Every side hustle starts with an idea!
I put together this list of the best side hustle ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.
Most of these side hustles don’t require a huge initial investment, but each has the potential to earn you money in your spare time. And it’s important to remember: what’s best for you might not work for someone else.
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!
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!
- Product Report Card – Get notified about higher-paying product tests, clinical trials, and online focus groups.
- KashKick – Get paid to answer surveys, test games, and try new products.
- Survey Junkie – Take 3 surveys a day and earn up to $100 a month.
- InboxDollars – Get a $5 bonus just for signing up!
- American Consumer Opinion – Join millions of free members and earn up to $50 per survey.
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.
- Earn quarterly dividends
- Completely hands-off
- Low minimum investment ($100)
- Limited liquidity
- Not super diversified
- Listings can sell out quickly
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.
Check out our Flexjobs review to learn more.
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. Start a Helpful Content Business
Create content on a topic you care about and build an audience in your niche. As you build out your library of helpful posts, videos, and articles, you’ll pick up more traffic and revenue.
Content creators earn money from affiliate partnerships, ad revenue, and your own products and services.
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. Flipping Items for Profit
The art of buying low and selling high is a super popular side hustle, and a very common option to start making extra money.
You can start by offloading items you have around the house, and then look for profitable inventory at:
- Yard sales
- Garage sales
- Estate sales
- Thrift stores
- Flea markets
- Facebook Marketplace
If you love the thrill of the treasure hunt, this could be a great side hustle for you.
For example, my friends Rob and Melissa Stephenson 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.
8. Freelance Your Skills
One of the best side hustles to start with is freelancing. You can get started for almost nothing and use the skills you already have.
In fact, more Side Hustle Show guests started with a freelance or service business than any other business model!
Some popular ideas include:
- Bookkeeping — Virtual bookkeepers can earn $60 an hour or more.
- Web design — Ryan Golgosky reported earning up to $100k a month from his unique web design business.
- Freelance writing — Make $100-$500+ per article. Check out the 9-Step Blueprint to Making Money as a Writer for more.
- Software consulting — Is there a software product you’re a relative expert in?
- Graphic design
- Photography
- Personal training
After you take inventory of your skills, think of how you might connect with your target customers. This could be:
9. 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.
Here are some bestselling product ideas to get you started.
Similarly, Emily McDermott reported earning $250,000 in her first two years of selling spreadsheets on Etsy.
10. 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.
11. Local Service Business
Starting a local service business is a low startup cost way to make extra money.
Examples include:
- Window cleaning — Johnny Robinson built his window cleaning business to $700k a year — while a full-time college student.
- Pressure washing — Earn $3,000-$4,000 a month part-time, and break even on your startup costs after just 1-2 jobs.
- Yard work — As a teenager, Jack Fleming built his lawn care business to $70k in profit!
- Pet waste removal — It’s a dirty job, but can pay up to $50 an hour.
- Mobile car detailing — Get clients in bunches at office parks, shopping malls, schools, sporting events, and other places where people (and their cars) like to gather.
- Parking lot cleanup — Brian Winch turned “America’s simplest business” into a $600k a year income stream.
- Knife sharpening — Every house in the country is a potential repeat customer!
- Home organization — After you’re done Marie Kondo-ing your own place, maybe others would hire you to “spark joy” in theirs.
- Junk hauling — This is a great side hustle business if you already have access to a pickup truck or van.
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!
If you can apply some modern digital marketing, you’ll be able to build a profitable side hustle.
12. 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.
13. Local Rental Business
High school teacher Steve Nadramia began 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
What else could you rent out for a profit? Here are some ideas!
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14. 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.
15. 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 $28,000 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).
For example, Nate Dodson shared the framework he uses to earn $40,000 a month teaching people how to start a microgreens business.
Lyft or Uber have become synonymous with side hustles. Starting a rideshare or delivery side hustle is easy and straightforward. In most cases, you’ll just need to:
- Have reliable transportation (car, bike, electric scooter, etc.)
- Be 18 or older
- Complete a background check
Your earning power is typically in the $14-25 per hour range, and you can set your own schedule.
Here are a few delivery apps to consider:
- Instacart – Pick up and deliver groceries around town. Check out our full Instacart shopper review for more.
- DoorDash – Deliver takeout orders. For more, check out our full DoorDash review.
- Uber Eats – Deliver takeout meals like my friend Jason, who reported earning $25-30 an hour.
Pros:
Easy to get started
No marketing or sales required
Can earn money quickly
Cons:
Limited earning power
Wear and tear on your vehicle
Income may be inconsistent
17. HopSkipDrive
HopSkipDrive specializes in safe and transparent school transportation for kids.
Their rigorously vetted CareDrivers are “caregivers on wheels” who set their own schedule and get to support the community.
HopSkipDrive currently operates in select metro areas, but is rapidly expanding to new cities.
Requirements:
- At least 23 years old
- 5 years caregiving experience
- Background check; good driving record
- 4-door vehicle under 10 years old
Earning Power: $20-30 per hour. (Earnings vary based on location and demand, but HopSkipDrive CareDrivers can earn over $35 per trip on average, completing 7-8 trips a week.)
18. Get Paid to Play Mobile Games
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Swagbucks has paid out over $550 million to users over the last 10+ years.
If you already love playing mobile games, this is probably the easiest way for you to make extra money.
Several apps will pay you to download and try out new games, and you can earn more by reaching certain milestones within a specified period of time.
Where does the money come from? These apps get paid by game developers who want to get new users to play their games. The apps then share a portion of that money with you, the user.
19. The Amazon Influencer Program
My latest side hustle is as an Amazon Influencer. This is an offshoot of the Associates program designed for content creators with a following on social media.
Once your Influencer account is approved, you’ll be able to upload short product review videos.
In turn, Amazon displays those on the relevant product pages, and rewards you a commission when someone makes a purchase after watching your video.
I made a little over $100 doing this in my first month, with very little effort!
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20. 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!
21. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking
When homeowners travel, it opens up an opportunity to come by and take care of their animals.
Make money walking dogs and pet sitting.
- Strong income potential
- Reputable platform and protection
- Flexible schedule
- Potentially difficult pets (and owners)
- Limited to local demand
To set up shop, try Rover.com. Several Side Hustle Nation readers report earning $1000 a month watching other people’s pets!
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. Personal Chef Service
Could you get paid to make meals? This could be a good way to monetize your cooking skills— without the risk of starting your own restaurant.
Some private chefs earn $180-200 a week per family to deliver meals 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.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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.
What are the Best Side Hustles to Avoid?
I believe just about any side hustle can work under the right circumstances, but there are a few I’d be cautious about.
Among those:
- Network Marketing Companies / Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) Companies — The vast majority of participants in these end up losing money.
- Low-Paying Microtasks — Several platforms pay you pennies to complete quick tasks online. While the work can be quick and easy, your time is probably better spent elsewhere.
- “Done for You” E-Commerce Stores or Websites — Building the website is the easy part; figuring out how to drive profitable traffic is where these programs fall short.
When you’re starting a side hustle, ask yourself, “What if it works?”
We tend to focus on the negative — “What if this fails?” — and while that’s important, be sure to consider the upside as well. And if it does work, would that be a win for you?
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Looking for More Side Hustle Ideas?
- Download The Side Hustle Show. My free podcast shares hundreds of side hustle ideas to make extra money.
- Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
- Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
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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. :(
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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’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.
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!
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.