The rise of the sharing economy and various tech startups have made running a side hustle easier than ever. Side hustles are basically gigs or businesses that you can easily manage alongside a full time job or business. They’re popular with those who want to earn a bit of extra money on nights, weekends or seasonally.
Side Hustle Ideas
If you’re interested in taking advantage of all the benefits of a side hustle, here are 50 options to consider.
Driving
Companies like Uber and Lyft make it easy for side hustlers to earn extra money whenever you feel like working. You’ll need to get approved by one such service and then enjoy making your own schedule.
Delivering Food
If you like that idea but don’t want to welcome actual passengers into your vehicle, you could drive for delivery services like Postmates or UberEats.
Renting Your Car
For those with a vehicle but no desire to work driving into their side hustle, services like Turo let you rent out your car when you’re not using it. Perfect for especially busy individuals.
Renting Vacation Properties
If you have access to an extra house, apartment or room, rent it out on sites like Airbnb. You’ll need to provide some support and communication, but you could likely keep that mainly to the weekends if that works best for your schedule.
Blogging
Blogging allows you to post content that interests you. Then you can build an audience and leverage your influence to create sponsored content with brands, offer advertising options or earn commissions through affiliate programs.
Podcasting
Podcasting is a similar concept, only in audio form. Most podcasters earn income through paid advertising included in their episodes.
YouTube Posting
If you prefer the video format, create a YouTube channel and earn commissions from ads placed during your videos.
Ecommerce Reselling
For those looking to start a product based business, reselling is a good side hustle option. You don’t need to worry about actually producing any products – just listing, marketing and shipping them.
Virtual Assistant Service
Virtual assistants usually provide support services to other businesses, like inbox and social media management. They usually work from home and enjoy fairly flexible schedules.
Bookkeeping
If you’re financially savvy, offer to work as a freelance bookkeeper for businesses in your area. You can work on your own time and keep your hours fairly light.
Preparing Taxes
You could also offer to complete tax returns for individuals or businesses in exchange for a fee. This may require a lot of work around tax season, but leave you plenty of free time throughout the rest of the year.
Business Consulting
If you’re an experienced entrepreneur, add consulting to your list of services as a side hustle. You can take on a limited number of clients per month to keep your workload manageable.
Copywriting
For writers, offer your skills to businesses as a freelance copywriter. You can work on small web copy projects or work with just a small number of clients on your own schedule.
Social Media Managing
Social media posts are often short and can be scheduled ahead of time. So offer your services on an ongoing basis so you can work around your regular schedule.
Photographing Events
Wedding and event photographers do most of their on-site work on the weekends, making it perfect for those who have a full time job or business. You can do most of your editing or admin work from home on your own time.
Catering
Similarly, you can provide catering services for special events that work around your busy schedule.
Operating a Food Truck
Food trucks are very popular at festivals and special events. So this is another perfect opportunity for weekend or part time entrepreneurs.
Event Planning
Working as an event planner allows you to set your own schedule and work mainly from home. You can complete most of your organization and admin work on your own time, and only take on events that don’t interfere with other commitments.
Personal Training
Personal trainers work with clients one-on-one to help with health and fitness. You can set your own schedule and limit your clients to a manageable number.
Teaching Online Courses
If you prefer working mainly online, create an evergreen course that students can pay for and then take on their own time.
Tutoring
For those who prefer working one-on-one with students, create a side hustle as a tutor and work with clients after work hours or on weekends.
Editing
By working as an editor for various clients, you can mainly work from home and on your own schedule.
Creating Resumes and Cover Letters
Similarly, you can work with job seekers who are looking to update their resumes and cover letters. Simply confer with them by phone or online and then create those items from your own office.
Translating
If you are fluent in more than one language, offer your services as a translator for those looking to translate books, scripts, videos or other materials.
Running Errands
Errand services like Taskrabbit give you the opportunity to run errands for various people in your area on your own schedule.
Vehicle Advertising
For especially busy people, you may be able to earn some extra cash by simply placing vehicle wraps or other advertisements on your car and then driving it around town.
Interior Decorating
If you’re a design savvy entrepreneur, work with clients in your area as an independent interior decorator.
Staging Houses
For a more specialized opportunity, work with local home sellers and realtors to stage houses so they’re more appealing to potential buyers.
Ebook Publishing
If you have an idea for your own book, self publish it on platform’s like Amazon’s Kindle and offer it for sale automatically.
Freelance Writing
Freelance writers can specialize in a variety of areas and work largely from home and on flexible schedules.
Designing Websites
If you have the skills to design websites, you can work with clients to offer this service in exchange for an hourly rate or flat fee.
Developing Applications
For those who can work with mobile technology, you may be able to earn even more by working with clients looking to create their own apps.
Landscaping
As a landscaper, you can build your own base of local clients who you serve on a weekly or monthly basis. This may also give you plenty of extra free time in the colder months.
Pool Cleaning
Pool cleaning is also more popular in spring and summer, so it’s perfect for those who want some extra money, but don’t want to work tons of hours throughout the entire year.
House Cleaning
As a house cleaner, you can gather a few local clients and provide ongoing services on a set schedule. But you’re ultimately in charge of the hours you set and the amount of clients you decide to take on.
Babysitting
Child care is a very popular side hustle. You may be able to mainly help parents who want to go out after work hours or on the weekends. And you may even be able to get some extra work done during nap time.
Dog Walking
If you love animals, being a dog walker allows you to keep fairly limited hours and spend plenty of time outside.
Pet Grooming
Grooming is another perfect opportunity for animal lovers. You don’t have to open up your own storefront. You can simply offer mobile grooming services on your own hours.
House Sitting
Help out traveling homeowners by house sitting while they’re out of town. This doesn’t require a lot of active work. So you can still dedicate plenty of time and energy to other jobs or projects.
Altering Clothes
If you’re skilled with a sewing machine, offer to tailor or alter clothing for local customers. Set your own hours and policies so you can keep the workload manageable.
Laundry Service
Or you can start a laundry service where you clean, iron and prepare clothing and other items for busy individuals in your area.
Washing Cars
Car washing doesn’t take especially long, making it a perfect side hustle. You can even add mobile detailing service for some extra cash.
Repairing Bicycles
If you have the skills, set your own hours and work as a bicycle repair professional during the warmer months.
Handyman Service
For handy entrepreneurs, offer various repair and installation services to customers in your area. If you’re not dedicated to providing emergency services, you can largely control your own schedule.
Designing T-shirts
Use platforms like Redbubble or Cafepress to have your designs printed onto t-shirts and other products. You don’t need to manage many of the aspects of running your own shop. Just upload your designs and start earning cash.
Selling Handmade Products
If you like to be more involved in the making and selling process, start an Etsy shop or sell your handmade items at local fairs or events. You can still work on your own schedule, but may not be able to offer items on a large scale.
Upcycling Furniture
If you want to sell fairly large and expensive products, scour local thrift or antique shops and upgrade furniture pieces to sell them at a higher cost.
Flipping Houses
If you have access to a fair amount of money, you can even purchase homes in your area, make some small upgrades and then sell them at a higher cost. This requires a fair amount of work, but you can rely on contractors for much of it if it’s within your budget.
Placing Vending Machines
Vending machines allow you to sell products without being present. You’ll need some startup capital, but it can be a fairly low maintenance business.
Investing
Finally, you may even consider using your startup funds to invest in funds or other businesses and watch it grow without much work on your end.
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