10 Genius 2022 Side Hustles that make BIG money (if you do it right)

Good morning, lovely dreamers! And welcome to another money and life hacks infused article here on the Dreaming of Butterflies blog! Today we want to focus on talking about what businesses are worth starting in 2022 and what we predict will have a future beyond this year.

We’ll also talk about our favourites from the list, and how we make them work while juggling multiple fields at a time.

Keep in mind that this list will include specific fields focused on more creative types, but some are also perfect for the analytical butterflies in the bunch as well, so don’t despair. 

Related:

10 EXCELLENT reasons why you should start a side hustle in 2022

10 SERIOUS Mistakes That Are Keeping You from Making Money in 2022 (and How to Fix them)

The Secret Sauce to Becoming a Digital Nomad in 2022 and beyond

First thing’s first. How to make side jobs work, without losing your mind (short version)   

The key to a successful side business is having a good system in place, and killer marketing. Simple as that. 

Case 1. For the sole hustler

If you’re doing it alone, you’ll need to be super organised and make sure that you’re not wasting precious time with silly issues, or spiralling down the hole of despair, chasing the white rabbit with the dollar on its tail. 

We have a free Daily Planner made exactly to help with this if you’re interested, so check it out!

You’ll also need to learn how to manage a small business while upgrading your skills AND do the marketing yourself, and depending on the job field and your personality, you may also have to upgrade your client-provider communication game. 

From lists upon lists of daily tasks, client briefings, billings, keeping up with your taxes, constantly searching for more jobs and clients, and building a brand and a portfolio of work, to improving your existing skills and having a healthy work-life balance, you’ll explore a side of you that you never thought existed. 

Going into a side hustle alone is truly exhausting and can be overwhelming… if you don’t do it right.

We recommend you do this only if you think you can do it. If you’re naturally a more organised person and have at least some marketing knowledge, you’ll be able to make it work better… and fast. That’s the important bit, isn’t it?

Your best chances of success if you’re going at it alone is either getting a job as a VA, transcriber, ghostwriter, photographer or perhaps considering becoming a blogger - you can share your experiences and help others… and make a profit!

But don’t get discouraged even if you’re not super organised. Just make sure to work at a slower pace and create a good system for yourself. Don’t be afraid to experiment!  

Case 2. Collabs!

If all the management responsibility seems a bit too much for you, or maybe you want to focus on the creative side of things, rather than try to do it all at once and risk failure, you’ll definitely need (at least) a partner.

When you’re first starting, you won’t be able to outsource some responsibilities and pay for what needs to be done, but you can create lucrative bonds with the ones closest to you.

Here’s where you can either join forces with your friends or family members and divide responsibilities while focusing on one type of business that all of you can get behind, or start a creative agency and offer a range of services and products that work well together.

Just make sure to have a clear understanding of what everyone’s responsibilities really are, and communicate, communicate, communicate. 

We can’t stress enough how important communication is.

Tell your business partners everything that’s working, what's not, what issues you have (with them or the clients), what you want to change (or not). Everything. Yes, it will be hard, especially if you’re an introvert, but it’s how you grow.  

Case 3. Mix and match

This one is for the ambitious ones, that do their own thing but also collaborate with others. 

Take us for example:

I am the one responsible for the blog. Yes, Andy did have some articles here and there, but they were more like “guest posting” situations. I am the one that has to plan, write, proofread, create the graphics, publish, write the emails for our mailing list, and everything else in between.

Even the analytics, the strategy, the research and all of that less creative part, I do it. But guess what? I LOVE it all. 

But again, that is only one part. 

On the other side of the coin, there are the collaborations I have with Andy and sometimes his brother’s creative agency, where I offer my services as a website creator (I design and develop websites). 

I am in charge of everything that has to do with researching new trends, designing beautiful and responsive websites and of course, building them, while also offering services related to having an online presence (like SEO, website management).  

Of course, I do my (not so fun) part and make sure every client has their personalised briefing documents, but the rest is Andy.   

Andy is the project manager because his people skills are far better than mine will ever be, and he’s also the brand designer, in charge of helping our clients find and create their business identities.

Andy’s brother is a marketing strategist. On his side, there’s everything that has to do with helping the client find their mission, vision, have a marketing strategy, bring people to the newly created website, and everything else related to PR and branding.  

Do you see? In this case, we’ve united our knowledge base and strengths and we’ve blended into something quite magical.

When we collaborate, we divide and conquer, each of us focused on our strengths.

Is it always easy? No! Do we always see eye to eye? Hell no. Do we learn to make compromises? Yes. Is it worth the effort? Hell yes!

When in doubt, focus on your strengths, and find someone to help you with the rest.

But these are just a few examples of what can be done. As I’ve said before, the first step when deciding to start any type of hustle is to pick one to start with and focus on that. 

Which one will you choose? Make sure to tell us in the comments below!

But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!

10 Favourite 2022 Side Hustles you’ll definitely want to start this year

Print-on-demand business 

This type of business has been around for quite a few years now but lately has been gaining a lot of love, not only from creators and hustlers but from customers as well. 

And we’re 100% sure that you’ve seen and bought something from a shop that behind the scenes is a PoD business, but you never realised it. You might even be wearing something from a store like that right now, while you’re reading these words.

We’re talking about all the t-shirts with cute and funny designs on them, of course! But this type of business is not at all limited to t-shirts. You can create so many beautiful designs on so many products it’s insane! 

From pillowcases, mugs, bags, leggings, dresses, swimwear, and even face masks, you can make them all, and more. And the best part?

After you’ve created and uploaded the design, you won’t have to lift a finger. It is all made for you!

Let’s take Printful, for example.

At the time of first writing this article, on their website, you can clearly see that they have 14 working facilities around the world where they make, wrap and ship out the orders. Working on opening the 15th!

They’ve invested €68.7M in equipment, they have 1.8K+ person team across Europe and North America and people have sold designs for €948M+ through Printful. So you know they’re not joking around.

To get started with a print-on-demand business through Printful, you’ll need either an eye for creating designs or money to buy designs with commercial rights and re-sell them on t-shirts, pillowcases, mugs etc. 

If you want to create your own designs, but don’t have the skills to use Illustrator or programs like that, why we recommend you try Canva!

With Canva you can create as many designs as you want for free, and they do offer a wide range of shapes, designs, elements and tools you can use to transform even a boring design into something fun.

Just make sure to niche down as much as you can, and focus your designs on one type of buyer at a time. Find that gap in the market where you think you have the most potential to be seen. 

The best part? You don’t need a website to do this either. You can set up an Etsy shop and promote your products through Pinterest (for free) or other social media (paid).

Dropshipping business 

Another type of business that is quite fun to get into is dropshipping. Aka the "I sell you something from my website through Aliexpress or Alibaba, but you have no idea" gig.

As with print-on-demand, starting with a focused market is easier, but you don’t have to go as low as focusing on just 1 product and build your website around it, as many “dropshipping business gurus” out there say. 

You can find a few that work well together, and focus on their combined importance in your customer’s life.

And yes, using Aliexpress and Alibaba is exactly what you should do when starting this sort of business, but don’t forget to first:

• Research your products, how they are made, how they are shipped, how long it takes to fulfill orders, quality and
• Can you modify the product (if needed)?
• Does the manufacturer let you brand it with your own brand?

Try messaging a bit with the production company before starting to promote their products, find out these things, and even buy some samples for yourself, to test out the shipping and product quality.

Taking these extra steps, in the beginning, will help you build a better business, that’s focused on the long run, not the “get rich quick” bit.

This can be done with or without a website. You can either just set up an Etsy store, or have a beautifully designed and responsive website and promote that one through Pinterest (for free) and other social media (paid).

Flex store 

A “flex stores”, like Sarah, founder of Wholesale Ted likes to call them, are the types of online stores that sell print-on-demand and dropshipping products together. And to be honest, I think they are genius.

If you find that niche where you know people have a thirst for merch, you’ve hit gold. 

Think of specifics: black cat daddies, corgi dog mommies, BMW car lovers, pirate enthusiasts, gamers, geeks etc. BUT be extra careful when it comes to officially licensed merch. 

Stuff like Star Wars, Disney, Harry Potter, LOTR is under trademark, so you can’t replicate or sell anything without the prior consent of those companies, and from the factories that they specifically approved you to, so I would be careful. 

Better to be safe than to find yourself in a money war with a giant that can eat you alive in a second. 

You can create stuff inspired by them, and those universes, but do your research before trying to sell anything that might be trademarked. As long as you keep creating and putting together quality stuff for your niche, you’ll be ok.

Website creation (design + development) 

Another favourite field is website design and development. This is perfect for creatives and analytical alike.

Think of it this way. Every business that respects itself needs a website, and not everyone has the knowledge and creativity to build one. 

To design a website you need to know the latest trends, to understand how different types of websites work (for different businesses), software like Adobe XD will have to become your BFF, and of course, you’ll need to know a little bit about the development part as well.

The fun thing is that you don’t need to learn and understand everything about coding languages and all of that part to be able to build a fully functional website. 

Yes, you will have to learn the coding part (at least just the front-end stuff), just so you know how to tweak every aspect of the newly created website to fulfil your needs and match your design perfectly.  

But right now, with the no-code builders like Webflow, and the newly launched Bluehost Website Builder, creating a website from scratch is easier than ever. 

If you (for your other side gigs) or a client may need a website that’s not too demanding on the functionality and design part, you can definitely create it. And fast.

Just make sure to create a system for yourself, to be able to understand your client’s needs, and deliver the best website you can create,  

Design 

The design field is vast, and its outcome is basically everywhere you look. From interior design, fashion, product, logos, branding, 3D design, game design… and so on. 

But this is a field for the highly creative, and you do need to have quite a few things in your arsenal before you can call yourself a real designer. 

And I’m not talking just about all the knowledge for using the apps for creation, but also you:

• Need a keen eye for beauty
• Have to know trends and influences
• Must understand a little bit of psychology and design concepts

You already have all of these? Great! Now all you have to do is focus on one type of design you want to do, and follow what the successful designers in that field are doing. I’m not saying to copy their work, I’m saying to see how they work, understand how they do it and go from there. 

To get started, you can either work independently and find work through websites like Upwork and Fiverr, get a job at a company, or join a creative agency.

Writing 

The writing field is sort of the same as the design field. It’s complex, there are various subfields you can get into, from copywriting, ghostwriting papers, ebooks, essays, article writing, novels and so on.

But in order to be successful in this particular field, you not only need to have great amounts of creativity, but you’ll also want to make sure that your vocabulary is quite vast, but your grammar is also flawless, and your typing speed is unmatchable. 

Some of the writing jobs I’ve personally done in the past became very financially rewarding after I improved my speed because I was able to write more in less time, thus doing more jobs.

It’s okay if you’re not typing at the speed of Lightning McQueen just yet, first focus on your grammar and improve your vocabulary. For that there are two things you have to do: 

• install Grammarly (is your new best friend)
• Read! 

For jobs, you can search websites such as indeed.com, or go freelance and set up your service gigs on Fiverr, for example, or join a creative agency. 

Start a blog

Speaking of writing, a great way to put that creative side to work is by blogging. It’s a great medium to share your thoughts, ideas, lessons learned from life and business, and your expertise on any subject you want. 

Blogging doesn’t require a fancy degree.

Starting a blog is relatively easy. All you have to do is basically pick a domain name, a theme & niche, buy your hosting (like Bluehost, for example) and start writing. 

But there are a few steps to do before you do all that, like:

• Be honest with yourself (to see if you can do it)
• Learn about why you should do this (to see if it is for you)
• Prepare yourself for the changes in your life

Making it work requires a bit of a learning curve and a bit of business sense. You’ll need to let your creative side rest, in order to understand how your blog can make money, what you need to do and to improve to get to a point where the financial rewards are truly satisfying, and what your audience (and potential audience) really needs from you.

But with a blog, you can set up multiple income streams:

• ADS
• affiliate marketing
• sell your own products/services
• sponsored collabs

And the earning potential is quite impressive (going up to 1M$ per year, in some cases), depending on your niche, but if you do it right, you can earn at least 1000$ per month just with a smaller blog.

Photography 

Photography is another wide area that focuses on creativity and a little bit of know-how, it’s still diverse enough that even the more introverted artists can find a niche to activate in and profit from.

From event photography (like parties, weddings, christenings), brand photography, concert photography, travel, lifestyle, product, babies, animals, cosplay, stock photography - there’s something for everyone.

But shooting those photos is one thing. You can also expand into the photo manipulation area, and use tools like photoshop to create beautiful illustrations or help other people fix their own photos (that’s a totally different service). 

The only issue with this is that to get quality results you’ll need to invest a bit in a quality camera, like the Nikon Z7 II and at least one versatile lens, to begin with, and then work your way to owning more professional equipment as you advance.

To get started, if you’re going for events, look for jobs locally, start your own business, or create freelancing gigs on Fiverr. 

Starting a creative agency

For the ambitious butterflies out there, who want to focus on their own part of the job, but would still like to offer clients a wide range of services that work well together, opening a creative agency is the key.

You can share the responsibility of having a business with someone else. Sometimes that is more than enough to keep you motivated. 

Also, being part of a creative group is easier to find jobs, because you can place one person in charge of constantly finding you work, or the friends and acquaintances of the members might come to you for help, and you all win. 

Just make sure that each of you knows exactly what they’re in charge of, and communicate, communicate, communicate. 

Become a Virtual Assistant

As the online businesses exploded over the last couple of years, especially since Covid had us all locked up in our houses, so did the demand for day-to-day clerical work increase.

From VAs for bloggers, vloggers, business owners, with little to no experience needed, to Amazon FBA assistants, or Pinterest VAs that know their way around these platforms, there’s clearly something there for everyone. 

You just need to know where to look, and at first, be willing to compromise. Work a little more for less, and as your experience grows, so do your rates. 

The best places to find your first jobs in this field are Upwork, Fiverr, indeed.com.  

Aaaaand that’s all for today, lovely dreamers! We hope you enjoyed today’s picks for the 2022 side hustles, and if you did, please make sure to share it, pin it, tweet it! We’ll be thankful forever!

QOTD: Do you have a side hustle? If so, what is it?