Turn Your Expertise Into a Side Hustle | Rozenberg
By: Tomer Rozenberg
Tags: Side Hustle Tips, Expertise, Tomer Rozenberg, Side Hustle, Make Money

“Knowledge is power,” as the old phrase goes, and the rise of the internet has created numerous opportunities to turn your knowledge into cold hard cash.

Maybe you’re looking for a new job, or you just want to start a side business to supplement your income. In any case, selling what you know online could turn out to be a great side hustle for you.

Depending on what you’re selling and the format you use, there are several ways to sell your knowledge on the internet.

A few years ago, getting your idea off the ground might have required an advanced understanding of technology or a large sum of money.

These days, there are plenty of ways to get started with little to no upfront investment, making it simple for anyone with a computer and an internet connection to start a side hustle.

Whether you eventually want to be your own boss or you just want to make some extra money to supplement your monthly savings, starting a side business is the best way to test your way into finding the right opportunities for making money by putting your skills to use.

Freelancing Your Services

According to a recent report from the Freelancers Union and Upwork, there are over 54 million freelancers in the United States. And for good reason.

Taking the skills you’re already being paid to develop at your day job and putting them to use as a freelance designer, writer, marketer, developer, or other in your spare time can be extremely profitable.

With the average freelancer charging around $21 per hour, that can easily add up to an extra $1,000 per month in discretionary income to fuel your next big trip abroad.

By taking on a few freelance projects per month, you’ll be laying the groundwork for what could turn into significant new job opportunities and partnerships in the future.

Begin by compiling a portfolio of your best work to highlight your skills, and then begin listing your services on reputable freelance marketplaces such as, , and LinkedIn ProFinder.

Write an Ebook

If you couldn’t find a traditional publishing house that would accept your manuscript, you had no choice but to pay to have it printed yourself.

Fortunately, ebooks have shattered the publishing industry, allowing almost anyone to create and sell a story directly to readers for very little money.

It also means that books can be produced in a very short period of time. You can have your ebook ready to go as soon as you finish writing it.

To go through Amazon, write the ebook in your regular word processing software, then format it with Kindle Create and design a cover in a free design program like Canva.

However, for broader distribution, consider NookPress and Kobo Writing Life, both of which are self-publishing platforms. It’s best to publish with all of the major players rather than just one for the broadest possible reach.

Blogging

The days of writing a blog post every day and collecting a check from online advertising platforms are long gone.

However, if you can carve out a loyal readership and establish yourself as an authoritative industry resource, your chances of securing high-value sponsorships and partnerships with other brands and businesses are very good.

You can make hundreds or even thousands of dollars per week with sponsored content on your blog by doing sponsored product reviews, placing private ads around your site, sending promotional emails to your subscriber list, and hosting contests or giveaways.

Host Webinars

Hosting live webinar sessions allows you to share your knowledge with an audience without them having to physically be present. It’s similar to a conference or seminar, but it’s done remotely, saving students money on travel and lodging.

The real advantage of webinars is that you can interact with your audience as you go, either by allowing real-time questions or by holding a Q&A session at the end. This ensures that everyone gets everything they want out of the session.

Webinars can be simple presentations delivered via Skype or Facebook Live, but more advanced tools will allow you to create more engaging seminars.

Google Hangouts is completely free to use and has a plethora of collaborative features that are ideal for hosting web sessions.

Alternatively, there are a variety of paid software tools available, such as GoToMeeting or Cisco Webex, that are specifically designed and used for designing and conducting webinars.

You need a large enough audience to make it worthwhile, so it helps if you already have a following on social media or a website where you can publicize the event.

Online Coaching

Choosing to offer your hourly services as an online coach, similar to teaching courses, will connect you with other professionals who are looking to tap into your expertise and skills in order to improve their own lives.

Meet with clients in person or via video calls on a regular basis to outline a curriculum plan, check in on important milestones, and provide the feedback they’ll need to make meaningful improvements from your wealth of expertise.

You can get started easily by setting up a coaching account on various online coaching platforms, likeand that already have a built-in audience of active users who are looking to level up their skills in career, fitness, music and much more.

Become an Online Consultant

Online consulting works extremely well for people who have a sought-after skill set that businesses want to access. There are numerous reasons why businesses prefer to work with online consultants rather than those who visit the workplace.

These range from not wanting to upset the workforce with an outsider’s presence while still benefiting from a pair of fresh eyes to the simple fact that hiring an online consultant is often less expensive while still receiving expert level service.

It is advantageous to have a niche skill in which you have demonstrated expertise, as this will provide you with much needed credibility.

Starting out in online consulting can be difficult, so use any and all contacts you already have to get your first break.

Once you’ve secured your first few contracts, you should begin to receive referrals or recommendations, resulting in a snowball effect.

Provide Online Tutoring

Online tutoring is a great way to share your knowledge with people who want to learn one-on-one with a subject expert.

You do not need a degree in education, but you must have skills or knowledge in an area that people are willing to pay to learn. Subjects such as English, math, and science are in high demand.

However, tutoring on other topics, such as foreign languages (or English as a foreign language), or even learning an instrument, is possible online.

There are numerous online agencies that connect people with tutors in their field, so you won’t have to actively seek or advertise for clients.

In general, you fill out an application, and they decide whether or not to accept you. They will send you jobs as they become available once you have been accepted and registered.

Create an Online Course

If you have knowledge that you want to spread far and wide, and you know there is an audience waiting to absorb it, then an online course may be the way to go.

Online courses allow you to reach more people than one-on-one tutoring, both in terms of time and because you can sell a course for much less than individual tutoring.

It takes a significant amount of time and effort to design and build your course, but once completed, the course should provide passive income with little to no additional effort.

Depending on what you want to achieve, you’ll have to choose from a variety of delivery methods.

Courses that email your lessons to students are simple to set up with providers like MailChimp, or you can distribute your materials in module format through the Udemy marketplace.