Side hustles have been all the rage for the last few years, and I have mixed feelings on them. For one, it is a great way to earn extra income, learn new skills, and potentially forge a new career path. Some people have turned their side hustle into their full-time job, allowing them to leave behind a 9-5 they didn’t love. I generally think side hustles are also a better way to spend free time compared to binging Netflix or doom scrolling on social media.
What I do not enjoy about side hustles is that in some personal finance circles, side hustles also seem like some sort of “requirement.” That you should always be hustling. That you are somehow lazy if you ONLY have a main 9-5. I think we have enough societal “requirements” and having a second job should not be normalized for individuals and families who lead busy and productive lives outside of their 40 hour work weeks.
Why am I writing about them today? One reason:
Small business credit cards.
Small business credit cards are a great way to earn additional points and miles that are separate from your personal cards. They often have different rewards structures allowing you to earn extra rewards in spend categories not often found on personal cards such as office supply stores and shipping expenses. The cards also could have higher sign-up bonuses. Honestly, small business credit cards just open up a new world for you if you are trying to accumulate as many points and miles as possible to travel the world.
“But I Don’t Have A Small Business”
Not having a small business is one of the reasons why many beginners in the points and miles game automatically exclude themselves from these cards. I used to be this way as well before I started collecting hundreds of thousands of rewards points through my small business cards.
This is where the side hustle comes in.
A side hustle counts as a small business no matter how small, and no matter the age of your small business. Many think of a small business as having a store front and selling products or services to the general public, but this isn’t the case. Today I’m going to provide a few small business side hustle suggestions that qualify for small business cards. You may already have a small business and not realize it!
Dog Walking
Are you a pet lover and already have a dog that you walk? Do you already walk dogs for others when they are away on vacation? You have a small business!
Dog walking can be a low effort and minimal time commitment for a small business. If you are not already a dog walker then start asking your family, friends and neighbors if they need one. There is zero or no start-up costs of doing this and as an added bonus you get to hang out with dogs!
If you do not know any dog owners you could sign up for a platform like Rover or Wag. These platforms connect dog owners with dog walkers. You will probably make less using these sites compared to going out on your own, however this could be a better way to meet dog owners if you do not know any.
House Sitting
House Sitting could potentially be combined with dog walking, or could serve as a nice stand-alone side hustle. The great aspect about these two side hustles is the no or low startup costs and that no specialty skills are required. If you have friends, families or neighbors who will be out of town for a few days or weeks, and they pay you to take care of household chores while they are away then you have a small business!
Like dog sitting, there are online platforms that connect house sitters with those who need house sitting services, but, again, you would likely make less because the platform would probably take a commission. The one advantage of establishing yourself as a house sitter online though would be the ability to travel and house sit at the same time. There are a ton of people who reduce the costs of their vacations or travel by house sitting in their destination city. These jobs could be for weeks at a time though, but it would be a great way to travel cheaper for a longer period of time.
Childcare
If you are providing childcare in your spare time and are getting paid for it then you also have a small business. This is a great side hustle for my younger readers, however this is a great pick for anyone since there are no startup costs. Family, friends, neighbors, your place of worship, or your broader community is a great place to start if you are interested in providing childcare.
Reselling
Are you great at bargain hunting? Always the one in your friend group who can find the best deal? Have you cleaned out your closet lately? Reselling could be the side hustle for you.
If you are reselling any goods online, or in person then you qualify for a small business credit card. If you want to keep this a no cost side hustle then I recommend starting with items in your home to resell that you no longer want to keep. You could sell items online on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or any other online platforms in addition to consignment stores. Once you have sold all the goods from your home you could search online for free items that could be of value that you could turn around and sell.
If you want to take this a step further and put some of your own money into this side hustle then you can find items to buy low and resell at a higher value. Some people even make a full-time living out of this! If you are a frequent shopper or have knowledge of certain types of products then you have an advantage on how to find good deals that you could resell at a higher value.
Final Thoughts
The purpose of sharing these ideas was to show you how easy it is to be a small business owner. This list was to give you a few ideas that would require no or limited startup costs to show you how easy it is to qualify for a small business credit card. Of course, if you have other small business ideas that you are passionate about then go for it! Your small business can open you up to a whole new world of points and miles earning potential that are separate from personal credit cards.