I want to preface these side gig ideas I’m about to give by telling you that you can make $400 turn into a lot more by doing plenty of things. All you have to be is resourceful, know your market and don’t give up when you don’t see results right away, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
I also want to let you all know, that I see plenty of these ideas online where it says you can make ludicrous amounts of money within a really small time frame, word of advice if it sounds too good to be true then it is. One example of that just go look up the recent extension Honey being exposed for bad practices.
But I am going to give you a couple of ideas that I know have worked, I’ve seen people do them close to me, I know some personally and some even turned their side gig into a full blown business that generates them a comfortable amount of income.
1. Buying and Reselling Items
I have seen so many people do this successfully with all kinds of different things, like trading cards, vintage clothes, Jibbitz and old video games. It really depends on what you’re interested in and what kind of market there is or lack thereof.
I know someone who was buying Jibbitz for Crocs on an island and reselling them at a higher price because it was so difficult to get them shipped there. They made a lot of money out of it because nobody else was doing that or had access to them.
I have collected hockey cards for some time now and I know for a fact the money I spent on them isn’t close to the value that they’re worth. If you hold onto certain cards for a while they can turn into a good investment in the long run, I have never sold mine personally as they were a way my grandfather and I bonded.
The important thing to keep in mind when doing these things, is find yourself a niche, know who you’re targeting and what the demographic looks like. You have to know how to sell whatever you’re selling to these people, you also have to evaluate what market prices look like in the moment, when a potential item is a bust or a steal.
2. Rideshare/Delivery Services
Having done this myself I know it can be worth it, key word can. It all depends on the offers available for example: I leveraged Uber’s quests. See how I made a little over $40/hr and $400 in two weekends.
I know other people who do this as a full time thing and they make in between $20-$25 dollars an hour doing it. That all depends on how good your car is, what the peak times look like near you and how many drivers are in the area.
For example Gold, Platinum and Diamond level drivers get “Preferred Orders” that are higher than your typical order, but it also forces them to maintain a high acceptance rate and low cancellation rate. Which in the end usually ends up balancing it out because they’re forced to take small orders too.
But that all depends on how many drivers are in your area with those levels, for example if you have a small town/city with only 1 diamond level driver and the rest are green levels, there’s good chances those green level drivers are going to get higher paying orders too because there isn’t enough other drivers to take those “Preferred Orders”.
It’s a decent side gig and easy to get into, just make sure to inform your car insurance company of what you’re doing as you might not get covered in certain situations and I would hate to hear any of you get stuck in a crappy situation just trying to make more money.
3. Microgreen Farming
If you have a green thumb and like being sort of a salesperson, this is right up your alley. With $400 you can start a relatively small microgreens farming set up even in a one bedroom apartment.
All you’re going to need is trays, a grow light, small rack, seeds and soil to grow them in. The second thing you’ll need is a good amount of determination because there’s a couple of things that can stop this from working properly but once you get past them you’re smooth sailing.
Here are the things that can go wrong:
- Pests
- Mold
- Food Safety & Regulations (check for certifications and local government laws)
- Liability & Legal Risk (foodborne illness, get insurance if necessary)
On a $400 budget, you’ll be running pretty lean but it’s enough to get your foot in the door at local farmers markets and test to see where your product is at. Once a couple of tests come back looking pretty good and you have the process of growing nailed to a tee, then you can start reinvesting your profits from the sales into scaling.
Once you’re comfortable and your operation is growing you can try your hand at selling to restaurants, local stores or just do direct-to-consumer if you have a pretty loyal base that want your products.
Make sure to take into account if there is heavy competition in your area because you don’t want to get squeezed out by a bigger player who already has a huge share of the area you’re trying to break out in. They’ll be able to drop their prices and your profits will shrink overnight depending on how big of a player they are.
4. Photography
If you already have a good camera/phone then this could be perfect for you if you have that eye for detail. A lot of events require a photographer as they give everyone the chance to relive the moment through your skillful picture taking.
With $400 you won’t be able to get yourself a high grade camera, I am going off the assumption you may already have one being a student, freelancer, etc. What the $400 will get you though is potentially more equipment to give you an edge such as a tripod, a website that’ll make you stand out and look more credible, professional and reliable.
You can start off by doing a couple of events for cheap or even free just so you can add that to your repertoire and showcase that to customers who are interested in taking up your services. Once you’re well established and have solid reviews from prior clients, then you can start bumping up your prices and eventually scale through higher quality equipment, event specialization, and even starting a team.
5. Handcrafted Jewelry
I can’t attest to my handcrafting skills other than making something that a toddler would have more talent at. But for those of you out there who enjoy jewelry, are creative and have a knack for making things people want. Then this is just for you.
With $400 you can get a good amount of starting materials like beads, metals, tools even some more advanced kits to get you going in the right direction depending on where you look. I would recommend if you’re just starting out and have no prior experience with jewelry making to look up plenty of tutorials and start with a niche.
It’s easier to gain ground if you have a niche as there won’t be so much competition given that jewelry making is relatively easy to get into so there are going to be quite a few people doing it.
You can start selling locally at farmers markets, school events if you’re a student and reach out to close friends who might be interested in buying from you. Word of mouth goes around quick and soon enough you’ll have a good base of clients.
Once you get established and you have a steady stream of clients then you can start expanding your offering and potentially move to an online platform and scale your business that way.
Thank you for reading!
I appreciate you all taking the time to read this post, it means a lot to me and expect plenty more to come in the future. I know that some of you may not have access to a camera or a car, but what you can do is make the most out of your situation and look for hidden opportunities. You’re really only ever limited by your imagination, an idea is just an idea until you put it into action!
Drop in the comments what your side gig is and how you turned your $400 into something more!