Side hustle Wednesday: Unique and creative ways you can start making money

You can use your passion to make some extra money. Picture: Pexels

You can use your passion to make some extra money. Picture: Pexels

Published Apr 12, 2023

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With the seemingly unending rise in the cost of living, South Africans have had to come up with alternative ways to make money just to supplement their income.

Often, people start businesses just to make ends meet and not necessarily out of passion. If you are looking for simple side hustles, here are some options that might work for you:

Teach people about alternative sources of electricity and off-grid living

With load shedding having become endemic to the country, a lot of South Africans are looking for alternative ways to still have power.

Others are thinking of leaving Eskom altogether and going off the grid.

You don’t need to be a professor to teach people how they can do this, but you do need to have more knowledge on the topic than the average person.

Start a water-saving car wash

South Africa is a water-scarce country, and experts have been warning about this for years. So, for this side venture you’d need to devise a novel technique to wash vehicles without wasting water.

Having this distinct feature will set you apart from the competitors, resulting in a successful service.

Pick up and drop-off kids from school

School children with busy parents or guardians often take taxis to and from school. While this might be convenient for parents, it is dangerous for the children due to to SA’s high crime rates.

If you a relatively large car, you can offer a more personalised service by picking up the children from their homes or bus stops and dropping them off at their schools.

The afternoon is often a busy time for parents as well so fetching and delivering kids to their homes could be profitable. Needless to say, you must prove that kids will be safe with you by providing your driving license and divulging your criminal record or lack thereof.

Create bespoke embroidery

Embroidering is a technique that involves sewing beautiful designs onto fabric. These patterns are frequently fashioned using thread and consist of numerous stitches.

It's an ancient technique that was initially employed to repair garments. Clothing was seldom thrown away since it was expensive to produce. Instead, they were repaired.

Over time, this evolved into a more vibrant artistic statement. Home-made clothing is a small business, but it is in high demand since it is less harmful to the environment than fast fashion is.

Consider up-scaling second-hand items with lovely needlework to resale, or embroider pillow coverings. Find a style that you can call your own and go forth and conquer.

Become a personal trainer

If you are knowledgeable about fitness, this might be a terrific method to supplement your income. Exercise has been found to improve not just the body, but also the mind.

This is why everyday exercise is suggested. This implies you already have clients that are eager to learn the ropes from you.

You may share a video of your exercises on social media and ask people to contact you for further information.

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