17 Platforms To Help You Launch Your Side Hustle Today
In last week’s blog post, I talked about why selling your first product or service on an existing platform is the way to go. If you haven’t read that article yet you can check it out here.
One of the things I did not do in that article defined exactly what an existing platform is, also know that this is my definition and not anybody else so here goes…
Existing Platform – Is an existing website that has an audience that sells either a product or a service.
The great thing about using an existing platform is that it allows you to test the market and make money a lot faster than if you had to build a website and figure out how to get traffic to it.
I also want to mention that their are a bunch of different platforms out there from blogging platforms like Blogger.com to social media platforms like Facebook but I’m not going to include those here.
The platforms I’m talking about are ones that you can sell your product or service on and earn money with.
So as you go through this list try to identify the platform that best fits your product or service and feel free to share it in the comments below.
#1 Udemy
Udemy is an online platform that sells digital courses from how to make balloon animals to learning HTML. Basically if you have a need to teach something in a video format Udemy is the place to go.
This course is a great fit for those who want to create a digital course and get it out to the masses. Your course can be as small as 30 minutes long to as long as you want.
Udemy does take 50% of your earnings for every sale unless they come through a special link then you will get 100% of the sale, and if your course is sold through an affiliate link you will only get 25% of the sale.
To learn more about Udemy click here.
#2 Etsy
Do you like to make arts and crafts or handmade items then Etsy is the platform for you. Whethers its basket weaving to doing knitting this is the perfect place to find the people who will buy your stuff.
Esty also does not charge any membership fees and you can list an item for $0.20 for 4 months or until it sells, and once your product does sell Esty only collects 3.5% of the sale price.
To learn more about Etsy click here.
#3 Kindle
The Amazon Kindle platform is the top platform for selling ebooks where you can find everything from fiction to nonfiction to books about doing online marketing to the latest vampire fiction novel.
The great thing about Kindle is that you don’t have to be some big time author to get on this platform. All you have to do is write an ebook and put it up on Kindle and your good.
You also don’t have to deal with publishers or any of that crazy stuff, and if you price your books between $2.99 to $9.99 you get 70% of the revenue. Not to mention you also get all the wonderful Amazon traffic to boot.
If you are someone who is a writer or someone who wants to write a book this is the place to go to get your start.
To learn more about Kindle click here.
#4 Teachers Pay Teachers
Are you a teacher or an educator then Teacher Pay Teachers may just be the platform for you. On Teacher Pay Teachers it allows you to sell lesson plans, exams, teaching guides, to worksheets.
For example, maybe you are a US history teacher and you want to earn some extra money over the summer you could package up all of your lesson plans into one nice and neat deal and sell them on Teacher Pay Teachers for others to use.
On top of that they also have two membership options. The first is a free membership but you only get 60% of the gross sales. The second is an annual membership fee of $59.95 and you get 85% of the gross sales plus no transaction fees.
To learn more about Teacher Pay Teachers click here.
#5 Fiverr
Do you have an odd service you provide for people? For example, maybe you can sing happy birthday in Opera. You wouldn’t think you could make money with something like that but think again.
On Fiverr it allows you to sell these odd and unique services for $5 but it doesn’t stop there. You can also include addons to sweeten the deal such as rush delivery, or to have something delivered in a differnt format.
Fiverr only charges 20% of the total sale price and you keep the rest. No membership fees and hidden charges. It’s that simple.
To learn more about Fiverr click here.
#6 Craigslist
Another platform to consider is Craigslist. If you have a lot of stuff around your house or you like to buy stuff and resell it Craigslist is a great place to go because it allows you to work within your local area.
For example I know a guy who buys used cars for scrap price on Craigslist and he strips the good parts out of the car and resells them to people on Craigslist and makes anywhere from $1000 to $3000.
Craigslist also does not charge any fees for the most part to list something. Personally I’ve never used this option but I know a lot of people who have.
To learn more about Craigslist click here.
#7 eBay
EBay is another huge platform you can go to if you sell a product as well, however like Craigslist it differs in that it allows you to aution off your product and you also have access to global audience.
Ebay even helps you stream line you business by helping you print shipping labels and collect payments through PayPal. However they may charge an insertion fee and a final value fee once your product sells.
To learn more about eBay click here.
#8 Fulfilled By Amazon
Another way to sell your products online is to join the Amazon FBA program. FBA stands for fullfilled by Amazon and is way for you to sell your products right on the worlds leading shopping website.
I recently did an interview with Chris Guthrie who does this. He actually creates his own product and outsources it in China and then has it shipped to one of the many Amazon fullfillment centers where the product is sold.
To join Amazon FBA their is a $39.99 monthly fee however if you sell fewer than 40 products a month you can get a fee account but you will pay have to pay a $0.99 fee plus other closing cost fees.
To learn more about Amazon FBA click here.
#9 Task Rabbit
Another platform that works great for people who have a task based business is Task Rabbit. This platform helps you find people who are looking to run specific errands.
Or maybe you have a very general based business such as being a handyman, house cleaning, or even window washing. People are looking for others to complete these task and you could be that person if that’s the side hustle you want to start.
Task Rabbit takes 20% of each sale and you keep the rest. So if you are doing more of a physical side hustle this might be the way for you to get up and running fast.
To learn more about Task Rabbit click here.
#10 Flippa
Another uniqe platform is Flippa. If you are someone who is a web designer or may own a bunch of websites Flippa may be the opportunity for you. Flippa is a marketplace that helps people sell their websites.
However if you are someone who likes to build websites you can also build websites and sell them directly on Flippa. You can also list apps on Flippa as well.
Pricing varies on Flippa but if you have an established website their is a $19 fee to list it and if your site is brand new it only cost $9 to list it. Their is also a 10% success fee if you happen to sell your site.
To learn more about Flippa click here.
#11 Elance
Elance is also a great platform to consider that allows you to bid on jobs and get up and running fast. Whether you’re a writer, an accountant, programmer, or a graphics designer their are tons of jobs for you to get start here.
I’ve personally hired people off of Elance several times to do task for me and they work great. So if you’re someone looking to get their side hustle off to a fast start Elance is a great place to go.
I also like Elances payment process as well. On every bid that is made Elance they will tack on 8.75% for their fee. Best of all everyone works within the Elance system to make things simplier.
To learn more about Elance click here.
#12 Just Answer
Are you a professional of some sort such as a doctor, lawyer, or an financial professional. Then Just Answer may be the platform you’ve been looking for to share advice.
Just Answer is a platform that connects people who are looking for advice about a specific topic to share their expertises with others. This platform is a great fit for people who are looking to get into the consulting field fast.
Their are over 175 categories of proffesionals however their is an application process you will need to go through to get accepted, but don’t let that discourage you from acheiving your goals.
To learn more about Just Answer click here.
#13 Foap
Are you a photographer and the world is your canvas, then Foap is your platform. Whether your are the novice photographer or you’ve been doing it for years then Foap is the marketplace to sell your images.
What’s great about this opportunity is that it allows you to sell photo that you take while you’re out and about and make some money on the side till you get your photography business going.
To learn more about Foap click here.
#14 Uber
Are you looking to get into the transpartation business, then Uber may be the answer for you. Uber is an app based transpartation busines that allows their users to wip out their smart phone and get a ride in a matter of minutes.
In fact I recently did an interview with my good friend Harry Campbell who drives for Uber and knows all the in’s and out’s. Getting started in this business is relativly simple. You just need to complete an application process and do a vehicle inspection.
To learn more about Uber click here.
#15 99 Designs
Are you a graphic designer then 99 Designs may just be the perfect place for you to show off your talent. However 99 Designs is not like your typical platform. Instead when someone wants a project you post it as a contest and designers compete by sharing their ideas.
Then if they choose your design you’ll be awared the prize money, it’s that simple. You can design everything from websites, logo’s, packaging labels, to book covers.
To learn more about 99 Designs click here.
#16 Freelancer
Freelancer is another website that is similar to Elance that you can post a job and have people bid on it. However, what’s great about using platforms online is that you don’t have to use just one platform.
Freelancer has pretty much the same funtionality as Elance but you may find that the types of jobs you get at one platform vs the other to be better, and this is exactly why it’s good to look at multiple platforms.
However at Freelancer I’ve found the fees to be a bit cheaper unlike Elance which charges an 8.75% fee per completed job Freelancer only charges $4 or 4% per completed job, whichever is higher.
And if you join their premium membership the rate drops to $3 or 3% per completed order. Although you will have to pay a membership fee.
To learn more about Freelancer click here.
#17 AngiesList
Finally, are you planning to start more of a brick and morter side hustle, such as doing window cleaning, painting, plumber, or an electrician then you may want to look into AngiesList.
This site allows you to get listed with them so when people in your local area are looking for someone to do something for them and they see you have a 5 star rating they are going to give you a call.
What’s great about this site is that if you are just getting started they may be a great place to find some of your first customers.
To learn more about AngiesList click here.
Did You Find Your Platform?
Well did you find the platform to help you get your side hustle off the ground, or do you know of another platform that I didn’t mention here that you like. I know their are tons of platforms out there be these are the ones that I’ve researched and found to be the best.
However if you know of one that you like better feel free to share it below in the comments for others to check out.
So what platform do you like to use?
