With the recent news of Trump’s tariffs in trade wars with several countries, you might be panicking that the promise of a safer economy and reduced cost of living might be not so realistic after all, especially since the cost of living climbed slightly as of December 2024, with food groceries bearing the brunt of this rise.
Consequently, many Americans have started freelancing and side hustles as a way to not only explore their skills and passion, but also importantly, to boost their existing income from their monthly paychecks.
For example, a 2024 MBO Partners report on the state of independent workers in the U.S noted that “over one-third (37%) of those with a traditional job report also having an independent side gig. The top reason for having a side gig is to supplement income, with 42% of side giggers citing this reason.”
As side hustles become more mainstream, how can you stand out and find a side gig that provides you with a back-up plan in case of financial emergency and to cover rising prices from inflation and tariffs? How can you ensure that you maintain a level of financial security and independence?
3 Side Hustles To Make $1,000 A Month
There are many work-from-home side hustles that you’ve likely already explored online, from freelance writing and blogging to video editing and social media marketing. But have you ever considered these?
1. Make Money From Google Maps
You might think it to be an odd idea to make money from Google Maps, but it is actually possible to achieve. Here’s how you can easily do it:
- Go to Google Maps and type in a local area or city.
- Look for small businesses that do not have their Google Business profiles completed or optimized, including the ones who do not have a website.
- Contact one business owner and offer to take on their entire SEO revamp and website building, for free. It’s a win-win–they get your service free of charge leading to increased visibility and clients going to their business, and you get experience for your portfolio.
- Repeat this process with about two more businesses and service providers.
- Make a note of their SEO ranking, and their increase in traffic and sales after you’ve optimized their Google presence.
- Then ask these clients to leave you a detailed review.
- Now you’re ready to go and find more–but this time pitch them with your successful track record, and what you can do for them using practical tangible data from the previous clients you worked with for free. The more skilled you are, the more services you can offer, from a comprehensive website review, to web developing, SEO optimization, and even app development.
- This provides you with several streams of income to easily make in excess of $1,000 each month; for example, SEO consulting alone can see you charging between $50 to $200 an hour. Adding other services easily enables you to maximize your skill set and make several thousand dollars, just from your side hustle.
2. Make Money On Canva
Another great remote side hustle idea involves creating digital products using Canva. The amazing thing about Canva is that it’s no fuss, easy to use, and is appealing for you as a designer or creator, even if you’re a total novice in design and are starting from scratch.
You can choose from thousands of templates for different purposes and customize the fonts, text, colors, branding, photos, and other elements. Literally just play around with it.
From there you can create a variety of printables and digital products such as planners and journals, templates for specific business use cases to complement your existing expertise (like marketing, financial planning, or business plan templates), and even e-books and lesson planning resources for educators.
These can be sold on platforms like Etsy, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Teachable, earning you passive income as your products are downloaded. If you have three digital products that are priced at $8 each, for example, you could make $1,000 easily with about 40 sales. This side hustle can easily be scaled to make even more passive income.
3. Video Editing As A Side Hustle
Finally, you can make extra income through delivering video editing services as a side hustle. In fact, video editors can make as much as $150 or even $300 in some cases for a video project, depending on the size and complexity of the project scope.
However, you must bear in mind that where you advertize your services can impact your pricing, particularly if you have increased competition, as is the case with freelance marketplaces. For example, video editors on Fiverr make about $65 on average for a project, although Fiverr is keen to say that pricing can vary depending on several factors.
Assuming that you charge Fiverr’s standard rate of $65 per project, you might need about 15 clients or projects to reach your income goal of making an extra $1,000 a month, which might be tricky to manage as a side hustle, especially if you’re an extremely busy professional in your primary job. However, if you were to focus on larger projects and charge $300 for a completed video, with just three to four client orders, you would have achieved about $1,000 in just a month through your side hustle.
Building a lucrative stream of income from your skills and interests is easier than you think. The platforms and tools that are available, from Canva, to Google Maps, to video editing tools, AI tools, and freelance marketplaces, allow you to provide a financial buffer for your monthly income, and protect your career against risks as well.
Which side hustle will you launch this month?