5 High-Paying Side Hustles You Can Start Now

Paying off debt? Side hustle.

Saving for a major purchase or event such as buying a house or paying for a wedding?

Side hustle.

Exploring your passion and want to increase your disposable income?

Yes, you guessed right. Side hustle.

Side hustles are fast becoming the go-to solution for professionals of all age groups, as they seek to combat inflation and the cost of living, the financial, emotional, and career struggle of being laid off or unemployed, and regain control over their lives.

Approximately 54% of Americans have a side hustle in 2024 according to MarketWatch, and even globally, many professionals are turning to side hustles to supplement their income. Some have been so successful at it that their side hustles have exceeded their wildest expectations, and they have gone on to make their side hustle their full-time job.

High-Paying Side Hustles To Start Now

If you’re reading this article, you most likely have the same aspirations for your career and financial success as well. Below are compiled five high-paying side hustles that you can start today, using your existing skills and expertise, a laptop, and a solid internet connection.

1. Freelance Writing And Copywriting

Freelance writing is one of the deceptively “easiest” side hustles to launch right away, because there are virtually no barriers to entry. You don’t even need to be an accomplished writer, renowned journalist, or have won the Nobel Laureate to make a successful career as a freelance writer. Within this domain alone, there are numerous opportunities for you to explore, relevant to different niches, such as copywriting, ghost-writing, email marketing, blog writing, and article writing.

That being said, you will need to have a strong portfolio and actively push your personal brand to win clients and a steady stream of income.

2. Virtual Assistance

Research shows that virtual assistants will soon be extinct as a profession, thanks to AI (artificial intelligence) tools that have swarmed and taken over tasks that would typically go to a VA, such as calendar bookings and scheduling and email management.

However, that doesn’t mean that it is impossible to have a side hustle as a virtual assistant. There are people who would rather trust a human to help them with tasks related to their business that they would trust technology.

Besides, you can define yourself as a cut above the rest by researching what your potential client base needs, and offering niche services that cannot easily be replaced by AI.

3. Graphic Design

Graphic design is another quick-to-launch side hustle. If you have the skills and the software, you can work from home and create fabulous designs, from branding elements, to marketing materials, to social media content, to printables.

4. Web Development

Another high-paying side hustle is web development; now that freelancers worldwide are trying to launch their presence and online platforms, and start-ups are appearing everywhere, you can take advantage of this time and offer your web development services at an hourly or project rate (if you have web development expertise of course).

5. Consulting

Businesses of all sizes are seeking ways to improve their online presence, reach their target audience effectively, and implement AI into their workflow. If you have expertise in areas such as SEO and digital marketing strategies, content marketing, PPC advertising, AI, or have a background in human resources, you can offer consulting services to companies based on your specialism.

This can be delivered conveniently via videoconferencing, and you can charge premium rates for your specialized knowledge and services. You could even consider joining an expert network (such as GLG Insights) so that you are in the know when new consulting and corporate research opportunities become available.

If you excel in your chosen field, consistently deliver exceptional results, and build a strong reputation within your industry alongside ongoing learning and effective marketing, you will attract more clients and there will be no limit to your earning potential.