Most people want a few more dollars in their wallets. But between an employer and family, the time most of us can devote to a second job is severely limited. Running a small side business can provide a few more options: you don’t have to show up at a set time and you can use skills you already have. Not all will be perfect for everyone, of course, and I’m sure that you’ll have a few ideas of your own after reading this list. If you’d like to share any other business ideas, please add them in the comments.
- Selling collectibles — From antique books to teddy bears, there are plenty of opportunities to buy and sell collectibles. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the collectible of your choice but if you choose something that you’ve been collecting for a while, you’ve got a head start.
- Locating apartments — It can take time to sort through apartment listings, but you can make some money by finding the perfect apartment for a renter.
- Baby proofing — New parents often prefer to bring in an expert to make sure their home is safe for a new baby.
- Calligraphic writing — If you’ve got elegant handwriting, you can pick up gigs writing or addressing wedding invitations, holiday cards and more.
- Selling coupons — Search on eBay for coupons right now and you’ll see thousands of listings for coupons. It’s just a matter of clipping and listing what you find in your Sunday newspaper.
- Pet training — A surprising number of people don’t know where to start in training a pet. Even teaching Rover simple commands like ‘Sit’ and ‘Stay’ can bring in a few dollars.
- Running errands — A wide variety of people want to outsource their errands, from those folks who aren’t able to leave their homes easily to those who have a busy schedule.
- Researching family trees — Amateur genealogists often call in experts, especially to handle research that has to be done in person in a far off place. If you’re willing to go to a local church and copy a few records, you can handle many family tree research requests.
- Supplying firewood — The prerequisite for selling firewood is having a source of wood; if you’ve got some land where you can cut down a few trees, you’ve got a head start.
- Hauling — As more people trade in their SUVs for compact cars, hauling is becoming more important: people have to rent a truck or hire a hauler for even small loads.
- Image consulting — Image consultants provide a wide variety of services, ranging from offering advice on appearance to teaching etiquette.
- Menu planning — For many people, the trip up in eating home-cooked or healthy meals is knowing what to prepare. Meal planners set a schedule to solve certain dietary problems.
- Microfarming — Cultivating food and flowers on small plots of land allows you to sell produce easily.
- Offering notary public services — Notary publics can witness and authenticate documents: a service needed for all sorts of official documents.
- Teaching music — If you’re skilled with a musical instrument, you can earn money by offering lessons.
- Mystery shopping — Mystery shoppers check the conditions and service at a store and report back to the store’s higher-ups.
- Offering research services — Just by reading up on a topic and compiling a report on it can earn you money.
- Personal shopping — Personal shoppers typically select gifts, apparel and other products for clients, helping them save time.
- Pet breeding — Purebred pets can be quite value, especially if you can verify their pedigree.
- Removing snow — During the winter months, shoveling walks can still be a reliable way to earn money. You might be asked to take care of the driveway too.
- Utility auditing — As people become environmentally-concious, they want to know just how efficient their homes are. With some simple testing, you can tell them.
- Offering web hosting services — Providing server space can be lucrative, particularly if you can provide tech support to your clients.
- Cutting lawns — An old standby, cutting lawns and other landscaping services can provide a second income in the summer.
- Auctioning items on eBay — Want to get rid of all your old stuff? Stick it up on eBay and auction it off.
- Babysitting — Child care of all kinds, from babysitting to nannying, can offer constant opportunities.
- Freelance writing — If you’ve got the skills to write clearly, you can sell your pen for everything from blogs to advertising copy.
- Selling blog and website themes — Do a little designing on the side? Customers that don’t want to pay full price for a website will often pay for a template or theme.
- Offering computer help — Particularly with people new to computers, you can earn money by providing in-home computer help.
- Designing websites — It may require a little skilled effort, but designing websites remains a reliable source of income.
- Selling stock photography — For shutterbugs, an easy way to put a photography collection to work is to post it to a stock photography site.
- Freelance designing — Check with local businesses: you can provide brochures, business cards and other design work and get paid a good fee.
- Tutoring — Math and languages reamin the easiest subjects to find tutoring gigs for, but there is demand for other fields as well.
- Housesitting / petsitting — Stopping in to check on a house or pet can earn you some money, and maybe even a place to stay.
- Building niche websites — If you can put together a site on a very specific topic, you can put targeted ads on it and make money quickly.
- Translating — The variety of translating work available is huge: written word, on the spot and more is easy to find even on a part-time basis.
- Creating custom crafts — No matter what kind of crafts you make, there’s likely a market for it. Etsy remains one of the easiest places to sell crafts.
- Setting up a wi-fi hotspot — With a little bit of equipment, you can set up a wi-fi hotspot and charge your neighbors for the access they’ve been ‘borrowing.’
- Selling an e-book — You can write an e-book about almost anything and put it up for sale online.
- Affiliate marketing — If you’re willing to market other companies’ products, you can earn a cut of the sales.
- Renting out your spare room — From looking for a long-term roommate to listing your guest room on couch surfing sites, that spare room can make you money.
- Offering handy man services — Handling small household tasks can provide you with plenty of work, although you’ll probably be expected to have your own tools.
- Teaching an online class — Share your expertise through a website, an online seminar or variety of other methods.
- Building furniture — For those with the skill to create handmade furniture, selling their creations is often just a matter of advertising.
- Providing personal chef services — Personal chefs prepare meals ahead of time for customers, leaving their customers with a full freezer and no mess.
- Event planning — From planning corporate events to bar mitzvahs, an event planning business can require plenty of work and offer plenty of pay.
- Installing home safety products — Particularly as Baby Boomers age, people able to install handrails and other home safety products are in demand.
- Altering / tailoring — If your sewing skills are up to par, altering garments is coming back as people try to stretch more wear out of their clothing.
- Offering in-home beauty services — Hair cuts, makeup and other beauty services that can be performed at home have a growing demand.
- Business coaching — Helping others to establish and develop their businesses can provide many opportunities to earn money.
- Writing resumes — Writing resumes can provide a reliable income, especially if you can put a polish on a client’s credentials.
There are plenty of offers that claim to provide you with the opportunity to make thousands of dollars a week. Unfortunately, none of these businesses will provide that sort of income, but they aren’t scams either. They were chosen because they all require a minimum investment to get started — some require nothing more than a flyer advertising your business. Even better, if you do enjoy any of these businesses, there is a potential with most of them to continue to expand — perhaps even to the point of going full time.
Thursday Bram is a freelance journalist of over five years experience. She studied Communications at the University of Tulsa and is currently working on her MA in Communication Design. Her work has focused primarily on entrepreneurial topics. More information about Thursday is available at thursdaybram.com.
译文:
50种利用空闲时间就可以做的工作
很多人都想让自己的钱包变得更鼓一些。但是夹在雇主和家庭中间，我们能做兼职的时间真的是少得可怜。但是，做小生意可以提供我们更多的选择：你不用在规定的时间到，而且你还可以用上已有的技能。并不是人人都适合这些工作，当然，我可以保证在你看完这个清单后，你多少都会从中得到一些灵感。如果你想分享做其他小生意的主意，请在评论中加上它们。
1.买卖收藏品——从古书到泰迪熊，这里面有很多商机来买进和卖出收藏品。熟悉你选择的收藏品很重要，但是如果你选择那些你已经在收藏的东西的话，那么你就抢占了先机。
2.房产中介——整理那些公寓清单需要花些时间，不过当你为租客找到合适的房子的时候，你就可以挣到一笔钱。
3.宝宝专家——初为人父母的人通常喜欢请一位专家来确保他们的家对出生婴儿来说是否安全。
4.书法书写——如果你能写一手好字，你就可以接一些书法表演，书写结婚请帖或者节日贺卡的活来做。
5.卖优惠券——一搜易趣网，你就能看到数千张求购优惠券的单子。你只需剪下周日报纸上找到的优惠券，剪切下来再列成清单就行了。
6.宠物训练——不懂该如何开始训练宠物的人出奇的多。只要教会Rover 诸如“坐下”和“不要动”那样简单的命令动作就可以挣得好几美元。
7.给别人跑腿——有各种各样的人都有需要在外面找跑腿的人，从不方便出门的人到工作繁忙的人。
8.从事族谱研究——系谱学外行经常会聘请专家，尤其是需要本人亲身去偏远地方进行调查的时候。如果你愿意去当地教堂，并拷贝一些记录，你就可以处理很多这样的调查。
9.供应木柴——卖木柴的先决条件就是要找到柴源。如果你有一些可供砍伐树木的地，那么你就抢占先机了。
10.拖运——当越来越多人将运动型多功能运载车换成结构紧凑的小车时，拖运就变得越来越重要了：即使是很小运载，人们也不得不租用一辆货车或是雇佣一名搬运工。
11.形象顾问——形象顾问能提供各种服务，从提供外表意见到教授礼节。
12.菜单设计——对很多人来说，他们需要知道要为家常菜或者健康餐准备些什么。饮食设计人员为解决日常饮食问题提供了计划安排。
13.微型种植——在一小块土地上种植食物和花卉，你就可以方便地出售农产品了。
14.提供公证人服务——公证人可以证明和鉴别文件：所有公文都需要这项服务。
15.教授音乐——如果你精通某种乐器，你就可以通过授课来挣钱了。
16.秘密采购员——秘密采购员调查商铺的环境和服务，然后向商铺上级报告情况。
17.提供调查服务——你只需攻读一个论题然后编辑一份报告就可以赚钱了。 .
18.私人购物员——私人购物员典型的工作就是帮助客户挑选礼物、服装和其他物品，为雇主节省时间。
19.鉴别宠物品种——纯种宠物非常名贵，如果你能鉴别它们的品种，就可以挣钱了。
20.清理积雪——在冬天的几个月中，铲除人行道上的积雪仍然是一项可靠的挣钱工作，人们也会叮嘱你注意车道上的积雪。 .
21.效用审计——随着人们的环境意识越来越强，他们想知道家里东西的利用效率到底有多高。你可以通过一些简单的测试来告诉他们结果。
22.提供网站主机服务——提供服务器空间是有利润的，尤其是如果你能为你的客户提供技术支持的话，利润更大。
23.修剪草坪——一份古老的兼职，夏天给他人修剪草坪或做其他园艺工作就能提供另一份收入。
24.在易趣网上拍卖商品——想不想把你的旧物卖出去呢？把它的图片贴到易趣网上，然后拍卖出去。
25.照看婴孩——从临时照看小孩到当保姆，照顾小孩这份工作可以提供你源源不断的挣钱的机会。
26.当自由作家——如果你有不错的写作技能，你可以从写博客到写广告等任何东西来挣钱。 27.出售博客和网站的主题——空闲时做点设计工作吗？那些不愿意买下整个网站的顾客会很乐意买下一个模板或是一个主题。
28.提供电脑维修服务——特别针对那些刚接触电脑的人，你可以上门电脑维修来挣一笔钱。
29.网站设计——它可能要求一定的技术支持，但是设计网站还是一项可靠的收入来源。
30.出售库存摄影——对摄影爱好者来说，利用摄影收集简单方法是把它贴到库存摄影站点。
31.自由设计——同当地的商户协商一下：你可以向他们提供宣传册、名片以及其他设计工作，这样就能给你带来不错的收入。
32.做家教——数学和英语一直是最容易找的家教科目，但是也有对其他科目的需求。
33.看家／宠物保姆——照看一所房子或照看一只宠物就能挣钱，说不定还有免费的地方让你住。
34.创建网站——如果你能把网站做成一个专题，就可以通过刊登定向广告快速挣钱。
35.翻译——可做的翻译工作种类繁多：笔译，现场翻译等等都是非常好找且适合兼职的工作。
36.创作传统工艺品——无论你制作了什么种类的工艺品，它们都有市场。Etsy仍然是出售工艺品最方便的地方。
37.创建一片无线保真热土——只要有几样设备，你就能开辟出一块无线保真热土。要是你的邻居向你借东西，你就可以向他们收取费用。
38.销售电子书——你可以写一本关于任何内容的电子书，然后在网上销售。
39.合作行销——如果你愿意推销其他公司的产品，你就可以拿到一部分销售提成。
40.出租闲置的房间——从寻找一位长期房客到把你的客房贴到网上出租，那么多余的房间就能给你带来收入。
41.提供修理服务——处理琐碎的家务活可以给你带来很多工作，尽管你需要配备一些自己的工具。
42.在线授课——在网上分享你的专业知识，可以是在线研讨会的形式或者利用其他方法。
43.制作家具——对于那些掌握手工制作家具手艺的人来说，只需要刊登一下广告就能卖出他们的创作之物。
44.提供私人厨师服务——私人厨师会提前为客户准备好饭菜，那么客户就有满满一冰箱的食物，并拥有一个整洁的环境。
45.活动策划——从计划公司活动到计划成人仪式，活动策划虽然工作量很大但是它提供的报酬也很丰厚。
46.安装家庭安全产品——特别在生育高峰时代，人们需要安装扶手等其他家庭安全产品。
47.改衣/做衣——如果你的缝纫技术达到标准，可以考虑帮别人更改衣服，因为人们试图最大限度的利用他们的衣服。
48.提供上门美容服务——人们对理发、化妆以及其他在家里能完成的美容服务的需求不断增加。
49.业务指导——帮助他人建立并发展业务可以为你提供很多挣钱的机会。
50.代写简历——写简历可以给你带来稳定的收入，尤其你能帮助客户润色公文。
有很多提议声称可以在一周中提供你挣数千美元的机会，不幸的是，在这些生意中没有一个能够提供那种收入，但是它们也不是欺骗行为。选择它们是因为它们在开始的时候都需要最低投资——有些仅仅需要一张传单来宣传你的生意。如果你真的喜爱这些生意中的任何一种，那么它们中的绝大多数都有继续扩大的可能——或许它甚至要你投入所有的时间。
Thursday Bram 是一个有年多的经验的自由记者五。她在Tulsa大学学习了传媒专业，目前专攻传媒设计MA，她的工作主要关注企业家话题。要想更了解Thursday，在thursdaybram.com上有提供。