This blog is all about finding ways to make and save money in order to improve your quality of life. If you go online and conduct research, you’ll discover lots of blogs that talk about various side hustles that can bring you some extra cash. But many of those side hustles are designed for extroverts. If you’re an introvert, you may find that those side hustles aren’t made for people with your personality type.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an introvert is “a typically reserved or quiet person who tends to be introspective and enjoys spending time alone.” When you’re introverted, spending too much time with others can be emotionally draining, requiring you to step back and recharge your batteries. So if you’re looking for a side hustle to earn more money and you’re an introvert, you may not want to go after businesses that require you to spend time with lots of people.
Okay, introverted people, here is a list of some of the best business ideas that can help you earn more money. Keep reading to find the best ways to create your own business when your idea of a good time is spending quality time with yourself.
Become a Graphic Designer
Are you a creative person who loves computers and art? Consider a graphic design side hustle. Gone are the days when you had to be an Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator guru to qualify as a graphic designer. Today you don’t even have to have a formal education as a graphic designer. Online design tools like Canva and Design Wizard can help you create all kinds of cool things such as logos, flyers, print ads, posters and more.
Small business owners can’t afford to hire big graphic design firms to create their marketing materials. It’s just too expensive. That’s where you come in. Use these easy-to-learn graphic design software tools to create designs for small businesses that need to market their services to customers.
If you’re an artistic introvert, this is a good side hustle for you. While you will need to communicate with your customers, you can often do so through email. And while you may need to have an initial in-person meeting, you won’t have to spend all your work hours with others. There’s also a chance you can limit your customer interactions by using a brief phone call, Facetime or a Zoom meeting (preferably with the camera off!)
Become a Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is a contract worker who works for clients, performing administrative duties. These duties may include making travel arrangements, performing data entry, sending emails to customers, bookkeeping and other office duties. The only difference is that a virtual assistant works from home. Basically, you can wear pajamas or some comfy yoga pants when you work as a virtual assistant. Duties will vary depending on the client you work for. If your client needs you to be on the phone for hours, and you’re an introvert, you probably don’t want to work for them. Find clients that are a good fit for your personality and skills.
Create Online Courses
Everyone is an expert in something. You may be highly skilled at knitting or cooking. Maybe you are an excellent musician and can play a mean violin or some other type of musical instrument. Or you could be a great soccer player or organizer. No matter what talents you possess, you can make an online course and market it to potential customers. People do this all the time, and some make a pretty good living from it.
Companies like Udacity Udemy and Teachable are all places where you can offer online courses teaching people what you know. But if you have a blog or website with enough followers, you can offer your online course on your own website to your ready-made audience.
Become a Social Media Consultant
Okay. So it’s kind of weird having a social media consultant in a blog post about side hustles for introverts who aren’t too crazy about constant social interaction. But social media is all online, so it fits this topic. Do you know your way around Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok? If so, you can offer your services as a social media consultant. Small businesses need a social media consultant to help them post to their social media accounts. This enables them to market themselves to customers and potential customers.
Regular postings to social media accounts help these small businesses communicate all the great things going on in their organization. But if it’s a small business, they don’t have time to regularly post to Instagram or any of those other social media outlets. Hiring a social media consultant to get the word out about their product or service can help them achieve their marketing goals. The good thing for you is that you can be a social media consultant in the comfort of your home while your dog snuggles at your feet. Wearing a pair of faded shorts and a holey t-shirt, I might add. And flip flops.
Become a Web Developer
People who want a high demand side hustle that pays really well should definitely learn to be a web developer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a web developer is someone who “creates and maintains” websites. They use programming languages such as HTML, CSS, Javascript and Python to create those websites and mobile apps we use on a daily basis.
Most people in the world don’t know how to do this, so it goes without saying that companies are ready to pay big bucks to people who know how to program computers (also called computer coding). If you know how to code, this can be a very lucrative side hustle. Who knows? You may end up being the next Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates. If you don’t know how to code, there are lots of ways to learn. Some tutorials are even free. Places like Code Academy will teach you coding for free. If you have a library card, you can access paid coding tutorials for free as well.
How does this type of job work for introverts? Many companies searching for full and part time web developers are offering remote positions, meaning you work from home (or from some tropical paradise). You can also hang out your shingle and advertise your surfaces to potential clients.
Let’s face it. Every successful business needs a web presence nowadays. So you’ll always be in high demand. And if you like the idea of creating websites but don’t want to learn web developing, you can also learn to be a web designer. This role is mainly involved with the outward appearance of a website, not what’s going on underneath.
Become a Freelance Writer
As a fellow introvert, this particular job is right up my alley. If you like writing, consider working from home as a freelance writer. Blogs and marketing companies are always looking for extra writers to help with the work load. You can go to a job search site like indeed.com to find freelance writing jobs. Most of these jobs are listed as “content writer” or “blogger”. Or you can really shoot for the big bucks and find your own clients instead of just working for one company.
You’ll need a writing portfolio with some writing samples so you can show potential companies or clients that you have the ability to write. One way to do this is to write articles on topics connected to the field you want to work for. If you want to work for a health blog, write articles on health-related topics. And if you want to write for parenting blogs, create some parenting articles as examples. Post them on a place like Medium or set up your own blog or website to showcase your work.
Some introverts may want to write for magazines. If this describes you, there are places online that will help you learn to write for magazines. You may want to visit Writer’s Digest to get tips on how to find the right magazines that are searching for the kinds of articles you write. With that being said, most freelance writers dedicate their time and energies writing for corporations, small businesses and well known blogs that can pay the best freelance rates.
Become a Technical Writer
Every time you read an instruction manual or something similar, you’re reading something written by a technical writer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that technical writers create”instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily.” Small businesses may not have the budget to hire a full-time technical writer. Or maybe a large business needs a contract technical writer to help out once in a while. If you know how to research complex information and write in a clear, understandable way, technical writing may be a good side hustle for you.
Become a Proofreader
Writing may not be your thing, but maybe you have excellent grammar skills. If so, you can find work-from-home proofreading jobs. A proofreader helps organizations with any type of written document. You’ll check for misspellings and grammar issues. This job is great for introverts because you perform your job by computer.
For example, if you’re using Microsoft Word, you simply use track changes to correct the errors within a document or manuscript. You can find part time or freelance proofreading jobs on websites like indeed.com. If you’d rather find your own clients, you can email businesses about your services or contact potential clients on LinkedIn.
Start a Blog
If you have a passion for a specific topic, consider starting your own blog. You’ll need to purchase a domain name and hosting to get your blog online. Post well written content that is useful to your audience so they keep coming back for more. As you get more visitors, you will have an easier time monetizing your blog.
Once bloggers receive lots of visitors to their blogs, they may even offer products and online courses to their audience. To learn more about creating your own blogs, check out Problogger.
Become a Photographer
You may think that the only way you can earn extra money as a photographer is if you take pictures of weddings or graduations. Maybe you have visions of working at a photography studio struggling to get a crying baby to smile. Sure, lots of photographers make money doing these things. But if you’re an introvert, this is probably not your idea of the perfect side hustle.
Fortunately, introverts who want to earn money with photography have other options. One option is to take stock photos that people can use for their blogs or websites. Websites like iStock, Shutterstock, Dreamstime and Creative Market are just a small sample of companies that you can use to earn money with stock photos.
Customers purchase a license to use your images for commercial purposes. This side gig is great for introverts because it’s just you and your camera. You don’t even have to take pictures of humans. Focus on various scenes featuring inanimate objects or animals.
Once your stock photos are available for purchase, you receive passive income, basically earning money while you sleep. Get yourself a good digital camera to help your photos stand out from the rest.
Create Printables for Your Own Etsy Online Store
Introverts cherish their alone time, and some of them love to express their creativity. One way to earn extra money as an introvert is to create printables at your own Etsy online store. When a lot of people think of Etsy, they think of a place where you can buy handcrafted items that are shipped to your door. But you can also buy printables at an Etsy store. Printables are exactly what they sound like. They are any product that you can download from the computer and print with your home printer or at the local print shop.
Successful entrepreneurs with their own Etsy online stores create things like worksheets, coloring pages, calendars, printable planners, greeting cards, wedding signs, baby shower games and all kinds of things you can print from the comfort of your own home. Canva is a great resource to help you make these items. And you can learn more about how to use Canva for an Etsy shop just by doing a quick google search or going on YouTube to watch a tutorial.
Rent a Booth in an Antique Mall
Antique malls are places where people rent booths to sell a variety of items. The cool thing about antique malls is that you don’t have to be at the mall to sell your merchandise. The antique mall employees sell things for you. In other words, you’re at home reading a book or binging on Netflix while someone else sells your stuff.
Antique malls are flea markets that don’t require you to be on site. Whether you want to sell used books, gently used clothing, antique furniture, or weird things you’ve been storing in your attic, you just might be able to earn a bit of extra income from the antique mall.
Before you decide to sell items at an antique mall, conduct your research. Not all antique malls are created equal. Figuring out which items sell the best at a particular location and determining if booth rental fits your budget are just two factors you need to think about.
Do Retail Arbitrage
Do you like to scope out all the deals at Target and Walmart? You can perfect your talents for finding good deals and use them for something called retail arbitrage. This is how it works. You go to the clearance aisle at Walmart or Target and buy deeply discounted products. Some people even head to all the thrift stores in town. Then you flip them for profit by selling them for a higher price on Amazon or eBay. People who do retail arbitrage may resell baby items, clothing, shoes, jewelry or any other high demand items.
Become a Translator
Do you know a second language? You can find a remote job where you translate a document from one language into another. Businesses often search for bilingual people who can help them market their service or product to customers who speak another language. While some translators work onsite at hospitals or schools, you can often find opportunities where you stay at home and translate written materials into another language.
Start a Vending Machine Business
Shopping alone, driving alone, working alone. If you’re an introvert, this doesn’t frighten you at all. In fact, you probably prefer to do these things solo. A vending machine business route may be exactly what you’re looking for. You can buy a used vending machine on Facebook Marketplace to get started. Sometimes you may even buy machines already at established locations.
Once you have your vending machines and locations to put them, you go to a place like Costco or Sam’s Club. Then you fill the vending machines with candy, chips, snack cakes and drinks. Collect money from the vending machines every two or three weeks. Want to start out small? Begin with candy and bubble gum machines.
The hardest thing about vending machines is getting warehouses and offices to let you put them there. Although the businesses don’t have to pay anything for you to put the machines in their employee break rooms, they may ask for a percentage of your profits. If you’re too nervous about approaching companies for permission to place your vending machines, there are vending machine location services that will help you find locations. But in my research, I’ve learned that it’s best to score your own locations. Do some online research to find out more.
Introverts and Business Ideas
Just because you’re an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t be a successful business owner. There are plenty of business ideas that fit your personality type. And many of them are high demand with low startup costs. The key to finding a great business to earn extra cash is to consider your talents, skills and personality. Whether you have a talent for writing, organization, computer programming, photography, graphic design, social media or anything in between, there’s a side hustle out there waiting for you. You just have to find it.