Side hustles are the perfect way to make money during your free time. Whether you work from home or go into the office, what you do with your time away from your job is your opportunity to increase your income, create an additional income stream for your family, pay for your next vacation or pay off some debt.
If you know how to solve a problem, have a signature way to do something, can write or teach a trait, hobby, or skill or you have a product you can produce and sell to others- then you’ll likely enjoy, as well as, benefit from starting a side hustle to make money outside of your 9-5 job.
And as with most things, we’ll need to start at the very beginning. Let’s start by understanding what a side hustle is since we’ll need this information moving forward. Then we’ll dig into how to actually start a side hustle with this list of 31 Side Hustles To Make Money now!
What is a Side Hustle?
Side hustles are basically like having a job on the side to make money. They’re a way to make money and work for yourself outside of your typical 9-5 career.
For many people, a side hustle is a step into entrepreneurship and a step toward financial independence. Starting a side hustle to make money provides you with the freedom to make and create things you’re passionate about and earn, sometimes substantial income doing so.
Since you’re the creator, building a side hustle will grant you the control of all aspects of product and business development, giving you room to pivot, grow, and change things up, as you see fit.
Side hustles can offer a few hundred dollars of additional revenue each month, each week or even each day. They provide a safety net in case you found yourself in a situation like I did, where you lost your job and still needed income to live off of.
Having one or maybe several side hustles will leave you with a great feeling of pride and accomplishment outside of just having a thriving career working for an employer. This is something you create for yourself, for your family.
Side hustles are a great way to diversify your income and build financial security.
Side Hustles Are My Sweet Spot
Over the years, I’ve realized my sweet spot is actually a combination of having a J.O.B. where the paycheck is routine, consistent, and reliable while growing my own projects and ideas on the side.
This is the entrepreneur’s ticket into business ownership and a tool I have come to love.
If I’m being honest, I always have a side hustle going. Most times, I have several. This is why when looking in on what Sharee does from the outside, looks like I’m ‘Doing The Most’. Lol.
I like it that way and it feels like a comfortable combination of income streams that leaves me able to sleep well at night, that if one went down, I’d still have several others to sustain myself while replacing the one lost.
But if you think starting your own business is easy, I’m here to tell you it’s not.
It’s a ton of work and when you think of all the time and energy you’ll put into it, you might feel more stress and anxiety than actual excitement. For me, combining a job with developing my own small business is the answer to this concern.
My most recent side hustle is planning and hosting Virtual Summits for entrepreneurs and business owners.
Starting A Side Hustle To Make Money
If you’re still reading this, then obviously you’re interested in on the side jobs to make money for one reason or another. And before we jump into my list of side hustle ideas, I want to take a moment to talk specifically and answer some questions about starting a side hustle.
Q. Do I need cash to start a side hustle?
Not always. Depending on what you choose to do, you may not need to invest any money upfront. There are free options for many platforms where you can get started with a digital side hustle- so start there. Driving for Uber also doesn’t cost anything to get started and is a great side hustle for many people.
Other side hustle ideas that would require an upfront investment would be real estate investing, buying and selling on eBay, renovating RVs to sell, as well as any hand-made crafts.
Q. Is freelancing considered a side hustle?
Great question! In my personal opinion, I say of course! It fits nicely into our side hustle description of something you do on the side to create additional income. So yes, freelancing is a side hustle.
Q. Does my side hustle have to be something I create digitally?
No. But while many people aim to set up a digital side hustle they can develop while working from home in their off time, many others prefer to do things like actually picking up a part-time job at a local retailer, becoming a personal shopper and delivering groceries, as well as selling your hand-made crafts. These are all great ideas for side hustles that don’t require spending long hours in front of the computer.
Q. Will I need additional training and education?
Again this is going to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes you won’t need any additional training. In fact, if you have something you are teaching other people to do, you’ll be providing the training and education based on your knowledge and experience.
For other side hustles, you might need some courses to teach you how to do it right or do it well. Things like drop-shipping and investing in real estate are great examples of this and you can find some amazing courses on each available online.
31 Side Hustles To Make Money Now
Okay, now the time seems right to introduce you to some ideas on great side hustles you can start now or maybe in the near future. As previously mentioned, some will require more effort than others to get going, some will bring in little bits of income, while others may pay well starting fresh.
So my best advice is to do your research, think things through, and decide which one (or ones) are going to be the best option for your individual situation. Good luck!
- Start a Blog
Do you have lots to write about or ideas to discuss? Let your words do the money-making with a successful blog. Starting a blog is a great way to make money, but does takes time to monetize.
- Try Freelancing
If you have a skill in design, writing, marketing, or scheduling then freelancing is a great way to make money on your own terms. You work for yourself and take on contracts as you see fit.
- Pet sitting or dog walking
A great job for those who love furry friends! Pet sitting and dog walking are both great ways to earn some extra cash and have fun doing it.
- Teach English online
The English language is being taught all over the world and you can be a part of it. So, hook up the headset, microphone, and internet and get ready to teach English all over the globe.
- Social Media Manager
Admit it, you’re on social media enough you might as well get paid for it! Help someone build and maintain their socials with the Social Media Manager side hustle.
- Try house sitting
It’s kind of like getting paid to stay at an Airbnb… Housesitting is the art of nurturing someone’s house while they’re away. A vacation for them and a mini side hustle vacation for you.
- Become an Affiliate Marketer
If you’re great at selling things but don’t necessarily have a product to sell, this side hustle is great for you. Your job is to basically sell someone else’s product and earn money while doing it.
- Start a Print on Demand Store
Print one side hustle at a time. When you get into Printing on Demand you are giving the customer exactly what they need when they need it. This is a great printing business for a smaller operation.
- Create an online course
You’re smart. You know a thing or two and can teach a thing or two which is why you should create an online course as a side hustle. Teach people a new skill or share what you know about any given topic.
- Write & Self Publish a Book on Amazon
Have even more to say than what fits into an online course? Well then write a whole book and sell it on Amazon!
- Become a Virtual Assistant
Scheduling, emailing, and organizing are all a part of being an office assistant. Getting to do that from the comfort of your own home makes you a virtual one!
- Rent Your Car/RV
If you have an extra vehicle or an RV you only use seasonally, then consider renting it out to people as a side hustle. There are multiple platforms where you can list your vehicle for rent and start generating income.
- Design Websites
If you love putting together websites, then here’s your chance to help others create theirs. You’ll help businesses draw customers in with website design while making money on the side.
- Sell handmade goods on Etsy
Have a passion for crafting? Sell some of your wares online with websites like Etsy.
- Flip Houses
Do you have the skills to renovate, redecorate, or reconstruct then why not spend your spare time turning old houses into dream homes?
- Start a Dropshipping Business
A dropshipping business skips the hassle of having to keep a massive inventory of items and allows you to buy and sell products to pass on to consumers.
- Sell Your Photography
Become an essential part of someone’s big event when you become an independent photographer. Or if taking beautiful photos is something you’re good at then sell your work as the perfect side hustle.
- Become a Nanny
If you love being around kids and need a little extra cash, becoming a Nanny is an exciting way to enjoy both! This is great for empty nesters or teachers.
- Buy & Flip Items on Ebay
Are you the type of person who sees an old item and can immediately envision it as something else? You may just have the skills to buy and repurpose items for profit on websites like Ebay.
- Sell Canva Templates & Printables
Selling on Canva is a great way to make money for those with skills in journaling, planner making, and overall graphic design.
- Become a proofreader
If you enjoy reading, then get paid to proof different works before they’re published. Much like an editor, you will make sure everything makes sense and is grammatically accurate.
- Rent Out An Extra Room with AirBnb
Have some extra space in the house or even an extra property? Rent it out, safely, with Airbnb. This side hustle allows you to make money nightly or whenever you choose to have guests.
- Start a cleaning business.
You clean your own house, might as well get paid to clean someone else’s too! Clean on the side with a side hustle that works when you work.
- Offer logo design
Got a niche for graphic design? Then help someone create the perfect logo for their business and let your work shine.
- Start Driving for Lyft or Uber
Driving for Lyft or Uber is an excellent way to see the city, make some extra money, and even get to know a few people. Helping people get to and from in your own vehicle on your own time!
- Become a mystery shopper
Get paid to shop! Take surveys and assess different companies from start to finish, from customer care to quality assurance.
- Buy and sell domain names (URLs)
A domain name is what sets a company apart. Make money buying and selling the rights to different URLs. Turn your .coms into real money by selling domains on Godaddy or other reseller marketplaces.
- Renovate RVs
RVs are in right now, so if you want a flip project but on a smaller scale, you must look into RV renovation. Get paid to buy RVs and turn them into glamping mansions!
- Teach music lessons.
The student becomes the teacher when you host music lessons from home or online. Piano, drums, saxophone! Any instrument can become the perfect side hustle.
- Deliver Food with Doordash
If delivering people isn’t your thing, then deliver food instead with Doordash or Uber Eats.
- Become a Personal Shopper for InstaCart
If you love to shop then get paid to do it! Run to the store so your clients don’t have to with InstaCart.
