Side hustle: Man explains how he made over £2,000 completing ‘unique tasks’ | Personal Finance | Finance
In April 2021, he was looking for quick work to cover the bills while he found something more permanent. During this time, Ben came across Airtasker, a community marketplace for local services that connects people who need work done with skilled service providers who are ready to work.
He spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about his journey using the app and how others can do this to earn some extra cash on the side.
Ben said: “I searched the internet for ideas, side hustles, easy ways to make money, and found out about tasker apps. I tried a few, but I found Airtasker to be the best as unlike others on Airtasker you call the shots, deciding what to do, where and the price.”
One thing that stood out to Ben was the “variety” of tasks available. Initially he thought he would be doing jobs such as assembling furniture, and painting hallways, but this was not always the case.
He continued: “There’s the usual flat pack furniture assembly, car repairs and DIY jobs, but admin and tech tasks get posted too, also some unique ones like making a pair of oversized comedy underpants for a TV advert.
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“My skills are quite diverse, I have done house moves, garden clearing, furniture assembly, fitness equipment assembly, video voice over work, video editing, driving and my favourite task: the escape room game.
“When I saw the escape room listed, I thought ‘Yes! this looks awesome, this is totally the job for me’.
“I have previously created ‘open the box’ puzzles for students and suits how my brain is wired.
“The brief was to create an escape room type game to be played around Cockermouth by half a dozen lads on a stag do. Although I live over 300 miles away in Somerset, using the internet including Google Street view I was able to find monuments, plaques and shops with answers to the clues.
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Ben recommended Airtasker for people who like to do practical jobs. He explained that there will always be people who need the “niggly” jobs done such as the house and garden, assembling furniture, trampolines and sheds, help set up their home tech or someone to help declutter their home and organise their stuff. Some tasks can be done remotely over the internet such as video editing or helping write a CV, others require going to someone’s home or garden.
Some tasks require specific skills and qualifications such as domestic electrical work or building websites, but many tasks can be done by anyone such as removing cardboard boxes, heavy lifting, cleaning or delivery. Some tasks may take a week or two whilst others require much less time such as putting up a curtain rail – “I was in and out in an hour,” he said.
He added: “One task was to sign up to a website and test some features, that took me ten minutes. Most of the tasks I accept are a day’s work but less if it’s a local job and travel is less. “
With rising inflation and the cost of living crisis, many Britons may be wondering how they can make extra money and this could be an option. Service providers (or “Taskers”) can monetise their skills across a range of categories whether its painting, gardening, furniture assembly, admin, upholstery, or even pet grooming.
Airtasker data shows that “general handyperson” is the most supply constrained category – which means there’s not enough supply to meet the demand for the work. So, if people have handyperson skills, they could earn some extra to help offset the rising cost of living, he explained.
