Gen Z is building five revenue streams before breakfast. The side hustle culture of Gen Z is strong, and is only growing, but how exactly are Gen Z redefining work and ambition through side hustles?

Selling Digital Products

It feels fitting to discuss digital products first, as it seems to be the most popular and widely used side hustle among many Gen Z teens and young adults. Selling digital products online as an extra source of income is one of the best ways to make money online, and you don't really need any experience to start it. By selling digital products, Gen Z can make a fulfilling income whilst also doing something sustaining, fun, and creative.

Digital product side hustles could include selling eBooks on Amazon KDP, selling courses on Udemy and Skillshare, or selling templates from Canva on Marketplaces like Etsy. All of these ways are ways to drive traffic to your pages and to even build your own brand as a trustworthy and reliable seller.

Creating high-quality digital products, picking a platform to market your products (which, usually, for Gen Z, would be TikTok or YouTube), and staying consistent with it, makes selling digital products a viable way of earning an income through the internet.

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Here are some other products which you could make online, although some might have to use the print-on-demand business model if you are thinking of turning your designs into a physical, tangible product.

• Gift cards
• Classroom posters or workbooks
• Customized t-shirts
• Digital presentations or courses
• Scrapbooking

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Niche Freelance Services: Be More Specific.

Niche freelance services involve the specialisation of a certain area within a broader field, such as cybersecurity, AI, or UX design. These may require background skills, and usually suit those who study a technology-based subject in school or university, although it isn't limited to this group of people. Students often find side hustles in AI and cybersecurity challenging but also rewarding, allowing them to expand their skills and increase their earning potential.

When it comes to writing, rather than being broad and general with the term 'writer', niche freelance services are more specific, offering segments like UX writing, SaaS email writing, or technical writing. These services are more 'niched down', and only certain people can do this type of work with the skills they already have (but, of course, these skills can be learned by everyone) but if you are a Gen Z with the ambition to earn quick money, this type of side hustle is probably not for you, especially if you lack the specialised skills.

A niche helps you tailor your marketing efforts and attract the correct clients, and you are certainly able to stand out from other freelancers. Being small and specific helps you differentiate yourself, and helps you offer great demand for your service in the future, if that's what you plan on doing.

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TikTok Micro-Businesses And Marketing.

TikTok micro-businesses go hand-in-hand with content creation, and is another excellent side hustle which utilises TikTok to reach new customers and encourages their audiences to buy products. They leverage TikTok tools and try to connect with the users that follow their page; TikTok micro-businesses often prioritise authentic content, and show how certain products are used with the hope that they can influence their audience to purchase the same product.

This will give the business profitability in how a user purchases a product via TikTok, thus you will get a commission through this transaction.

Utilising TikTok effectively involves using the relevant hashtags for videos to appear on "For You" pages, increasing visibility. Community building and utilising TikTok Shop are two prominent ways of expanding your TikTok microbusiness; TikTok Shop allows businesses to sell products directly through the platform, providing a convenient way for micro-businesses to drive sales and reach a wider audience.

Image Credit: Solen Feyissa from Unsplash

Examples Of Effectiveness- TikTok Businesses.

There are real-life profiles and success stories of people who have used TikTok to successfully drive traffic to their business, such as @TrendyBlends. An article revealed that this small smoothie business grew to achieve over 800,000 followers by showing recipe preparation, customer reactions, and daily operations. TikTok became their number one driver of foot traffic. With consistency and hard work, they were able to boost their audience and attraction by utilising TikTok.

If you are unsure of what business to actually promote via TikTok, the easiest choices are: selling courses, making your own training/coaching business, a baking business, an arts business (stickers, keychains, personalised gifts), or digital marketing.

How Does The Economy Influence Gen Z Decisions?

The economic context of modern society helps reiterate the reason as to why many of Gen Z are choosing side hustles, rather than opting for a fixed job. In the United States, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, as it has been since 2009. Some states have higher minimum wages, but this is mostly the same across the country.

In some States, like Florida, Delaware, and Hawaii, minimum wages are about $10, but this is only due to the average salaries earned by residents living in these States. The minimum wage for Washington DC is $17.50, which, with the average annual salary of the US being $66,622, is only for those who are fortunate. In the UK, the National Living Wage is £12,21 per hour, and £7,55 per hour for under 18s. The average gross salary in the UK is £37,430.

Why do these numbers matter? It's because they are unachievable for most people, especially for most of Gen Z today. People aren't able to achieve this level of financial security, and probably never will, consequently leading young people to question whether one secure job would keep them from living a stable, equitable life.

Having multiple side hustles and streams of income appears to be the best possible option for people to live a life of security, but also feel as if they can enjoy the work that they do. A culture consisting of side hustles, rather than having a job for the next fifty years, appears to be easier than ever now, and given the financial state of the world, managing a business online, whilst contributing to the autonomous work of Gen Z, is also benefitting local economies at the same time.

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Gen Z have entered the world of work during a time of great hostility and grief. After COVID-19, it was very difficult for anyone, regardless of what generation you are in, to adapt to the pre-pandemic work lifestyle, but especially Gen Z. A spring survey from McKinsey of 25,062 Americans included 1,763 respondents in the Gen Z age range of 18 to 24. The survey shows that respondents from Gen Z who are working are more likely to have independent jobs or multiple jobs than older workers. Unlike other generations, they are less likely to expect this period of financial insecurity to end and have high levels of doubts about their eventual ability to either buy homes or retire.

An outcome from the same survey illustrates that employed Gen Zs are most likely to report the pay of their workforce and how it does not allow them a good quality of life, and they feel unfairly rewarded for their work. The dissatisfaction among Gen Z people further heightens the importance of side hustles and how they have the potential to take all this excess weight off the backs of overworked Gen Zs. Out of those who are employed, 77% of the Gen Z respondents who took the McKinsey survey are reportedly looking for a new job.

Gen Z's employment patterns are less stable, but is this something that people should be worrying about? Independent work and side hustles act as a way of giving these Gen Z workers the autonomy and flexibility that they need.

Preferring to work as a non-contract employee is definitely not a bad thing; financial security can only come as a result of working on something that person cares about, and this type of work gives a little bit of hope for even a small minority of people to hit some key economic milestones which in today's day and age is impossible to reach with a regular, mundane office job.

Additionally, the pandemic has left many in anxiety-induced situations, with many Gen Z workers struggling to adapt in the workforce because of mental distress and isolation as a result of the social seclusion from the pandemic. Data from a 2023 report by HR-software company Workhuman shows the cost-of-living crisis is causing 84% of UK workers stress and anxiety. There are similar trends across the globe in America, Canada, and Ireland. Side hustles allow these types of people to work and earn without having to socially stimulate themselves and worsen their mental health conditions (only for the sake of earning an income, though efforts to help these youngsters must be put in place, and should definitely not be ignored).

Gen Z Are In Debt And Don't Want A Full-Time Job.

Student debt and side hustles are closely intertwined, as side hustles are a great way of speeding up the process of paying off student loans from university. It reduces the time of repayment, especially when you are getting multiple streams of income (if you choose to pursue different side hustles).

Student debt can be very stressful for new graduates, who have so much pressure to pay loans off as quickly as possible, but income from these smaller jobs can act as a mediator of this distress, reducing debt and increasing income. Wealth building as a result of side hustles is something Gen Z want to actively start trying to do, and eliminating financial issues such as loans help individuals build a safety net and even start saving for important purchases, such as retirement and houses (which seem like a neverv reaching dream for most young people).

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Final Thoughts: Gen Z, Freedom, and A Creative Outlet.

The call for independence for many of Gen Z aligns very well with the freedom that comes with starting a side hustle. You can work your own hours when you want, where you want, and how you want.

The opportunities are also endless when it comes to choosing your stream of income, because different hustles work for different people, depending on whether you're creative, intellectual, or just simply looking for something really easy to do. For Gen Z, this culture is so much easier than working towards a dream job, which you're most likely going to get tired of 10 years down the line, and isn't really giving you much financial benefit either, based on economic analysis.

Unlike previous generations, Gen Z sees work not only as a career ladder, but a customisable ecosystem. They see it as something changeable and are taking matters into their own hands to have a multifaceted "job", and using multiple streams of income to achieve financial security.