Every side hustle starts with an idea!
I put together this monster list of side hustle ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.
Most of these side hustles don’t require a huge initial investment or even any special skills, but each has the potential to earn you money in your spare time.
These were selected based on:
- 15+ years of side hustle experience
- Interviews with over 500 side hustle entrepreneurs
- Feedback from the 50,000-member Side Hustle Nation community
These ideas are worth anywhere from $50 to $50,000 a month — it all depends on your execution.
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1. Online Surveys
These won’t make you rich, but can be an easy way to supplement your income and you can do them in your downtime (waiting in line, watching TV, etc.).
If you love this stuff, check out:
- Swagbucks – Earn up to $35 a survey with this mega-popular app, and get a $10 bonus just for signing up!
- Survey Junkie – Take 3 surveys a day and earn up to $100 a month.
- KashKick – Get paid to answer surveys, test games, and try new products.
- Product Report Card – Get notified about higher-paying product tests, clinical trials, and online focus groups.
- American Consumer Opinion – Join millions of free members and earn up to $50 per survey.
- InboxDollars – Get a $5 bonus just for signing up!
2. Rental Properties
Real estate investing is one of the oldest and most popular side hustles in the books … but houses are expensive!
Thankfully, new platforms like Arrived make it easy to invest in income-generating properties—with as little as $100.
The company pools money to buy rental properties, manages them, and then distributes the cash flow every month.
I also liked Austin Miller’s creative approach to building his rental portfolio, which was up to 17 properties worth $1.2 million when we spoke.
The kicker? They were all acquired “free”—without any of his own money.
3. Customer Interviews
Many companies use customer interviews to get feedback on new products.
Earn $50-150/hr, with thousands of new studies added each month.
Earn an average of $75 per project, and get notified of upcoming studies you may qualify for.
Patients and caregivers can earn $120/hour while helping advance medical research.
User Interviews and Respondent.io are a pair of cool services that facilitate those interviews online and over the phone.
The best part? The average compensation is $50-150 an hour!
Here are some other companies that facilitate focus groups and paid research studies.
4. Part-Time Remote Work
With legit jobs ranging from entry-level to executive and freelance to full-time, FlexJobs is the leading work from home jobs site.
The best place to find legit work from home jobs. Established in 2007, FlexJobs has 1000s of listings including part-time, full-time, and freelance options in tons of industries.
At press time, there were more than 48,000 openings in dozens of career categories.
They charge a nominal monthly fee to access their listings, but you’ll easily earn it back (and then some!) with one job.
Want more details?
Check out our Flexjobs review.
5. Reselling Furniture Returns
Reselling furniture returns is a unique low-risk side hustle.
How it works is you join Sharetown as a local “reverse logistics” rep. Sharetown partners with direct-to-consumer mattress and furniture brands to handle their return requests. When customers decide they don’t want to keep the item, you’ll get dispatched to go pick it up.
After that, you’ll clean it up, photograph it, and list it for resale on sites like Facebook Marketplace.
The Sharetown reps I’ve connected with target $150-250 per flip — and the kicker is you don’t have to pay Sharetown for the inventory until the item sells.
Check out my full Sharetown review to learn more.
Sharetown reps make money by reselling gently-used furniture and bed-in-a-box mattresses. Top reps earn $4000+ per month.
- Low startup costs
- Great earning power
- No hunting for inventory
- Requires a truck or SUV
- Bulky items to store
- Not available in all areas
6. Build a Helpful Website
Write content on a topic you care about and build an audience in your niche.
For example:
- Shelley earns $50k a month from her travel blogs
- Scott earns 6-figures a year from his bird-watching blog
- Katie earns $6k a month from her gray hair blog
Want to start a blog of your own? Check out my free 6-part video course on how to start your own site.
Pros:
Low startup costs
Great long-term earning power
Can sell the business down the road
Cons:
Slow to see results
Lots of skills to learn
7. “Software with a Service” Consulting
There are consultants for practically every area of expertise. What are you a relative expert in that others might pay for your advice?
One of my favorite angles is to piggyback on the popularity of a particular software tool, like Brad Rice did with Salesforce (earning over $200k a year part time!). As adoption of the software grows, so does the demand for qualified support.
8. Flipping Items for Profit
My favorite eBay seller is Rob, the “Flea Market Flipper,” who built a 6-figure business buying low and selling high. He and his wife Melissa consistently earn thousands of dollars a month, flipping items part-time!
They put together this free training on how to get started and make your first sales in as little as 2 weeks.
- Low startup costs
- Simple business model
- Can multiply money quickly
- Can be time-consuming to source inventory
- Difficult to store and ship bulky items
Suggested Playlist: Flipping Profits
Buying low and selling high is the fastest way to multiply money. Here's how to get it done.
9. Affiliate Marketing
Refer website visitors to buy products online and earn a small commission on each sale. This is actually how I’ve made the bulk of my living over the last 10+ years, so it definitely works!
One effective affiliate marketing model is to create “comparison” content that helps readers make a buying decision. Following this strategy, a couple podcast guests reported earning $20,000 a month within the first year of launching their site.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building your first affiliate website.
Suggested Playlist: Affiliate Marketing
Make money online by sharing relevant products and services with your audience. Here's a killer playlist packed with actionable advice from the pros.
10. “Alternative” Investing
Alternative investments include peer-to-peer lending, real estate crowdfunding, business lending, and even cryptocurrency.
This is one of my favorite side hustles because it’s automated and passive. Check out options like Fundrise, which allows you to invest in revenue-generating commercial real estate for as little as $10.
Disclosure: I’ve been a Fundrise investor since 2015. When you join through my referral link, I receive compensation.
Fundrise is one of the best and largest crowdfunded real estate investment platforms, with $7B under management. The company makes institutional quality investments available to everyone, starting at just $10.
- Start with just $10
- Quarterly cash flow
- Instant diversification
- Healthy historical performance
- Lower volatility
- Liquidity
- Not as diversified as public REITs
- Limited operational track record
- Weaker upside
Another example of buying cash flow is to buy an online business. For example, Stacy Caprio bought a small portfolio of sites that—after a couple early mis-steps—was profitable enough to leave her job.
11. Bookkeeping / Accounting / Tax Preparation Service
Help other businesses with their accounting and finances. This can be a great option for people with an accounting background from school, your day job, or just for people who aren’t afraid of math.
Virtual bookkeepers can earn $60 an hour or more. Here’s a free training on how to get started.
12. YouTube Channel Host
If you generate a lot of video views, you can earn money with YouTube’s revenue sharing program.
I’ve been dabbling a bit more with YouTube lately, and recently passed $500 in monthly ad income.
YouTube is an exciting platform because it’s both a search engine and a viral engine — giving you two ways to get discovered. You may not even need to be on camera yourself.
13. Selling Printables and Spreadsheets
I’m a fan of side hustles that let me get paid over and over again from work I do once, and printables definitely fits that bill.
By uploading digital files to Etsy, you can reach a wide audience of buyers—without having to fulfill individual orders.
Rachel Jones reported earning $10,000 a month from her portfolio of Etsy printables. Examples might include habit trackers, meal plans, budget templates, chore charts, intake forms, and more.
Similarly, Emily McDermott reported earning $250,000 in her first two years of selling spreadsheets on Etsy.
14. Baking
Do people love your desserts? Maybe you could provide cakes, cookies, or cupcakes to some corporate event in town.
Jenn Fei has built a pretty serious following for her custom cookies—and sometimes sells out in just minutes!
15. Virtual Assistant Service
Virtual assistants generally charge $15-40 an hour to provide remote administrative support to clients. If that sounds like a fun side hustle you can set up shop on your own or jump on board with an established VA company.
To learn more about starting your own virtual assistant company, check out the free video training from Abbey Ashley, who started her VA business on the side.
16. Raw Land Flipping
This sounds a little crazy, but my guest Mark called his raw land investing business “the best passive income model” because he doesn’t have to deal with “tenants, toilets, or termites” like a traditional landlord.
His Land Investing Launch Kit is free to Side Hustle Nation readers.
I sat down with one of Mark’s students who’d built his land flipping business to $10k a month in his first year.
17. Book Flipping
One Side Hustle Show guest reported earning up to $4000 a month flipping books!
Use the free Bookscouter app to scan barcodes and see what old books are worth. You can do this both for the books collecting dust on your shelf and for the ones at garage sales or the library book store.
18. Notary Public Service
Notary certification is granted by your state and generally costs less than $100.
Once you’re certified, you can get paid to notarize documents, or become a loan signing agent. These mobile notaries can make anywhere from $1,000-8,000 a month overseeing mortgage signings in their spare time.
Check out some of the training resources at Loan Signing System to learn more.
19. Niche Newsletter
One of the side hustles I’m excited about right now is curated email newsletters. Could you source the best articles on your topic of choice on a daily or weekly basis?
These are super valuable for readers since you help cut through the clutter in your niche. As your audience grows, you can monetize with ads, affiliate offers, or your own products or services.
Tools like Substack and SendFox make it super easy to get started.
20. Teaching an Online Course
Udemy is an online education platform with thousands of on-demand courses. You can create your own course around a topic you’re an expert in and set your own tuition rate.
I did this several years ago and have earned over $25,000 in (mostly) passive income from it!
If you have an existing audience, you might be able to sell the course directly (without giving Udemy a cut). In this episode with Nate Dodson, he shares the framework he used to earn $40,000 a month teaching people how to start a microgreens business.
21. Mystery Shopping
Companies pay mystery shoppers to:
- verify their in-store shopping experience
- rate their customer support staff
- evaluate the competition
Some mystery shoppers report earning over $10,000 a year!
One easy way to get started is with the Field Agent app. The free app pays you to complete small tasks in your neighborhood, like photographing the inside of a store or checking inventory levels.
I found several of these tasks near me, from companies like Home Depot and Walmart, with the payouts ranging from $3-8 per assignment.
22. Tutoring
Put your education to use helping students learn in a comfortable one-on-one setting. WyzAnt is one of the largest marketplaces in the online tutoring world, where you can set your own rates.
In this post, Matt Fuentes shared how he built his tutoring business up to $1000 a week.
23. Picking Up Trash
Brian Winch has been doing this for over 30 years and calls it “America’s simplest business.” He says you can earn $50,000-$100,000 a year to walk local parking lots and clean up the garbage.
Check out the interview I did with Brian to learn more.
Suggested Playlist: Local Business Ideas
Money is already flowing through your city, town, and neighborhood. Here are some actionable ways to get it flowing to YOU!
24. Food or Grocery Delivery Service
With driving apps like Instacart, you can earn money delivering groceries and take-out orders in your town.
I sat down with one full-service Instacart shopper who made $10,000 in his first 6 months!
And you don’t have to worry about keeping your car spotless for passengers, like you would with Uber.
25. Reselling on Amazon
In this popular side hustle, you find bargain deals locally and ship them off to sell on Amazon. Thanks to the Amazon FBA program (Fulfillment by Amazon), the e-commerce giant handles all the logistics.
I earned $650 when I tried it myself.
26. Online Arbitrage
With a trained eye—and often some software to help—you can buy products from one website, and resell them for a profit on Amazon. Online arbitrage pros can earn $10,000+ per month from home.
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27. Kindle Publishing
Selling ebooks on Amazon is one of the income streams I’m cultivating. I love the idea of having my work for sale on the world’s largest store!
From my very first author royalty check in 2012, I keep learning more about self-publishing and hopefully get better every time I put pen to paper … or fingers to keyboard.
Since then, I’ve earned over $79,000 in author royalties:
28. Becoming an Adjunct Professor
You may need a graduate degree for this one, but it can be a fun way to share your knowledge with the next generation of students and earn some good money on the side.
The average pay for adjunct professors is $3500 per course and some jobs allow online teaching and pre-recorded lectures.
29. Freelance Writing
With millions of websites all competing for attention, freelance writing is a service that’s constantly in demand. Someone’s got to create all that content, right?
Georgia Austin even turned her writing side hustle into a full-blown agency!
Here’s a great free resource to get started: Your 9-Step Blueprint to Making Money as a Writer
30. Proofreading
Do you like to read? If you have an eye for detail you can set up shop on Upwork as a proofreader and bid on jobs large and small.
I actually offered this service on Fiverr for a while and made some decent money.
31. Ridesharing
Earn extra cash driving your fellow citizens around with Lyft or Uber.
One cool “hack”: Both companies offer “Destination Mode.” This allows you to tell the app which direction you’re headed—and only accept riders along your route. It’s a relatively easy way to monetize your commute!
32. Freelancing on Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the most popular freelance marketplaces in the world.
Check out these fine Side Hustle Nation posts/interviews for more on how to make Fiverr work for you:
- How to Build a 6-Figure Side Hustle on Fiverr
- Rapid Side Hustle Prototyping: A New Income Stream on Your Lunch Break?
33. Print on Demand T-Shirts
Upload your clever or artistic t-shirt design to Merch by Amazon or Redbubble, and collect a small profit every time it sells. You never have to touch any physical inventory; the platforms handle the shipping and fulfillment.
For years, this had been worth $50-200 a month for my wife and I, very part-time.
Another platform to check out is Printful, which has tons of print-on-demand products and lets you syndicate your listings to Etsy and other stores.
34. Your Own E-Commerce Store
Sell products online through your own store or Amazon. For example, Lou Rice turned a simple silicone strap into a $50k/mo side hustle!
Next Step: Set up your shop with a free trial of Shopify, the leading shopping cart provider.
35. Sports Coaching or Officiating
School teams often need coaches and this can be a fun and active side hustle.
Similarly, recreational sports leagues are often in need of referees and umpires. This can be a fun way to spend your evenings and earn a little extra cash.
36. Podcasting
A large podcast following can translate into serious sponsorship dollars. It costs less than you think to start and The Side Hustle Show has honestly been a life-changing project for me.
And I’m not the only one — my friend Harry Duran earns an average of $700 per episode for his part-time podcast about vertical farming!.
37. Pool Cleaning Service
If you live in a warm climate, this could be a fun and interesting side hustle to enjoy the summer outdoors.
38. Knife Sharpening
Matt Rowell started a knife sharpening business in his spare time, and now earns $30-60 an hour.
Every house in the country is a potential repeat customer!
39. Selling on Etsy
Etsy is the world’s largest marketplace for unique hand-crafted goods. What can you make?
My friend Kara started selling wine-themed wedding décor on Etsy as a side hustle and since turned it into a full-time business.
40. Alterations
Handy with a sewing machine? The market for clothing alteration is ripe for disruption because of a lack of transparency in pricing. I’ve had some suits altered from a couple different places with dramatically different rates.
Free marketing tip: Post flyers at the gym or other places where people may have lost a lot of weight and need their clothes altered.
41. Ironing / Mobile Laundry Service
One Side Hustle Nation reader in Australia shared how she was earning an extra $400 a month to iron other people’s clothes. She was thrilled to be “getting paid to watch movies”–how she passed the time while ironing.
According to the mobile laundry service Poplin, top “Laundry Pros” earn up to $6,000 a month.
42. House Hacking
If you have extra room in your house, you can earn money renting it out to visitors on Airbnb.com. It’s a pretty cool way to make money and meet interesting people from around the world at the same time.
With a little bit of traction, you could even cover your entire rent or mortgage by hosting guests on Airbnb. Have you tried it?
43. Airbnb Co-Hosting
In addition to a small portfolio of her own short-term rental properties, Zeona McIntyre has built a side business “co-hosting” other Airbnbs.
She essentially acts as the property manager, coordinating guest check-ins, maintenance, and cleaning. In exchange, she earns 20% of the booking fees—with none of the risk or upfront cost.
44. Rental Arbitrage
A popular—but controversial—side hustle is known as rental arbitrage or Airbnb arbitrage. How it works is you enter into a long-term lease on a property, with the intent (and landlord’s consent) to rent it out on Airbnb.
One entrepreneur I interviewed reported earning almost $200,000 a year doing this, without owning any properties himself.
45. Child Care or Caregiving
Is it just me, or does “babysitting” sound amateur compared to “child care”?
There’s also an opportunity in elder care as the population ages, and sites like Care.com can help match you with customers.
46. Pressure Washing
Pressure washing is oh-so-satisfying and can be a great seasonal way to earn some extra cash.
Rates may range from $100-250 or more per house, which is pretty cool considering a high quality pressure washer may only cost $400.
This is one side hustle where you can breakeven and start turning a profit pretty quickly.
47. Car Wash and Detailing
A mobile detailing service is a super low startup cost side hustle. You could get clients in bunches at office parks, shopping malls, schools, sporting events, and other places where people (and their cars) like to gather.
48. Gutter Cleaning
Gutter cleaning is a relatively simple and low cost business to start. You could get clients on an annual or semi-annual recurring schedule like the dentist.
49. Personal Chef Service
Could you picture yourself making meals in someone else’s kitchen? This could be a good way to monetize your cooking skills— without the risk of starting your own restaurant.
Some friends of ours pay $180-200 a week for meals delivered to their house.
HireaChef.com connects you with families and events looking for private chefs, or you might just post on Facebook or NextDoor.
With platforms like Eatwith, you could even begin charging to host meals.
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50. Residential or Commercial Cleaning Service
It may not be glamorous, but commercial cleaning is something nearly every business spends money on. And since it usually gets done in the after-work hours, it’s a good fit for side hustlers.
You may not even have to do the cleaning yourself. For instance, Anthony and Jhanilka Hartzog built their cleaning business to $25k a month — and contract with other pros to do the work!
51. Cracked Screen Repair Service
People play $150-300+ to replace cracked screens on their phones, but the glass itself usually costs less than $25.
Could you teach yourself this in-demand skill?
52. Cover Letter and Resume Service
There is a massive opportunity to help job seekers with their resumes and cover letters, especially if you have HR experience.
Since the payoff of landing a new job is so high, it’s worthwhile for applicants to get some professional help on their documents.
53. Small Business Marketing Service
Many small companies don’t have the staff or know-how to do all their marketing themselves. Could you help them put their best foot forward online and on social media?
54. Dividend Investing
This is one of my favorite ways to “buy cash flow,” and is a simple way to get paid over and over again from work you do once.
I’ve focused on companies that have a long history of paying—and increasing—dividends, and slowly built up my portfolio. Every quarter they come in like clockwork. Dividends are one my most passive income streams.
Set up a free brokerage account at M1 Finance and get started right away.
55. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking
When homeowners travel, it opens up an opportunity to come by and take care of their animals.
To set up shop, try Rover.com. Several Side Hustle Nation readers report earning $1000 a month watching other people’s pets!
56. Pet Waste Removal
It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it!
More and more homeowners are outsourcing the chore of picking up their dog’s back yard deposits. In just a few months, Erica Krupin had landed 80 recurring weekly clients at around $15 apiece.
57. Pet Grooming
Just like their owners, pets need haircuts too. A mobile pet grooming service can be a low-cost part-time business.
58. Private Labeling
In this side hustle, you identify hot-selling products and try to improve them.
On The Side Hustle Show, 7-figure Amazon seller Greg Mercer shared his top 3 Amazon FBA product sourcing guidelines and tips.
59. Renting Out Your Car
The average car sits idle 22 hours a day, and Turo is helping car owners turn those unused vehicles into cash. The average car host earns over $1,000 a month on the platform, and the company handles all the insurance.
For example, Joe and Heather Fier used the Turo platform to essentially get a free Tesla!
60. Local Rental Business
High school teacher Steve Nadramia began a side hustle renting out portable hot tubs, and now does $1000s a month in bookings.
These types of “unconventional” rental businesses are exciting because the return on investment is so much higher than traditional real estate. For example, in Steve’s case, he might buy a hot tub for $2000, and rent it out for $400-500 a month.
25 Other Unconventional Rental Ideas
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61. Craigslist Gigs
There’s a little-known section in the bottom right corner of Craigslist specifically for side hustlers. It’s called “gigs”:
Check it out and see what kind of gigs you might be able to find nearby or online.
62. Doula Service
Doulas can earn $500-$1000 per birth.
63. Drop Shipping
Drop shippers set up their own storefront, but never touch the actual product. Instead, the items are shipped directly to the customer from the manufacturer or wholesaler.
Rene Delgado shared how he sold $300,000 worth of bounce houses in his first year in business.
64. Brand Ambassador
Big brands are always looking for assistance with their on-the-ground marketing efforts, and pay pretty well for the help.
Kenny Azama explained it’s a relatively easy (and fun) way to earn $1000 a month part-time, and could even turn into a full-time gig. When we spoke, he was earning $2k a week on a cross-country RV road-trip as a brand ambassador!
65. Estate Sale Service
Estate sales are often managed by third-party companies, who take a percentage of the proceeds in exchange for handling the event.
66. Event DJ-ing
Is DJ-ing a lost art in the era of pre-made playlists? Either way, there are still plenty of events that hire live DJs.
Check out sites like GigSalad to set up your profile and get booked.
67. Furniture Flipping
This popular side hustle involves sourcing inexpensive dressers, desks, and tables from yard sales, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. Next, you fix them up and resell them for a profit.
With a little effort, you can turn a $30 dresser into a $200 Pinterest-worthy piece.
68. Graphic Design Service
Quality graphic design is always in-demand, and there have never been so many outlets on which to sell your skills.
The most popular design-focused site is 99designs, but you can also check out Crowdspring, DesignCrowd, or other freelance marketplaces.
69. Web Design Service
There’s no shortage of crappy-looking websites out there. Pitch the benefits of good design and help them out.
In an inspiring Side Hustle Show episode, Chris Misterek shared how he taught himself the necessary skills and began earning $3000 a month.
70. Handyman Service
This is certainly not a great option for my less-than-handy self, but I’m positive someone else with the right skills can make it work.
You might try setting up a profile on TaskRabbit (where I’ve connected with on-demand handymen) or Thumbtack.
71. Home Inspection Service
Certification is required, but inspections can be scheduled at your convenience and only take a few hours.
72. Mobile Mechanic
Matt Bochnak of Chicago started fixing motorcycles in his garage to earn extra money. It was a good gig, but it became a great one when he started filming his repairs and putting the videos online.
Eventually, Matt turned this classic blue collar hours-for-dollars side hustle into a $20k a month online business.
If you’re comfortable fixing cars, check out YourMechanic.com, which helps match you with customers in need of car repairs — and pays up to $70 an hour.
73. Local Newsletter or Facebook Group
Could you start a small email newsletter or Facebook group for your hometown?
Melissa Fassel-Dunn did this for her town (a Boston suburb) and turned it into an almost 6-figure business. She sold advertisements and directory listings to local businesses.
Bill Nowicki took this idea one step further, and started a local podcast for his town of Marietta, GA.
74. Home Organization Service
After you’re done Marie Kondo-ing your own place, maybe others would hire you to “spark joy” in theirs.
With some creative local marketing I bet you could build a client roster and help other families declutter their space.
75. Junk Hauling Service
This is a great side hustle business if you already have access to a pickup truck or van. Bonus points if you can re-sell some of the junk!
I sat down with Brian Scudamore, the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, to learn how he took the business from a summer gig to doing around $1 million a day in revenue.
76. Transcription Service
Transcription—turning audio recordings into text—is often a part-time work-from-home position. Many transcribers specialize in a given industry, like medical, legal, or podcast transcriptions.
Several sites, including Rev.com, hire transcribers. If you’re fast, you might be able to earn up to $15 an hour.
To learn more about transcribing work, check out this free 7-day mini course on how to get started.
77. Flyer Distribution Service
One listener wanted to find a way to get more FitBit steps—and get paid for it. So he approached a local business and offered to distribute flyers door-to-door.
Then he realized it wouldn’t really be any more work to drop off 3 or 4 flyers at each house, effectively earning $75-100 an hour for taking a walk!
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78. Mobile Game App Testing
KashKick is a newer app that pays you to answer surveys, test new games (up to $150 each!), and redeem money-saving offers.
With the slogan “get paid to have fun,” KashKick is rated 4.3-stars in the Google Play store.
Get paid to test new games, complete offers, and answer short surveys.
79. Movie / TV Extra
Your odds are better if you’re in LA, New York, or Atlanta, but there can always be “on location” shoots nearby.
Check out Central Casting or Auditions Free to see if there are any movie extra jobs near you. Bonus points if you can get your Screen Actors Guild credentials or IMDB credits!
Movie extras typically earn minimum wage, but then again, you might have a brush with celebrity.
80. Moving Service
Moving is never fun, but can be a good way to earn some extra cash on the weekend if you’re strong and don’t mind carrying other people’s stuff.
Sites like Dolly help connect you with nearby moving jobs.
81. Renting Out Your Attic or Garage
The Neighbor self-storage platform connects people with storage needs with those who have extra space. If you’ve got some excess storage capacity in your garage or elsewhere, list your space here to fill it and get paid.
According to the site, top hosts are earning up to $10,000 a year running their own mini self-storage operations. Check out our full Neighbor.com review to learn more.
82. Host Trivia Nights
Bars and restaurants are always looking for creative ways to get customers in the door, especially mid-week. One compelling option is an entertaining trivia game, that you can get paid to host.
83. Party Planning / Wedding Coordinator Service
Put your organization skills to good use. Build relationships with venues, wedding photographers, or other service providers in the space.
You might need to do your first couple of gigs for free or a low cost to establish yourself.
84. Personal Training
People are always looking to get in shape and if you have a passion for fitness, this could be the perfect side hustle.
85. Photography Service
Turn your photography hobby into an income stream. This is my wife’s favorite side hustle, and earns her an extra $10,000 a year.
Another photographer, Vincent Pugliese, shared how “freelanced his way to freedom” and went from earning $30k a year to $30k in a day.
86. Product Licensing
With product licensing, you sell the rights to your idea to large companies, who then pay you royalties for every sale they make from that idea.
For example, Nate Dallas earned $300,000 from Mattel after licensing them an idea for a Pictionary spin-off.
87. App Development
The mobile app market is hot, but one developer likened it to the gold rush—where the ones who made the most money were the ones selling the gear and the shovels.
Still, if you can learn to code apps or jump on the fast-growing “no code” trend, you’ll have a in-demand skill you can use over and over again.
88. Real Estate Wholesaling
In this side hustle, your job is to connect motivated sellers with real estate investors. You earn the difference between your negotiated contract price and the eventual sales price.
The best part? It doesn’t put your cash or credit at risk.
On the podcast, J. Massey shared some more tips on how to find distressed properties.
89. AI Training
Yes, this is a real way to make money online for beginners. Modern AI models actually use human assistants to get smarter.
For example, you can get paid to help evaluate AI prompts and responses with companies like Remotasks. The onboarding process is a bit tedious, but I made $15 an hour in my first paid training session. Check out our full Remotasks review for more.
90. Teaching Music
With a love for music, teaching, and working with kids, you could start a part-time music teaching business. In our town, we see instructors setting up shop at children’s fairs and the weekly farmer’s markets to advertise.
91. Music Licensing
Singer-songwriter Cathy Heller found a unique way to “reverse-engineer” her dream job by licensing her catchy tunes to big brands and TV shows.
Alternatively, licensing stock music is a bit of a numbers game, but can be a cool way to earn passive income from your art.
92. Teaching Yoga
Becoming a yoga instructor could be a fun and healthy side hustle.
93. Local Tours
Do you want to show off your city to visitors? You can create your own unique tour experience with the help of websites like ToursByLocals.com.
For example, Alexandra Kenin leads urban hikers through the hills of San Francisco at $50 a pop.
94. Pallet Flipping
Flipping liquidation pallets is a unique “treasure hunt” of a side hustle. How it works is you buy pallets of returned merchandise from local liquidators and resell the individual items for a profit.
For side hustlers like Jamie and Sarah McAuley, this translates into $500-2000/mo in profit.
95. Vending Machines
Mike Hoffmann’s vending machine empire earns thousands of dollars a month in profits. His advice was to get modern machines, and find locations with either 100 residential units or workplaces with 100 employees.
96. Voiceover Acting
Companies are always on the look for professional voiceover talent. Once you start listening for it, you’ll hear voiceover work everywhere.
One Side Hustle Show guest reported turning her voiceover side hustle into a full-time gig in just 4 months, earning up to $3000 an hour in the process!
97. Window Cleaning Service
Window cleaning can be a nice little weekend side hustle with low startup costs; you may already have a ladder, a bucket, and a squeegee.
Johnny Robinson built his window cleaning service to $700k a year — while a full-time college student!
98. Mechanical Turk
Mechanical Turk is a micro-jobs platform built by Amazon. The downside is that most tasks pay pennies.
The good news is they’re relatively simple and fast to finish, so you may be able to earn a modest side hustle income in your spare time from home. In fact, one reader reported earning $50,000 in his spare time over the last few years.
The hourly wage won’t be anything amazing here, but I wanted to include it as an option in case you wanted to check it out.
99. Yard Work Service
Nearly every yard in the country requires some sort of maintenance.
Plus, more and more homeowners have started outsourcing this chore, which means there’s a side hustle opportunity.
100. Storage Unit Auctions
Popularized by TV shows like Storage Wars, bidding on abandoned storage lockers can be a viable side hustle—and a bit of a treasure hunt.
101. Amazon Influencer Program
If you have a bit of a social media following, I recommend applying for the Amazon Influencer Program.
Once approved, you can upload simple product review videos, and get paid for every sale you help Amazon make. With very little effort, I’ve been earning an extra $50-100 a month, and some “influencers” are earning $2k a month or more!
102. Reader’s Choice!
Help me out by adding your part-time business idea in the comments below!
Too Many Choices?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a side hustle?
A side hustle is anything you do to earn money outside of your day job. However, side hustles carry a more entrepreneurial connotation than merely taking on a second job.
What’s the best side hustle for me?
The best side hustle for you depends on your skills and experience, the time you have to devote to it, and your overall interests and goals. Check out our full list and you’re sure to find a side hustle idea that sparks a flame!
What are the most popular side hustles?
By raw numbers, the most popular side hustles are freelancing, network marketing, real estate investing, and participating in the “gig economy” through apps like Uber and Lyft. Be sure to check out the full list of ideas to see which one could be a fit for you.
How do you start a side hustle?
To start a side hustle, I recommend the “lean startup” model. That means keeping upfront investments low until you find paying customers. Then, use their feedback to change and adapt as needed. But all side hustles start with an idea. Check out our full list of side hustle ideas for more!
Why should you have a side hustle?
A side hustle can be a great way to build extra income and extra skills outside a traditional job. It can be a way to escape a job you don’t like, a shortcut to financial independence, or just a way to practice entrepreneurship in a low risk manner.
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Nick, this is an excellent list! One of the best I’ve seen. Thank you, on behalf of me and my clients. =)
Thanks Laila!
Renting out an extra room sounds like a pretty smart idea. App development also sounds like a pretty good idea, I found the link you left about how Benny Hsu made 30000 in 30 days quite useful. I have always been unsure on how you can start a blog but the 6-part video that you left was very helpful to understand how better. I also liked the idea of car flipping. I think it could work quite well especially here in Hawaii. I have personally found that dividend investing to be very useful in increasing income. I was also completely shocked that you can be paid to be someone’s friend. That is crazy that you found that.
I charge $50 to a $100 an hour spending time with older women of all nationalities that just want sone company and a cuddle buddy. Sometimes we go out to dinner, The movies, Nice walks on the beach or Special events. Nothing sexual. Just great company.
You’d be amazed of how many women just want some casual company. I’ve been doing this for going on 4 in a half years and I’ve never had a problem totally respectful and I really enjoy spending time with beautiful older women that just need a little company.
@Shawn
Thanks for sharing this.
I really wish men would get this, when women offer these services. (that it’s not always about sex).
I think what you’re doing is a journey to a healthy psychological well-being, as it’s a mutual respectful business agreement. I would love to communicate with you, if possible.
Maybe the author here will make that possible.
So many people, in my research are lonely it seems, even those with families.
I agree with Laila. I’m impressed with how diverse your list is. Most versions I read end up with a lot of repetitions.
Thanks for the list. Very useful.
So how many of these side hustles have you done, Nick?
Here’s my list:
affiliate marketing
blogging
building niche websites
freelancing
housesitting
web design service
selling on amazon
And something not on the list – Personal Martial Arts Instruction :)
Haha I’ve done a few, but perhaps not as many as you! And I definitely couldn’t pull off private karate lessons :)
I love that this list gives me a ton of new stuff to try if I ever run of ideas though!
Cork and canvas painting parties. I led 52 parties in 2016.
I am a Professional Organizer. I charge 25.00 per hour. I really help people get organize. I organize their work spaces, home offices, closets, garages, kitchens and pantry. Sometime I help clean and stage houses for Sale.
Love it, thanks for sharing Karin!
You can certainly charge more than that! I’m in NYC and charged $125/hour for this. My pipeline of business comes from my existing client base. I am a real estate broker so I have access to those looking to purge or get organized before or after a move.
Amazing list. Thank you for this very diverse list of ideas and sites to go to. I am just starting out so I haven’t done any side hustling but am going to soon.
I own and operate a small eCommerce store in the United Kingdom and use dropshipping for some of my products in the store.
I wish it was easy but it’s far from the truth. You’re building an actual business and you have to deal with everything. From customer complaints through to marketing, it’s a lot of hard work.
I’m with you. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it!
From what I have seen the vehicle wrap advertising can be good, but it depends on your driving habits, typical routes you take, and the number of people who will be seeing you.
Thanks Rhen, do you know of any reputable operators in the car-wrapping space?
This is a great list! Leaves no room for someone to say they don’t know how to make extra income. There are endless opportunities if you expand your thinking and open up to other options. I love the details of this list and how it’s conveniently in alphabetical order!
Thanks Danise! It’s constantly growing as I learn about more and more ideas too :)
If you have a place to sell stuff you could try liquidation.com to buy overstock stuff and sell it. You can get stuff relatively cheap and sell for decent profit margins.
Thanks Muhammad — a friend of mine got some liquidation.com merchandise recently and did well selling it on Amazon.
This list is the Best! My SH list so far:
Movie Extra
Freelance Photographer/filmer
Freelance graphic designer
Seller on craigslist
Revamping old stuff
And currently working on a blog/sell my diy site
Did I miss it or is photographer not on the list?
We started a new side hustle today selling beef jerky at my work and friends. We can give twice as much jerky and still make money-hope it keep going!
Side hustling is a family affair for me! My dad-in-law collects scrap metal from the roadside the week or so before the city comes around to collect it. He sorts by type and make a monthly trip to the scrap yard to collect his hundred or so bucks.
I like to shop at thrift stores for items to repurpose or refinish and then sell them on CraigsList. I’ve even found valuable old books for less than a dollar worth $20 or more online! People are wasteful and throw things away that are worth money ALL the time.
And my hubby buys broken down vehicles and either repairs them for resale or parts them out online. You’d be surprised how quickly used vehicle parts will sell, but new replacement parts are expensive!
I love it! Thanks for stopping by Amanda — hustling runs in the family :)
Love this list, Nick! I started side hustling in 2010 with my first blog, though I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time.
Then I started babysitting (ie child care =)) and freelancing and offering some services to bloggers. Finally, an Etsy shop and another blog before I realized that I much prefer internet business to having a day job and stopped side hustling for going full-boar.
I made enough side hustle income to fund my wedding, my honeymoon (4 weeks in Nepal and Indonesia), and the down payment on our house, not to mention all of our savings.
I hope readers start on some of these ideas!
I can’t say enough about dog walking and pet sitting. I’ve been doing this for over two years, and my business has grown to the point where I was only home 4 days last May. The place I’m at now has a pool, and the next place has a pool table. I love dogs but can’t have one of my own, so I also get all the puppy snuggles I could want. And the startup cost is very low.
Now I’m looking for a side hustle that I could combine with sitting gigs. Something low tech because holy crap, I am a nitwit at computers! I used to transcribe interviews at my local university, which paid well before they started hiring people overseas for practically free. I may have to look into medical transcription. Thanks for a great list!
Sounds like the dog-sitting biz is working out just fine! But yes, it could be supplemented with some kind of online work too. Keep me posted Sarah, and thanks for stopping by!
Firewood!!! I live in a semi-rural area about 1/2 hour North of Newcastle, Australia (houses on normal blocks, 1/2 acres blocks, “lifestyle” type blocks). A few people here will deliver a trailer load of cut up firewood for various amounts of money locally and into the more residential areas in the city. If you have the room to store firewood to season and a log splitter, its a good side income (for winter). I also know a lady who was struggling to find work after moving here. She started doing before and after school care and earns more doing that, than she did working full time in an office previously.
I can tell you how I earned extra Money for my family, working just 3 nights a week for a few hours, I could make between 100 – 300 a night!! I was a Bathroom Lady @ a Local, busy Nightclub. You want to make sure the Club has a Ladies Night..and several concerts every couple Months. Just go and talk to the Manager/ Owner of the Club and tell them you will take care of the Ladies for them, provide extra Security, keep bathroom clean..Leave it clean..Free of charge..Have a tip jar Handy and give out soap, paper towels, mints, breathwash, combs..splash of body spray and be SUPER Friendly! Have Fun! I supported 3 kids ..worked late hours but the money is amazing! Quick Money too but you only get tips so be friendly..
I like this idea! but im a guy
so are men fond of handing out tips too?
amazing idea…i wana try this
Actually I brought my Son N Law with me to work the Men’s Restroom AND HE Always made more money than me! That’s because Men always have their wallets on them and sometimes Ladies are “on a Date”..Ladies Night and get drinks free and didn’t bring cash..etc..Men need breath mints combs nice smelling colognes..Offer a hand towel and Smile and give personal service. Know the regulars by name! Bigger Tips!
Nick, there may not be a legitimate car wrap advertising company unless the “big” advertisers do it.
There are several advertising on Craigslist that are scammers. i contacted one, he sent me a check for 2500. i was to keep half of it and give the other half to a designer to design the wrap for me.
I took it to my bank and they said it was bogus. They kept it as it had someones name and address on it. Several days later he asked me where the money to the designer was. i told him the bank took it and told me he was a scammer. i told him he should run as they had probably called the FBi on him. i never heard from him again.
So I probably would advise people to stay away from that.
Very good list and thanks for the laugh. Sperm Donor… I may have business cards made up for my new side hustle. Seriously, there are some great ideas on your list and it goes to show that when there is a will there will be a way.
Fantastic list! I just got into side hustling last year. started making winter coats for dogs and then moved on to advertising American universities abroad. So far, most money i’ve ever made in such a short period of time.
I have been decluttering our home of too many unread books by using Amazon. It is generating about $75 a week. I am going to look closely at the other items in your list.
Carol asked about ways to work with children other than babysitting. You could try selling some sort of activity for children. Art lessons, craft club, garden club, how to bowl, etc. What skills do you have that would be fun to teach to children and parents where you live would pay you to teach them?
I was a flower girl when I lived in Hawaii, I would work evenings after my 10 hour shift at a resort as a manicurist. The Flower business owner would cut and prepare gardenias, orchids. carnations in a water vial. I also carried Hawaiian Leis . I would drive to restaurants and clubs that she had prearranged permission with the business owners, I would walk around without being salesy carrying my pretty basket of flowers and smile at everyone. The flowers would sell out in a couple of hours and I would go home with an extra 300 to 500 a night. if I lived in a big city now I would do this on my own. it was the easiest money I ever made. some nights I’d sell out in an hour!
That sounds like an awesome side hustle. Thanks for sharing, Sherri!
Sherri
Your ideas are intriguing. I used to sell flowers for a florist shop on holidays, on a street
corner. He had permission & license to allow him to do so. I was paid a commission for
my time. Loving flowers, and being a great sales person, and being the character that
I am, I’d sell out almost all the flowers. He would unload a ton of them. However, I worked
9-10 hrs. so the amount I earned turned out less than min. wage.
A friend suggested taking a train ride, ( easy enough to do living in southern California), and
carrying a whole bunch of roses. He swears he’s done it and people begged to buy from him, and
he’d sell out between two major cities. Great way to spend the day, and he walked away with a pocket full of money.
Would you approach the owners yourself directly to get permission to walk around with the flowers, if , as you say, you live in a big city , which I do? I’d love to know how it worked for you, and what your ideas would be for yourself. Please reply. Thanks.
Amazing businesses
Out of all these, I want to enquire about podcasting and party planning.
Do you know step by step procedure for starting these businesses?
Thanks,
Andrew
Here’s a resource I put together on starting a podcast: https://www.sidehustlenation.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-start-a-podcast/
I’ll be on the lookout for a party planner to chat with :)
Sport betting could be to add to the hustle list, I think. However, you must know what you’re doing very well. After all, it isn’t a gamble if you have a good strategy and if you’re an expert on any sport.
Also, online poker is a good idea for some folks.
But once again, you have to have cold blood, money and a lot of time.
———————
I’d be happy make some money playing chess. However, I have no idea how to monetize my chess skill.
iSecretShop is real mystery shopping. They have a web site and app. Don’t get discouraged with the first few. It’s based on a points system. The more points you get, the better the shops. You have to take a few little ones and work your way up. Another one is Jancyn. I’ve shopped apartment communities, car dealerships, local yogurt/ice cream shops, restaurants, etc.
I have been on fiverr for many years as freelance English – Dutch & Dutch – English translator and it’s going well. Today I have also started a niche website to see if this is something for me as a extra hands off income stream.
This list offers some great ideas and inspiration for folks looking to increase their income. There’s really no reason that anyone with some ambition, a good work ethic, and “people skills” can’t earn some extra money (or a full-time income) pursuing some of these self-employment ideas. I’ve done a little research, myself, to compile a list of small business ideas, and stumbled upon a few possibilities which you didn’t cover:
1) Pressure washing
2) Pest control
3) Hot dog cart business
4) Storage unit rental
5) Security services
6) Property management
7) Massage therapy
8) Consignment business
9) Home staging services
10) Laser tag business
12) Staffing/recruiting
13) Rain gutter cleaning
14) Sharpening business (knives/tools)
15) Window tinting
Your list (and mine) represent just the tip of the iceberg! There are literally hundreds of small business ideas and freelance gigs that be created to generate extra income.
Anyway… Keep up the great work. Your website is an excellent resource for entrepreneurs!
Pressure washing. Specifically driveways and decks. After a while you could buy the right equipment for doing house siding as well (must be careful you don’t blow paint/shingles/windows out). Just make sure of local storm drain and EPA regulations before you do this…. Otherwise I think this would make a GREAT side hustle.
TaskRabbit charges $20 just to be listed as a Tasker. I wish I had known this before filling out all of that information. :(
Great list- thanks for sharing!
In my experience, Wrapify (and a few other car wrapping companies) have zero to offer.
I love these ideas. Some I have already done are writing book reviews, writing & selling my ebooks, proofreading, selling on Craigslist and eBay, entering writing contests, affiliate marketing, mechanical turk, donating plasma, and notary service. I want to try amazon’s fba selling next. I recently quit my job and I’m having a blast doing gigs.
Notary service would be great, but it really depends on where you live. For instance, to become a Notary in Louisiana is quite a feat. Since we continue to use Napoleonic (Civil) Code, notaries here have many abilities that are reserved only for attorneys in other states. The exam is extremely difficult.
This is the BEST list that I have seen in a long while. I have so many tabs open from clicking on these links! I am a current high school senior but I’ve been side hustling practically my entire life, from lemonade stands and my childhood “art” to selling on Ebay, and pretty soon, on Etsy. This list gave me some great ideas and advice and I can’t wait to put them into practice!
Thanks Kalyn!
Incredible list…some I’m thinking about implementing. But after I get my on the side pressure washing business going – Joel listed it in his list. Some other possible side hustles:
1) Specialty jams and jellys (check your local health codes), but this would be a great side hustle during the summer months when there are festivals, street fairs, and so on.
2) Cursive writing tutoring – another side hustle I’m working on – so many school children are not being taught how to write cursive – I was in a restaurant a while back, where the menu was in cursive…I overheard a younger person asking his date what the menu said – he couldn’t read cursive.
3) Household inventory service with documentation – helping people create lists of what they have for insurance/estate planning…you may have to get bonded, but being able to document precious items may be a good gig.
4) Gardening services – specifically, getting a garden ready for planting, cleaning out a garden – this part of gardening can be a hassle LOL.
5) Related to #4, setting up a garden and providing tutoring on gardening through out the growing season.
6) Depending on where you are, junk hauling…people spring clean, but do they want to spend the time taking the stuff to the dump, recycling, ect?
7) Thank you note writing service – think of all the brides/grooms in your area who might need someone to step up to the plate and write those thank you notes for the wedding gifts
8) Gift wrapping service – are you creative with wrapping presents? This could come in handy, especially around the holiday time in your area – also, corporations in your area may need a service like this. (I’m particularly fond of this idea and have implemented it – it’s starting to gain some traction, but I think it will be mostly seasonal).
9) Smart phone tutor – so many smart phones with so much functionality – may be good for those who are of, uh, more mature (like fine wine) age.
10) Outdoor excursions – like camping 101 who have never ventured outside the urban area but are keen on learning to camp, hiking treks to fun, unknown to most people in your area – the niches are endless on this one.
Thanks for your blog Nick! So glad I found it yesterday LOL…
Awesome additions – thanks Stacy!
Right now my side hustles are selling on Ebay, a bit on Amazon and Mercari and doing phone work as an independent contractor (customer service). I have a daughter with autism in high school that I have to be available for and I have some illnesses that prevent me from working full time or doing anything physically strenuous. One of my problems is that I have a partially paralyzed vocal fold. I just had a cold and am still trying to get my voice back! So I need another hustle to add to the list for when I cannot work my $10. per hour phone job. Ebay slows down in spring and summer also. I am interested in the Notary service, how do I get started and what is involved? Also, I am interested in Prosper. What else am I missing? I tried blogging but when I’m not well I am not good at putting words together! I wish i knew how to build websites, seems like a good income there.. where can I learn without going back to school? Thanks for this blog.. very helpful and cool!
I’m curious how it would work if you combined the “Craigslist selling” model and drop shipping but connecting people who are selling relitively small things they can ship directly to the buyer, being the middle man you take the difference? Or is that what it was about and I missed the point completely lol
Craft fairs are also a great side hustle. I do very well at high end, handmade only craft fairs and festivals. Its a marketplace that attracts people who prefer handmade and have the income to easily afford high end crafts. I am a baker/food crafter (not the same as a food vendor. Food crafts are jams, sauces, cookies, breads, toffee, honey, maple syrup, etc. – foods made at a kitchen and brought to the event, not prepared at the event like sandwiches and burgers, etc, made by food vendors). I make hand made baking mixes, an oatmeal bar cookie in 4 flavors and a gluten free truffle cookie in 3 flavors. As with farmers markets, craft fairs mean immediate cash. I accept credit cards, too. No waiting for a paycheck to come.
Another idea is to talk to crafters who are making cool things you think you could sell online and set up a drop/ship situation with them.
I have been thinking of promoting livechat softwares. It seems this can also be a good product to be sold as an affiliate product. Since most sites would be happy to implement such support tools on their sites. I am working on the roadmap to get started with it, BTW really big list of ideas you have shared. Will surely get some help from it.
If you love to shop, being a personal shopper could be your niche. People pay you to do their gift shopping or grocery shopping for them. You could make excellent money during the holidays.
I love that idea that’s my type of things I love to do is shop
This kind of goes with Amazon, eBay and Craigslist selling but dumpster diving is a good source of products to sell. I have found a few dumpsters in my area that regularly throw out valuable items I sell on one of the previously mentioned sites. My first week I found a large box of brand new toner bottles that cost $2400 on Amazon. I sold them for nearly $18oo individually over the couse of a month. Printing companies are good sources. I have gotten multiple printers, some working and some not but these are not $100 Walmart printers so even broken they can sell for enough to make it worth it or you can part it out too.
Overall, I have been selling these items for about 6 weeks now and have pulled in $3400 with tons of stuff I have yet to sell. It is also a good source of exercise as I take my dog at night and we hit up large office parks, commercial parks or retail areas sometimes walking 5 miles or more.
Hi Nick!
Under dog walking, you need to add Wag!, and on-demand dog walking service. It’s like Uber only you walk dogs instead of hauling people in your car. Website: https://wagwalking.com/
Good find Amy!
Website reviewing through User Testing. The hourly rate can be amazing. Sometimes up to $60 or even $100 an hour. The trick is that it can be hard to qualify for tests. Still, I typically do a couple a week at $10 a pop and end up making an extra $80 -$100 a month for not much more than an hour total. A great way to make some extra pocket change.
My advise is to start with skills you already have AND combining it with recurring affiliate offers
Depending on the type of services you can provie there are wide variety of strategies available: for example you can even work for free in case your client’s soft is bought via your affiliate link – that way you almost guarantee monthly income since you are 100% sure everything works properly because you’ve been setting it up :)
Painting house numbers on the curb – sales pitch is that it’s a safety benefit (fire, ambulance can find you faster), a convenience (particularly reflective numbers that help at night), even a legal requirement (in some towns). Capitalization super low. Add to your number-stencil inventory ones for locally popular sports teams, offering colors that declare team loyalty. Branch into mailboxes, mailbox posts, on-house numbers. If someone has missing or illegible numbers chances are it has been an irritant but not a priority – easier to sell something that scratches an itch. Outright artistic renditions or legible!-but-fancy fonts more practical on mailboxes. Fairly affordable capitalization to branch into outright replacement mailboxes, posts. Great earning opportunity for youngsters right in their own neighborhood.
To do right will take some time per house: background one day or early in the day, numbers/logo late in day or next day. It’s a bit of a renewable resource in that even done well, the numbers fade. Maybe offer a refresh discount if you did the original.
If you find a jurisdiction that changes its address scheme you could probably quit the day job and hire help; once lived in a county that went from per-street addressing 101, 102, etc to a countywide set of unique numbers to help 911 response.
I would be so grateful for a list of ideas on how to market side hustle services. I lean toward, Carpet Cleaning, Errands, Food Delivery, Car Detailing, etc…. I do not know of any other means of advertising other than CraigsList….
Thank you!!!!
Hi Raven, here’s my big marketing/growth post: https://www.sidehustlenation.com/grow/
Cheers!
Hi Nick, this list of opportunities is amazing! And yet, there are still people out there (and they’re high in numbers) that will say ‘there is no job’ .. there is a job if you’re willing to put in the work!
I must say that these side hustle business ideas amplify your earning power. Teaching is a great and respected job. But sometimes people like more challenging jobs such as affiliate marketing, dropshipping, estate sale service etc.
I love blogging. From last four years, I am becoming better day by day. It not just helped me to become a better blogger but enabled me to become a better person.
It improved my way to talk, how I listen and how I react.
I believe that every person should choose a business for overall growth.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nick,
Thank you so much for this list. I have been deliberating on starting a consulting/coaching business for so long now (2 years). I am not working at the moment as I took a career break after my MBA to start a family and now look after my child. Consulting for SME’s has always been my passion, it was actually my MBA long term goal but since I am yet to attain my short term goal (getting a job and more experience) I am hesitant to start my coaching business. My fear of not starting has been around how a new employer will perceive me when I am ready to go back to work. Are there people who openly run a side hustle and their employers know? I am in the UK and currently starting to look for a job but it is taking longer than expected, I also would like to know how this applies in the USA as I will be moving over in two years. Can you advice, anyone with experience in both markets please advice.
I will really appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you.
My boss definitely knew about my side hustle while I was working, and I think it actually made me a better employee since I was “practicing” business stuff on the side.
I know not every employer would feel the same way, but I think with how prevalent side hustles have become it’s probably not something you need to be shy about. Definitely open to hearing how others have dealt with the situation though.
Hey Nick! Love your blog :)
Another idea I’ve seen a lot of, but don’t see on your list here is 3D printing. While there are a couple of options with this, one is creating your own products to sell using the 3D printer for small-scale, customized production and manufacturing.
I host with STOW IT (www.stowit.com) and make a few thousand a year renting out my barn and land for vehicle storage. I have RV’s, cars, motorcycles and more. Takes very little effort.
Thank you, Nick!!! Some of these ideas I used to think about regularly, then with all of the mental drain at my 9to5 sweatshop, I stopped focusing on side hustles. (Part physical exhaustion and frustration, complacency, etc.)
This post has renewed my ZEST FOR LIFE!!!! Ok, that may be a tad dramatic, but it truly refreshed my belief that I am in charge of my own $$$ freedom and I CAN do it myself and have LUCRATIVE hustles. My roadblocks are often ‘HOW, HOW and HOW??’
Hey Nick, this is a fantastic list! I’ve been reading a lot about Mechanical Turk lately so it’s something I’m thinking on trying next. Probably worth a shot to see what sort of results I get. Thanks!
You mention “Build niche websites” in your list, but going beyond that, I’ve found an additional way to make side income, that’s often forgotten, is website hosting. I charge small/medium-sized businesses a hosting fee each month, and it makes for a nice little side-stream of income. Love it!
Another idea to look for in garage sales is Coffee Mugs. Old coffee mugs can do well on eBay believe it or not!
So I have been using Swagbucks since the end of 2014. I’m not going to say its a get rich quick thing, I do it in my spare time and make anywhere from $.50 to over a $3.00 a day. Others can make more by being more invested in the site and offerings, but like many people I have a full time job and family, I cant invest a lot of time, that being said, spending a small amount of time on Swagbucks has made it possible to help fund things like special occasions, Christmas, and Vacations. I do small things that add up over time like running the videos, checking out the discover area’s, searches and maybe doing a few surveys.
In the five years I’ve been using swagbucks the total amount of money I’ve made is $1500 or 150000 SB’s. Not a bad payout.
If you have a little bit of spare time to run some videos while you watch tv or scroll on your phone give it a shot, like I said its not much but it adds up. I’m about to go on a cruise in less than 20 days and Swagbucks has made it a little easier to do that. A little side cash never hurt anyone.
If you have any questions don’t be afraid to shoot me an email at sutashiisweep@gmail.com
Great list! Some things I could think of are:
Firewood sales: If you have property or access to cut trees.
Laminate flooring installation: This could easily turn into a full time business with very little outlay. ( I have a part time flooring business now)
Teach CPR / First Aid: Instructor certification required but not expensive. (I did this for years with good results)
Grow micro greens: Huge market and little outlay. (I’m just starting)
That’s all for now :-)
Thanks Glenn!
Hi Nick thanks for a great post! Here is what worked for me and I’d like to suggest this be added to the list:
Instead of giving physical tours of a city as a tour guide, how about creating passive income by creating audio tours that are sold online? Platforms like VoiceMap specialize in enabling people to craft unique experiences that run on smartphones. They handle the product distribution and the technology, and you make royalties with every sale.
Oh cool idea, Alex, thanks for sharing. That one is new to me!
This is a monster list. So funny that you included “vending machine,” which I actually tried out.
I had a soda machine in a parking garage and it made good money…until the refrigeration unit failed, and then had to spend 6 months of profits to replace it. A real lesson learned.
All in all, vending machines are not too bad.
Wow what a list! Thanks for sharing. I have lots of hustles to check out and I will be referring some friends and family to some of these links as well. There were quite a few I had not heard of, so this was really very helpful!
You’ve mentioned music licensing but you should add video licensing too. I’ve made quite a bit over the last few three years licensing videos from my phone.
Nice Peter!
Thanks for the great article!
When i was in college, i worked as a moving helper.
This program is sponsored thru Uhaul, where you make you’re own “moving company” with your own name and prices.
Uhaul charges a % of what you make, so you don’t lose money ever. You can set up your schedule to help people on ONLY saturdays, or any days. I charged 60 an hour, for two guys, 2 hour minimum.
A HUGE perk is that many people realize some items don’t fit in a truck, or they don’t need It. I would bring back pool tables, couches, any college kids dream..
I would repurpose, refinish, and resell many items I’d get. Not to mention tips!
This requires great customer service and communication. Many people are stressed when moving and adding to that will get you a bad review on Uhauls website.
If you live in a busy city, or even a smaller one. There is ZERO overhead. And ANYONE who rents a Uhaul is asked if they need help moving and they are then referred to the list that your company is on.
Private tutoring is an easy way to may a second income and it pays very well. For example, earnings range from £30 to £100 per hour in London.
Wow, I thought this was 99 side hustle ideas, but the list just kept going!
We started a financial independence blog as a side hustle.
I don’t know if I would recommend this to people who are trying to make money anytime soon. However, what we found was that we really enjoy blogging and find it rewarding to help others through it. Also, since we are so busy blogging now, we are saving money by staying home!
So while blogging might not bring in an income for some people right away, it will certainly be an inexpensive hobby for someone who enjoys writing! I say go for it!
Thanks to your 99 Side Hustle Ideas I’ve earned over $7,000 from your idea focus groups in 1 yr. I used to only make pennies on online studies..$.25 etc.. a study. Now making $50-$300+ doing online & focus groups. This is all cash $ works great for me being on Social Security. Plan on checking out a few more of your ideas. Thank you for all your help!!
Wow that’s awesome Debbie!
Thanks for this wonderful post, honestly this list of side hustle ideas are endless and all stated in the post are on point. However, this is applicable to the lockdown due to covid-19 outbreak, we can displace our side hustle prowess and earn extra cash, even as we are working from home.
I agree with Derrick that Neighbor.com is definitely worth looking into, especially if you have been interested, but hesitant, about trying Airbnb as a host. Storage is a much simpler test case of making income from your home than the hospitality space.
This is an awesome list Nick! I keep it bookmarked and come back when I need some inspiration.
I’m curious if you are still active with Peer to peer lending or other alternative investments? If so, has your portfolio seen major swings during this recent crisis?
I’ve been drawing down my Prosper account for the last couple years, shifting to dividend investments, real estate crowdfunding (through Fundrise), and short-term real estate loans (through PeerStreet).
Prosper had stopped performing … probably because I skewed toward super high risk loans. Definitely curious to see how Fundrise and PeerStreet weather this storm and deal with defaults or temporary dividend cuts.
Hi Nick,
I was wondering if you knew of some side hustles for people below the age of 18. I know there are hustles like selling crafts on Etsy and Teespring, or selling items on Amazon, but I was wondering if there were other hustles. I looked through this list but some of the side hustles seem to need a minimum age requirement of 18. Thanks so much (and this a great list too)!
Hi Allie, thanks for stopping by! Here are some ideas: https://www.sidehustlenation.com/best-business-ideas-for-kids/
Many excellent and interesting ideas but as a p-t yoga teacher myself (and no I am not one of those human pretzel yoga teachers ;-) I feel it necessary to point out that yoga teachers MUST have certification of at least 200hrs YTT (yoga teacher training) before you can even get insured, which is also another absolute must.
Such an extensive list!
I already do #5 #7 #9 and #17 and make over $5k a month! But always on a look out for new side hustle ideas. I want to venture into drop shipping and sell t-shirts on tee-spring. Heard it’s highly profitable if marketed well on FB & Insta.
Thanks a lot for sharing your friend’s success story in here. Hoping for a great start!
WOW! First time to this site. This is an amazing collection of ideas. As Sr. Brand Marketing Director (two decades building CPG brands) I have helped hundreds of people who didn’t know anything about being a Brand Ambassador pivot their whole lives into marketing/brand awareness. Finding people’s hidden traits they didn’t even know they had is one of the coolest things to see unfold and a joy for me to witness as a Brand Manager. I Could talk about that one for hours. You just need to be willing to learn a new trade, be a positive person (and no, you don’t always have to be “super outgoing,” just friendly/engaging), and enjoy promoting products that can generate many different streams of income. Most of the BAs I have trained start out around $20hr, and then if they have all those traits, generate to $30 traveling, promoting, and earning a good income. Team Leads (the manager of the BA team can make even more). It also a GREAT resume builder, which can land you a full-time Brand Marketing job if that’s what you are seeking. This world is full of opportunity! NOW GO GET IT :) – Rich Levering
This list was really helpful and I got several good ideas!
One thing cracked me up and angered me simultaneously: the idea that doula work is a great “side hustle” job. I was a doula for 5 years and the on-call life is no joke! Birth professionals ARE trained professionals. Also, when it comes to an hourly rate, doulas sometimes make a great wage and other times a shitty wage. I’ve been paid for births that last 20 minutes and births that last 4 days, and I got paid the same amount.
Man, this article helped me pick a side hustle that turned into a print-on-demand business. Keep up the great work!
Hey Nick,
I’ve been looking for info on starting a text message subscription service where people pay to receive text messages related to topics that interest them. There doesn’t seem to be much online about it. Would love to hear a guest walk us through the process. Thanks.
Oh…my…wow! I was surprised to actually see a really good list. Not like other side gigs and work from home ones. I was about to start buying a few cheap items from overseas sellers but my debit card doesn’t allow international transactions. Thank you for the most refreshing information.
I also recommend Riders Share if you own a motorcycle. You can rent your motorcycle for $150 a weekend effortlessly.
#17, Flipping Books, is more work than just a side hustle… I have numerous books that are old and that you would think have a good value to them, but when inputting the ISBN number, i’m getting values of $0.50. In order to make any decent money doing this you would have to scour every garage sale and flea market every single day of the year, and even then, finding books with a flippable value is next to impossible.
Was wondering what site you use to check the books value most often.
Like Tyler, I flipped books as well. It’s a great side hustle. I went to thrift shops and scanned barcodes. If they were worth anything, I would buy them, and sell them on Amazon or eBay. It was easy to understand and dirt simple to do.
Hi Nick,
Would you be interested to interview an elementary art teacher turned custom furniture builder? He went from a typical NC entry school teacher salary to $85k/year so far. Good friend of mine, I’d love to make an introduction if you’re interested.
Awesome list, Nick! You can also add:
1.QA Engineer
2. Gadget tutoring for the elderly
3. Tour guides
I myself am a freelancer. I want to advise besides Upwork Freelancer.com, eworkremotely.com, ithire.com, onsite.io yet
I really appreciate that you have posted this resource here. It has definitely helped many over the years since it was first posted in 2013 (based on the earliest comments).
Do you have a VA or two that would have time to update it?
I also tried to start a proofreading service on Fiverr, but there is so much competition now, I doubt I will ever get any work.
And the real estate wholesaling side hustle (#86) is no longer about finding distressed properties, J. has pivoted to STR (Short Term Rentals)/AirBnB.
Plus many of these may no longer be applicable since the arrival of COVID-91 (Snuggling).
Keep up the great work, Nick!
Something that I did during school that really helped me out was having a few different side hustles that I could cycle between. I maintained a TikTok and YouTube Channel that was semi-successful and used delivery apps like amazon flex, doordash, and uber eats. Another option is taking care of people’s kids or dogs. Taking care of kids was helpful for me, as I was a child development major. If you wanna go that route, I recommend using craigslist.org or weecare.co. Or if all else fails, part-time work helps as well! Just less flexibility.
Great list and you back it up with examples from your podcast and Youtube channel. Some original ideas not the usual rehashed lists. I went to school for accounting but could never get a bookkeeping service going. I liked doing the work but small business owners aren’t very cooperative and are cheap plus I’m not a great marketer. But your list is great and so are the ideas in the comments. I’m really focusing over the next few years to get something going. I spent a lot of time during the pandemic learning about investing but of course the stock market hasn’t done much for over a year so I’m on to something else in the meantime.
Awesome stuff, thanks for curating this great list Nick. I really like all the rental ideas. I’m personally a big advocate of garage and storage space rentals. Nothing life changing, but good income on the side.
Heard of another cool idea recently but it’s only for people who own stocks. Apparently you can sell the voting rights that come with stocks, and make money from them. Super neat because I get those proxies all the time and don’t use them. Worth checking out for any passive investors out there. Keep up the hustle!
Great ideas to think about for myself, my husband, and my teenage grandchildren. Thank you!
I saw your video with Steve and his ice vending business on Youtube. The machines he has are Everest ice machines. I would like to spend some time with him to get more info on the business. I am wondering if it would be possible to get in contact with him. I am willing to compensate for his valuable time. The video is from 9 months ago.
Thank you for the video you produced. There is a lot of good info.