your blog to get sponsorships with brands

2. Build A Simple, Yet Effective Website

Your website is your corner of the internet that is your virtual first impression that should hopefully attract clients. You don't need to hire someone to build you a website since that can get expensive, and there are many ways you can build you own website that suits your business and super cheap. You can check out my personal favourite which is webflow (which this site is built on) that is extremely user-friendly and makes it super easy to get started! You can also get a professional website designer to help as well. Bailey Fisher with Black Peak designed this one and you can reach him at blackpeak.ca

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You website should showcase:

- the services you offer

- you your target audience is (who are your ideal customers?)

- why someone should choose to work with you over your competition

- your portfolio (examples of some of your work)

- an "about" page (telling customers about your company and/or about yourself and your background)- a "contact us" page which allows for a seamless and easy way for customers to get in touch with you about your services

- a blog (this isn't needed, but helps your website become more searchable in google (AKA better SEO)

3. Get on Social Media and Start Posting Content

Social media is the best way to reach as many people as possible with your services and it's free! Pretty much everyone and their dog is on social media, so it's important to post relevant content and engage with others to hopefully build a following. Each type of social media network is good for different things, you can refer to the four most important ones below. This is how you connect with potential consumers and collaborators! Social Media should be used to communicate sales you may have, the services you offer, and to sell/showcase some of the work you've done.

The social media accounts you should create are:

- Facebook

- Instagram

- Twitter

- Pinterest

4. Join Freelancing Networks

‍There are many networks online that specifically designed for freelancers looking for work, no matter what your services are. Basically, these websites connect consumers and freelancers so that consumers get the work they need done and freelancers get the work they're looking for it. These networks are a great way to build your portfolio of work; some of these freelancing networks include UpWork, WeWorkRemotely, and PeoplePerHour. This is a great way to get experience and start bringing in that extra income! In addition to these freelancing networks, it's great to also join entrepreneur and freelancer Facebook groups for support from others in the industry!

5. Reach Out and Keep Learning

There are so many courses online that can further your learning in whatever services you offer that can help you expand your freelancing business. Reach out to others in your industry to learn and be inspired by them and stay consistent! If you're having a hard time finding clients for your services, it may be beneficial to start with a few projects at a majorly discounted rate or even free of charge just for the experience and to put that work in your portfolio so other potential clients can see the work you've done.

I hope this post helps you kickstart your freelancing side hustle, and help if you've been looking to use the extra time at home right now to launch your side hustle! Comment below any questions you have, I'd love to answer them!

Thanks for reading guys!! Hope this helps!

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