A Gen Zer set out to make $100 a day for 100 days through side hustles. Here are the gigs and passive income streams she recommends.

Jackie Mitchell said side hustle work could be helpful given the economy. Courtesy of Jackie Mitchell

• Jackie Mitchell made nearly $11,000 outside of her job in 100 days according to a TikTok video.
• Her goal for these 100 days was to make money to help with an eventual down payment.
• She talked to Business Insider about side hustle options and making earning goals.

Jackie Mitchell was able to save up for a down payment to buy her first home with her husband in part by making money through side hustles and passive income.

To get to what she would be comfortable with for a down payment, Mitchell, 26, set a goal to try to earn an extra $100 daily for 100 days. She started in September of last year and the couple was able to close on a home a few months later.

“We moved pretty quickly once we got the funds and kind of found a house we loved right away,” she said, adding that the side hustles and extra money “enabled us to apply for that home that would otherwise not be on the market by the time we could otherwise finish saving up.”

She noted in a TikTok video recapping the 100th day of the challenge in late December that she made nearly $11,000, roughly meeting that $100 a day goal. Over the last few months, she posted videos highlighting the money she made from passive income or side hustles.

“I just posted it to see if I could get anyone to hold me accountable because I am very competitive with myself, but I’m even more so when people are watching,” Mitchell said. “I think I’ve always made side hustles kind of a game of some sort for myself in order to bring in extra money.”

Business Insider talked to Mitchell about some of the side hustles that worked for her over the 100-day challenge, what people should know about making an earnings goal, and whether others should pick up side hustle work.

Setting an earnings goal

“I’m not saying everyone has to do a side hustle, but I do think in this economy it’s helpful,” Mitchell said.

While there are a lot of options, Mitchell said she recommends side hustles that fit into your schedule and are easy to start. She also recommends setting simple and realistic goals, and putting in consistent work.

“The race is always the name of the game, especially in earning, and you’ll never regret just taking it low and slow,” she said. “It’ll be easier on you. And then if you want to amp it up, that’s fine.”

Mitchell said to celebrate the money you end up making because it’s money you wouldn’t have had otherwise.

“What I want to encourage people to do, and what I’m hoping to encourage people to do during my series this year, is to remind people that little steps in the right direction if they’re consistent really add up,” she said.

Finding side hustles and passive income streams that fit your needs

Mitchell said she would recommend side hustles or making passive income if you’re willing to make the time commitment. That includes the time to research side hustle opportunities.

“It’s almost less about do you have two hours in your day as much as it is do you have two hours in your day that you are willing to give up?” she said.

Side hustles and passive income have been helpful for Mitchell outside her job at a church.

“Obviously it’s a job that I love and I’m very passionate about, but it is a nonprofit so it doesn’t pay a lot,” she said. “So that was part of my passion behind making extra money — being able to do a job I love and care about while still being able to hit some financial goals.”

Completing surveys or being a study participant could bring in some money

For animal lovers, pet sitting may be a good side hustle option. Others may be more interested in doing surveys for some extra money.

Prolific, a site where one can be a research participant or do surveys, could be one side hustle option. Mitchell thinks it is worth trying out especially because of the “pay ratio to what you need to get started.” She has found the pay is quite good and can include quick surveys.

She made at least £650 on Prolific. According to the site, the minimum pay is £6 per hour although there could be instances of underpaying that Prolific tries to flag, and Prolific does recommend people get at least £9 per hour.

Mitchell noted that there could be a waitlist and said she was on one for months.

“We have to be able to selectively invite participants in controlled numbers to ensure our participant pool meets the ever-changing needs of our researchers,” the Prolific site stated, adding that invites off the waitlist can vary from a few hours to months.

“Part of that waiting game is just to see when researchers are looking for more people of your demographic,” Mitchell said.

Focus groups are another good option

Another way to make some extra money that Mitchell recommends is through focus groups that pay.

Mitchell said she has tried Focus Group for this. Mitchell has found the work done through this is more consumer-focused than Prolific.

“These are things like in-home product testing,” she said. “So maybe a brand wants to send you a makeup product, they send it kind of without any packaging on it.”

She added that this can then involve giving your opinion about that product.

Mitchell has found that while there are frequent opportunities on Prolific, that hasn’t been the case for Focus Group. The frequently asked questions section noted that people won’t qualify for all surveys.

“Of course you can get on more sites and sign up for several different focus groups sites,” Mitchell said.

According to the FAQ section on Focus Group, people get “an incentive in the form of reward points,” which can be redeemed for various retailers for instance, for participating but should note this incentive could be taxable.

Brand deals or partnerships and user-generated content

Mitchell found brand deals or partnerships could be fun side hustles that pay well.

“It’s hard for me to say everyone should do brand deals because of course they pay really well, but really that’s not accessible to most people,” she said.

Mitchell noted that “there’s a lot of great creators specifically in the UGC realm on TikTok.” She said in one of her TikTok videos that she was able to do these deals or thinks she was reached out to for UGC work because of the traction she got from the 100-day challenge.

While there are different kinds of UGC work, it might be hard to stand apart from others.

“I do think the UGC market is becoming somewhat saturated now,” Mitchell said. “I feel like that’s a very popular side hustle, so it may be harder to crack into.”

For those who do work with brands or make content for them, Mitchell told BI that “really what brands are paying for is access to your specific audience,” which is why she said it’s important that you review and evaluate the companies first.

Earning through TikTok posts

For those who enjoy making TikTok content, it could be a potential side hustle. Mitchell has done the Creativity Program Beta, which she said can be a fun option.

This passive income method might not be an available side hustle option for all; TikTok requires participating accounts to be US-based. Beyond location and an age requirement of being at least 18, people need 10,000 or more followers and “at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.”

Mitchell has made over $10,000 in rewards from participating in this TikTok program. She noted a lot of that though was after the 100-day challenge, as the bulk of that came from a few viral posts. One of these videos after the challenge alone translated to over $5,000.

“I think the rate is pretty consistent and you just kind of get to see per day on your dashboard how much you made,” she said. “Sometimes that’s huge. Other weeks, that’s a couple bucks a day.”

“It really just depends on the virality of your content at any given time and how many people are interacting with your content,” she added.

Have you made money from side hustles? Reach out to this reporter to share your experience, at [email protected].