Times are changing; relying on one job to survive is a death trap. One minute you have a secure job, and the next minute a severance letter has found its way to your desk or email inbox. What happens afterwards is very traumatising for the affected individual. With no plan B, accumulated debts, and changes in diet, the situation becomes dire.
Aside from the threat of termination, your salary does not even cover half of your expenditures. This highlights the need for additional sources of income.
That’s why having a side hustle is important. In times such as these, termination does not lead to starvation because you have a backup source of income. Here are a few hustles you could consider to help keep that extra cash coming in:
#1. Plastic Collection
Specifically, PET (polyethene terephthalate) collection is in high gear because of its regular use. From drinking water bottles and soda bottles to makeup tins and peanut butter tins, the demand is significant. In Uganda, 600 metric tonnes of plastic are produced daily, and only 40% of this is collected. By recycling plastic, you will be contributing to environmental preservation while at the same time earning some extra cash.
Ordinarily, recycling plants purchase 1 kg of plastic for UGX 800, while smaller plastic collectors purchase a kilo for UGX 300 to UGX 400. All this depends on the set price in your community and your bargaining capabilities. For organisations like Taka Taka and Eco Brixis, whose main goal is to eradicate poverty and create jobs for community members, their purchasing price is somewhat higher than the rest, about 3 dollars per kilo. Unfortunately, for residents living within Kampala, these plants are situated at a considerable distance in locations such as Gulu and Masaka.
Depending on your vigilance, you could average 20 kg of plastic each week. Multiply this by UGX 300, and you have UGX 6,000 every week, or UGX 24,000 a month. On the higher end, if you are selling at UGX 800, you’d earn UGX 16,000 weekly, or UGX 64,000 monthly.
Such small cash can add up and help finance your shoe wardrobe, pay for internet data bundles, or even cover transportation costs. With plastic collection, you will be earning while at the same time saving the environment.
#2. Briquette Selling
Briquettes are also environmentally friendly. Instead of cutting down more trees to make charcoal, charcoal dust/crumbs are used to make briquettes. The beauty of briquettes is that they last longer than charcoal and are very easy to make.
To make briquettes, you combine the charcoal dust with a binding agent such as a corn flour and water mixture or a mud mixture. Mix until fully incorporated, then shape the briquettes and leave them in the sun to dry. Be warned, it is a dirty job.
1 kg of briquettes normally goes for UGX. 1,200 to 2,000. As the seller, you determine the price, but ensure not to deviate completely from the market price. Briquettes are lucrative because at the end of every charcoal sack, there are about 10 kg of dust and crumbs that could eventually equate to someone’s pocket money or allowance (if you have children). So, do not take for granted your excess charcoal.
#3. Cleaning Services
No money is required, just zeal and good old scrubbing energy. Designate weekends or weekday evenings (if you have a nine-to-five) for cleaning. Do not underestimate cleaning, so never take on too many tasks.
Before you accept the job, discuss the price with your client. You can determine what to charge by first visiting your client’s home or asking for a visual of the place to be cleaned, then estimating the time required to clean. Calculate your labour costs, even if you are the only labourer. Include taxes, expenses for supplies used to clean (in case they are needed), and overhead costs like transportation. Finally, add the markup for profit; this is what pays you. Without it, you will most likely be working for free.
I highly recommend cleaning services because they yield significant returns, and the main investment is time and maybe gloves to ensure your hands and fingernails are protected.
#4. Child Care Services
Many mothers and fathers are out there trying to make ends meet. In doing so, their children can become somewhat of a burden. They have nowhere and no one to leave their child with, thus hindering their financial ventures. This is where you come in with your side hustle. If you don’t work every day of the week or if you work remotely and your job is somewhat flexible, you could include child care in your day.
You could either take care of these children at their homes or have a central point where the parents can drop off the children and pick them up. I highly suggest you start with one or two parents, as child care can get overwhelming very quickly.
In regard to how much to charge the parents, meals, time, activities, venue, and your personal fee should be considered. In regard to the venue, hygiene and space are extremely crucial.
#5. Car Washing Services
You do not need a washing bay to wash cars. A story was told of a gentleman who went from office to office asking who needed a car wash. By the end of the afternoon, he left with a good 50k in his pocket. Now, a car is a hard thing to trust someone completely with, so do not start offering your services by demanding the car keys. Do an outside thorough wash that speaks for itself. In fact, your services can be limited solely to the outside of the car until your client asks for an inside wash.
The average charge per wash is a minimum of 5,000 UGX to a maximum of 20,000 UGX for individuals who are just starting out. The beauty of this hustle is that it is very open to tipping; in fact, all the hustles I list here are very open to tipping. Do the job perfectly, and you will be appreciated.
#7. Teach Your Skills
Whatever your skills are—graphic design, cooking, crocheting, accounting, baking, coding, writing—leverage them. If you are good at doing it, you can most probably teach it. And if you think you can’t teach it, try it out first before making such conclusions.
We know of a content creator teaching people how to become better content creators and ways to monetise content. I know a poet teaching people how to be better word crafters. There are thousands of YouTube channels in existence solely created to teach. I learned some of my cookie recipes because someone out there has dedicated a channel to teaching.
Teaching is inevitable, just as learning is unavoidable. Be open to correction and adjust accordingly. Have a clear direction, focus on one thing, or have a syllabus that helps guide you. Most importantly, if you have already invested in education, then teaching will definitely lead to a return on investment.
A side hustle can gradually become the main hustle, eventually leading you out of dependence on employment. However, this article focuses solely on jobs that one can do to add to their existing income, jobs that require zero startup capital. There is a spectrum of these out there; if you would like to share one, drop it in the comments, and let’s eradicate brokenness together.
Compiled by Precious G. Aloyo
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