Aug 15, 202127 min readLIST OF SIDE HUSTLE YOU CAN START ANYWHERE ANYTIME AND START EARNING MONEY 1. Food or Grocery Delivery ServiceWith services like Instacart, DoorDash, and Postmates you can earn money (generally $10-25 an hour) on your own schedule delivering groceries and take-out orders in your town.And you don’t have to worry about keeping your car spotless for passengers! 2. Virtual Assistant ServiceVirtual assistants provide administrative support to clients from their home office, and generally charge $15-40 an hour. 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 my friend Abbey Ashley, who started her VA business on the side and shares:Where to find thousands of potential clients.How to make a full-time living working from home.What clients are really looking for in a VA. (hint: it’s not prior VA experience)Click here to learn more about becoming a virtual assistant. 3. Online SurveysThese 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:Survey Junkie – Earn gift cards or cash out via PayPal.InboxDollars – Get a $5 bonus just for signing up!Opinion Outpost – Cash out at just $5 via PayPal or Amazon gift cards. Each survey enters you into a $10,000 quarterly drawing.Pinecone Research – Earn $3 for each 15-20 minute survey. They'll send you a $3 check after your first one.Swagbucks – With this mega-popular app you can earn up to $35 a survey and get a $10 bonus just for signing up!American Consumer Opinion – Join millions of free members and earn up to $50 per survey. 4. Customer InterviewsMany companies use customer interviews to get feedback on new products.User Interviews and Respondent.io are a pair of cool services that facilitate those interviews that take place online and over the phone.The best part? The average compensation is $50-100 an hour! 5. Notary Public ServiceNotary certification is granted by the state and the cost is generally less than $100.Once you’re certified, you can charge your own fee to notarize documents, or become a loan signing agent like Brian did and make $1500-2000 a month overseeing mortgage signings in your spare time.side hustle as a loan signing agent 6. Flipping Items for Profit on eBayThe long-running marketplace can be a tough, low-margin, competitive environment, but that’s not to say there aren’t any opportunities left to make money on eBay.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!flea market flipping familyThey put together this free training on how to get started and make your first sales in as little as 2 weeks.Spotify_Logo_RGB_Black-removebg-previewSuggested Playlist: Flipping ProfitsBuying low and selling high is the fastest way to multiply money. Here's how to get it done.Add to Spotify 7. Selling on AmazonOne of the most popular side hustles lately has been Amazon’s FBA program, in which you find bargain deals locally, and ship them off to sell on Amazon.I recently sat down with a $1 million seller to learn how she sources profitable reselling inventory from local stores.I even made a bit of money when I tried it myself.8. BloggingBlogging is difficult to monetize but can be a fun outlet to practice your writing or build an audience around a particular idea.Brock McGoff turned his side project men’s fashion blog into a 6-figure online business, and my friend Jodi earns $5k+ per month from her part-time blog for girl scout troop leaders.Want to start a blog of your own? Check out my free 6-part video course on how to start your own site. 9. Affiliate MarketingRefer 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!Note: Please do me a favor and don’t buy into anyone’s sleazy affiliate marketing “program” or “system.” There are unfortunately a lot of slimy salespeople out there making their living taking advantage of newbies.If you want to learn more about affiliate marketing, check out my chat with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, who consistently earns over $50k a month as an affiliate — all while traveling full-time.Related: Here’s a step-by-step guide to building your first affiliate website.Spotify_Logo_RGB_Black-removebg-previewSuggested Playlist: Affiliate MarketingMake money online by sharing relevant products and services with your audience. Here's a killer playlist packed with actionable advice from the pros.Add to Spotify 10. “Alternative” InvestingFor me, alternative investments are vehicles like 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 properties for as little as $500.Related: 79 Alternative Investment Platforms to Earn Stronger Returns, Build Cash Flow, and Diversify Your Portfolio 11. Earning Money with Credit Card RewardsTake advantage of the various sign-up bonuses and cash back offers doled out by banks. You’ve got to promise to do this responsibly, but it’s actually earned my wife and I thousands of dollars in free money and travel over the last few years.What’s the easiest way to get started? Try a new cash back card on for size.Credit cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card offer up to 40% cash back — $200 after you spend $500 in your first 3 months — with no annual fee.chase freedom unlimited 2020Learn more and compare this card to other cash back cards here.If you know you’re gonna spend $500 in the next 3 months, that’s #freemoney. This card also gives you one of the highest cash back rates, with unlimited 1.5% back on every dollar you spend.(If you’re worried about your credit score, don’t be. I’ve opened probably a dozen credit card accounts in the last few years and still have a 750+ credit score.)The Next Step: Check out my free course, Credit Card Rewards 101: How to Earn Free Cash and Travel by Spending Smarter 12. Bookkeeping / Accounting / Tax Preparation ServiceHelp 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. 13. Private LabelingIn this side hustle, you identify hot-selling products and bring your own to market to compete with them.There’s an art and science to this, including negotiating with suppliers (often overseas), but in this episode of The Side Hustle Show, 7-figure Amazon seller Greg Mercer shared his top 3 Amazon FBA product sourcing guidelines and tips. 14. Teaching OnlineUdemy is an impressive online education platform where students can connect with teachers from all around the world in any subject. 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 $20,000 in (mostly) passive income from it!Related: The 134 Best Udemy Courses for Entrepreneurs, Freelancers, and Side HustlersIf you have an existing subscriber base to sell to, you might be able to sell the course directly and not have to worry about losing margin to Udemy. One resource with some great information on creating your own online course for “passive” income is my podcast with Ankur Nagpal, the founder of Teachable. 15. BakingDo people love your desserts? Maybe you could provide cake, cookies, or cupcakes to some corporate event in town.bakingA friend of ours has built a pretty serious following for her custom cookies — and sometimes sells out in minutes! 16. Losing WeightYes, with sites like HealthyWage you can actually get paid ($500 or more!) to lose weight. It works like a bet, where you put the money upfront and get paid out your prize when your hit your goal.Check out their calculator to see how much your prize could be. For more, here’s our full HealthyWage review . 17. Raw Land FlippingThis sounds a little crazy, but my guest Mark calls his raw land investing business “the best passive income model” because he doesn’t have to deal with “problem tenants, rodents, or repairs.”More recently, I sat down with one of Mark’s students who’d built his land flipping business to $10k a month in his first year. 18. Book FlippingUse the free Bookscouter app to scan barcodes and see what old books are worth. You can do this both for the ones collecting dust on your shelf and for the ones at garage sales or the library book store.One Side Hustle Show guest reported earning up to $4000 a month flipping books! 19. Field AgentField Agent is a free smartphone app that pays you to complete small tasks in your neighborhood, like photographing the inside of a store.field agentI found several of these tasks near me, from companies like Home Depot and Walmart, with the payouts ranging from $3-8 per assignment. 20. TutoringPut that education to use by helping students learn in a comfortable one-on-one setting. WyzAnt is one of the largest operators in the online tutoring world.In this post, Matt Fuentes shared how he built his tutoring business up to $1000 a week. 21. Picking up TrashBrian Winch has been doing this over 30 years and calls it “America’s simplest business.” He says you can earn $50,000-$100,000 a year for basically walking local parking lots and cleaning up the garbage.Check out the interview I did with Brian to learn more.Spotify_Logo_RGB_Black-removebg-previewSuggested Playlist: Local Business IdeasMoney is already flowing through your city, town, and neighborhood. Here are some actionable ways to get it flowing to YOU!Add to Spotify 22. Focus-GroupingI made $100 an hour at an in-person focus group. Here are some companies that facilitate them near you and online23. Renting Out Your Attic or GarageThe 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.neighbor appAccording to the site, hosts are earning up to $15,000 a year running their own mini self-storage operations.24. Airbnb Hosting or Co-HostingIf 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?Co-HostingIn addition to a small portfolio of her own short-term rental properties, Zeona McIntyre has built a side business in “co-hosting” other Airbnbs.She essentially acts as the property manager, coordinating guest check-ins, maintenance, and cleaning, in exchange for 20% of the rent — with none of the risk.Rental ArbitrageA 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.25. Renting Out Your CarIn select markets, you can rent out your car on a daily or hourly basis to earn extra cash through companies like Getaround and Turo.According to Turo, the average car sits idle 22 hours a day, so their service is a unique opportunity to capitalize on those idle hours. The companies handle all the insurance.A couple friends used the Turo platform to essentially get a free Tesla!26. Kindle PublishingSelling 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 am hopefully getting better every time I put pen to paper … or fingers to keyboard.I generated 20,000 downloads with my first “serious” book launch in 2014, and another title earned nearly $18,000 in its first year.27. Part-Time Remote WorkWith legit jobs ranging from entry-level to executive and freelance to full-time, FlexJobs is the leading work from home jobs site. At press time, there were more than 25,000 openings in dozens of career categories.side hustle jobs with flexjobsThey charge a nominal monthly fee (save 30% w/ promo code FLEXLIFE) to access their listings, but you’ll easily earn it back and then some with one job.28. Becoming an Adjunct ProfessorYou 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 — especially if you can teach online or with pre-recorded lectures.29. Being a TaskRabbitTask Rabbit is an on-demand errand-running service that enlists regular people to help out. You can earn money in your spare time completing real-world tasks on their unique platform.The platform also allows for virtual work like online research and other tasks that can be done remotely.30. ProofreadingDo 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. E-commerceSell products online through your own store or through Amazon or eBay. In this episode, Will Mitchell walked me through how to find a profitable import product.Next Step: Set up your shop with a free trial of Shopify, the leading shopping cart provider.32. Sperm DonorI wouldn’t necessarily call it a business, but it sure sounds more fun than donating blood (or plasma).33. Postmates DeliveryRide, drive, or walk to make local deliveries in your town with the Postmates app and earn up $25 an hour doing so.If you like the idea of doing pick-up and delivery, you might consider becoming an Instacart Shopper as well. I sat down with one full-service Instacart grocery shopper who made $10,000 in his first 6 months!34. Selling on EtsyEtsy is the world’s largest marketplace for unique hand-crafted goods. What can you make?My friend Kara started selling wine-themed wedding decor on Etsy as a side hustle and since turned it into a full-time business.side hustle on etsyEtsy also now allows for print-on-demand, digital, and dropshipped products. I’m testing this out for myself!35. DrivingIf you’re free mornings, nights, or weekends, you can earn extra cash driving your fellow citizens around.Sign up with Lyft or Uber to get started.One cool “hack”: Both companies offer “Destination Mode”, which basically allows you to earn money on your regular morning and evening commute by telling the app which direction you’re headed and only accepting riders along your route.36. Selling on FiverrFiverr is one of the greatest sites in the world.The basic premise was “what would you do for $5?” Over the years, they’ve gradually moved beyond that $5 starting point, but Fiverr remains an interesting “Buy Button” freelance marketplace.Check out these fine Side Hustle Nation posts for more on how to make Fiverr work for you both as a buyer and a seller:How to Build a 6-Figure Side Hustle on FiverrHow I Earned $7490 in My First 14 Months on Fiverr$10 from a Single Sale … on Fiverr [Podcast]I’ve used Fiverr for graphic design, book covers, website optimization, article writing, and even the old intro voiceover for The Side Hustle Show. I’ve experimented as a seller on Fiverr, starting with selling non-fiction ebooks.Getting a little more adventurous with my gigs, I got featured on the homepage and was flooded with orders, ultimately earning $920 in 10 days.37. Print on Demand T-ShirtsTeespring is a print-on-demand t-shirt platform, where you can custom-design your own shirts and sell them through the site.On the podcast, my friend Benny shared how he built a 6-figure business on Teespring in under a year — even after a pretty discouraging start!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.My wife and I have gotten into this ourselves lately, but we’ve been letting Amazon do the printing through their Merch by Amazon program. It’s awesome!38. GhostwritingWith millions of websites all competing for attention, writing is a service that’s constantly in demand. Someone’s got to create all that content, right?Gabe Arnold even turned his ghostwriting side hustle into a full-blown agency!39. Sports CoachingSchool teams are sometimes in need of coaching help and this can be a fun and active side hustle.40. PodcastingWith a unique angle to your podcast, you can attract a large following, which can translate into serious sponsorship dollars. It costs less than you think to start and has honestly been a life-changing project for me.But you don’t have to take my word for it. My friend Steve Young turned his part-time podcast into a full-time business with multiple streams of income.41. Rental PropertiesReal estate investing is one of the oldest and most popular side hustles in the books. New platforms like Roofstock make it easy to shop for and buy income-generating properties with tenants and property management already in place.I 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.42. Pool Cleaning ServiceIf you live in a warm climate with a lot of pools, this could be a fun and interesting side hustle to enjoy the summer outdoors.43. Knife SharpeningEvery house in the country is a potential repeat customer. In this post and podcast episode, Matt Rowell shares how he got started and now earns $30-60 an hour sharpening knives.44. Swagbucks / InboxDollarsAlso not really a business, but you can earn gift cards, cash, and other rewards by answering surveys, watching videos, playing games, and shopping online with both Swagbucks and InboxDollars.(While rare, you can occasionally earn up to $35 a survey.)At press time, both companies are offering a $5 bonus just for signing up!45. AlterationsHandy with a sewing machine? I believe 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.46. Child CareIs it just me, or does “babysitting” sound amateur compared to “child care”? Register on sites like Sittercity to begin building a client base.47. CaregivingThis business continues to grow as the population ages, and popular sites like Care.com can help match you with customers.48. Brand AmbassadorshipBig 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!49. Building Niche WebsitesBuilding niche sites is a popular side hustle because after some initial research and time investment they can be a relatively hands-off income source. These types of sites generally cover a very specific topic and earn money through advertising, affiliate relationships, or digital products.This tutorial lays out the process step-by-step for creating a simple niche affiliate site.Want more? Here’s a step-by-step guide on the fastest cheapest way to build a website.50. Building an Authority WebsiteWhile niche sites get a lot of attention, an authority site has a better chance of withstanding the changes in Google’s algorithm and turning into a long-term asset.You may not even need to be an authority when starting out. My friend Perrin got a new puppy and was disappointed with the information he found online, so he got to work and 20 months later HerePup.com was valued at $200,000.51. Car FlippingIf you’re a savvy negotiator and know your way around cars, you can buy low and sell high and turn a profit quickly with this side hustle.52. Car Wash and DetailingA mobile detailing service would be a super low-cost startup and you could get clients in bunches at office parks, shopping malls, schools, sporting events, and other places where cars like to gather.mobile detailing side hustle53. Carpet CleaningCarpet 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.54. Catering and CookingIf you have a passion for cooking, a catering business has a lower barrier to entry and time commitment than say, opening a restaurant.With platforms like Eatwith, you could even begin charging to host meals.55. Residential or Commercial Cleaning ServiceIt may not be glamorous, but it’s something nearly every business spends money on and usually gets done in the after-work hours.Cassandre Poblah actually earned $1000 a month doing this part time, and Chris Schwab’s cleaning business does $60k a month — without him ever lifting mop.56. Computer Repair ServiceThere are more computers in this country (including tablets and smartphones) than there are people. The repair market is very fragmented which means there is opportunity for solo-operators to break in.computer repair(image source)John Rouda offers monthly IT support and maintenance contracts for local businesses, calling it one of his “for-profit hobbies.”57. Computer TutoringSome of the computer skills we take for granted are still lacking for portions of the population.If you can find them and sell them on the necessity of technical skills for their careers, there might be a business opportunity here.58. Consulting / CoachingConsulting is an ambiguously broad field, but there are consultants for practically every area of expertise. What are you a relative expert in that others might pay for your advice?With platforms like Clarity.fm, you can get started very quickly and earn $60/hour and up.In this episode, my friend Kai Davis breaks down his step-by-step methods of building a consulting business in 20-hours. Later, Jonathan Stark shared his framework for getting a new consulting business from zero to $5k a month.59. Cover Letter and Resume ServiceEspecially if you have experience in HR, there is a massive opportunity to help job seekers with their resumes and cover letters. Since the payoff of landing a job is so high, it can be worthwhile for applicants to seek some professional assistance on their documents.It would be interesting to see this sold on a pay-for-performance model, where you only get paid if the applicant gets the interview.60. Craigslist ArbitrageCraigslist and other markets are still filled with inefficiencies that a trained eye can exploit for profit. There are some great stories of regular people doing just this.For instance, Ryan Finlay of ReCraigslist.com, makes a full-time living buying and selling on Craigslist and stopped by the podcast to tell me about it.61. Craigslist GigsThere’s a little-known section in the bottom right corner of Craigslist (at least at press time) specifically for side hustlers, called gigs:Check it out and see what kind of gigs you might be able to find nearby or online.62. Small Business Marketing ServiceMany small companies don’t have the staff or know-how to do all their marketing themselves, especially when it comes to putting their best foot forward online and on social media.You can help them with that, much like Sean does in his business.63. Customer ServiceSome companies are now employing part-time customer service representatives to work from home and handle incoming phone or live chat service requests.64. Get Paid to Go on Dates?The dating site WhatsYourPrice.com actually lets suitors pay women to go on dates with them.65. Dividend InvestingThis has been one of my favorite ways of “buying cash flow” lately, 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 built up my portfolio slowly over the past few years. 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.66. Dog WalkingYes, some people are too busy to walk their own dogs. Post flyers in your neighborhood or set up a profile on WagWalking.com.67. Doula ServiceDoulas can earn $500-$1000 per birth, if you’re into that sort of thing.68. DropshippingDropshippers set up their own storefront and process sales, but never touch the actual product. Instead, the items are shipped directly to the customer from the manufacturer or wholesaler.Next Step: I had the chance to sit down with Rene Delgado to learn how he sold $300,000 worth of bounce houses in his first year in business.69. Estate Sale ServiceEstate sales are often managed by a third-party company, who takes a percentage of the proceeds in exchange for handling the event.To learn more about this side hustle check out Robert Farrington’s post on Budgets are Sexy.70. Event DJ-ingI feel like DJ-ing is something of a lost art in the era of pre-made iTunes playlists, but there are still plenty of events that have a live DJ.Check out sites like GigSalad to set up your profile and get booked.71. FreelancingThere are millions of people supplementing their income by freelancing in their spare time. You’ll find them on sites like FreeUp or Fiverr.On The Side Hustle Show, I really enjoyed hearing how both Gabe and Gina set their freelancing businesses up for recurring revenue.72. Furniture MakingIf you’re skilled in carpentry, maybe people would like to buy your hand-crafted furniture. OK, this one reminds me of Ron Swanson.ron swanson woodworking(image source)73. Graphic Design ServiceQuality graphic design is always in-demand, and never before have there been so many outlets on which to sell your skills. The most popular design-focused site is 99designs, but you can check out Crowdspring, DesignCrowd, or any of the freelance marketplaces as well.One fun example of a side hustle graphic design business gone global is Design Pickle, where the founder told me, “I sucked at design.” So instead, it became his job to match customers with contractors. Less than 3 years later, the little side project was doing $400k a month in revenue!74. Handyman ServiceThis 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 connected with an on-demand handyman) or Thumbtack.75. Home Inspection ServiceCertification is required, but this is a viable side hustle because the inspections can be scheduled at your convenience and only take a few hours.76. Mobile MechanicMatt 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 $5k a month online business.77. Human BillboardIf you’re not afraid of potentially embarrassing yourself on a street corner, there are always businesses looking to hire sign-spinners or people in costume to attract attention.human billboard(image credit)78. Local Newsletter or Facebook GroupCould you start a small email newsletter or Facebook group for your hometown? Could you sell advertisements or directory listings to local businesses?Melissa Fassel-Dunn did this for her town (a Boston suburb) and turned it into an almost 6-figure business.My friend Bill Nowicki took this idea one step further, and started a local podcast for his town.79. Interior DecoratingWith an eye for design, interior decorating could be a fun part-time business.80. Investing in WebsitesIf you have some idle cash and want to put it to work, buying a pre-existing cash flow may be the fastest path to side hustle income.Stacy Caprio bought a small portfolio of sites that–after a couple early mis-steps–was profitable enough to leave her job.81. Ironing / Mobile Laundry ServiceHoly crap do I hate ironing! I’m certain a decent chunk of the population is with me on this one and would be willing to pay to make that problem go away.I actually connected with a reader who was doing this in Australia, and earning $400 a month. She didn’t mind the work and was thrilled to be “getting paid to watch movies”–how she passed the time while ironing.82. Junk Hauling ServiceThis is an especially feasible side hustle business if you already have access to a large truck or van. Bonus points if you can re-sell some of the junk!I had the chance to sit 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.83. Transcription ServiceTranscription, which involves typing out recorded voice notes, 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.84. Flyer Distribution ServiceOne 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!85. MLM SalesMLM (multi-level marketing) programs are frequently derided as pyramid schemes — and many of them are — but some people manage to do quite well with them, often starting out part-time. Amway is probably the most well-known.My friend Kellie is crushing it as a Beachbody coach, and shared some of her best network marketing tips here.A word of caution: The failure rate in network marketing is 99%–much higher than in other business models. Before you dive in and drink the Kool-Aid, make sure this is something you can really stand behind and can see yourself doing long-term.86. Mobile Oil Change ServiceSave people time by bringing the shop and supplies to them. If you’re comfortable fixing cars, you might actually check out YourMechanic.com, which helps match you with customers in need of car repairs.87. ModelingStock photographers are sometimes in need of subjects for their work. Strike a pose!88. Movie / TV ExtraYour odds are better if you’re in LA or New York, 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.89. Moving ServiceMoving 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.90. Mystery ShoppingCompanies will pay you to verify their in-store or on-the-phone experience, or to spy on their competition. It’s possible to make over $10,000 a year being a mystery shopper.We live near a place called the National Food Lab and I occasionally get called in for taste tests. They pay cash and it’s really easy; just answer a few questions and you’re on your way.91. Organize a Bundle SaleAn online bundle sale brings together a bunch of digital products for a limited time. Each contributor earns a cut on every bundle they sell and you take a percentage as the organizer.92. Host Trivia NightsBars 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.93. Party Planning / Wedding Coordinator ServicePut 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.94. Rent Out Used Baby GearBabyQuip.com presents a compelling alternative to getting rid of baby stuff as soon as you’re done with it — which has been our strategy so far!The platform connects parents with traveling families or grandparents who live in town and need a crib and a stroller for a few days.The average BabyQuip Quality Provider makes $650 a month part-time.95. Personal Chef ServiceCould you picture yourself making meals in someone else’s kitchen? This could be a good way to break into the food services industry without the time commitment and overhead 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.96. Personal TrainingPeople are always looking to get in shape and if you have a passion for fitness, this could be the perfect side hustle.97. Pet GroomingJust like their owners, pets require haircuts too. A mobile pet grooming service can be a low-cost part-time business.98. Pet SittingWhen homeowners travel, it opens up an opportunity for pet sitting services to come by and take care of their animals.pet sittingTo set up shop, try Rover.com. These three people are all making over $1000 a month watching other people’s pets!99. Photography ServiceThis is my wife’s favorite side hustle. Turn your photog hobby into an income stream.Side Hustle Show guest Vincent Pugliese shared how “freelanced his way to freedom” and went from earning $30k a year to $30k in a day.100. Product LicensingWho says ideas are worthless? With product licensing you can sell the rights to your idea to large companies, who will pay you royalties for every sale they make from that idea.I had the chance to sit down with Nate Dallas, who earned $300,000 from Mattel in this way, after licensing an idea to them for a Pictionary spin-off.Later, Stephen Key stopped by to drop his wisdom on product licensing and why there’s never been a better or easier time to get started.101. App DevelopmentThe 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.Similarly, a freelance app developer gets paid whether or not the app goes on to become a hit. Learn to code apps and you’ll have a skill you can use over and over again.102. Real Estate WholesalingIn 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.103. Rec Sports OfficiatingRecreational sports leagues are often in need of referees and umpires, and this can be a fun way to spend your evenings and earn a little extra cash.As an amateur softball player, I’ve seen some of the same umps every season for the last 10 years so they must enjoy it!104. RentaFriendRentaFriend.com facilitates (strictly platonic) paid companionship.Friends report earning $20-50 an hour to hang out with strangers. Yeah, this sounds a little creepy and weird but I guess if you’re lonely and you’ve got the money…105. SnugglingYes, this is a real thing, and it has a number of health benefits. So, naturally there’s a business angle.For Sam Varnerin of Boston, her snuggling side hustle has turned into a pretty lucrative business. She told Student Loan Hero, “I work around 18 hours a week, charging between $80 and $100 an hour, and make between $3-4k a month.”Sam started part-time through the SnuggleBuddies.com agency, which allowed her to earn $40 an hour on her own schedule, before striking out on her own.106. Software MogulSoftware is one of those “perfectly scalable” business models, in that you can theoretically create something once and sell it over and over again.The cool thing is, you don’t even know how to write code. Christopher Gimmer built his SaaS business by getting outside help on the technical side.107. Teaching MusicWith 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 even at the weekly farmer’s markets to advertise.108. Music LicensingSinger-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.109. Teaching YogaA certain level of expertise and certification may be required, but becoming a yoga instructor could be a fun and healthy part-time business.side hustle as a yoga instructor(image credit)110. Tour Guide ServiceDo you want to show off your city to visitors? You can create your own unique tour experience with the help of websites like Vayable.com or ToursByLocals.com.For example, Alex Kenin leads urban hikers through the hills of San Francisco at $50 a pop.111. Translation / Interpretation ServiceA translation service could be an excellent way to put your bilingual skills to good use. There are always translation jobs on Upwork, as a place to start.112. Travel Agent ServiceAre you a seasoned traveler? Do you always know where to get the best deals and the best experiences?It might be surprising that despite widespread access to travel information there is still a healthy demand both for insider travel knowledge and the hands-off experience of letting an expert handle the booking.113. Vehicle AdvertisingAccording to Wrapify, you can earn up to $500 a month by putting an advertising “wrap” on your car.One reader in Chicago reported making $400 in a month from this, just making her normal commute.car wrap(photo credit)114. Vending MachinesMatt Miller’s passive income vending machine empire started with just $36 and a bag of gumballs. He’d been flipping used books, but found it took too much time. Looking for something a little more automated, he settled on bulk vending.115. Voiceover ActingCompanies 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.I’ve done exactly one paid voiceover job, and I can attest, it’s harder than it looks! Though since then, I’ve had a bit more practice behind the mic thanks to the podcast–and in reading hundreds of books to my kids.116. Web Design ServiceThere’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.Even though I’m not super-technical, I was able to build out a pretty nice looking site in a few hours using this rapid-launch method.117. Window Cleaning ServiceWindow cleaning can be a nice little weekend side hustle, and requires minimal startup capital; you may already have a ladder, a bucket, and a squeegee.118. Working on Mechanical TurkMechanical Turk is a service provided by Amazon to help companies complete micro-jobs that sometimes only pay pennies for each one.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. One reader reported earning $50,000 in his spare time over the last few years.I’m not sure the hourly wage will be anything amazing here but I wanted to include it as an option in case you wanted to check it out.119. Yard Work ServiceMuch like the cleaning service above, it’s not the most glamorous side hustle in the world but the fact is nearly every yard in the country requires some sort of maintenance.But this is something that more and more homeowners have started outsourcing, and that means there’s a big business opportunity.120. YouTube Channel HostGoogle (which owns YouTube) pays channel-owners to host their ads on their videos, meaning if you generate a lot of YouTube views, you can earn a lot of money with their revenue sharing program.I’ve been dabbling a bit more with YouTube lately, and recently passed $900 in monthly ad income.Several YouTube users report earning more than $100,000 a year, and I recently sat down with Gabby Wallace, who turned her English teaching channel into a full-time business.121. Storage Unit AuctionsPopularized by TV shows like Storage Wars, bidding on abandoned storage lockers can be a viable side hustle — and a bit of a treasure hunt.122. Local Rental BusinessCorey Jeffreys wanted to get into rental real estate, but lacking capital, bought a bounce house and began renting that out instead.In his first year, he turned that $800 investment into $3,000 and has gone on to build the business into a 5-figure side hustle.123. Pet Waste RemovalIt’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it! More and more homeowners are outsourcing the chore of picking up the dog’s back yard deposits. In just a few months, Erica Krupin had landed 80 recurring weekly clients at around $15 apiece.124. Reader’s Choice!Help me out by adding your part-time business idea in the comments below!And yes, I know the list has grown beyond the promised 99 ideas :)Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is a side hustle?Broadly speaking, 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 a number of factors, including 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.What’s Next?Fill out the form below to join Side Hustle Nation for free and I’ll send you my report: The 5 Fastest Ways to Make More Money.
1. Food or Grocery Delivery ServiceWith services like Instacart, DoorDash, and Postmates you can earn money (generally $10-25 an hour) on your own schedule delivering groceries and take-out orders in your town.And you don’t have to worry about keeping your car spotless for passengers! 2. Virtual Assistant ServiceVirtual assistants provide administrative support to clients from their home office, and generally charge $15-40 an hour. 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 my friend Abbey Ashley, who started her VA business on the side and shares:Where to find thousands of potential clients.How to make a full-time living working from home.What clients are really looking for in a VA. (hint: it’s not prior VA experience)Click here to learn more about becoming a virtual assistant. 3. Online SurveysThese 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:Survey Junkie – Earn gift cards or cash out via PayPal.InboxDollars – Get a $5 bonus just for signing up!Opinion Outpost – Cash out at just $5 via PayPal or Amazon gift cards. Each survey enters you into a $10,000 quarterly drawing.Pinecone Research – Earn $3 for each 15-20 minute survey. They'll send you a $3 check after your first one.Swagbucks – With this mega-popular app you can earn up to $35 a survey and get a $10 bonus just for signing up!American Consumer Opinion – Join millions of free members and earn up to $50 per survey. 4. Customer InterviewsMany companies use customer interviews to get feedback on new products.User Interviews and Respondent.io are a pair of cool services that facilitate those interviews that take place online and over the phone.The best part? The average compensation is $50-100 an hour! 5. Notary Public ServiceNotary certification is granted by the state and the cost is generally less than $100.Once you’re certified, you can charge your own fee to notarize documents, or become a loan signing agent like Brian did and make $1500-2000 a month overseeing mortgage signings in your spare time.side hustle as a loan signing agent 6. Flipping Items for Profit on eBayThe long-running marketplace can be a tough, low-margin, competitive environment, but that’s not to say there aren’t any opportunities left to make money on eBay.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!flea market flipping familyThey put together this free training on how to get started and make your first sales in as little as 2 weeks.Spotify_Logo_RGB_Black-removebg-previewSuggested Playlist: Flipping ProfitsBuying low and selling high is the fastest way to multiply money. Here's how to get it done.Add to Spotify 7. Selling on AmazonOne of the most popular side hustles lately has been Amazon’s FBA program, in which you find bargain deals locally, and ship them off to sell on Amazon.I recently sat down with a $1 million seller to learn how she sources profitable reselling inventory from local stores.I even made a bit of money when I tried it myself.8. BloggingBlogging is difficult to monetize but can be a fun outlet to practice your writing or build an audience around a particular idea.Brock McGoff turned his side project men’s fashion blog into a 6-figure online business, and my friend Jodi earns $5k+ per month from her part-time blog for girl scout troop leaders.Want to start a blog of your own? Check out my free 6-part video course on how to start your own site. 9. Affiliate MarketingRefer 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!Note: Please do me a favor and don’t buy into anyone’s sleazy affiliate marketing “program” or “system.” There are unfortunately a lot of slimy salespeople out there making their living taking advantage of newbies.If you want to learn more about affiliate marketing, check out my chat with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, who consistently earns over $50k a month as an affiliate — all while traveling full-time.Related: Here’s a step-by-step guide to building your first affiliate website.Spotify_Logo_RGB_Black-removebg-previewSuggested Playlist: Affiliate MarketingMake money online by sharing relevant products and services with your audience. Here's a killer playlist packed with actionable advice from the pros.Add to Spotify 10. “Alternative” InvestingFor me, alternative investments are vehicles like 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 properties for as little as $500.Related: 79 Alternative Investment Platforms to Earn Stronger Returns, Build Cash Flow, and Diversify Your Portfolio 11. Earning Money with Credit Card RewardsTake advantage of the various sign-up bonuses and cash back offers doled out by banks. You’ve got to promise to do this responsibly, but it’s actually earned my wife and I thousands of dollars in free money and travel over the last few years.What’s the easiest way to get started? Try a new cash back card on for size.Credit cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card offer up to 40% cash back — $200 after you spend $500 in your first 3 months — with no annual fee.chase freedom unlimited 2020Learn more and compare this card to other cash back cards here.If you know you’re gonna spend $500 in the next 3 months, that’s #freemoney. This card also gives you one of the highest cash back rates, with unlimited 1.5% back on every dollar you spend.(If you’re worried about your credit score, don’t be. I’ve opened probably a dozen credit card accounts in the last few years and still have a 750+ credit score.)The Next Step: Check out my free course, Credit Card Rewards 101: How to Earn Free Cash and Travel by Spending Smarter 12. Bookkeeping / Accounting / Tax Preparation ServiceHelp 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. 13. Private LabelingIn this side hustle, you identify hot-selling products and bring your own to market to compete with them.There’s an art and science to this, including negotiating with suppliers (often overseas), but in this episode of The Side Hustle Show, 7-figure Amazon seller Greg Mercer shared his top 3 Amazon FBA product sourcing guidelines and tips. 14. Teaching OnlineUdemy is an impressive online education platform where students can connect with teachers from all around the world in any subject. 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 $20,000 in (mostly) passive income from it!Related: The 134 Best Udemy Courses for Entrepreneurs, Freelancers, and Side HustlersIf you have an existing subscriber base to sell to, you might be able to sell the course directly and not have to worry about losing margin to Udemy. One resource with some great information on creating your own online course for “passive” income is my podcast with Ankur Nagpal, the founder of Teachable. 15. BakingDo people love your desserts? Maybe you could provide cake, cookies, or cupcakes to some corporate event in town.bakingA friend of ours has built a pretty serious following for her custom cookies — and sometimes sells out in minutes! 16. Losing WeightYes, with sites like HealthyWage you can actually get paid ($500 or more!) to lose weight. It works like a bet, where you put the money upfront and get paid out your prize when your hit your goal.Check out their calculator to see how much your prize could be. For more, here’s our full HealthyWage review . 17. Raw Land FlippingThis sounds a little crazy, but my guest Mark calls his raw land investing business “the best passive income model” because he doesn’t have to deal with “problem tenants, rodents, or repairs.”More recently, I sat down with one of Mark’s students who’d built his land flipping business to $10k a month in his first year. 18. Book FlippingUse the free Bookscouter app to scan barcodes and see what old books are worth. You can do this both for the ones collecting dust on your shelf and for the ones at garage sales or the library book store.One Side Hustle Show guest reported earning up to $4000 a month flipping books! 19. Field AgentField Agent is a free smartphone app that pays you to complete small tasks in your neighborhood, like photographing the inside of a store.field agentI found several of these tasks near me, from companies like Home Depot and Walmart, with the payouts ranging from $3-8 per assignment. 20. TutoringPut that education to use by helping students learn in a comfortable one-on-one setting. WyzAnt is one of the largest operators in the online tutoring world.In this post, Matt Fuentes shared how he built his tutoring business up to $1000 a week. 21. Picking up TrashBrian Winch has been doing this over 30 years and calls it “America’s simplest business.” He says you can earn $50,000-$100,000 a year for basically walking local parking lots and cleaning up the garbage.Check out the interview I did with Brian to learn more.Spotify_Logo_RGB_Black-removebg-previewSuggested Playlist: Local Business IdeasMoney is already flowing through your city, town, and neighborhood. Here are some actionable ways to get it flowing to YOU!Add to Spotify 22. Focus-GroupingI made $100 an hour at an in-person focus group. Here are some companies that facilitate them near you and online23. Renting Out Your Attic or GarageThe 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.neighbor appAccording to the site, hosts are earning up to $15,000 a year running their own mini self-storage operations.24. Airbnb Hosting or Co-HostingIf 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?Co-HostingIn addition to a small portfolio of her own short-term rental properties, Zeona McIntyre has built a side business in “co-hosting” other Airbnbs.She essentially acts as the property manager, coordinating guest check-ins, maintenance, and cleaning, in exchange for 20% of the rent — with none of the risk.Rental ArbitrageA 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.25. Renting Out Your CarIn select markets, you can rent out your car on a daily or hourly basis to earn extra cash through companies like Getaround and Turo.According to Turo, the average car sits idle 22 hours a day, so their service is a unique opportunity to capitalize on those idle hours. The companies handle all the insurance.A couple friends used the Turo platform to essentially get a free Tesla!26. Kindle PublishingSelling 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 am hopefully getting better every time I put pen to paper … or fingers to keyboard.I generated 20,000 downloads with my first “serious” book launch in 2014, and another title earned nearly $18,000 in its first year.27. Part-Time Remote WorkWith legit jobs ranging from entry-level to executive and freelance to full-time, FlexJobs is the leading work from home jobs site. At press time, there were more than 25,000 openings in dozens of career categories.side hustle jobs with flexjobsThey charge a nominal monthly fee (save 30% w/ promo code FLEXLIFE) to access their listings, but you’ll easily earn it back and then some with one job.28. Becoming an Adjunct ProfessorYou 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 — especially if you can teach online or with pre-recorded lectures.29. Being a TaskRabbitTask Rabbit is an on-demand errand-running service that enlists regular people to help out. You can earn money in your spare time completing real-world tasks on their unique platform.The platform also allows for virtual work like online research and other tasks that can be done remotely.30. ProofreadingDo 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. E-commerceSell products online through your own store or through Amazon or eBay. In this episode, Will Mitchell walked me through how to find a profitable import product.Next Step: Set up your shop with a free trial of Shopify, the leading shopping cart provider.32. Sperm DonorI wouldn’t necessarily call it a business, but it sure sounds more fun than donating blood (or plasma).33. Postmates DeliveryRide, drive, or walk to make local deliveries in your town with the Postmates app and earn up $25 an hour doing so.If you like the idea of doing pick-up and delivery, you might consider becoming an Instacart Shopper as well. I sat down with one full-service Instacart grocery shopper who made $10,000 in his first 6 months!34. Selling on EtsyEtsy is the world’s largest marketplace for unique hand-crafted goods. What can you make?My friend Kara started selling wine-themed wedding decor on Etsy as a side hustle and since turned it into a full-time business.side hustle on etsyEtsy also now allows for print-on-demand, digital, and dropshipped products. I’m testing this out for myself!35. DrivingIf you’re free mornings, nights, or weekends, you can earn extra cash driving your fellow citizens around.Sign up with Lyft or Uber to get started.One cool “hack”: Both companies offer “Destination Mode”, which basically allows you to earn money on your regular morning and evening commute by telling the app which direction you’re headed and only accepting riders along your route.36. Selling on FiverrFiverr is one of the greatest sites in the world.The basic premise was “what would you do for $5?” Over the years, they’ve gradually moved beyond that $5 starting point, but Fiverr remains an interesting “Buy Button” freelance marketplace.Check out these fine Side Hustle Nation posts for more on how to make Fiverr work for you both as a buyer and a seller:How to Build a 6-Figure Side Hustle on FiverrHow I Earned $7490 in My First 14 Months on Fiverr$10 from a Single Sale … on Fiverr [Podcast]I’ve used Fiverr for graphic design, book covers, website optimization, article writing, and even the old intro voiceover for The Side Hustle Show. I’ve experimented as a seller on Fiverr, starting with selling non-fiction ebooks.Getting a little more adventurous with my gigs, I got featured on the homepage and was flooded with orders, ultimately earning $920 in 10 days.37. Print on Demand T-ShirtsTeespring is a print-on-demand t-shirt platform, where you can custom-design your own shirts and sell them through the site.On the podcast, my friend Benny shared how he built a 6-figure business on Teespring in under a year — even after a pretty discouraging start!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.My wife and I have gotten into this ourselves lately, but we’ve been letting Amazon do the printing through their Merch by Amazon program. It’s awesome!38. GhostwritingWith millions of websites all competing for attention, writing is a service that’s constantly in demand. Someone’s got to create all that content, right?Gabe Arnold even turned his ghostwriting side hustle into a full-blown agency!39. Sports CoachingSchool teams are sometimes in need of coaching help and this can be a fun and active side hustle.40. PodcastingWith a unique angle to your podcast, you can attract a large following, which can translate into serious sponsorship dollars. It costs less than you think to start and has honestly been a life-changing project for me.But you don’t have to take my word for it. My friend Steve Young turned his part-time podcast into a full-time business with multiple streams of income.41. Rental PropertiesReal estate investing is one of the oldest and most popular side hustles in the books. New platforms like Roofstock make it easy to shop for and buy income-generating properties with tenants and property management already in place.I 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.42. Pool Cleaning ServiceIf you live in a warm climate with a lot of pools, this could be a fun and interesting side hustle to enjoy the summer outdoors.43. Knife SharpeningEvery house in the country is a potential repeat customer. In this post and podcast episode, Matt Rowell shares how he got started and now earns $30-60 an hour sharpening knives.44. Swagbucks / InboxDollarsAlso not really a business, but you can earn gift cards, cash, and other rewards by answering surveys, watching videos, playing games, and shopping online with both Swagbucks and InboxDollars.(While rare, you can occasionally earn up to $35 a survey.)At press time, both companies are offering a $5 bonus just for signing up!45. AlterationsHandy with a sewing machine? I believe 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.46. Child CareIs it just me, or does “babysitting” sound amateur compared to “child care”? Register on sites like Sittercity to begin building a client base.47. CaregivingThis business continues to grow as the population ages, and popular sites like Care.com can help match you with customers.48. Brand AmbassadorshipBig 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!49. Building Niche WebsitesBuilding niche sites is a popular side hustle because after some initial research and time investment they can be a relatively hands-off income source. These types of sites generally cover a very specific topic and earn money through advertising, affiliate relationships, or digital products.This tutorial lays out the process step-by-step for creating a simple niche affiliate site.Want more? Here’s a step-by-step guide on the fastest cheapest way to build a website.50. Building an Authority WebsiteWhile niche sites get a lot of attention, an authority site has a better chance of withstanding the changes in Google’s algorithm and turning into a long-term asset.You may not even need to be an authority when starting out. My friend Perrin got a new puppy and was disappointed with the information he found online, so he got to work and 20 months later HerePup.com was valued at $200,000.51. Car FlippingIf you’re a savvy negotiator and know your way around cars, you can buy low and sell high and turn a profit quickly with this side hustle.52. Car Wash and DetailingA mobile detailing service would be a super low-cost startup and you could get clients in bunches at office parks, shopping malls, schools, sporting events, and other places where cars like to gather.mobile detailing side hustle53. Carpet CleaningCarpet 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.54. Catering and CookingIf you have a passion for cooking, a catering business has a lower barrier to entry and time commitment than say, opening a restaurant.With platforms like Eatwith, you could even begin charging to host meals.55. Residential or Commercial Cleaning ServiceIt may not be glamorous, but it’s something nearly every business spends money on and usually gets done in the after-work hours.Cassandre Poblah actually earned $1000 a month doing this part time, and Chris Schwab’s cleaning business does $60k a month — without him ever lifting mop.56. Computer Repair ServiceThere are more computers in this country (including tablets and smartphones) than there are people. The repair market is very fragmented which means there is opportunity for solo-operators to break in.computer repair(image source)John Rouda offers monthly IT support and maintenance contracts for local businesses, calling it one of his “for-profit hobbies.”57. Computer TutoringSome of the computer skills we take for granted are still lacking for portions of the population.If you can find them and sell them on the necessity of technical skills for their careers, there might be a business opportunity here.58. Consulting / CoachingConsulting is an ambiguously broad field, but there are consultants for practically every area of expertise. What are you a relative expert in that others might pay for your advice?With platforms like Clarity.fm, you can get started very quickly and earn $60/hour and up.In this episode, my friend Kai Davis breaks down his step-by-step methods of building a consulting business in 20-hours. Later, Jonathan Stark shared his framework for getting a new consulting business from zero to $5k a month.59. Cover Letter and Resume ServiceEspecially if you have experience in HR, there is a massive opportunity to help job seekers with their resumes and cover letters. Since the payoff of landing a job is so high, it can be worthwhile for applicants to seek some professional assistance on their documents.It would be interesting to see this sold on a pay-for-performance model, where you only get paid if the applicant gets the interview.60. Craigslist ArbitrageCraigslist and other markets are still filled with inefficiencies that a trained eye can exploit for profit. There are some great stories of regular people doing just this.For instance, Ryan Finlay of ReCraigslist.com, makes a full-time living buying and selling on Craigslist and stopped by the podcast to tell me about it.61. Craigslist GigsThere’s a little-known section in the bottom right corner of Craigslist (at least at press time) specifically for side hustlers, called gigs:Check it out and see what kind of gigs you might be able to find nearby or online.62. Small Business Marketing ServiceMany small companies don’t have the staff or know-how to do all their marketing themselves, especially when it comes to putting their best foot forward online and on social media.You can help them with that, much like Sean does in his business.63. Customer ServiceSome companies are now employing part-time customer service representatives to work from home and handle incoming phone or live chat service requests.64. Get Paid to Go on Dates?The dating site WhatsYourPrice.com actually lets suitors pay women to go on dates with them.65. Dividend InvestingThis has been one of my favorite ways of “buying cash flow” lately, 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 built up my portfolio slowly over the past few years. 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.66. Dog WalkingYes, some people are too busy to walk their own dogs. Post flyers in your neighborhood or set up a profile on WagWalking.com.67. Doula ServiceDoulas can earn $500-$1000 per birth, if you’re into that sort of thing.68. DropshippingDropshippers set up their own storefront and process sales, but never touch the actual product. Instead, the items are shipped directly to the customer from the manufacturer or wholesaler.Next Step: I had the chance to sit down with Rene Delgado to learn how he sold $300,000 worth of bounce houses in his first year in business.69. Estate Sale ServiceEstate sales are often managed by a third-party company, who takes a percentage of the proceeds in exchange for handling the event.To learn more about this side hustle check out Robert Farrington’s post on Budgets are Sexy.70. Event DJ-ingI feel like DJ-ing is something of a lost art in the era of pre-made iTunes playlists, but there are still plenty of events that have a live DJ.Check out sites like GigSalad to set up your profile and get booked.71. FreelancingThere are millions of people supplementing their income by freelancing in their spare time. You’ll find them on sites like FreeUp or Fiverr.On The Side Hustle Show, I really enjoyed hearing how both Gabe and Gina set their freelancing businesses up for recurring revenue.72. Furniture MakingIf you’re skilled in carpentry, maybe people would like to buy your hand-crafted furniture. OK, this one reminds me of Ron Swanson.ron swanson woodworking(image source)73. Graphic Design ServiceQuality graphic design is always in-demand, and never before have there been so many outlets on which to sell your skills. The most popular design-focused site is 99designs, but you can check out Crowdspring, DesignCrowd, or any of the freelance marketplaces as well.One fun example of a side hustle graphic design business gone global is Design Pickle, where the founder told me, “I sucked at design.” So instead, it became his job to match customers with contractors. Less than 3 years later, the little side project was doing $400k a month in revenue!74. Handyman ServiceThis 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 connected with an on-demand handyman) or Thumbtack.75. Home Inspection ServiceCertification is required, but this is a viable side hustle because the inspections can be scheduled at your convenience and only take a few hours.76. Mobile MechanicMatt 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 $5k a month online business.77. Human BillboardIf you’re not afraid of potentially embarrassing yourself on a street corner, there are always businesses looking to hire sign-spinners or people in costume to attract attention.human billboard(image credit)78. Local Newsletter or Facebook GroupCould you start a small email newsletter or Facebook group for your hometown? Could you sell advertisements or directory listings to local businesses?Melissa Fassel-Dunn did this for her town (a Boston suburb) and turned it into an almost 6-figure business.My friend Bill Nowicki took this idea one step further, and started a local podcast for his town.79. Interior DecoratingWith an eye for design, interior decorating could be a fun part-time business.80. Investing in WebsitesIf you have some idle cash and want to put it to work, buying a pre-existing cash flow may be the fastest path to side hustle income.Stacy Caprio bought a small portfolio of sites that–after a couple early mis-steps–was profitable enough to leave her job.81. Ironing / Mobile Laundry ServiceHoly crap do I hate ironing! I’m certain a decent chunk of the population is with me on this one and would be willing to pay to make that problem go away.I actually connected with a reader who was doing this in Australia, and earning $400 a month. She didn’t mind the work and was thrilled to be “getting paid to watch movies”–how she passed the time while ironing.82. Junk Hauling ServiceThis is an especially feasible side hustle business if you already have access to a large truck or van. Bonus points if you can re-sell some of the junk!I had the chance to sit 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.83. Transcription ServiceTranscription, which involves typing out recorded voice notes, 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.84. Flyer Distribution ServiceOne 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!85. MLM SalesMLM (multi-level marketing) programs are frequently derided as pyramid schemes — and many of them are — but some people manage to do quite well with them, often starting out part-time. Amway is probably the most well-known.My friend Kellie is crushing it as a Beachbody coach, and shared some of her best network marketing tips here.A word of caution: The failure rate in network marketing is 99%–much higher than in other business models. Before you dive in and drink the Kool-Aid, make sure this is something you can really stand behind and can see yourself doing long-term.86. Mobile Oil Change ServiceSave people time by bringing the shop and supplies to them. If you’re comfortable fixing cars, you might actually check out YourMechanic.com, which helps match you with customers in need of car repairs.87. ModelingStock photographers are sometimes in need of subjects for their work. Strike a pose!88. Movie / TV ExtraYour odds are better if you’re in LA or New York, 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.89. Moving ServiceMoving 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.90. Mystery ShoppingCompanies will pay you to verify their in-store or on-the-phone experience, or to spy on their competition. It’s possible to make over $10,000 a year being a mystery shopper.We live near a place called the National Food Lab and I occasionally get called in for taste tests. They pay cash and it’s really easy; just answer a few questions and you’re on your way.91. Organize a Bundle SaleAn online bundle sale brings together a bunch of digital products for a limited time. Each contributor earns a cut on every bundle they sell and you take a percentage as the organizer.92. Host Trivia NightsBars 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.93. Party Planning / Wedding Coordinator ServicePut 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.94. Rent Out Used Baby GearBabyQuip.com presents a compelling alternative to getting rid of baby stuff as soon as you’re done with it — which has been our strategy so far!The platform connects parents with traveling families or grandparents who live in town and need a crib and a stroller for a few days.The average BabyQuip Quality Provider makes $650 a month part-time.95. Personal Chef ServiceCould you picture yourself making meals in someone else’s kitchen? This could be a good way to break into the food services industry without the time commitment and overhead 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.96. Personal TrainingPeople are always looking to get in shape and if you have a passion for fitness, this could be the perfect side hustle.97. Pet GroomingJust like their owners, pets require haircuts too. A mobile pet grooming service can be a low-cost part-time business.98. Pet SittingWhen homeowners travel, it opens up an opportunity for pet sitting services to come by and take care of their animals.pet sittingTo set up shop, try Rover.com. These three people are all making over $1000 a month watching other people’s pets!99. Photography ServiceThis is my wife’s favorite side hustle. Turn your photog hobby into an income stream.Side Hustle Show guest Vincent Pugliese shared how “freelanced his way to freedom” and went from earning $30k a year to $30k in a day.100. Product LicensingWho says ideas are worthless? With product licensing you can sell the rights to your idea to large companies, who will pay you royalties for every sale they make from that idea.I had the chance to sit down with Nate Dallas, who earned $300,000 from Mattel in this way, after licensing an idea to them for a Pictionary spin-off.Later, Stephen Key stopped by to drop his wisdom on product licensing and why there’s never been a better or easier time to get started.101. App DevelopmentThe 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.Similarly, a freelance app developer gets paid whether or not the app goes on to become a hit. Learn to code apps and you’ll have a skill you can use over and over again.102. Real Estate WholesalingIn 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.103. Rec Sports OfficiatingRecreational sports leagues are often in need of referees and umpires, and this can be a fun way to spend your evenings and earn a little extra cash.As an amateur softball player, I’ve seen some of the same umps every season for the last 10 years so they must enjoy it!104. RentaFriendRentaFriend.com facilitates (strictly platonic) paid companionship.Friends report earning $20-50 an hour to hang out with strangers. Yeah, this sounds a little creepy and weird but I guess if you’re lonely and you’ve got the money…105. SnugglingYes, this is a real thing, and it has a number of health benefits. So, naturally there’s a business angle.For Sam Varnerin of Boston, her snuggling side hustle has turned into a pretty lucrative business. She told Student Loan Hero, “I work around 18 hours a week, charging between $80 and $100 an hour, and make between $3-4k a month.”Sam started part-time through the SnuggleBuddies.com agency, which allowed her to earn $40 an hour on her own schedule, before striking out on her own.106. Software MogulSoftware is one of those “perfectly scalable” business models, in that you can theoretically create something once and sell it over and over again.The cool thing is, you don’t even know how to write code. Christopher Gimmer built his SaaS business by getting outside help on the technical side.107. Teaching MusicWith 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 even at the weekly farmer’s markets to advertise.108. Music LicensingSinger-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.109. Teaching YogaA certain level of expertise and certification may be required, but becoming a yoga instructor could be a fun and healthy part-time business.side hustle as a yoga instructor(image credit)110. Tour Guide ServiceDo you want to show off your city to visitors? You can create your own unique tour experience with the help of websites like Vayable.com or ToursByLocals.com.For example, Alex Kenin leads urban hikers through the hills of San Francisco at $50 a pop.111. Translation / Interpretation ServiceA translation service could be an excellent way to put your bilingual skills to good use. There are always translation jobs on Upwork, as a place to start.112. Travel Agent ServiceAre you a seasoned traveler? Do you always know where to get the best deals and the best experiences?It might be surprising that despite widespread access to travel information there is still a healthy demand both for insider travel knowledge and the hands-off experience of letting an expert handle the booking.113. Vehicle AdvertisingAccording to Wrapify, you can earn up to $500 a month by putting an advertising “wrap” on your car.One reader in Chicago reported making $400 in a month from this, just making her normal commute.car wrap(photo credit)114. Vending MachinesMatt Miller’s passive income vending machine empire started with just $36 and a bag of gumballs. He’d been flipping used books, but found it took too much time. Looking for something a little more automated, he settled on bulk vending.115. Voiceover ActingCompanies 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.I’ve done exactly one paid voiceover job, and I can attest, it’s harder than it looks! Though since then, I’ve had a bit more practice behind the mic thanks to the podcast–and in reading hundreds of books to my kids.116. Web Design ServiceThere’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.Even though I’m not super-technical, I was able to build out a pretty nice looking site in a few hours using this rapid-launch method.117. Window Cleaning ServiceWindow cleaning can be a nice little weekend side hustle, and requires minimal startup capital; you may already have a ladder, a bucket, and a squeegee.118. Working on Mechanical TurkMechanical Turk is a service provided by Amazon to help companies complete micro-jobs that sometimes only pay pennies for each one.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. One reader reported earning $50,000 in his spare time over the last few years.I’m not sure the hourly wage will be anything amazing here but I wanted to include it as an option in case you wanted to check it out.119. Yard Work ServiceMuch like the cleaning service above, it’s not the most glamorous side hustle in the world but the fact is nearly every yard in the country requires some sort of maintenance.But this is something that more and more homeowners have started outsourcing, and that means there’s a big business opportunity.120. YouTube Channel HostGoogle (which owns YouTube) pays channel-owners to host their ads on their videos, meaning if you generate a lot of YouTube views, you can earn a lot of money with their revenue sharing program.I’ve been dabbling a bit more with YouTube lately, and recently passed $900 in monthly ad income.Several YouTube users report earning more than $100,000 a year, and I recently sat down with Gabby Wallace, who turned her English teaching channel into a full-time business.121. Storage Unit AuctionsPopularized by TV shows like Storage Wars, bidding on abandoned storage lockers can be a viable side hustle — and a bit of a treasure hunt.122. Local Rental BusinessCorey Jeffreys wanted to get into rental real estate, but lacking capital, bought a bounce house and began renting that out instead.In his first year, he turned that $800 investment into $3,000 and has gone on to build the business into a 5-figure side hustle.123. Pet Waste RemovalIt’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it! More and more homeowners are outsourcing the chore of picking up the dog’s back yard deposits. In just a few months, Erica Krupin had landed 80 recurring weekly clients at around $15 apiece.124. Reader’s Choice!Help me out by adding your part-time business idea in the comments below!And yes, I know the list has grown beyond the promised 99 ideas :)Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is a side hustle?Broadly speaking, 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 a number of factors, including 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.What’s Next?Fill out the form below to join Side Hustle Nation for free and I’ll send you my report: The 5 Fastest Ways to Make More Money.
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