Top 10 Ways To Make A Living In The Gig Economy

[COMPETITION: This list contains a competition! See the bonus item at the bottom of the list for more details.] The economy is a tricky thing, and that’s become clear to anyone witnessing the coronavirus affecting a possible global recession. If you find yourself being unable to go to work out of your company’s fear of infection, or are simply trying to make some money working on the side, the Gig Economy may be right for you.

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A gig is a single job carried out by a specialist (you), and it can be anything from walking a dog to narrating an audiobook. Breaking into the Gig Economy can be difficult for people who aren’t already knowledgeable, so this list highlights the ten best ways anyone (that means you!) can make a living in the Gig Economy.

10 Ridesharing

Odds are, you already know about ridesharing, as the platform has expanded all over the world in the past decade. If you’re unfamiliar, the concept revolves around “sharing” your ride with anyone who needs one. You can accept a gig to pick someone up or decline it if you’re unable or unwilling. Companies like Uber let their drivers do whatever they want in terms of how often they want to work, leaving it entirely up to you. If you’re looking to become an Uber driver, it’s one of the easiest things you can do.

Head on over to their website or use their app on your phone and follow the links/taps to become a driver. You need to have an account, and then all the system requires is a little bit of information on who you are, what city you will be working in, and what type of car you drive. There are tons of Uber drivers who only work a few hours in the evening or on weekends to supplement their income, as it’s a great way to pick up some extra cash.

9 Scooter Charging

You know those annoying scooters people are leaving all over the place in your city? They are found pretty much everywhere there’s a large population, and the scooters themselves can be somewhat of an eyesore. Despite this, they are incredibly fun to ride and offer an inexpensive way of getting around when walking isn’t a desirable alternative. Now, you can’t make any money by leasing your own scooter to the public without a license and a lot of cash, but you can make tons by charging the ones you see lying about.

Companies like Bird rely heavily on people like you to keep their equipment charged, which is why you never see them plugged into anything along the street. You can sign up to become a scooter charger and fulfill your gig by driving around, picking up a Bird scooter, take it home, and charge it. Then, just return it to a spot in the city, and collect your cash the following morning. It’s up to you how many scooters you want to charge, which makes this type of gig great for anyone willing to collect, charge, and release scooters in their city.

8 Fiverr

Fiverr is a platform where people can post their specific skills and wait for customers to place orders with them. This is a standard gig model, and each task, skill, or project you advertise on the site is called a “gig.” Fiverr gets its name from the base cost of using the service, but don’t worry—it doesn’t cost creators anything to use. The way it works is, you go to Fiverr.com and look through the various skills they offer, which can be anything from drawing a person as a zombie to recording your impression of Christopher Walken on someone’s answering machine.

Whatever your particular set of skills may be, there’s a good chance you will find a place to advertise them on Fiverr. The service doesn’t cost you anything upfront, but Fiverr will take its cut with a 20% deduction from the total cost of your offered service. So, if you work as a professional video spokesperson for $5, you will receive $4 for your work. That’s just the base amount, and there are plenty of people who charge much more for their services on Fiverr.

7 UpWork

UpWork is a service/website that functions as a pairing service of sorts. Let’s say you enjoy proofreading manuscripts. You go to UpWork and build a CV/Resume, where you list that as one of your skills. You then rate your skill based on your experience. This enables anyone using UpWork to find a proofreader to vet you and determine if you’re the right candidate for their particular job. The best thing about UpWork is that you can list all sorts of services you can provide, and you can set your fees, availability, and skill level.

The difference between UpWork and other gig sites is that you don’t have to simply wait for someone to hire or purchase your gig. You can seek out employment through the website or app, and link your information with a client seeking services. A proofreader might stumble upon a person asking for an editor or proofreader to help them with their thesis, and see that they are offering $300 to do it. If that works for you, UpWork will link you to one another and facilitate the deal.

6 FlexJobs

FlexJobs may be the name for the site, but it’s also an accurate description of what you’ll find there. With FlexJobs, you can find remote jobs that are either single gigs, part-time, or even full-time employment. In order to post on FlexJobs, you need to be fully vetted by the site, which is an added layer of security for both you and the client. This helps to eliminate the scams you will find on other sites like it, but that security does come at a cost. Unlike the other gig opportunities on this list, you will have to pay to use FlexJobs.

You can choose to pay $14.95 a month, or a single annual payment of $49.99, and while that’s a considerable sum of money to part within a Gig Economy, the services offered through FlexJobs make it worthwhile. In addition to security, you will also receive resume assistance, advice from experts, and numerous opportunities to work, however, and whenever you want. The gigs available here are filled with possibilities, but you have to commit some cash to take advantage of them, which can turn some people away.

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5 TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit is the perfect app for people who need a job done around their home or office. Need a lightbulb changed in your entryway that’s 30 feet up? Head over to TaskRabbit, and you will be able to find someone with a ladder suitable to the task. If you sign up to take on gigs through TaskRabbit, you are offering any and all services you’re capable of offering. Are you particularly good at mounting televisions? Do you know how to fix a toilet, but aren’t going to charge an arm and a leg as a professional plumber would? If you answered yes to those, you might be a Tasker!

Essentially, the app links people with handymen and women capable of doing tasks the client either doesn’t want to do or can’t. You get to choose how much you will charge for your services on TaskRabbit, and you set the rules and conditions of your work. Prospective clients can use the app to find you, and once connected, you negotiate when, where, and how the task will be completed for them. It’s simple, it’s easy, and doesn’t cost you anything up-front. TaskRabbit makes money by charging 15% for every completed job.

4 Amazon Flex

You may have noticed that your Amazon.com deliveries were arriving at various times throughout the day and often on Sundays. They aren’t getting to you via the postal service; most Amazon packages are delivered from local warehouses via Amazon Flex. The service enlists the aid of anyone willing to deliver packages, and the amount and area you deliver to is entirely up to you. All you need is a car capable of fitting a ton of boxes, time, and a cellphone.

When you sign up for Amazon Flex, you have flexible hours where you can show up to the warehouse, grab a palette of orders, and take them to their destinations throughout the city. You can track your earnings through the app, and expect to make between $18 and $25 per hour with some drivers earning more. Because Amazon delivers boxes on Sundays, you can do this in addition to your day job, or instead of it, and Amazon is always looking for new people to deliver their ever-expanding plethora of boxes.

3 Rover

Do you love dogs and enjoy walking them? Now, you can get paid for it with Rover, a service that connects people like you to loving pet owners. Rover is like any gig service; only it’s entirely tailored to our four-legged friends. There are four primary services the site offers, including dog boarding, house sitting, drop-in visits, and doggy daycare. Rover has become especially popular in cities where people live in apartments with dogs and don’t have the time to walk them during the day.

Once you become a Sitter with Rover, you can be the person who goes into those apartments, feeds the cat, scoops the litter, takes the dog for a walk, and makes sure everything is safe and secure for the animals. With Rover, you are offering peace of mind, and a valuable service most pet owners need at one time or another. Rover doesn’t let just anyone become a Sitter, so don’t get into it if you’re not serious. You will be vetted and insured by the company, which lets the pet owners know you can be trusted and protects you as you fulfill your gigs.

2 InstaCart

These days, going shopping can be a hassle, and that’s why there’s an app for that! InstaCart is the service that lets people shop from home and have it delivered fast and reliably. You can use the app to purchase whatever you want from grocery stores, pet supply stores, retail outlets, and pretty much anything offered in your area. The app then connects to one of its many Shoppers, who then pick up your ordered items and brings them to you in your home.

Becoming a Shopper is fast and easy, and like the other gig opportunities on this list, the rate you work and what you’re willing to do is entirely up to you. You can choose to be a Full-Service Shopper who shops for a customer and delivers it to their home. Or, if you’re not able or willing to do that, you can be an In-Store Shopper, where you put together a customer’s items for them or another Shopper to pick up. It’s entirely up to you.

1 Listverse

Listverse publishes 2-3 articles a day, and the work is submitted by readers—just like you—willing to write for the site. Writing for Listverse may seem like a daunting task if you’ve never written online before, but it’s much easier than you may think. My first published article was released right here, a little over five years ago, and from there, I’ve grown to write for a number of sites online. The best part about writing for Listverse is the pay, which amounts to $100 per list, each and every time. Some writers who have contributed to the site for years have made in excess of $30,000, and that’s an opportunity open to anyone willing to write for us.

Writing for Listverse isn’t super simple, but it’s not impossibly difficult either. The hardest part is coming up with an idea that hasn’t been done on the site before. If you have a new take on an old concept, that can work as well. There are a few articles on the site that you can check out to help you get started here, here, and here. Even if you aren’t sure of your writing skills, you can find something that interests you and work on it for submission. You can reach out to the writers on the site for assistance, and once you’ve sold your first article to Listverse, you will find that it gets easier with experience and you may even end up having lists commissioned from you. It’s a rewarding achievement financially and personally.

If you want to write for Listverse, the journey starts right here.

+ “Become A Zombie” Competition

Jonathan, the author of this list, is also a brilliant artist who takes his own advice and sells zombification services through Fiverr. Twenty four hours after the publication of this list (Midnight tonight pacific time), we will choose ten commenters at random to win a free standard full color Zombie portrait courtesy of Jonathan. The only rules are that your comment must relate to this list in some way and you must be registered to comment (sorry anonymous guys – you miss out this time!). You must also comply with the terms and conditions of Fiverr and Jonathan personally (no children zombies for example). So get commenting and good luck!

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