I’m all about doing things that actually generate a sustainable side income. There are plenty of things you can do to get cash one time – like a garage sale or donating plasma – or get pennies for your efforts – online surveys.

But these aren’t really what I’d consider a side hustle.

What is a Side Hustle?

Basically anything you do to make money outside an actual job could be considered a side hustle. It may be a creative or non-traditional way to make money, something outside the norm that most people wouldn’t think of.

You can turn a hobby into a side hustle, but that doesn’t mean every hobby is a side hustle.

A hobby is something you do for fun and fulfillment. Maybe you’re able to make a little money from it here and there.

With a side hustle, you have actual intentions to make money from the activity.

Side hustles aren’t a quick way to make money. Instead, it’s a way to get paid for the amount of effort you put in.

Why Would Anyone Side Hustle?

Picking up a side hustle has several advantages.

Obviously you get a chance to make some extra money, but it could be a way to exercise your creativity in a way your job normally doesn’t allow.

It can help you meet your short-term financial goals, like paying off debt, building up an emergency fund, or saving a down payment for your house.

Or, in some cases, a side hustle could carve a path to independence from your day job. If you bring in enough money from your side hustle, you could leave the workforce all together and work inside your passion.

The Cost of Starting a Side Hustle

There are side hustles you can start for absolutely no money at all. As long as you have a few resources already – computer and wifi – you can start making money.

Others, may require you to put in a little money upfront. Those that do require some startup capital, may require you to put in anywhere from $5 to $500.

You can look for ways to start a side hustle on a small budget and then invest money back into your hustle for better equipment and resources as you start making a profit.

Does it Take a Lot of Time?

The beauty of side hustling is that you can do it on your own schedule.

You can put in anywhere from 5 to 50 hours a week. It all depends on how much time you have available and how much time you want to invest.

Putting in more time doesn’t always mean you’ll make more money.

No matter how much time you can dedicate, make sure you’re efficient so you can get the most value from your effort.

You won’t get rich overnight and it could take a few weeks or even months to bring in consistent income.

What Are Some Good Side Hustles?

If you’re trying to seriously stack your money, you don’t have the time or energy for things that don’t pay out abundantly or consistently.

So I’ve put together a list of side hustles you can start that will actually generate money – and many even turn into a full-time thing.

Blogging

You won’t automatically make money blogging, unless you’re freelance blogging or someone else. But as you build an audience who finds value in what you’re offering, here are a few ways to make money from your blog:

• Sell your own products
• Get ad revenue
• Get affiliate income
• Partner with brands

Ridesharing

You can get paid to drive for ridesharing service like Uber or Lyft. And if the terms allow, you can boost your income with an ad platform like Vugo or a consumer goods company like Cargo.

Renting your extra space on Airbnb.

If you’re willing to move out for the weekend or several days at a time, you don’t need to have any extra space.

Renting out your car on Turo

If ridesharing isn’t your thing, maybe because you don’t have enough extra time, you can still make money from your vehicle by renting it on Turo.

Managing vacation rentals

Maybe you don’t have the space to rent on Airbnb, but you can manage the spaces fo the people who do. You can help with the check-in/check-out process, be the “on call” person for the guest, make sure everything is in order for their stay.

Pet Sitting

Use a service like Rover to connect with people who are already looking for pet sitters. If you’re willing to do some marketing and put yourself out there, you can start your own pet setting business and keep more of the profits for yourself.

Running a YouTube channel

Like blogging, you won’t immediately make money from YouTubing. As you build an audience you can:

• Make money from ads
• Sell products or merchandise
• Become a brand affiliate

Providing virtual assistant services

As a virtual assistant you can remotely provide services for people who need to outsource this kind of work. A few services you can offer include:

• Do research
• Manage social media accounts
• Emails
• Blogging
• Organization

Working on Upwork, Fiverr, Craigslist, or your own social media

Offer up your skills on a freelance basis using one of these platforms.

Network marketing

Get paid for sales & referrals. There are dozens of network marketing platforms to choose from. With the right platform, you’ll be added to a team of other motivated side hustlers who can help you figure out strategies to increase referrals.

Selling an online course

If you have a skill or knowledge that others find valuable, you can use a service like Teachable, Zoom, ConvertKit, MailChimp to teach others. Pair the course with downloadable workbooks or complimentary courses to make more money.

Using your photography skills

Being handy with a camera can work for you in more ways than one. Obviously, you can market yourself as a photographer, but there are some other ways to make use of your skills.

Rather than offering up generic photographs, market to a niche – moms, couples, entrepreneurs. That way you can hone in on your skillset and build a solid reputation with a group of people who will seek you for your specific expertise.

You can also:

• Teach a workshop
• Sell prints of your work
• Host an open photoshoot
• Sell stock photography
• Host a city photo tour, for example, through Airbnb experiences
• Offer editing services

Using your design skills

If you’re good with the Adobe suite, you can pick up some design jobs offering photo editing, custom lightroom presets, or user interface/user experience design.

Create and sell printables.

With some decent design skills and a free app like Canva or a subscription app like Illustrator or InDesign, you can create and and sell printables. Offer them on an Etsy store or through your own blog.

Sell crafts.

Speaking of Etsy, if you’re crafty and have a knack for creating things, you can open up an Etsy shop and sell your creations. On top of selling on Etsy, you can sell through your own online store, using something like Shopify. Use social media to build an audience and share the link to your store on your profile or in your bio.

Providing mobile auto repair or car cleaning services

Many people don’t have enough time during the day to take their car to the repair shop or car wash. If you have these skills, you can start a side hustle by going to where they are.

Travel planning

• Consult with the guests about their preferences, including things they like to do then:
• Help choose the destination
• Select the best flights and accommodations
• Create a trip itinerary
• Find local restaurants
• Locate events/excursions

Tutoring or test prep

It’s been a long time since parents were in school so they’re not always equipped to help their kids who are struggling in school. And with school curriculums always changing, parents aren’t always aware of the latest teaching strategies.

This is a great side hustle for teachers or high school/college students.

Sell things on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace

Find free or cheap items online, thrift stores, garage sales, etc. and sell them for more somewhere else. Then repeat the process.

Freelance

There are several different types of skills you can provide on a freelance basis. Create a few marketing materials – a website, brochure, or business cards – and you’re ready to start pitching your skills to people or businesses who need you.

• Web Design
• Programming
• Writing
• Blogging
• Graphic Design
• App Development
• Logo Design
• Translation
• Transcription
• Data Entry
• Web Search
• Marketing
• Business Plans
• Computer Help
• Email Marketing
• Social Media Marketing

Sell Digital Products

One of the best things about digital products is that you can sell them over and over after doing the work just one time.

• Ebooks
• Audiobooks
• Online Courses
• Webinars
• Guides
• Manuals
• Checklists
• Songs
• Karaoke Covers
• Beats
• Ringtones
• Sound Effects

Offer resume writing services

Today’s job market is pretty competitive. If you have a background in HR, you can offer resume writing and cover letter services to job hunters.

Offer Cooking Services

Handy in the kitchen? Turn your cooking skills into a side hustle to bring in some extra money.

You can differentiate yourself from other online chefs by narrowing down to a niche like meal prep, gluten-free based goods, over the top cakes, daily dinner delivery.

Set your pricing, making sure you include ingredients, equipment, electricity cots, etc. and profit. Then start marketing your business. Tap into family, friends, social media, and word of mouth.

Use your cooking skills

Aside from cooking for others, there are a few other ways you can use your cooking skills to make money.

• Offer a live cooking class
• Create a cookbook
• Start a food blog or YouTube channel
• Join a cooking-related MLM

Babysit

Babysitting was a side hustle way before “side hustles” became a thing. If you’re good with kids and you have some extra time, babysitting might be a good way to bring in some extra income.

Sign up on Care.com or market your services separately, asking current clients for referrals.

Offer in-home cleaning services

You can charge per room or per square foot. Promote your services on social media and ask your friends and family for referrals.

Launch an online store

Use Shopify to sell anything from shoes to clothes to video games to jewelry
Use dropshipping to ship direct to customers and avoid holding inventory

Rent your instagram page

If you have a large following, you can charge $5 and up for people and businesses to promote on your page. For example, build a meme or quote page with the goal of selling ad space. Be aware that it takes time to build a strong and engaged instagram following.

Become a social media manager

There are lots of companies who want to take advantage of the power of social media, but don’t have the extra time or human resources to dedicate. If you’re particularly good with any of the major social media platforms, you can offer your services to these types of businesses.

Contact businesses and offer your services for a weekly or monthly fee. You can break your pricing down to creating posts, writing captions, hashtag research, and audience building.

Build your business by promoting your services on your own social media. Save your results as social proof for marketing to new customers.

Become a personal trainer

Get certified as a personal trainer and help people reach their health and fitness goals.
Earn more by creating custom meal and fitness plans.

Facebook ads manager

If you’re good with Facebook ads, you can make a decent chunk of change offering services to entrepreneurs and businesses.

Offer email marketing services

Businesses don’t always have the time or staff or expertise to dedicate to email marketing, yet they need to stay in touch with their customers.

Become an expert in email marketing platforms like MailChimp, ConvertKit, Aweber, etc. and charge for email marketing services. Set yourself apart from competitors by getting good at writing engaging subject lines and analyzing read/open statistics to better target customers.

Domain reselling

Buy domains from GoDaddy, 1and1, NameCheap, etc. (keyword research will help you figure out which domains are most likely to sell)
Put a For Sale sign on the main page
Resell
Repeat

Offer Music Lessons

Offer music lessons in your local area or online via Skype or Zoom
Create video tutorials that you sell through a website, either one-time download or via subscription

Interior Decorating

Define your ideal client
Do the first 2-3 projects for free for your portfolio
Take excellent before and after photos
Promote

Side Hustle Success

While task-based services like ridesharing or selling on Fiverr are fairly easy to get started, your earning potential is limited based on the amount of time and the amount of competition.

More lucrative side hustles may require you to invest more time upfront in building your skillset and marketing your services. It’s often worth the work – these are the things that help you build a bigger side income that’s more sustainable long-term.