I can’t even tell you how much I love the huge rise in entrepreneurship. It is so motivating to see so many people making the leap and going for their dreams. People these days are finding all kinds of new ways to make additional income. Whether it’s to save for vacation, get out of debt or to help their family stay afloat. It’s easier than ever to find small ways to provide for your and/or your family and do it on your own schedule! Finding extra income sources can help pay for schooling, save money or build wealth. Maybe you are getting schooling for your dream job, maybe you want to save up enough money so that you can make the leap into your dream job. Then again, perhaps all you want is more money to spend on all your favorite things. Whatever the reason, summer is a great time to get serious about making an extra income. Did you know you can get a summer job like a boss? Gone are the teenage days of working retail or waiting tables. Here are 22 summer entrepreneur jobs so you can earn extra cash this summer and be your own boss! 

*This post contains affiliate links through which I may make a commission. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

How to plan for a summer job

• When thinking about getting started with a summer job, it’s important to make sure you have a solid plan in place. It’s a smart idea to make a list of different qualities you want in a job. Be honest about your limitations. Personally, whenever I have had to think about finding part time work, I have always had to consider my children and my husband’s schedule. I needed hours that worked around his and something that allowed me the flexibility to still be with my children all day. This may sound crazy difficult. Little did I know, my dream job (blogging) just happened to fit the description!
• Decide on how much you want to earn/save/make. Set a goal that will help you determine how many hours you work and what pay range will be best for you.
• Think about your talents or availabilities. What do you have to offer that makes you stand out? What makes you different? I once was able to take a test that helped me understand all my strengths. Strengths I knew about but never realized were actually strengths. Knowing your strengths and abilities can help you find a job that is best suited for you.
• Once you have your goals, strengths and ground rules laid out, your decision will be that much easier. Now let’s look at 22 of the different jobs you can do that allow you to make your own hours, work around your family’s schedule and be your own boss.

Helpful posts:

• The Best Self Help Book for Any Aspiring Entrepreneur
• How to Start Your Own Business: the Best Tips from Successful Female Entrepreneurs
• How Starting a Blog Made Me a Better Mom
• Free Blogging Courses from the Top Successful Female Bloggers
• 26 Jobs You Can Do in Your Pajamas (Well, Almost)

Start a blog

I’m going to be totally honest with you, blogging (for most people) doesn’t pay the big bucks right away. You may not see a profit through the entire summer. However, taking the summer months to start a blog that can bring in a profit all year long with multiple streams of passive income could be a huge game changer. Becoming and entrepreneur through blogging is one of the best ways to be your own boss. Plus, you can easily start a blog for around $3 a month. There are just a few things you want to make sure you do in order to make it worth your while.

1. Get a self-hosted site – I use BlueHost and they have been amazing. Even when I took the blog in a whole new direction. Read the whole story here.
2. Do your research – Before you jump into the wide world of blogging, it’s super important to know the basics of how to run a successful blog. I have a free course you can sign up for, otherwise, here are my top recommended blogging courses:

• • Building a Framework – Building a Framework is the best course for getting a new blog up and running. I purchased Building a Framework early on in my blogging career and it completely changed the way I blogged. Abby teaches everything from how to start to how to start making a profit.

• • Food Blogger Pro – Food Blogger Pro is a terrific online course you can take that was created by the creators of Pinch of Yum. They have seen tremendous growth from their food blog and share all their knowledge with you to help you succeed as well.

• • Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing – Affiliate marketing is a great way to create an income from your blog. So much so that one blogger is able to travel full time making over $200K per month with her blog. 

• Pitch Perfect Live – Pitch Perfect is a course I took hosted by successful blogger, Jenny Melrose. She will walk you step by step through how to pitch to brands and what to do once you’ve got them.

Less than a year after starting my blog, I was making more than I did working part-time outside the home. Now I make my own hours, am able to homeschool my kids all day and do something that I truly love. Sharing with other’s different ways to gain financial freedom while also providing my own financial freedom has been amazing.

Helpful posts:

• How to Turn a Blog Into an Extra Income
• How I Increased My Page Views from 10K to 125K in 3 Months
• Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Honest Review
• How I Grew My E-mail List From 500 to 5,000

Write a book

The site blurb.com is the perfect place for anyone who has ever dreamed of creating their own book. Creating your own self-published book is a great way to be your own boss and be more in control of your writing. This might be a picture book, storybook, cookbook, novel or memoir. If you have always been wanting to get your talents put into a book for the world to see, Blurb is the way to do it! Not only do they offer a wide variety of options to fit your financial needs, but you will also get 20% off your first order and discounts if you purchase in bulk.

If you are famously known for your kitchen talents, get a cookbook together and start selling those recipes for a profit! Have a stack of poems you have been sitting on, but have been too afraid to share? Now is the time to make that leap. You can start printing 20-page paperback books just for $3 a piece.

Maybe the idea of filling your home with books makes you a little nervous. Don’t worry, Blurb has got you covered with their eBook option. Create your book, edit any mistakes and sell them online! This makes it even easier to share with friends and family through social media and in Blurb’s very own book store!

If writing is a passion of yours, check out Writers Work LLC to get help finding writing jobs, find clients and learn about how much you should be charging for your work.

Amazon Flex 

I recently learned about Amazon Flex, and while they are still branching out to expand more and more, this might be a great option for those of you located in places like Boston, New York, Virginia, Maryland, and San Fransisco.

What Amazon Flex does is give people the option of delivering Amazon packages straight to people’s doors. This is similar to Uber…except with packages! After reading different stories from those who have tried it, one of the major perks I have heard of (besides the awesome pay) is that parents have been able to take their children with them! If you have a family where one spouse works odd hours or you can’t afford daycare, looking into Amazon Flex might be the perfect solution for you! You choose your own hours and get to be your own boss while still working for a company that pays well for your time.

Start a Subscription Box!

More and more people are becoming entrepreneurs by starting their own subscription box. These boxes are such a fun surprise to have landing on your door each month. Have you ever had a great idea for a subscription box and you love putting together little care packages? Then this might be the perfect thing for you to start! CrateJoy is a company that has literally everything you need to start your very own subscription box company and start working from home right away.

They will set you up with a website, plus access to their online marketplace where people can easily find your boxes! And they offer training as well so you are sure to succeed. You can read my full outline on CrateJoy here, or you can get started with a 2 week free trial right now!

Sell Your Stuff

Decluttering is one of my favorite past times and lately, I have actually enjoyed making money from it! Clearing through your old, unused stuff can actually make you some big bucks with sites like Decluttr. Just enter the information for what you’re selling and Decluttr will quote you a price for how much they will pay you! Just ship your items to Decluttr for free and once they have processed everything, you get paid! It’s really very simple! So if you already had plans to clean house and have a garage sale, save yourself the trouble and sell with Decluttr.

Become a virtual assistant

More and more businesses both big and small are turning to the help of a virtual assistant. You can find a variety of jobs as a virtual assistant depending on your individual skills. This could mean typing documents, responding to e-mails, or setting up schedules. A lot of bloggers or website owners are always looking for virtual assistants to help them run their businesses in a variety of ways. Being a virtual assistant, you may not be your own boss, but you can choose just what kind of work you want to get into.

Help People Accessorize

If you are a fashionista who loves the idea of helping people perfect their style, you would be perfect for a company like Stella & Dot. Founded by two women who named the company after their grandmother’s, Stella & Dot is laid out specifically to help women become successful entrepreneurs. There is a section on their About Me page that reads, “Named after our grandmothers, Stella & Dot honors that generation of women who crossed oceans, rolled up their sleeves, won the vote, raised kids, went off to work, and did it all with style and grace. Today, this is how they’d do it.” –How empowering is that? They offer handcrafted jewelry and accessories that you can sell to people from home or however you choose!

You can get started for as little as $199! This kit includes $350 worth of Stella & Dot jewelry! On top of that, you will earn 25-30% in product discounts, and up to 35% commission. You set your own hours and get to be your own boss by deciding where and how much you sell!

Drive for Uber

Uber Driver

With Uber you can drive when you want, chill when you want. Your hours are entirely up to you! Plus you can get paid up to five times per day with InstantPay! Uber also offers discounts through certain phone companies as well as other additional incentives in your city! Read about all the perks here.

UberEATS Driver

Maybe you’re not into driving people around. That’s ok, with UberEATS, you deliver food, not people! Let people select from their favorite foods from around town and deliver them strait to their door! UberEATS also isn’t picky to your mode of transportation! Maybe you’d enjoy getting your workout in while you work? That’s cool, because taking a bike may very well be an option depending on your location! Check out all the options with UberEATS.

Teach Kids in Other Countries

VIPKid

Set your own hours by teaching online with  VIPKid. If you have a bachelors degree you can apply today and get started this summer! This is especially great for people who are already teaching and are wanting to supplement their income during their summer months! With VIPKid you can earn between $14 and $22 an hour teaching English online to over 32 countries!

With VIPKid you get flexibility to choose your schedule, plus you don’t have to worry about lesson plans! They have everything you need to get started. With over 30,000 teachers, VIPKid hopes to inspire and empower everyone for the future! Plus, it’s free to apply! <–

SayABC

SayABC – Earn up to $21 per 40 minute session teaching English online with SayABC.

All lessons are pre-loaded and you get to set your own hours. Have fun teaching online from home to some of the over 5,000 students currently enrolled.

QKids

Don’t have your degree yet? No big deal! With QKids you may be eligible to teach Enlighsh online even if you are currently enrolled in a university program. Get more information!

Rent your space

If you have the means, this is by far one of the easiest ways to earn an additional income. You can quickly and easy get your home, spare room or even an RV up on AirBNB and use it to start bringing in an additional income.

Many people have chosen this option to help get themselves out of debt. It’s easier than ever with a variety of options to fit each individuals unique situation. People have even chose to live with relatives while renting out their homes. Summer may be the best time to take advantage of something like this!

Your options

There are many options available to you when it comes to making an income with Airbnb. Often times people assume they need an entire house located on the beach in order to find interested renters. This is not the case. In my small “neck of the woods,” located about 30-40 minutes outside the Twin Cities of Minnesota, my monthly potential for renting just a room in my home is estimated at over $600 per month! Checkout AirBNB’s quick calculator to give you an instant idea of what you stand to make. Here are some ways to rent:

Entire house

Obviously, this is a common option on Airbnb. People rent out their entire home or vacation home in order to make a bigger profit. After checking the estimated profits for our house, we could easily make enough to pay for our mortgage each month! That’s pretty exciting. Now, location does definitely play a role. For example, if we had a home directly in Minneapolis, our earnings instantly double when compared to our home in the suburbs.

Private room

If you have empty rooms in your home and are needing an additional income, I highly suggest getting setup with Airbnb. You really have nothing to lose! People with a spare room often begin looking for roommates. That’s definitely a smart move in order to guarantee a consistent monthly payment. However, with Airbnb you have the option to rent your spare room only when you choose. If entering into a year-long rental agreement with a roommate seems too stressful, Airbnb might just be the perfect alternative.

Private suite

A private suite is similar to a private room with a little bit extra. Maybe you have a room with a private bathroom or even a small kitchen setup? Score! This benefits you as well as your guests. People who want their own privacy and amenities will enjoy paying a little less for a private suite versus an entire house and you stand to make more than if you just rented a room.

RV

I have also seen RVs for rent on Airbnb. My husband and I have looked into this because we have always considered getting our own RV someday. This option is perfect for people who may want to travel but don’t want to be stuck in one place! What a perfect way to make money off something that may just be spending its days taking up space in your driveway!

Get started with Airbnb

Photographer

Portraits

Do you love taking photos? Have a DSLR camera? Why not use your skills and help out some family and friends who might need family photos taken? This can be just as simple as giving a shoutout on Facebook and letting people know you’re available to do their photos.

I became an entrepreneur when I started my own photography business. It started small by doing baby photos and family portraits at local parks. I put adds on Craigslist for $25-$50 photo sessions just to get my feet wet. This allowed me to build a client base and get experience. Soon word spread and I was charging hundreds. –Keep in mind, my skills had also improved greatly! Doing for photography, you set the schedule, be your own boss and put your creativity to good use!

Sell online

If you aren’t into taking portrait style photos and enjoy photographing nature, architecture or something else that catches your eye. Try selling your photos on sites like:

• iStockphoto
• Shutterstock
• SmugMug Pro
• 500px Prime
• Etsy

Most of these sites offer a great price for your images, although it may take a while to bring in a profit from them.

Sell on Amazon or Ebay

I am seeing more and more people who are buying marked down, garage sale, or thrift store items and then selling them for a profit through Amazon or eBay. While this side hustle takes some investing and some researching, there are people making $100,000 per year doing it! In fact, Jessica from The Selling Family, was able to supplement her husband’s income which allowed him to quit his full time, stressful job. Learn how they did it with their free 7-day course!

Catering

Are you crazy talented in the kitchen? Looking into starting your own catering or baking business can be a great additional income. Catering rules and guidelines vary from state to state to be sure to look into what it would require for you as an individual. If this does sound like something you would be great at, consider just how many weddings and grad parties take place throughout the summer!

If you are a talented baker, you could make a killing by decorating cakes, cupcakes or other desserts for these big events. Most people are looking to save costs on and may be looking for a small business to purchase from.

Just like baking, having delicious, hearty meals prepared is always in high demand. While this may require kitchen upgrades, it’s definitely something you could start small with. People pay for catering all the time through local food chains. If you are constantly complimented on your delicious foods, maybe it’s time you start cashing in as well.

Makeup artist

There is a woman in my area who has been killing it in the makeup artist department. She started small, doing makeup for people she knew and sharing tutorials on YouTube. Now it seems she is going all week long with new clients for weddings, proms and everything in between. If you are skilled in the beauty department, start letting people know about it. People will take notice. Most people aren’t genuinely concerned with whether or not you went to school for makeup necessarily, the proof is in the work you do!

Graphic Design

While this one requires more training and skill, remember, we live in a digital world. People are always needing posters, ads, cards, invitations and quality websites for their businesses. Establishing yourself as a quality graphic designer can help you start getting work and often times you will be able to do all the work from your own home.

Natural Beauty Products

Have you perfected creating homemade natural beauty products? Maybe with essential oils, environmental friend or cruelty-free ingredients? If this is something you have already experimented with and enjoy doing, start making a name for yourself! Not only can you easily create an online store for selling your products, you could also look into selling at local stores. More and more places are accepting contributions from local vendors to sell their unique products. There is a high demand for these kinds of natural beauty products, so jump on the bandwagon!

Run an Online Boutique

I have watched a few friends start and launch their very own online boutiques and it has been so cool to watch their successes! If you are a fashion lover who wants to make your own calls, starting your own boutique is a great option! There are, of course, a  few steps to take before launching because you want to make sure you get started on the right foot.

Affiliate Marketing

Please, please, please look into affiliate marketing if you are looking for a simple way to start making an additional income! There are multiple platforms that you can use affiliate marketing including social media channels. If you are a natural sharer, this is a perfect choice for you. All it takes is promoting some of your favorite brands, products or stores and making a commission from anyone who purchases or clicks on your links!

On a blog

I use affiliate marketing all the time on the blog and I never do it just to make a quick buck. Anything I ever recommend is something I truly recommend. Most bloggers use their affiliate links the same way. It’s pretty easy to find those who just toss their links in. If you choose to start using affiliate links in your blog content, make sure you are honest and honorable when you do so. And always let people know when your posts contain affiliate links!

On social media

Using affiliate links on social media is a great way to share new or exciting opportunities with your followers as long as you disclose that you are using affiliate links.

Pinterest

I just learned about affiliate links on Pinterest and how easy they are to create. Basically, you can easily create a pin, share it and make a commission if anyone chooses to purchase or click on it.

Get informed

Just like any other new venture, make sure you are informing yourself! There are a lot of ins and outs to affiliate marketing, and the best course by far is Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. Michelle is a blogger who makes over $50,000 a MONTH with affiliate marketing. She knows her stuff and she shares all of her knowledge in her course! 

Professional Declutterer

This is my dream job, folks. The idea of going through houses and tossing, reselling or giving away items brings me joy to no end. However, I get too “in the zone” and don’t think I could do it with the amount of patience that is required. Many people do this (as you may have seen on shows like Hoarders) for a living. Don’t worry though, your clients don’t have to be major hoarders, there are often elderly people who are transitioning to assisted living homes and need help working their way through their possessions. This requires a lot of patience and understanding from a person who is assisting because they are saying goodbye to big pieces of their life.

Stager

Here is another job I would love to do. (But this isn’t all about me.) You know the end of Fixer Upper when Joanna Gaines stays in the house and styles it beautifully before the big unveiling? That could be you! Many real estate companies partner with people to help their clients with staging their homes to help them sell faster. This was something I loved doing whenever we moved. It’s also something that probably lead me more toward minimalism. There was so much peace and beauty in living in a house that was decluttered, open and simple. Building up a reputation in this department may be a little tougher and would probably be easier to start for someone who has an interior design degree or design experience.

Flip Furniture

If you are a big fan of the chalk paint movement, why not try making a profit from it? Personally, I have found free furniture or extremely marked down pieces and have brought them home and painted them right into the decor of our home. There was once a free dresser on the side of the road that is now painted a dark grey in my son’s room. Imagine how thrilled I was when a friend of mine came to my house and questioned me about where I got this dresser because she wanted something similar for her son’s room!

Get creative

No matter what you choose, make sure you are getting creative and using your talents to the best of your ability. If kids can make money by selling lemonade on the side of the road, you certainly can find a way to create your own income! In fact you can make a lot of money just taking surveys online! Try either of these:

• iSay – iSay is a survey company that gives you rewards just for voicing your opinion! Collect points and redeem for gift cards or shop at the iSay market. You can even create your own polls!
• Springboard America – Springboard America is a survey company that is interested in learning more about the values, attitudes, and taste of Americans. By signing up you will even be entered to win $1,000.

Everyone has different talents and different amounts of time on their hands. Use yours to the best of your ability. Everything I have posted here is ideas to get you started, but maybe you have something totally different in your mind. Do your researched and don’t doubt yourself for a second!

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