This post will discover some of the best money-making Side Hustle ideas. A good side hustle is about building your own business. And nowadays, the most exemplary side hustle ideas are those that have the potential to produce an unlimited amount of money—something more than $1,000 per month.
Side hustlers come from various backgrounds and sell a variety of products. Thousands are joining their ranks as people realize that saving money and working a full-time job only get you so far—there’s the hard bottom, but the sky for side hustles is nearly endless. However, this does not make things any easier. So, what goes into the developing art of starting and maintaining a profitable side hustle?
What is a Side Hustle?
In its broadest meaning, a “side hustle” is any activity outside of your day job that helps you make additional money. It is technically a part-time job or work done for side hustle apps such as Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, Rover, DoorDash, or TaskRabbit.
However, not all side jobs are made equal. Seasonally, a part-time job may be beneficial, but restricted hours might mean limited income in slower months. Gig apps like Uber may help generate extra dollars in a pinch. Still, their payment mechanisms are typically structured to reduce the compensation to people who provide the service.
Best Side Hustles To Make Money
1. Make and Sell your Handcrafted Items
Something is fulfilling about money-making hobbies. It’s no surprise that many merchants build successful small companies out of a passion they started in their spare time. It doesn’t feel like work if you like doing it. So consider doing something you want even if no one is paying you for it. Carpentry, knitting, painting, and crafting are just a few hobbies that may serve as the foundation for various interesting side hustles.
Almost everyone has a pastime or creative outlet that they like. You’re in an especially favorable position if your job requires you to create something with your hands. Although it takes a significant amount of time to acquire a trade, developing handcrafted products is one of the most acceptable ways to stand out in a sea of commodity products. You may also sell handmade things on Etsy in addition to your eCommerce store to reach out to additional potential customers.
Furthermore, buying raw materials puts you in a unique position to guarantee that your manufacturing process is consistent with your brand values. Many business owners use their principles as part of their sales pitch, such as making products out of recyclable materials.
2. Create your Designs for a Print-on-demand Business
Print-on-demand businesses are a fun, low-risk way to get your feet wet in the business field if you have a passion for design. Apps like Printful and Printify make it simple to print personalized graphics on goods like t-shirts, mugs, phone covers, canvas bags, pillows, and more.
When customers make a purchase, the products are printed and dispatched directly to them from your manufacturer. Print on demand has one significant benefit over bulk manufacturing in that your product supply may match and expand with demand without the need for colossal upfront inventory expenditures. You may also add your flare and branding to products with bespoke graphic designs. Furthermore, because the hard labor of manufacturing and shipping is outsourced to a third party, you will have more time to focus on developing and marketing your firm.
3. Launch a Dropshipping Business
Consider starting a dropshipping business if you appreciate the mechanical parts of print on demand but are more interested in marketing and operations than producing unique designs. Dropshipping is another type of online business strategy in which a third party creates and distributes pre-existing products on your behalf. But, first, you have to set up your store, price your products, and market your business.
Dropshipping is also a low-risk option since, as previously said, products are only sent when they are purchased, leaving plenty of room for profit as long as your marketing expenditures are modest. In addition, dropshipping free you a lot of time by delegating manufacturing and shipping to a third party. You may also drop-ship on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to reach additional customers.
The time you save by dropshipping may be spent finding a niche to sell to, marketing your products, attracting new consumers, or assisting existing customers. As a side hustle, dropshipping is an excellent way for people to improve their marketing skills because they don’t have to make or design their products.
4. Create a Zine and Sell Digital Subscriptions
Have you ever considered starting your magazine? A zine often works with limited circulation. The term “zine” refers to any magazine aimed at a specific audience. Still, the critical distinction between a zine and a magazine is the hand-crafted, independent aspect that relies on ideas and ideals not covered by mainstream media.
A zine may be a great online side hustle for artists, graphic designers, and authors to promote and sell their work. It may be an effective technique for campaigners to rally people. Zines have a long history of exhibiting unconventional, neglected pieces of art and literature.
Through digital subscriptions, the web has provided a forum for the next generation of zine authors to share fresh ideas. And if you’re skilled at proofreading, then better—you won’t need to hire someone to edit your zine.
5. Join the GIG Economy
Do you have a skill set that you can use to make money online legally? Then, consider working in the gig economy. The gig economy is a free-market system where businesses work with independent contractors or freelancers rather than full-time employees.
The gig economy grew by 43% in 2022, outpacing the global economy, with around 35% of gig workers working globally. According to data, gig workers contributed more than $1.3 trillion to the US economy in 2022.
Because of the ease with which experienced (and aspiring) writers, programmers, designers, and other professionals can connect with clients and supply their skills from anywhere globally; freelancing has become one of the top side hustle ideas for millennials. You may start by finding gigs on Fiverr, Craigslist, or Upwork and building your abilities and portfolio there.
Freelancing might be for you if you’re searching for a side hustle from home with room for growth and relatively rapid returns. While freelancing does require you to exchange time for money directly, the road to revenue is more direct than waiting for a product to gain popularity.
People who are set to graduate from high school or college and are being driven out of full-time employment by more experienced coworkers might make a lot of money as a side hustle by freelancing. Taking on extra work on a project-by-project basis allows some people to make extra money while building up their portfolios and boosting their résumés with many satisfied clients.
6. Teach Online Classes
It is challenging to learn a new trade, skill, or topic. It takes research, time, and a genuine interest in the subject. But, chances are, you’re already well-versed in several areas and abilities, especially when compared to the broader population. Why not instruct them?
Teaching is one of the best jobs in the world. But, with online platforms like Udemy and Coursera, it’s easier than ever for experienced teachers to side hustle around the globe and connect with easy students.
The beauty of teaching online is that your expertise and imagination only limit your course’s content. Do you know a lot about the history of the Roman Empire? Teach it! Do you have any graphic design experience? Tell us what you know!
You can make a course about almost anything as long as there are people who want to learn from your expertise and are prepared to pay to have the material packed and presented in an accessible manner.
7. Start a Blog
For one thing, blogging can be done from almost anywhere. With a laptop and a WiFi connection, you can turn any place into a place where you write. People who start a blog may not make money right away, but a blog may be an excellent way to start for people who want to build a personal brand or audience.
There are many exciting things about blogging, but one of the most interesting is how it could help you in your current job—sharing your work may demonstrate to employers and hiring managers how you approach challenges and what projects you’ve worked on. If you decide to apply for a new job, writing down this information might help you be identified or stand out from a sea of résumés.
Blogging, like teaching, may be about anything as long as some form of the audience is eager to learn, which means there’s plenty of lot to delve deep into a subject you’re enthusiastic about. One issue with this side hustle is figuring out how to start a profitable blog.
Views on a Page don’t pay the bills, so you’ll almost surely need to do extra work, such as referring readers to products, selling sponsored articles or adverts, or even providing a connecting service for blogging to be lucrative in the long term. The advantage is that you’ll have already done the hard work of building an audience.
8. Create a YouTube Channel
People use YouTube to watch hours of videos every day. As the site’s success has grown, so have the chances for people who want to make their video content. Make money with your YouTube channel by making it work with your business. You can learn how to start a channel, talk about current events, make skits or music, give lessons, or do anything else.
It takes a long time to build a large enough audience to profit from YouTube ads, which is why it’s preferable to discover a more direct link to revenue than to wait for ads to become practical. The more closely your films support an existing product, the better, even if it means making videos before you debut your product.
Having a YouTube channel that works well with a product is an excellent way to get your brand in front of a new group of people. However, don’t fall into the trap of over-promoting your product. The best way to make money with this side job is to create content that people want to watch, and ads are the last thing people want to see.
9. Become an Influencer
The term “influencer” does not conjure up the best image in your mind; keep in mind that the two most critical roles in marketing are reach and influence or conveying the correct message to the appropriate people. Influencers are simply another audience-driven way to build a side hustle or business.
Although this isn’t an easy side hustle to start, there are many creative ways to make money with it. Even if a monetization plan does not immediately stand out, concentrating on audience building is not harmful. Many Instagram entrepreneurs had to spend time building an audience before their accounts could become viable and generate passive income.
There are many different types of Instagram influencers, so this is a side hustle with room for creativity. For example, you may specialize in providing content for a particular specialty, market your freelancing services, establish your acting portfolio, or give funny comments accompanied by eye-catching photographs.
Once you’ve established a following on the site, you may begin experimenting with affiliate marketing. To become an affiliate marketer, you must share products or services on your social media networks. Every time a follower purchases using a unique link you give, you receive a commission. It may be one of your more passive side hustles that generate money while you sleep when done correctly.
10. Begin a Podcast
The number of individuals listening to podcasts has steadily increased over time. It used to be critical for comics to have a podcast to make money. There were very few people who didn’t need it. Podcasting is now a must-have for anyone who wants to build an online audience for their brand and turn a side hustle from home into a real business.
There have been fears that podcasting might become too popular, but research shows that people still want to listen to them. So, like social networking and blogging, Podcasting has become an essential part of the online content world.
Podcasting is also very cheap. Recording software like Audacity is free and easy to use, and a good USB microphone costs less than $100. Many of these microphones are explicitly made for podcasting, and they’re easy to use. Even if you don’t have a lot of money, you can still make professional-sounding audio by switching your equipment to an XLR microphone, a mixer, or other things.
11. Freelance Bookkeeper
Despite COVID’s impact on the small business industry, the number of startups has climbed recently. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, 4.3 million new firms were established in the United States in the previous year, representing a 24.6 percent rise in new businesses based countrywide. As a reason, the need for bookkeepers continues to rise.
Bookkeepers are in charge of things such as:
- Balancing the firm account;
- Paying suppliers;
- Sending out invoices;
- Processing payroll; and
- Compiling the relevant documentation for tax day.
Because most businesses use bookkeeping software packages such as QuickBooks and Xero, this job does not require a degree in accounting. However, going through the certification classes for those programs would undoubtedly benefit you.
12. Online Polls
For the first time, your opinions may make you money. Many businesses and market researchers want to discover what people think about their products and services. One method they learn is by having customers fill out questionnaires for them. Filling out surveys is unlikely to cover your bills, but it may provide you with some spending money for the weekend or a vacation you wish to take.
And here’s the best part: you don’t have to be an expert in anything, and you don’t have to have any certificates or degrees. Sign up on websites like Branded Surveys or Swagbucks, fill out your interests, and they will contact you. Then you may decide which surveys are worthwhile and how many you wish to do. However, be aware that there are frauds, and some survey websites charge a fee. So, before you sign up, read the tiny print.
13. Ride Hailing Driver
There are various possibilities for folks who desire to drive for a ridesharing firm these days. Of course, you can always drive for well-known firms like Uber or Lyft. Still, other independent choices cater to specific needs or cities, such as ZIRO, mainly in San Francisco, or Wingz, which focuses on airport transportation.
Think about what you should do before you start driving for a car service called “rideshare.” Where you live, and the type of automobile you drive will significantly impact how much money you can make. You may make up to $1,000 per month in a heavily crowded city like New York or Los Angeles. However, this is countered by petrol expenses and whatever maintenance or cleaning your automobile need. So make sure to factor in all of your costs.
14. Freelance Writer
Writers can bid on assignments that match their skill set through matchmaking sites such as Writers Work and Fiverr. It might include everything from authoring website content and blog articles to copywriting and working on other marketing materials. There is something here for every writing style. You may also check at job boards like Peak Freelance’s to identify and apply for new writing things.
You can choose how much you want to get paid and which jobs you wish to bid on. Suppose you’re going to make yourself more desirable. In that case, you may post writing examples, complete certifications in the matchmaking service you’re using, and acquire positive evaluations and comments from previous tasks related to your profile.
15. Manage Social Media Accounts
Managing a social media account might imply many different things. For example, you might be in charge of anything from publishing a daily Instagram post for an individual to managing a company’s whole social media portfolio. First, however, every social media manager must understand how social media algorithms work and be up to date on current trends.
The catch is that your postings must produce business and followers for you to be regarded as an excellent social media manager. After all, it is why you are paid. We all troll social media (maybe more than we should), so why not turn it into a source of income?
16. Local Tour Guide
According to an Eventbrite survey, 78 percent of Americans value experiences above products. As a reason, people are going on more trips. Even the way we travel has evolved. People want the tourist experience and the experience of experiencing a place through the eyes of a local.
If you’re a graffiti enthusiast who knows where to find the most incredible graffiti in town, you may plan your trip around it. Or, if you’re a vast gourmet who knows all the best places to eat, you’re bound to attract people who want to go on culinary excursions. You have total control over pricing and availability. And you’ll get compensated to talk about your things and share your passion with others.
17. User Tester for Apps and Websites
Nothing will halt business faster than a broken website or an app that doesn’t work. So developers will have testers go in and press all the links and play with all the buttons to ensure that everything works before it goes live. What do you think? You can get compensated for it.
Most sites and apps take approximately five to thirty minutes to test, and you’ll get paid roughly $10 each test on average. But that will also depend on the site and how thoroughly the creators want you to test it.
Several matching types can link you to many websites and app testing tasks. Some competitive jobs even pay $100 for a 60-minute exam, indicating that there is money to be made here.
18. Wholesale Business
When you sell many of your products to a different store, you do it in bulk (typically at a discount); that retailer then offers your products straight to their customers at a higher price. One advantage of selling wholesale is that you may leverage a retailer’s existing client base and resources. Though you will still need to market yourself and provide an excellent client experience, having your merchants’ reach and established reputation will make the task much more accessible.
19. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the practice of advertising someone else’s products or services on your platform in exchange for a commission on any sales that result from your referral (usually through a unique link or code). It is an excellent approach to integrating side jobs.
Get into affiliate marketing if you have a podcast, are an influencer, or operate a store. It’s a great approach to generate passive money while you’re working on another side hustle or working on your hobbies.
And finding firms that participate in affiliate marketing is easy. First, go to an affiliate marketplace such as ShareASale and look for suitable products. However, keep in mind that the products and services you advertise must be appropriate for your target audience. So make an informed decision.
20. Sell Digital Products
A digital product is a non-physical object that lives solely on the internet. These products are often downloadable or streamable files such as MP3s, PDFs, movies, and templates. If you’re a digital artist, this is an excellent opportunity to make some money. You should know that music is constantly needed for movies and marketing campaigns if you’re a musician. Websites always seek fresh fonts and images to make their site stand out if you’re a graphic designer.
The possibilities for digital products are virtually limitless. With the introduction of NFTs onto the market, digital art and music now have even more potential value in the digital environment.
21. Photography
Several services, such as Shutterstock and iStock Photo, are continuously looking to buy photographs on websites and marketing campaigns. And as long as the internet exists, it will always require new photographs since websites must constantly update and renew their content.
You may even sell your photos as prints or have them printed on a mug or sweater. Get your photographs printed on something tangible and sell them as wall and wearable art. Getting high-quality reproductions of your images is easy and inexpensive, so there’s a real market if you have a perfect shot.
You may also sell your photographs as a service. Wedding photography may be a full-time job in and of itself, many alone concerts, graduations, baby announcements, annual family photos—the list goes on. You have a very marketable ability if you know how to shoot and edit a nice image.
Side hustles are a great way to supplement your income, but they, like all new companies, take some upfront effort to get traction. If you don’t pick a project that matches your current lifestyle, it’s easy for this extra work to go to the bottom of your to-do list and finally fall by the wayside. As a result, unusual side hustles frequently feel less like a job and more like a creative outlet balancing art and commerce.
Although side hustles do not necessarily lead to full-time employment, it is customary for side hustlers to pursue this option once their enterprise becomes successful enough. One unappreciated advantage of side hustles is that they may serve as a sandbox in which you can learn how to make decent money from home legally. Making money is a different talent, and because most of us rely on traditional jobs to pay our bills, it doesn’t always feel obvious. Side hustles allow you to put your business ideas to the test and practice publicly.
Side jobs aren’t just ways to make extra money. To learn new skills and become better at what you do, start a side hustle. In addition, a side hustle may bring artistic independence, professional advancement, and, eventually, a viable means to transform your passion into a career for authors, actors, painters, singers, and artists.
