You might even sell your photography as a service. Photographing weddings alone can be a full-time gig, and that’s not even mentioning concerts, graduations, baby announcements, annual family photos—the list goes on.
There are countless companies and market researchers that want to know what people think of their products and services. Websites like Branded Surveys, Swagbucks, and Survey Junkie have a ton of surveys you can get paid to take. Filling out surveys probably won’t pay your bills, but it can pad your pocket with extra money for the weekend.
Nothing will halt business faster than a website riddled with issues or an app that doesn’t work. So developers get testers to go in and push all the links and play with all the buttons to make sure things work before they go live. Guess what? You can get paid for that.
Matchmaking sites like UserTesting, UTest, Userlytics, UserCrowd, and Enroll can connect you with a ton of website- and app-testing gigs. Some competitive gigs even offer $100 for a 60-minute test, so there is money to be made here.
A transcriptionist receives audio files from their clients and types out what they hear. These files may be videos, audio notes, phone calls, or even legal proceedings, so a good ear and quick fingers are crucial. Check out freelancer sites like Rev, TranscribeMe, and GoTranscript for paid transcription opportunities.
If you’ve ever wanted to make money from your hobbies, there are plenty of crafts to make and sell online. Although creating handmade products requires plenty of time spent learning a craft, it’s one of the best ways to stand out in a sea of commodity products.
Think of something you enjoy doing, even when no one’s paying you. Whether it’s carpentry, knitting, painting, or crafting—these hobbies can serve as the foundation for many unique side hustles.
Kerin Rose Gold started designing her own sunglasses before being spotted by top celebs. Now she employs other artists as she grows her brand, A-Morir. 👉 Read Kerin’s story
The hardest part of starting a lawn care business is finding clients, but did you know there are a ton of short-term lawn care jobs available through services like TaskEasy and TaskRabbit? These kinds of short-term jobs are easy to squeeze in during your spare time, making them good side hustle ideas for anyone who enjoys lawn care.
If you like the automated aspects of print on demand but are more interested in marketing and operations over creating custom designs, consider starting a dropshipping business.
Dropshipping is another online business model where a third party manufactures and ships existing products for you. All you have to do is set up your store, price your products, and market the business.
Dropshipping is also a low-risk opportunity because, again, products are only shipped when they’re purchased, which leaves plenty of room for profit, so long as your marketing expenses are reasonable. You can also dropship on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to reach more customers.
💡 Tip: With Shopify, it’s easy to start a dropshipping business and start selling without the hassle of managing inventory, packaging, or shipping. Orders are sent directly from your wholesaler to your customers, so you can work on what matters—your products, marketing, and customers.
Sure, starting a clothing line might seem like more of a full-time job than a side hustle, but curating your own clothing line is easier than it sounds, especially using a dropshipping business model.
There are a ton of dropshipping clothing suppliers to choose products from, meaning the majority of your workload would be spent building an audience and curating pieces that appeal to them.
💡 Tip: If you’re creative, you can level up your side hustle to design and produce your own clothing line from scratch. Sew one-of-a-kind pieces or outsource your vision to a factory.
Washing cars, both inside and out, is a task that most people know how to do, but few are eager to do themselves. That’s what makes it such a lucrative side hustle. Costs can be kept low: just a few cleaning supplies that you may already have. Apps like TaskRabbit, Steady, and Jobble have a ton of quick car-washing jobs available in cities all over the world.
Starting a popular account on TikTok or Instagram takes finding the right content for the right audience at the right time. If you have something unique to offer, create compelling sharable content and engage with your fans. Once you’ve built a loyal following, you can monetize your fame through sponsorships (brands pay you to promote their products).
💡 Tip: Shopify Collabs makes it easy to find brands that match your vibe, build affiliate relationships, get paid for what you sell, and track everything in one place.
Earn Money In Spare TimeA study done by Eventbrite shows that 78% of Americans prioritize experiences over products. With platforms like Showaround popping up, and Airbnb launching its Experiences feature, it’s clear that the demand for a good neighborhood tour guide is on the rise.
Another way to make a few extra bucks is by selling your used goods. You can sell items you’re no longer using on a local buy and sell group or Facebook Marketplace. Level up by finding great thrift items and reselling them on a vintage marketplace. This is a fun side hustle idea if you have a great eye for décor or fashion.
Side hustles are a great way to earn extra income but, like all new ventures, they require a bit of legwork upfront in order to get traction. If you don’t choose an idea that fits your current lifestyle, it’s easy for this extra work to sink to the bottom of your to-do list and, eventually, fall by the wayside.
On the other hand, a side hustle can also start eating into your social and family time or conflicting with your main job. This could end up being a good problem if you decide to take your side hustle to the next level and work full time at building your own business.
Research the options. The side hustles in this guide are a great jumping off point. Dig into a few that pique your interest and see if you can make money doing them in your spare time.
Map out your plan. Check if you require any licenses, equipment, or special training. Sign up for the relevant gig economy apps. Plot your side hustle onto your existing calendar to see how many hours per week you can dedicate to it.
Have a goal. A goal will help keep you on track. A goal like “earn extra money” isn’t specific enough. Try “earn enough money to pay down my student debt” or “make extra cash to save for a car.”
Have a goal. A goal will help keep you on track. A goal like “earn extra money” isn’t specific enough. Try “earn enough money to pay down my student debt” or “make extra cash to save for a car.”
Advertise your services or products. Depending on your side gig, you’ll need to let the world know you’re open for business. If you’re selling services like personal training, start a TikTok account sharing workout tips and point to your contact info. If you’re offering a spare room for short-term accommodations, set up a listing on a site like Airbnb. If you sell products, invest in ecommerce SEO.
Level up (or not). Many people start side hustles with the full intention of keeping them that way. But if your idea takes off and your services are in high demand, consider leveling up your side hustle and learning how to start a business.
Although side hustles don’t always become full-time jobs, it’s common for side hustlers to gravitate toward this option once their venture becomes profitable enough. If you want a side hustle that could eventually become your career, here are some things to consider.
You’re going to be dedicating a meaningful amount of time to this side hustle, so it helps if that time fits into your own schedule. A side hustle idea should be something you can do outside of your 9-to-5 day job but that won’t interfere with or keep you from that job.
Things will come up at your full-time job. Some days you may have to pick up an extra shift or work overtime to finish up a project, or you may have obligations like meetings and team-building events.
If you want to make sure you put time into your side hustle, it helps to pick something that’s easy to reschedule. Side gigs like dog walking, real estate, or babysitting might seem appealing, but they could be more difficult to arrange around your regular day job.
Working 40 hours a week is enough to zap most people’s creative energy by the time the day winds down. And after time well spent with family and friends and on personal responsibilities, it’s easy to see just how hard it can be to carve out additional headspace to work on a side project.
But it’s these hours tucked away in life’s margins that tend to be the best time to do the focused work needed to get something off the ground. The workday is done, the weekend is still a couple of days away, and since you’ve already watched all the true-crime documentaries on Netflix, your schedule is wide open.
But, try as you might, sometimes you just won’t want to work. That’s why it’s ideal if your side hustle closely pairs with what you’re passionate about, even if it’s not the end-product itself. That might mean you enjoy some aspect of running things behind the scenes or immersing yourself in a new topic or field of interest, or you have a desire to do something to help people.
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