Small business owners are often responsible for every component of their business, including content creation. Many build audiences by posting on social media and writing newsletters, for example. It's a lot of work to do alone.
"The volume of content that people are creating and pushing out into the world today is insane," says Angelique Rewers, CEO of small business consulting firm BoldHaus. That's why many solopreneurs will find ways to cut costs and time, like buying customizable graphic templates for their various material instead of hiring a graphic designer or trying to build the graphics themselves.
"I utilize those kinds of services anytime I need to build something quickly," says Nicaila Okome, host of the "Side Hustle Pro" podcast.
If you have a knack for graphic design and are keen to build a side hustle that can provide some passive income, here's how to dive in.
Create templates for 'social media, websites, e-books'
You can create templates for a variety of platforms, "like Instagram, social media, websites, e-books, e-learning courses," says Rewers, or for blogs, LinkedIn posts — even for physical products.
Some designers create packaging templates customers can print out and use. You can make templates for people launching their "own line of skincare," for example, says Rewers.
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Many creators use Canva to design the templates, as the site lets you send each buyer a unique link with a set which they can then customize for their needs.
Demand is 'definitely going to grow'
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Do some research on sites like Canva, Etsy and Creative Market to see what kinds of templates people sell, how they sell them — individually or in packages, for example — and how much they sell them for.
One social media set with 20 templates goes for $5.67 on Etsy, for example. Another set with 120 Instagram templates goes for $165 on Creative Market.
When you're ready to start selling, keep in mind that each site has its own fees and stipulations.
Etsy charges 20 cents for every item listed on its site, for example, as well as a 6.5% fee per sale based on the price of your item. Creative Market charges a 50% fee on each sale. On Canva, designers' work must be registered and accepted by the site. Designers then earn royalties every time their design is used.
However you decide to dive in, know demand for these types of templates is "definitely going to grow," says Okome.
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