10 Side Hustles To Try If You've Been Laid Off

Getting laid off can be scary and have you feeling a lot of instability. This is a reality for many people in the workforce as the economy constantly shifts, industries have downturns, or when a company decides to do some restructuring.

Use this time to come out stronger by trying out new careers and finding different ways to make money.

In this post, we’ll go over:

Side hustles and careers to explore
Practical tips for finding new work
How to get started with a new job ASAP

Here’s a list of side hustles to try if you’ve been laid off!

1. Selling printables on Etsy

Selling printables is a great side hustle to start if you want something flexible. This can also turn into passive income which is a major bonus.

You can sell all kinds of printables including:

Planners
Budget trackers
Meal planners
Party invitations and thank you cards
Social media planners
Goal planners
Coloring pages
Reading logs

Check out this free printable workshop here to learn how to make money doing this. In this free workshop, you’ll learn the best ideas for what to sell on Etsy, what you need to start an Etsy shop, and how to make sure your shop is successful.

2. Social media manager

I recently found a job as a social media manager paying close to $50 an hour. While I have experience in the social media space, another member of the team that I work with had no experience and was hired on. You can find social media manager jobs on sites like Upwork and Fiverr.

Social media manager tasks include:

Creating graphics and captions for platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Commenting and messaging back followers
Scheduling social media posts
Writing email newsletters

If you have no experience in the social media space, I recommend playing around with Canva and creating images with their templates. Canva has a variety of templates where the colors, font, and images can be replaced to make a whole new image.

3. Selling handmade crafts

If you love creating handmade things, consider selling these crafts on online platforms like Etsy, Shopify, a social media channel, or through your website. I’ve always loved the idea of selling my crafts (pottery, watercolor, crocheted items).

You can make and sell things like:

Pottery
Jewelry (polymer clay)
Resin
Art prints
Candles
Soap

Recommended reading: 13 Best Things To Sell On Etsy

4. Coaching

Making money through coaching is possible if you have experience, certifications, or degrees in certain areas where people need help. To get started, find a niche where you would excel as a coach. This might be as a fitness coach or personal finance coach. It definitely helps if you have credentials and references to back up your expertise in the field.

Create a professional online presence by creating a website and social media accounts. Think about which social media platforms your audience is on. For example, if your audience is the younger crowd, use Tik Tok and Instagram to gain traction and potential new clients.

As a coach, you can provide one-on-one sessions, group coaching, online coaching, and even membership programs.

Type of coaching you can sell:

Personal development coaching
Personal finance coach
Professional and career coaching
Fitness coaching
Relationship coaching
Skill-based coaching (like public speaking)

5. Freelancing graphic design

Graphic design is one of the leading online gig jobs right now and it’s relatively easy to find work. To find jobs in this space, go to Upwork and type in “graphic design” in the search bar to find jobs. You can also find jobs on Indeed and other job boards, although I like Upwork the best because it’s 100% remote work.

Finding graphic design jobs is easy with sites like Upwork and Fiverr. If you don’t have any experience in this space, accept low-paying work on Upwork to build your portfolio and get references posted on your page or portfolio. If you do have experience in this space, upload your portfolio to Upwork to land jobs.

Graphic design jobs may include:

Creating Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest visuals
Creating descriptions or captions for these platforms
Scheduling on different platforms

Graphic design jobs can pay anywhere from $10 to $65+ an hour.

6. Proofreader

Are you passionate about words and reading? Are you that person who’s always looking at grammatical errors and wanting to fix them? If so, working as a proofreader either as a freelancer or small business owner may be up your alley.

A proofreader is in charge of tasks like:

Fixes grammatical errors
Corrects punctuation mistakes
Ensures sentences are clear and well-structured
Corrects spelling errors
Flags any inconsistencies or errors in factual information

Proofreaders generally make between $20-$50 per hour and can work from home on their own schedule.

Here is a free proofreading workshop that shares how you can start proofreading and find clients anywhere.

7. Selling dog treats

If you love baking, dogs, and working for yourself, starting a dog bakery is a great idea. You can make dog treats at home and sell them at farmers’ markets, pet stores, Etsy, and many other places. You can explore your creative side with this side hustle and make fun, unique treats that both dog parents and pets will love.

Here are some fun ideas for dog treats:

Holiday themed treats
Birthday cakes
Biscuits
Jerky
Cookies

Here is a free workshop that teaches you how to start a dog bakery.

8. Pinterest Virtual Assistant

A Pinterest Virtual Assistant is someone who is in charge of getting a business seen by people on Pinterest.

Tasks a Pinterest VA does include:

Create and optimize the Pinterest profile with keywords
Design visually appealing pins using tools like Canva
Schedule pins using tools like Tailwind or Pinterest Scheduler
Plan and maintain a consistent pinning schedule
Conduct keyword research to identify relevant keywords and hashtags

Here is a free Pinterest Virtual Assistant workshop that teaches you 8 different skills you can offer as a Pinterest VA, all ranging from $300-$1,000 per skill.

9. FlexJobs remote work

FlexJobs is an online marketplace specializing in jobs that are remote, part-time, freelance, and flexible. These jobs are curated and checked for legitimacy which is a huge timesaver considering companies post fake jobs all the time (something I’ve recently learned they do to make it look like their company is doing great).

FlexJobs posts jobs like:

Customer service representative
Virtual assistant
Freelance writer
Graphic designer
Marketing consultant
Web developer
Data-entry specialist

10. Facebook Ad Manager

One of the most unique and potentially biggest income-generating side hustles is a Facebook Ad Manager. A Facebook Ad Manager is someone who manages a company’s Facebook ads and helps them get seen by potential new customers on Facebook. Ads are a big deal for companies and can make a not-so-successful company turn into a money-maker with a good Ad Manager.

Tasks a Facebook Ad Manager may do:

Develop overall advertising strategy aligned with business goals
Design and create engaging ad creatives (images, videos, copy)
Allocate and optimize advertising budget across campaigns to maximize ROI
Conduct experiments with different ad elements (headlines, images, calls-to-action) to determine optimal combinations

Here is a free training that teaches you how to make $1,000-$2,000 per month managing one client’s Facebook ads.

Key takeaways:

Use this time as an opportunity to explore something different
Even if you don’t have the skills right now, you can learn skills and start a new career

What’s your favorite side hustle?