6 Ways You Can Use Your Skills to Make Money

Cultivate your skills and build a profitable side hustle. Many small business owners started out by making use of their passion, knowledge and skills to develop a successful business. On the other hand, maybe you need to make money to fund a big project such as deposit towards buying a house or a car. With careful thinking and planning, you can earn a substantial income from your skills.

Let’s look at the various ways you can make money from what you know or already have…

A lot of people are making a good living from selling products on eBay,  Amazon and other online sites.

Maybe you have old ornaments, good quality clothes, music, books, jewelry, paintings or something else to sell. Or, if you have spare cash, buy and sell new products and undercut your competitors.

Apart from eBay and Amazon, these online sites are good for selling, depending on the country you live in:

Have you got design skills in the area of graphic design? Many small businesses and startups need logos or brochures. Start by setting up your website and showcasing your design skills.

Let people know you’re looking for work. Create social media accounts, network and hand out business cards. Spread the word among friends and family.

Also, join design agencies and work as a freelancer. And check out your local area. Approach small businesses to find out if they need a new logo or something else.

Can you create WordPress websites? Brush up your skills by reading WordPress tutorials. Contact startups, local businesses, entrepreneurs and friends requiring a website for their businesses. Or, maybe wanting to start a blog.

Can you write? Get blogging jobs. You could even offer your services to entrepreneurs starting out or bloggers who are too busy to update their blogs.

However, you should build up your portfolio with some writing samples first. Gather testimonials from clients. Develop your writing skills as much as you can. And freelance in your spare time to make money. Writers in Charge have a lot of information on blogging and making money to get you started. Read and take action.

Do you have useful information to share? Is it good enough for people to want to buy? A good idea is to think about or find out what problem you could solve by sharing knowledge.

Have you got teaching experience? Use it to teach English or maths to primary school children to help them develop and do well in school. Make sure you get a DBS check and certificate before starting. This is required if you’re in the UK. Many parents are looking for tutors to help their children brush up their skills before they transition to secondary or high school.

Are you a fitness fanatic who is always in the gym? Transfer the skills you learned to other people who need to get fit and stay healthy. Why not offer to go to people’s homes to set up a fitness plan with them. This could include diet, healthy eating and exercise.

Are you good at applying makeup? Teach other women how to use makeup on themselves. This skill is needed. Many women can’t afford to pay makeup artists. Teaching them, the basics of how to put on their makeup and look after their skin sill pay off. You will undercut the professionals and make money doing what you love.

Can you play a musical instrument such as the piano or guitar? Offer 1-1 tuition to aspiring music lovers. Apart from teaching adults, you could also teach schoolchildren. You can do this freelance job at home, as they can travel to you.

Are you one of the many people who are fantastic at baking cakes? Perhaps you bake the most wonderful cakes for family and friends. If you have this skill, take it further. Ask family and friends to spread the word and make money from your cakes.

Also, you could start by testing out if there is a need for your cakes. So, sell to mothers at school or at people in your workplace. If that goes well, take the next step. Set up a market stall, and sell your cakes.

Many successful cake businesses started at home. They baked, perfected their skills, sold their cakes and became popular in their locality before branching out and setting up business in a shop.

Are you a talented hairdresser, but don’t use your skills to create styles for others? Consider starting a mobile hairdressing service.

Go to people’s homes and style, cut or weave their hair. Overheads will be kept to a minimum and you can choose the hours you want to work. You could offer this service in the evenings and weekends. In addition, fit it around your day job.

To conclude, using your skills to make money is simply a matter of identifying what you’re good at. However, if you’re charging money for your skills you must offer a professional service in whatever you do. Moreover, your side hustle could end up becoming a full-time business if that is your desire.