One Overlooked Skill Could Generate $1K in Monthly Side Income
If you’re among those looking for ways to bring in extra money, a side gig may seem like a good choice. However, a lack of skills or experience may appear to be a big roadblock. Fortunately, it can be easier than you think to land a good-paying side job and add $1,000 or more each month to your income.
Read on to discover the one skill several financial pros told MoneyLion is a good one to learn if you want to regularly boost your bank account without going back to school.
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Learn To Create Content That Sells
Content creation is the one skill pointed out by several experts as the one they’d learn to add $1,000 a month to their income, even if they call it by slightly different names such as writing or sales. Many also noted how learning to use artificial intelligence (AI) to support content creation can significantly boost your earning potential.
“If I had to pick one skill that pays the bills with no degree required, I'd pick sales — specifically the modern version of it [built] around writing offers and copy that get people to say yes, then using AI tools to move faster,” according to Andrew Lokenauth, founder of the blog Fluent in Finance.
Start Out Small
Lokenauth noted he’s watched people learn the basics of persuasive writing and cold outreach in about eight to 10 weeks using free YouTube content plus maybe $200 to $300 in paid courses. He said they then start picking up freelance gigs on Upwork or Fiverr writing emails, ad copy and landing pages for small businesses.
“An extra $1,000 a month from this isn't a stretch,” he added. “Landing three or four small clients at $250 to $400 a project gets you there within the first few months, especially once you've got a couple of testimonials to point to,” he said.
Get Creative and Branch Out
Here’s more good news: The skill compounds, according to Lokenauth.
“Once you can sell, you can sell anything, including your own time, your own business idea or yourself when you're asking an employer for a raise,” he added. “That's why I rank this above almost any other side skill out there.”
Speaking of content creation and AI, Marcus Sturdivant Sr., managing member of The ABC Squared, said learning website design using AI is a skill that can easily pay off quickly. He pointed to a business where the owner went on Yelp, checked out websites for small businesses that had no websites or poor ones, took the reviews and current websites and plugged them into AI, which created a working website.
“He then contacted the owner and offered to upgrade or deliver a website,” Sturdivant said. “I think the site took 30 minutes to build and he charged several hundred dollars a site, maybe $900. Be careful if you take this path, though, as security for the company website may force you to encrypt or stay away from certain businesses. I think his focus was local hardware stores.”
Consider Technical Writing as Another Option
When looking at content creation skills, another area to consider is technical or article writing. You could produce manuals or other content to help users perform better.
“There are many places online where you can get paid to create or edit documents, proofread someone's writing or even write articles for online news sources,” said Brandon Gregg, certified financial planner (CFP), advisor with BBK Wealth Management. “Having this skill could provide extra cash or even turn into a full-time gig depending on the time and effort you want to dedicate to it each month.”
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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