If Canberra has a queen of the side hustle, it must be Kambah mum Brittany Davidson. So much so, the side hustles are virtually her full-time job.
The 28-year-old single mum juggles multiple freelance jobs - from writing eulogies to mystery shopping to pet sitting - because it works best for her family life.
And she makes about $4000 a month doing it.
Brittany is a qualified baker and pastry chef but working overnight is out of the question caring for son Arlen, six, as well as other family members including her grandmother Rhonda.
So she uses the platform Airtasker to source work, with the biggest money-spinners often people seeking her to write something professionally.
"A lot of HR documents, a lot of proof-reading, just formal documents for people," she said, adding she had written a few eulogies.
"I think writing was just something I always had an interest in and something I always excelled at at school.
"And as someone who does tailor my schedule around my son and around my family members I care for, it's something that's really easy to do remotely and to, I guess, walk away from and come back to, as long as you're within that deadline."
One of her side jobs is "mystery shopping".
"Essentially, someone who owns a business or the management team will hire a third party to go into the establishment anonymously and they'll give you a brief - 'We're looking to see how we're performing with x, y and z' - and I'll give them some really honest feedback on whatever it is they've asked about," Brittany said.
"And that way they can implement whatever changes they want to within their business."
The former Lake Tuggeranong College student is not alone in the side hustle.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistic data shows 6.7 per cent of all employed people (974,000) opted to find another source of income through multiple jobs, compared with 13.4 million single job-holders.
Brittany is one of 6.5 million people in Australia using Airtasker which matches people who need jobs done with people who will do it for them, at a price they agree on.
"I started out purely through Airtasker and I built up a really regular portfolio of clients that I was working with and that was when I registered for an ABN from there," she said.
It's making a living on her terms. And she's good at it.
"I think the biggest thing is having good interpersonal skills and being able to build a rapport and have that trust pretty quickly with your client," Brittany said.
"Even now I've been using Airtasker for six years but a lot of people still don't really know what it is. They go in and are like, 'Oh, ah,' and be a bit unsure.
"I think I've got a bit of confidence about what it is I am capable of and if I do put an offer in, I know I can do a really good job at whatever is that I've applied for.
"I think just backing yourself in that pitch and having confidence you are going to do the best job really pays off."
Airtasker's Most In-Demand Tasks
- Removalists - $167
- Residential Cleaning - $190
- General Handyperson - $308
- Gardening / Lawn Moving - $185
- Waste Disposal Collection - $157
Highest Paid Categories
- Fence Constructions - $950
- Landscape Gardeners - $807
- Bricklayer - $731
- Demolition - $703
- Painting and Painting Services - $645
