15 holiday-themed side hustles that could jumpstart a seasonal business
The holidays are a great time to earn some extra money, but traditional retail jobs can be stressful and time-consuming. If you’re looking for a unique and flexible way to earn extra cash, here are a few side hustle ideas you can start just in time for the holidays. For some, it could be the start of a seasonal business
Halloween-themed side hustles won’t come around for another year. But the festive holidays are upon us and there are still some side hustles you could start and promote to build up a customer base.
If you’re thinking Christmas has been done before, what could you possibly have to offer? Well, be creative for a start and don’t be such a humbug. Brainstorm unique ways to offer your services based on your existing skill set, love of the holidays or your experiences with people who are trying to get out of holiday-related planning.
For example, you could put your creativity to work by decorating someone’s home with their own decorations and adding vignettes throughout the house. While you’re there you could offer to wrap presents for an additional fee. Your unique selling point could be that you wrap them in a unique way, such as using your own print ideas (hello, Canva!) origami or calligraphy.
If you are already handy with a ladder and hammer (unlike Clark Griswald in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) offer an exterior Christmas decorating service that not only puts the lights up around the property but also takes them down (a thankless task). You can request to split the two services into two separate payments so you get paid in time for the holidays and not just after.
Before you purchase anything to carry out your side hustle though, make sure there’s a demand for your services or products. Put a notice up on the NextDoor app or social media to see how people respond to your business product or service offering.
You’ll need to price your services or products competitively to attract customers. Take into account any expenses for extra tools, merchandise, etc. and what your hourly rate might be. Or you may have a customer-specific project rate once you have an idea of what is involved.
Also, think of ways you could provide excellent customer service that could help build a good reputation and attract repeat customers for next year.
Check out the following ideas and you might just be inspired…
🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁
🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁
Holiday gift-wrapping, decorating, shopping and errand services
Many people are too busy or stressed to wrap their own gifts, so they’re willing to pay someone else to do it for them. You can set up a booth at a local craft fair or market, or offer your services online or through social media. Think of other holiday tasks, such as decorating or running errands. You can offer your services for a fee to help people get ready for the holidays. For example, become a personal shopper. Many people are too busy to do their own holiday shopping. You can offer your services to help people shop for gifts, either online or in-person. This could be a holiday gift concierge service. You can help clients to choose the perfect gifts for their loved ones, and even deliver the gifts for them. Many people need help getting their presents to their loved ones. You can offer your services to deliver presents for a fee. You can advertise your services online or through word-of-mouth. This could mean delivering gifts for clients locally or arranging for collection and delivery through a post office or another courier.
Make and sell holiday decorations with unique themes
If you’re crafty, you can make and sell holiday crafts and decorations like wreaths, tea towels, garlands, gift baskets, ornaments, and tree toppers. You can sell your creations to friends and family or at craft fairs, online, or through consignment shops.
Christmas Caroler and Holiday Telegram for Hire
If you have a great singing voice or are witty with song lyrics, why not become a Christmas caroler or holiday telegram messenger for hire? You could market your services to individuals and businesses. You’ll probably have to come up with a few promotional videos to get started and market online, on social media and neighbourhood and business service apps.
Teach holiday cooking or baking classes
If you’re a whiz in the kitchen, you can teach holiday cooking or baking classes. You can offer classes in person or online. You can teach people how to make classic holiday dishes, such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pies. hey could even freeze some dishes from your class so they have more time to spend with family and friends.
Childcare with a festive twist
Some parents would be overjoyed if they could find a babysitter around the holidays so they can wrap gifts and pop out for a pre-holiday meal and drinks with friends. While a sitter with a pulse and some common sense is good enough for some parents (we jest, of course), what if you could provide sitter services that include Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or Bodhi Day-themed activities? Think baking cookies, sipping hot cocoa when writing a unique Christmas bedtime story together (AI apps or other story-making apps could get you started), making Christmas crafts or even holiday song karaoke.
Provide holiday pet care and house-sitting services
Many people travel during the holidays, so they need someone to care for their pets while they’re away. You can offer dog walking, pet sitting, or even dog boarding services. Some pet and house sitter services allow you to travel to new destinations and house and pet sit.
Become a holiday party planner
Many businesses and organisations host holiday parties, but they don’t always have the time or expertise to plan them themselves. You can offer your services as a holiday party planner, helping them to choose a venue, plan the menu, and coordinate all of the logistics.
Host holiday parties
If you have the space, you can host holiday parties for a fee. You can charge people to attend your parties or you can charge them for food and drinks. Sell advanced tickets online so you know your numbers in advance.
Holiday photography services
Families and businesses love to take holiday photos, so you can offer your services as a holiday photographer. You can book photo shoots at your studio or on location. Photos could then be framed or used in gifts such as mugs, calendars and photo books. You could offer this as an extra service.
Create holiday videos
Many people want to create holiday videos to share with their loved ones, but they don’t have the time or skills to create their own videos. You can offer your services to create holiday videos for a fee. You can advertise your services online or through your local community. Chat with potential clients about filming them on a day out or getting into the holiday spirit decorating the house. Or marking a child’s first Hannukah or Christmas.
Write and sell holiday e-books
If you’re a freelance writer, you could write and sell holiday e-books. You could write a cookbook with holiday recipes, a children’s book with a holiday theme, or even a self-help book about how to deal with holiday stress.
Create and sell holiday-themed digital products
If you’re good with graphic design or web development, you can create and sell holiday-themed digital products like printables, templates, and e-courses. You can sell your products on your own website or through online marketplaces like Etsy.
Holiday social media marketing services
Businesses love to promote their products and services on social media during the holidays. You can offer your services as a holiday social media marketer, helping businesses to create and implement engaging holiday social media campaigns.
Holiday customer service support or virtual holiday assistant
Become a virtual holiday assistant. Many businesses are looking for extra help during the holidays, and you can provide it from the comfort of your own home. As a virtual holiday assistant, you might help with tasks such as customer service, social media management, or gift wrapping. You could also offer your services as a remote customer service representative, helping businesses to answer customer questions and resolve issues. It’s not always an easy job but if you are calm under pressure and like to solve problems this is one job that could be an easy fit.
Start a holiday delivery service
If you have a car and some free time, you could start a holiday delivery service. You could deliver packages for online retailers, deliver food from restaurants, or even deliver Christmas trees to people’s homes. Or collaborate with side hustlers in your local area to help deliver their products.
🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁
These are just a few ideas for unique side hustles that you can start just in time for the holidays. With a little creativity and effort, you can earn some extra cash to help you cover your holiday expenses. Or it could be the start of a seasonal business you offer each year.