South Africans are embracing side hustles for fun and profit, with one survey finding that 45% of young adults are pursuing side gigs. The primary reason for running a side hustle is to generate additional income, but some people do it to learn a new skill, explore a personal interest, or take advantage of an opportunity.
Affordable mobile technology has been a key driver behind the surge in side hustle activity. On-the-go communications, seamless ecommerce and payments apps, mobile productivity tools, and hardware features like powerful cameras and long battery life give you many of the tools you need to run your own business.
This technology makes it easy to run an e-commerce store and accept payments; market your business to its audience; produce professional content; run virtual meetings; and so much more besides.
Here are just a few examples of side hustles that you can run from your smartphone:
Content creator
If you’re creative, have a unique voice, and expertise in a particular niche, you might be able to earn some extra rands as an influencer or content creator. Today’s smartphones include powerful cameras for capturing professional-looking photos and videos. AI-enhanced apps can help you polish your content and make it look even better. It’s not easy to stand out in the crowded world of social media, but if you are consistent and strategic, you can earn a bit of money while having some fun.
E-commerce and dropshipping
It’s easier than ever to set up and run your own e-commerce store from an app on your phone. You can use an e-commerce platform to sell goods you make yourself – like handmade clothing or artisanal baked goods, or products you buy for resale. Dropshipping, where a supplier will ship the product directly to your customer, is another option. While dropshipping can be profitable, it requires careful planning and realistic expectations about margins and effort.
Trading specialised or second-hand goods
You can use platforms like Bob Shop, Gumtree, and eBay to buy and resell second-hand and collectable items to customers in South Africa and the rest of the world. Some examples of products to sell include vinyl records, retro games, vintage clothing, toys, and furniture.
Personal services
There is plenty of demand in South Africa for personal services like fitness training, tutoring, dog walking, and gardening. They can be reliable earners if you have the right skills and equipment. Your smartphone makes it easier by helping you to market your business, accept payments, and schedule appointments.
Virtual services
There are many services you can offer straight from your phone these days, no laptop or in-person presence required. These range from helping small businesses manage their social media account and designing websites to assisting business owners with bookkeeping or handling customer queries.
The technology behind the opportunity
Behind the scenes, it’s the smartphone’s system-on-a-chip (SoC) that drives many of the features you’ll use to run a side hustle. Platforms like the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 and Dimensity 8000 deliver the features you need to run your side business smoothly and efficiently. These chipsets offer superior speeds without sacrificing battery life.
Our latest flagship, the MediaTek Dimensity 9500, combines top-tier performance, energy efficiency, and on-device AI in one platform. Smartphones built on the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 can handle demanding apps, such as productivity tools, video conferencing, and creative software, faster and longer without draining battery life.
Empowering financial independence
Affordable access to professional-quality tools powered by technologies such as the MediaTek Dimensity Series is democratising entrepreneurship. With smartphones reducing barriers to entry, it is easier than ever to scale your ideas into a sustainable side business. The next step is doing the research to identify opportunities that fit your skills and interests.
