With inflation and rising interest rates, many of us are looking for side hustles to help make ends meet. Here are three potential options for you to consider with relatively low barriers to entry.

Become a dog walker or pet sitter
Countless Canadians bought a pet as part of their pandemic coping mechanism. Now, with many humans returning to the office part- or full-time, they need someone to look after their fur babies while they’re at work.

You can charge a premium for private walks or offer a lower hourly rate and boost your earnings by walking multiple dogs at the same time. Note that some municipalities require professional dog walkers to obtain a licence and put a cap on how many dogs you can walk at the same time, usually six or less.

Become a sports official
Are you a football fanatic? Bonzo for baseball? Head over heels for hockey? Then you could earn some serious pocket money as a paid official for games. There are recreational leagues for all ages, from young tots to adults, across the country that are always looking for officials to oversee their games.

You’ll need an expert understanding of the rules of the game and, depending on the level of players you’ll be officiating, you’ll most likely need some training and certification. But once you’re registered, you can pretty much choose the hours and days that you’re willing to work.

Launch a specialty food business
Another way many of us got by during COVID-19 lockdowns was getting creative in the kitchen and trying our hands at whipping up new recipes. If you mastered a niche product – say, hot sauce that your family raves about or a carefully curated spice-rub that your friends can’t get enough of – you might be able to turn that pastime into a viable business.

Just keep in mind that there are rules around selling food products in Canada that may apply. Specifically, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). And if your side hustle really takes off, and you are exporting your products outside of your home province or internationally, you will need an SFC licence.

Learn more about the rules at inspection.canada.ca