Side Hustle

Most people that I talk to about Airbnb agree that it’s a cool concept. Now that Airbnb has become pretty mainstream, my guess is that most of you have used it before or at least know someone who has. At this point, I think it’s probably more surprising to find someone who doesn’t know what Airbnb is.

Even though there are a ton of people using Airbnb on the guest side, the majority of people I talk to are understandably hesitant about actually hosting guests on Airbnb. I definitely understand the concerns – they’re ones I still think about as an Airbnb host. My biggest fears are having someone steal from me or otherwise mess up my house. Luckily, nothing like that has happened to me yet.

Even though I know that most people won’t sign up to be an Airbnb host, I still always try to convince people to at least give Airbnb hosting a shot. My rationale is that you don’t need to do it all that time. Instead, you can just try it out a few times and see what it’s like. If it’s too weird for you, you can just deactivate your listing. At most, you lose a bit of your time. But I think even people who are weirded out by having a stranger in their house can handle hosting someone in their home for just a few days per year. Why not challenge yourself and see?

Anyone who owns a dog knows that dogs cost money. Food, vet bills, random accidents – these little things all add up. Dogs also cost you time. You have to feed them, take them for walks, and all the other tasks that come along with dog ownership. It’s pretty crazy how much a dog can change your schedule. About a year ago, I started up a side hustle petsitting business on two sharing economy platforms: DogVacay and Rover. I thought I’d share some thoughts on how dog owners, like myself, can use their dog to actually help them make money.

I’m a firm believer in finding side hustles that incorporate tasks that I’m already doing, and one thing Ms. Panther and I had definitely been doing for the past five years was taking care of our dog. Surely there was…

I think most of us could use a little more money in our lives. The only problem is that earning more money isn’t always that easy or immediate. Raises are typically an annual thing and definitely not guaranteed. Bonuses are the same way. You could switch jobs to make more money, but that’s not always an option for everyone.

One surefire way to make some extra money is to get yourself some overtime hours. But, if you’re a white collar worker – like a lot of us are – you’re probably getting paid a salary. Even those of you who might be eligible for overtime probably can’t do so on a regular basis. Most organizations limit the amount of overtime that you can work.

A huge point of controversy in the sharing/gig economy world has been how to classify those of us who work in it. Most people reading this have probably seen or read about lawsuits challenging Uber’s classification of its drivers as independent contractors, rather than as employees. The same lawsuits have been raging on with basically every app out there in this space, including delivery apps like Postmates, DoorDash, and Caviar.

I’ve sometimes wondered if the folks fighting to be classified as employees understand the huge benefits they could be giving up by going that route. Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand the problem with misclassifying workers. Most people need the benefits and protections that come with traditional employment.

But, I suspect that many people fighting to be classified as employees under these apps don’t really understand what they stand to lose.