AFFILIATE MARKETING
4 Gen Z side hustle and passive income ideas
Everyone is getting in on the side hustle craze. More than a third of Gen Xers, 36%, currently have a side gig, according to a May 2022 Zapier survey of 2,032 U.S. adults. And nearly two thirds of both Gen Zers and millennials have one, 59% and 61%, respectively. Gen Zers, specifically, make an average of $9,537 per year on their side hustles.
If you’re a member of that younger generation and are looking to cash in on the trend, there are plenty of hustles for you to consider. “Think about what stage in life you’re in,” says side hustle expert Kevin Ha. “You’ve got more time, probably, you’ve got the ability to live unconventionally because you’re probably by yourself.”
Here are four side hustles for Gen Z to consider.
Affiliate marketing
If social media is already second nature, you may have wondered or looked into how to monetize it.
“According to Instagram’s Trend Report, two thirds of Gen Z plan to use social media to make money this year,” says Jen Glantz, founder of Bridesmaid for Hire and the creator of the Monday Pick-Me-Up and Odd Jobs newsletter. “And the best part about that is you don’t need to be an influencer or have a million followers.”
One way to do this is through affiliate marketing. “What that means is that you promote products with a special link and if people click that link and buy, you make money,” says Glantz. You can apply to Amazon’s affiliate marketing program for example, or log onto your favorite brands’ site to see if they offer affiliate options.
Influencer Shannon Smith makes $8,600 per month in passive income from affiliate marketing on her social media posts. She suggests taking note of how other people are creating popular content and focusing on a niche subject matter and product.
Virtual assisting
Another option to consider is virtual assisting. What “virtual assistant” means can span the gamut.
“Maybe you’re really great at Excel, or you’re great at Google Docs, or you’re great at Photoshop or you’re really, really good at organization,” says Glantz. “Whatever your core skills are, you can get paid to assist someone virtually in those skills.”
Try offering your services on sites like Fiverr or Upwork, or looking for virtual assisting gigs on LinkedIn, dedicated Facebook groups or sites like Belay or Robert Half.
Virtual assistants on Upwork charge as much as $75 per hour.
Secret shopping
If you’re a fan of buying things or eating out, you might consider secret shopping.
Sites like Secret Shopper or BestMark pay or reimburse shoppers for checking the customer experience of retailers, restaurants and other business, usually between $10 to $25 per shop, according to Sidehus.com. Reviewers have been sent to a salon to see if they honored a free first visit coupon and to a video game store to see if they’d sell a game for mature audiences to an underage kid.
When it comes to restaurant assignments, “for Gen Z, it’s a good option because it’s free food,” says Ha, adding that at a young age, “you probably have more flexibility to go out to eat.” Ha himself says he made $1,700 in 2022 using secret shopping website Market Force.
Food delivery
Speaking of food, another side hustle Gen Zers might consider is food delivery. Depending on what stage of life you’re in, recent grads or college students often live in “dense areas with young people ordering food,” says Ha. That means if you take on this, you won’t have to go far to make your deliveries. “You can just be in your apartment waiting for orders,” he says.
Ha recommends using sites like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub. Ha himself delivers on his bike to save money on gas and get some fresh air and exercise. In October 2022, he says he made almost $675 delivering food with these apps.
Whatever you decide to do, know that you’re developing skills that could feed into your career. Before you dive in, ask yourself, what’s an industry you’d like to explore? Where do you want to be in five or ten years?
Bottom line, says Glantz, ask yourself, “how can this side hustle benefit my future career?”
Check out:
4 side hustles for introverts: Some can bring in tens of thousands of dollars
3 in-demand side hustles to start in 2023―one pays up to $100 per hour
9 in-demand side hustles that can be done from home—and how much they pay
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AFFILIATE MARKETING
Gen Z Is Choosing Trade Schools as a Fast Track to Business
It’s no secret that Gen Z is entrepreneurial, with research showing that the majority would take a social media creator job over a standard 9-to-5. Nearly half are going the extra mile by starting a side hustle to be able to afford “the normal stuff.”
Now, new research shows that trade school could also play into Gen Z’s entrepreneurial aspirations, especially with rising AI capabilities and growing education costs.
According to a January National Student Clearinghouse report, vocational community college enrollment has grown 16% since 2018. Growth was concentrated mainly in cities and suburbs, which recorded 3.5% and 3.7% respective increases in students opting for trade programs.
Last year’s version of the report found that enrollment in programs across the construction, culinary, and mechanic trades increased 19.3%, 12.7%, and 11.5% respectively from 2021 to 2022.
“We’re seeing that 75% of Gen Z is saying they are interested in being an entrepreneur,” career coach and The Ramsey Show co-host Ken Coleman told Fox Business. “They want to work for themselves… trades offer a quicker, cheaper path to being able to work for themselves, create jobs for other people, and plug into—which is the real backbone of our economy—small business.”
While students were choosing trade schools in higher numbers, fewer were deciding to go for a four-year undergraduate degree.
A separate April report from the National Student Clearinghouse detailed that the number of students completing undergraduate degrees dropped by nearly 3% in the 2022 to 2023 school year — continuing an overall decline from the previous year.
In an NPR article published last week, Sy Kirby, a 32-year-old who owns a construction company, said he knew early that he was going to choose a trade school — and he has no regrets.
Kirby chose to work at a local water department when he was 19 years old rather than go to college, he told NPR. He calls Gen Z the “toolbelt generation,” a term also used by The Wall Street Journal.
“I was facing a lot of pressure for a guy that knew for a fact that he wasn’t going to college,” Kirby told NPR. “I knew I wasn’t going to sit in a classroom, especially since I knew I wasn’t going to pay for it.”
AFFILIATE MARKETING
This Set of Chef’s Knives Is Nearly $300 Off
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
Cooking at home can be great for busy professionals because it’s budget-friendly, easier to stay healthy, and meditative. Whether you’re a home cook or an entrepreneur on the hunt for a unique gift that could stand out to a colleague, potential business partner, or friend, this limited-time deal is well worth checking out.
This Seido Japanese Master Chef’s 8-Piece Knife Set comes with a gift box and is on sale for $109.97 (reg. $429). These high-quality knives are made with very durable and strong high-carbon stainless steel. Their forged construction incorporates a sloped bolster and acute 15° angles (compared to the typical 25° seen more commonly with Western knives).
This set includes the following knives:
- 8″ chef’s knife
- 8″ slicing knife
- 8″ bread knife
- 7″ cleaver
- 7″ Santoku knife
- 5″ Santoku knife
- 6″ boning knife
- 3.5″ paring knife
To add an air of high-class presentation to this deal, it also comes with a stylish gift box that can securely store the knives for travel or passing on to a business partner.
This set has an impressive 4.6/5 star average rating among verified purchasers. One recent perfect five-out-of-five star review reads, “Affordable price. Excellent workmanship. Fast shipment. Overall, great product that’s hard to beat.”
Discover the quality of a high-end set of knives to improve your home cooking, or gift them to someone you work with.
This Seido™ Japanese Master Chef’s 8-Piece Knife Set comes with a gift box and is on sale for $109.97 (reg. $429).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
Gear up for Summer Camping with $22 Off This Power Bank Flashlight
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
Summer is almost here and spending time outdoors is known to ease stress and anxiety and enhance cognition. If you plan on spending some time in the great outdoors with clients, employees, or family, you should make sure you have the right tools. We’re not talking about tents and camping stoves; we’re talking about emergency tools, like this Outdoor Flashlight with Flame Simulator & 2400mAh Power Bank.
This light can keep your devices powered up, which keeps you reachable and able to handle any potential work emergencies. It also has a cool LED screen that simulates a campfire to add to the fun.
Most importantly, this outdoor flashlight provides ultra-bright LED lighting to give you visibility at night. The fireplace simulator mode also adds some light, with an adjustable flame setting that helps set the ambiance and provides some additional visibility while mimicking a real fire.
The durable flashlight is made with COB technology to provide a bright and even light output and is rechargeable via a USB-C charger or via solar panels during the day. It can last for up to 24 hours on a single charge and is built to withstand all weather conditions.
And perhaps best of all, it features a compact, portable design that makes it easy to pack in your car or carry in your backpack. Whether you’re going fully off the grid or just spending a night in the backyard with the family, it will come in handy.
Gear up for summer entertaining and fun.
Right now, you can get this Outdoor Flashlight with Flame Simulator and 2400mAh Power Bank for just $39.99, a 36% savings from the original price of $62.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
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