Top-rated tourist destinations such as Los Angeles, California, not only offer you many opportunities when it comes to entertainingly spending your pastime but also make room for alternatives to generate some extra income besides your full-time job. Everyone wants a reliable side hustle that helps them reach their financial objectives, so why would you pass it up if your hometown or the location you are moving to offers you the chance?
If you’re committed to feathering your nest through several lucrative side hustles this year, here are the four main options to grow your income flow when living in or around Los Angeles.
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Gift shop assistant
Being a shop assistant may not sound like the most straightforward undertaking on Earth, considering that you need some background knowledge and expertise in the products you’re recommending to customers. If you’re eyeing a career as a skincare assistant, you may need some experience in the niche. However, suppose you’re looking for a fast side hustle that can serve as an extra income source but lack the time and devotion to brush up or even develop knowledge in a specific domain, then turning to gift shop assisting should be a valuable venture. Los Angeles is a highly-valued tourist location, so it welcomes many tourists each year, each interested in getting gifts for their loved ones at home.
You may be responsible for welcoming customers, finding out what they’re looking for, depending on the receiver’s needs and preferences, and assisting with their purchase. Depending on the type of gifts the store specializes in, it shouldn’t take extensive time to learn about the palette of offerings. For instance, if the store focuses on gifts for children, you should ask for details such as the recipient’s age, favorite TV show, or hobbies.
Delving further, there are instances where store visitors arrive with a specific gift concept in mind. For example, anime and manga buffs often find great satisfaction in the diverse selection offered within the One Piece Funko range, thanks to its widespread popularity and extensive coverage across various genres.
Therefore, choosing a part-time gift assistant should require minimal effort and be financially rewarding enough to sustain over the long term as you work toward achieving your budgetary goals.
Blogger
Blogging is one of the side hustles of the year, given the extensive opportunities the digital age has brought about. Building up a blog and writing about topics of interest that you’re eager to improve your knowledge of can open up a world of endless possibilities and maybe turn into a long-term career.
However, many people lack common sense when doubting whether blogging is for them. The truth is, it’s not smooth sailing when entering this complex world. You’ll need to be able to blog on subjects you like and be willing to brush up on your writing skills since there’s a blog for almost any topic that may cross your mind, and the talent competition is at its peak.
Since you’re in a city crammed with tourists, navigating the tourism sectors, such as vacationer-favorite places like Venice Beach, can be a great starting point. As you develop knowledge and delve into your journey, you can approach hiking spots, the best swimming or surfing spots, vineyards, or upcoming entertainment and cultural events.
Last but not least, remember that if you generate income from advertising, extensive knowledge in this area is necessary in order to grasp how and whether you’ll pay taxes and be regarded as a business.
Lyft or Uber driver
Californians or area visitors are highly reliant on alternative transportation methods, and Uber and Lyft make no exception to the list. Interestingly enough, Ubber, the platform used on a large-scale that spans numerous nations, such as European countries, has its roots in California, where it was first launched in 2009 before gaining tremendous popularity. Even if the project inspired other ventures to be created, in California at least, it succeeded in standing out and overshadowing emerging competitors.
As such, it’s no surprise that if you have a reliable car that can comply with the regulations and terms, you can use it to generate extra income as a driver. It seems like there’s increased demand for ride-sharing services. For instance, in 2022 only, the number of trips reached 7.8 billion, exceeding the 6.9 mark in 2019.
Food truck owner
Owning and managing a food truck may involve a higher engagement level than the side hustles enumerated above. However, no one says you need to open it around the clock. You can operate your food truck during peak hours, when native and tourist activity is at its zenith.
The most significant benefit of operating a food truck is that it requires substantially less investment than opening a restaurant and a lower time commitment. Some food truck sellers may also be willing to hand you a loan to facilitate your purchasing process if you’re not comfortable applying for a business or personal credit card. As current rules state, you’ll need specific permits, licenses, and equipment approval from the American National Standards Institute. This is all the more true for popular tourist destinations like Venice Beach. However, you can remove all the obstacles coming your way by working with experts specializing in the domain and Californian and American law.
Indeed, suppose you’re interested in selling other types of products. In that case, you can delve into Californian law and discover the permits needed to set up stands with refreshments like iced tea, coffee, smoothies, milkshakes, or ice cream.
Closing thoughts
California is amongst the costliest states to move and live in. Therefore, besides belt-tightening when needing to move here for business or personal purposes, you may find yourself in need of a supplementary source of income to offset those expenses. This is where ideas such as those depicted above come in to help you find a lucrative gig and stay on top of your finances.
Other lucrative side hustle opportunities may include becoming an online instructor, grocery deliverer, personal shopper, or chess tutor.
