Our Top 10 Side Hustles of 2024

The end of the year is upon us, which means it’s time to reflect back on the side hustles that stood out — the ones that got people talking and that I was most excited to share.

“Best” is always subjective. But what marks a good episode is when I hang up the call, thinking, “I need to drop what I’m doing and go do something else. I should totally do that.”

And I try and exercise some level of discipline and restraint because the shiny object syndrome is real.

But when the shiny object shines for me, I know it’s going to be a hit episode.

So here are the top 10 side hustles for 2024.

(Here is the Spotify playlist to make it easy to go add that to your device: Best Side Hustles of the Year 2024)

Table of Contents show

1. The $100/Day Challenge

Starting off 2024’s best side hustles is Jackie Mitchell and her $100/day challenge from Episode 594, which became the year’s most downloaded episode with nearly 75,000 downloads.

Jackie successfully earned over $10k in just 100 days through what you might call “plug and play” side hustles.

One of her top earners was Prolific, a survey platform used by researchers, including post-grad students and medical researchers. The pay is solid — like $7 for a 10-minute survey, which is crazy good if you break it down hourly.

She also dove into data annotation work through platforms like Remotasks and DataAnnotation, where she helped train large language models.

The work involves editing, classifying, and fact-checking AI responses — tasks like comparing responses from different language model versions, checking for accuracy, and evaluating grammar.

While Jackie rates it “3 out of 5” for enjoyment, the pay makes up for it at $15-25 per hour. For those with coding skills, specialized tasks can pay even better.

Other quick wins in Jackie’s arsenal included:

Mobile game testing through Swagbucks
Paid focus groups (though these are less frequent, they can pay $50-200 per hour)

2. Website Rentals

Featured in Episode 597, Miao Rios from Blackbird SEO broke down how this unique “Rank and Rent” business model can bring in $500–$1500 (or more) per month per site.The idea is to build descriptive websites for local niche services, get them ranking in Google, and then rent them out to qualified service providers hungry for leads.

Miao’s strategy focuses on service-based businesses that don’t need storefronts — plumbers, concrete contractors, and roofers who go to their clients’ sites to work.

She particularly loves high-ticket services like:

concrete driveways
patios
earthworks
demolition
roofing

As she put it, “Nothing sexy, but those niches work.”

She also uses tools like SEMrush to help you analyze local competition and keyword difficulty. Once the site ranks, the leads flow, and clients are happy to pay for them.

This is a very scalable side hustle. Once you’ve got the process down, you can rinse and repeat in new niches or cities. She currently has over 20 sites under her belt.

3. Vending Machines

Episode 599 with Mike Hoffmann had everyone buzzing, including my then-10-year-old neighbor.

And who can blame them? We’re talking about literal money-making robots that generate passive income while you sleep.

The trick, according to Mike, is good location. But what makes a good location?

Think places like senior centers or apartment complexes. These often have a front desk person, so you can just walk in and ask, ‘Is your general manager or property manager in today?’ If they’re not, grab their card and follow up.

Mike asks “Do you want to provide modern amenities?” Then he qualifies the location with some key questions about foot traffic.

His golden numbers:

Minimum 100 residential units or 100+ employees
A 200-unit complex with 400 residents could generate $1,500-$2,000 per month

Many locations already have vending machines, but they’re either broken, cash-only (in a world where 80% of sales are card-based), or poorly stocked.

Mike’s modern approach includes using his phone to track inventory in real-time across all locations, even his micro market in Philadelphia. This means he can restock before things run empty.

The math is simple: a good location with the right product mix can earn $500 monthly. Stack 10 machines, and you’re looking at a $5,000 monthly side hustle.

Mike had 10-15 machines, plus a couple of employee-less automated micromarkets as his next expansion phase.

Sure, it’s not entirely passive — someone needs to restock the machines. But that’s actually a good problem to have because it means you’re moving inventory. Plus, you can always hire help for the restocking part.

Check out Mike Hoffmann’s Vendingpreneur training program. (Side Hustle Show listeners get 10% off!)

4. Billboards

How often do you drive past billboards without a second thought? You might never look at billboards the same way again after listening to Episode 608 with Chris Brown.Chris runs a billboard business in Arkansas that generates thousands in mostly passive income each month. And just like vending machines or real estate, success hinges on location.

He bought his first billboard for $75,000 (including the land) from an owner who was about to go bankrupt right in the middle of an intersection where drivers literally have to pass underneath it.

Chris’s first billboard had 4 static ad spaces, each renting for $600 a month. That’s $2,400 in monthly revenue, or nearly $29,000 annually. With a three-year ROI on his $75k investment, it’s easy to see why this side hustle is appealing.

Chris highlighted the different types of billboards:

Static (unchanging ads)
Digital (rotating LED screens)
Tri-vision (mechanical flipping panels).

While digital billboards can command higher rates, static boards are often more straightforward to manage.

His billboard business combines real estate and media, creating a steady income stream with relatively low maintenance. Chris even learned pricing strategies by pretending to be a potential buyer and calling competitors to ask about rates.

(Download his free Billboard Mastery Guide here.)

5. Photo Organizing

Episode 619 introduced us to Cheryl DiFrank’s photo-organizing business, a service most people didn’t even know existed.

This keeps her busy full-time, with average rates of $100 per hour and projects often lasting 20 hours or more. It’s a side hustle with low competition, high demand, and a unique emotional appeal.

Cheryl’s business covers three main areas:

Print Photos: organizing dusty boxes of family photos, often in chronological order
Digital Photos: cleaning up the endless files on phones, hard drives, and cloud storage
Scanning and Digitizing: turning physical photos into digital files, often for families looking to preserve memories

She leverages local listservs, neighborhood groups, and even her email signature to market her services.

The business has been so successful that her phone hasn’t stopped ringing in 10 years.

(If you’re interested in exploring photo organizing as a side hustle, Cheryl recommended visiting thephotomanagers.com/sidehustledownload for free resources.)

6. Software Consulting (Piggyback Principle)

From Episode 627 comes one of the most replicable side hustles of the year — software consulting, exemplified by Kristi DaSilva of DaSilva Life.

She’s an expert in just two software tools: Honeybook and ClickUp.

What makes this model particularly compelling is what I’d call the “piggyback principle” — you’re leveraging the existing and growing user base of established software products (instead of creating demand from scratch).

Kristi started at $30–$40 an hour as a VA before charging $300 per hour for strategy sessions.

The strategy has been so successful that about 80% of her clients come from YouTube, with many saying they’ve been following her channel for years before booking.

To create her content, Kristi uses VidIQ for keyword research, planning around themes and high-ranking topics.

She also checks her competitors’ channels — not to copy, but to find inspiration for unique spins on popular topics.

The results speak for themselves, and it isn’t limited to ClickUp and HoneyBook. The same strategy can work for tools like Asana, QuickBooks, or even WordPress themes.

7. Window Washing

This year brought us two inspiring stories of young entrepreneurs — Jack Fleming (Episode 610) and Jack Leimbach (Episode 630).

While Fleming built a $70k profitable lawn care business as a teenager, we’re going to focus on Leimbach’s window washing venture that’s generating $10k monthly while he’s still in college.

When door-to-door proved to be lacking, he turned to Instagram, spent just $600, and highly targeted location-specific ads with a personal touch:

“Hey, Auburn… there’s an epidemic of dirty windows in Auburn… It’s going to lower your property value.”

The result was a flood of messages and a schedule full of jobs. Jack’s process was streamlined, with a simple call-to-action: “[Send me] a message for a quote.”

Once on-site, Jack didn’t stop at one house. His team knocked on neighboring doors, using the trust built with their current client to land more jobs.

“We’re cleaning Michelle’s windows down the road.”

It builds trust, and most people just want it done immediately.

Give him a follow on Instagram and see his business in action.

8. Junk Land Flipping

At 81 years old, Wayne Seminoff from Episode 629 holds the record for most experienced Side Hustle Show guest, with 40 years in what he calls the “junk land flipping” business.

He finds vacant parcels with issues — title issues, zoning restrictions, or no sewer or septic. Buy them cheap, solve the problem, and watch the value skyrocket.

He bought a half-acre lot in a hot area for just $1,000 because it had a messy title. After negotiating directly with the owner, he spent $15,000 on legal fees to clear the title.

That small investment turned the property into a $500,000 asset. And he didn’t stop there — Wayne applied for a short subdivision to split the lot in two, doubling the value to $1M.

The strategy isn’t in physical improvements, but in knowing how to navigate legal and bureaucratic challenges.

While this side hustle might be best suited for those with legal or real estate background who enjoy the thrill of the big win, it’s a great example of creating value through problem-solving rather than physical improvements.

(Ready to turn junk land into gold? Wayne is offering 25% off his Junk Land Into Gold program with promo code FUN).

9. Digital Products (Etsy)

From Episode 637 comes Debbie Gartner from The Flooring Girl’s story of building a digital products business on Etsy to $4,000 monthly — and it all started with some simple, part-time effort.

This stood out to me because of its low-risk, high-reward nature with minimal overhead costs and digital products that can be sold repeatedly.

It also took a couple of years to reach $1,000 a week. But perhaps the most interesting is her creative approach to product development — staying ahead of trends.

She creates home and flooring printables as well as holiday-themed trivia games and timely products like solar eclipse games.

Debbie starts projects 2-3 months before seasonal demand, tests different concepts to see what works, and uses Etsy’s recommendation system to spark new ideas. When something proves successful, she expands on it.

You don’t need to be creative; you can learn it through practice. As your interest level increases, your curiosity grows too, and knowledge follows naturally.

Now she’s making money creating games and puzzles, proving sometimes our earliest interests can point us toward successful business opportunities.

(If you’re interested to know more, Debbie’s offering a free “Start Your Etsy Shop” challenge. )

10. Remote Cleaning (Scale)

Rounding out our top 10 is Skyler’s remote cleaning business, featured in Episode 645.

Skyler generates $60,000 a month by mastering the art of matchmaking—connecting cleaners with clients while building a strong brand.

He acts as the middleman, handling everything from scheduling to customer communication while cleaners focus on what they do best.

He sources workers through Indeed, Facebook, Craigslist, and cleaner referrals, pitching them on being part of an elite cleaning company where they can make good money without the headaches of running their own business.

The cleaners earn around $25 per hour + tips, bring their own equipment, and focus solely on cleaning. This model generates healthy margins — typically 40-50% on residential jobs, with lower margins but higher volume on commercial work.

It’s also replicable across different industries. You can do it with cleaning, landscaping, or another niche.

To learn more, check out the resources from Home Services Academy.

Your Turn

Did your favorites make the list? What did we miss?

Any new side hustles you took action on?

Episode Links

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