Freelancing careers are growing in popularity, especially among younger generations. Freelance professionals make up a third of the workforce in the US and this trend is set to grow. There are many benefits to providing services including flexibility of location and scheduling, as well as the potential to earn more money than in regular employment.
Yet when it comes to choosing what freelance career path to take, the choices can be overwhelming and the apparent learning curves daunting. In some service areas, there can be a huge amount of competition which can make it difficult for new freelancers to move into.
Yet there are so many niche services which can offer potentially plenty of work and income, and where competition is not so fierce.
The following are a few unusual freelance careers you might never have considered and which might, just maybe, provide you with inspiration for your own freelancing endeavors.
1 Online Dating Profile Writer
According to a national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 15% of American adults have used online dating sites or apps. That’s approximately 48.5 million people, and that’s not counting the rest of the world. A good dating profile writer could potentially be in very high demand with the right marketing and good results.
2 Matchmaker
Matchmaking has been around ever since humans started walking the Earth. Traditionally family members would bring a potential husband and wife together but then professional matchmakers emerged. Now there’s potential for anyone with a lot of contacts, good judgement skills, and a healthy dose of intuition to provide matchmaking and date concierge services in their city and local region.
3 Wedding Coach
Wedding planning is exciting but also very stressful for the couple and families involved. More and more people are hiring a professional wedding coach to provide a helping hand with arrangements, logistics, budgeting, and general advice in the run-up to the wedding day. If you’re good at planning, advising, and love weddings, this might make a great freelance career.
4 Baby Name Consultant
New parents can spend weeks and months agonizing over what name to give their new baby (or babies). Sometimes the mother has a few ideas and the father another set of ideas, and they can’t reach a compromise. Some parents consult a baby name advisor to help find a name perfect for their newborn. An ideal career for anyone who loves the meanings and histories of names.
5 Pet Sitter
It can be difficult for pet owners to find someone reliable to look after their dog, cat, hamsters, fish, birds, or reptiles when they go on vacation. Rather than take them to a kennel or rely on an untrustworthy neighbor, they instead hire the services of a professional pet sitter who comes and stays in their home. The home could be literally anywhere in the world. If you love animals and want a chance to travel, then this could be an exciting freelance career.
6 Home Organizer
Many homeowners find it difficult to properly organize their home when it comes to storage, functionality, and decluttering. Their homes descend into chaos and when busy careers and family lives get in the way, they hire a professional home organizer to help. If you’re good at closet organizing, file systemizing, unpacking, folding, arranging, and anything that streamlines a home, then being a professional home organizer might be perfect for you.
7 Online Interior Designer
Closely related to the home organizer is the online interior designer. These talented designers work from home via the internet and provide plans, décor suggestions, color schemes, and shopping lists for clients worldwide. The homeowner sends photos and measurements of their interiors and the designer does the rest. Ideal if you love interior design, love to work from home, and have been frequently complimented on your good taste.
8 Personal Shopper
Love shopping? Then being a freelance personal shopper might make an ideal career. Many people find it difficult to mix and match clothing or choose smart attire for a special occasion, so they turn to a professional shopper. You visit the client, take a peek into their wardrobe, and then spend all day shopping together. What’s not to love?
9 Yoga Instructor
Our busy and stressful lives take a toll on our bodies and minds. More and more people have turned to yoga and similar forms of physical, mental and spiritual development. If you want to help people achieve more balance, then training and becoming a private yoga instructor can be a fulfilling freelance career.
10 Poet
Do you have a way with rhymes? Do people swoon when you recite your verse? Is writing poetry a passion for you? Then why not become a freelance poet. People will hire you to write special poems for someone they have a secret crush on, for their wedding day, for the birth of a child, and many other occasions and functions. If you are a good orator, you can even recite the poems yourself in special costumes.
11 Calligrapher
For many people, especially in the younger generations, writing on paper seems rather old-fashioned. Most young people can type faster than they can write, and handwriting is a matter of scribbling small notes here and there. But the art of calligraphy will always remind in very high demand. There’s something about beautiful handwriting that is so attractive. From custom wedding certificates and award papers to love letters and corporate invites, a skilled calligrapher will have plenty of work.
12 City Guide
If you live in a big city popular with tourists, then you have the potential to set yourself up as a freelance city guide. You can advertise your services online and attract clients who want a more affordable and personable tour. You’ll need to learn the regional history of the area and ensure you know all the cultural hotspots and little known gems tourists might miss.
13 Genealogist
Did you love putting together your own family tree? If so, you could get paid to do it for other people. If you have an interest in history and love solving a puzzle, then a career as a freelance genealogist might be an enjoyable route to take. Genealogy is a hugely popular subject and there’s no end of people researching distant relatives.
14 Green Consultant
The environment and how we use our planet’s resources is an ever-popular subject and one that becomes more and more vital to address in some areas. Many businesses and homeowners want to be more environmentally friendly and so hire the services of green consultants. If you’re passionate about environmental issues and have (or can gain) related experience, knowledge and qualifications, then a career as a freelance green consultant might be perfect for you.
15 Professional Cuddler
Are you a tactile person with a lot of platonic love to give? If so, a career as a freelance cuddler might be your calling in life. A woman in Oregon set up her own cuddling business and makes a full-time living from the service. It’s harder than it sounds and suits only certain types of people, but it can be lucrative.
Choosing your freelance career needn’t be hard if you really think about what you love doing, what you do well, and assess what can potentially be a lucrative service area, with enough hungry clients.
Original Article: invoiceninja.com