According to Forbes, more than 57 million US workers participate in the gig economy. If you think that’s a lot, consider that nearly half of millennials have turned to the gig economy to earn more cash. As this economy grows, one way people are capitalizing on it is by starting a side-hustle or project.
But with nearly limitless options, it can be hard to choose the right one to match your goals. So, I’ve compiled a list of 25 side-hustles you can start today to give you extra income.
Before I dive into the list, here are some tips for setting you up for long-term success:
Do something you like. It’d be great if we all had primary jobs we loved. That isn’t reality, so it’s essential to choose a side-hustle you like. One way to ensure you’re happy is by turning your hobby into your project. Whatever you choose, balance your desire for extra money with how much you’ll enjoy what you’re doing.
Choose projects with strong earnings and growth potential. The goal is to make money and start doing it fast. And if you choose a project with tons of potential, then your side-hustle can turn into a full-time job. Decide upfront if what you’re doing has potential. If it doesn’t, choose something else unless you’re happy making less money.
Be pragmatic. While everything on the list below has potential, you will still need to invest time learning an industry or the nuances of what you’re doing. Make sure you set realistic expectations around how much time you can invest and how that will translate into earnings.
Set a clear goal(s). If you’re fine not earning much money, then doing something mostly for fun, is a solid choice. But you probably have a baseline of what you’re hoping to make. Take a hard look to ensure what you want to do matches what you want to make. To estimate your initial success, reach out to your network. Ask ten friends or professional acquaintances about your idea and their honest assessment.
Stay flexible. Unless your primary job is truly predictable, you’ll be better off finding a side-hustle with flexible hours. For example, doing writing on the side from home when it’s convenient, won’t interfere with you main job. A great strategy to ensure flexibility is to choose online and app-based projects.
Decide between a services or a products. Do you want to make something or provide a service?
This post is about which side-hustle to choose. Check out How to Build a Six-Figure Income with Your Side-Hustle to learn more about how to start and manage your project. You can also visit Side-Hustle Nation to get even more ideas.
Finally, while I’ve done my best to give you income projections for each gig, your earning potential is a blend of time, effort, expertise, and the product or service you choose.
So while I’ve loosely organized the list by service or product and then by popularity (and even that varies significantly), be mindful of all the ingredients for success.
Services
1. Ridesharing. With the rise of Uber and Lyft, ridesharing may be the most popular side-hustle out there. While both services claim near-limitless earning potential, the real skinny is that drivers on average make $8.55 – $11.77 an hour—after they’ve paid all expenses. That’s not bad, and you can certainly make more around surge times.
Before you pick up your first passenger, however, make sure you give your vehicle a detailed cleaning. It’s also a good idea to ensure your car is registered and have it inspected. Finally, make sure you track your mileage as this will come in handy at tax time. Check out this article for more info.
2. Dog walking/sitting. With sites like Rover.com, being a dog walker is easier than ever. At $14.48, the average hourly rate is higher than it is for ridesharing. If you don’t mind or even like dogs, check out this site for how to become a dog walker.
3. Babysitting. One of the oldest side-hustles out there, and it’s still going strong. But, babysitting is more sophisticated than it used to be. Read this article for guidance in today’s competitive babysitting landscape. Once you’re ready, Care.com is a reliable place to find a job. What do babysitters make? They average $15.71 an hour.
4. Deliver food. There are many companies you can partner with to deliver food. This article shows you the pros and cons of 7 of the most popular, like UberEats. According to PayScale, food deliverers average $13.01 an hour.
5. Tutoring. Do you have strong skills in a particular subject? If so, then tutoring is a great option that pays well. Certifications can vary by state so visit this site, which explains what you need to know. With private tutoring, tutoring agencies, and online tutoring, the pay rate varies wildly. According to Care.com, Private tutoring pays the best but also demands the highest qualifications.
6. Online freelancing. Are you a sharp writer? Or maybe you have graphic design skills? These are just two examples of freelance work you can start today. Here’s a site that shows you where to find online freelance work. Salaries are dependent on experience and industry. For example, freelance writers average $23-25, according to PayScale. But, if you have robust experience, you can make upwards of $60-$70 an hour depending on the industry.
7. Be a TaskRabbit. TaskRabbit is a smart service that connects people who need a service with those who can provide it. You can also set your rate to make sure you only get the projects that meet your pay requirements. Because TaskRabbit charges per project, it’s easiest to look at average payout per task over a month to get a reliable average. That number is $110 a month.
8. Help people move. If you’re like me, you hate moving. That’s why I’ll pay handsomely for someone else to do it for me. Read this article to learn how to get started with being a side-hustling mover. According to Indeed.com, the average mover makes $14.51 an hour.
9. Take online surveys. Online surveys can pay off but do your research because there’s a lot of variance in this field. Check out 8 Steps to Help You Succeed at Taking Paid Surveys Online to learn the nuances. You can expect to earn $0.50 to $5.00 per survey.
10. Proofreading. If you have a keen eye for detail, proofreading is a dependable way to make easy money. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to become a proofreader to learn more. Salary.com says proofreaders can earn $22-$28 an hour.
11. Become a notary public. Each state will have its own rules, so make sure you find out which steps you need to follow for your state. This post about how to become a notary public gives you step-by-step advice. Expect to earn around $13 an hour, but you could go as high as $22.
12. List your house. It may sound a bit strange at first for a side-hustle, but many people make a living buying and selling houses. So why not do it part-time? More generally, there are many ways to hustle in the real estate market. Not all of them require you to sell your home. Take a look here for inspiration. It’s hard to gauge your earnings in this field with house prices varying so much.
13. Affiliate marketing. The idea here is that you promote other people’s products, often through an affiliate network. You’ll earn a commission if people end up buying thanks to your marketing. There are numerous ways to be an affiliate marketer, and if you can get it going, this side-hustle has steep earning potential. Revenue figures for this are all over the map. The bottom line is, it takes work, and you’ll get what you give.
14. Virtual assistant service. If you’re highly organized, this could be an ideal project for you. For example, you could help people and businesses with data entry, social media management, website maintenance, research, customer service, and more. Here’s where you can get started and learn more. Indeed.com claims you can make $15.65 an hour.
15. Teaching English online. There’s a tremendous demand for native English speakers. But research before you choose which organization to work with because the pay can vary wildly. Read How to Teach English Online: The Ultimate Guide, to learn more. Glassdoor puts online English teachers at $48,605 annually, which translates into just over $23.00 an hour.
16. Work odd jobs. There are so many jobs that the possibilities are endless. Check out this site, which lists websites that offer odd jobs for cash.
Products to buy or sell
1. Start a blog. Who says the golden age of blogging is over? Personal blogs are back (if they ever actually left), and if you reach a large enough audience, you can parlay that into some serious advertising revenue. But that’ isn’t the only way to make money with a blog. Check out this how-to article to see how you can generate revenue from blogging. Salaries for blogging vary, so check out Glassdoor’s salary entry for bloggers for more guidance.
2. Rent your car. With sites like Turo, renting your car has rapidly become a substantial, passive revenue stream. Make sure you understand the ins and outs, like whether you can get pre-paid gas, for each rental service. This article will help you know what to look out for and how to prepare. What you can charge varies by which service you choose. Check out this article, which breaks down what you can expect to make when renting your car.
3. Selling on eBay. There are over 170 million users on eBay, making it the third most popular online site for selling. Also known as dropshipping, selling on eBay has the potential for serious cash, but it can be tricky. Understand the nuances of how to do it by reading this guide. To maximize your profits, check out these insightful tips.
4. Selling on Amazon. In 2018, Amazon had nearly 21 million visitors to its site a month. This amount makes it the number one place to sell anything. Do your homework to understand the how to sell on Amazon and read this article, which gives you 11 strategies to make the most money on Amazon.
5. Selling on Etsy. I’ve put Etsy on the list because it’s growing in popularity, and it’s easy. Here’s a guide to explain how to sell on the site. Read this article for tips from successful sellers on Etsy to maximize your profits.
6. Publish on Kindle. If you have specialized knowledge or interest in a subject, try writing an eBook or some other piece of content about it. You can, of course, write traditional books. But targeting specific audiences with shorter form content (eBooks, whitepapers) and highly specialized topics, will increase your chances of selling. Here’s a guide on writing and publishing on Kindle. Learn tips for making money selling on Kindle to get the most bang for your buck.
7. Earn money with credit card rewards. There are lots of ways to do this, and it does take some effort. Also, it goes without saying that if you’ve had issues with credit cards in the past, this isn’t a great strategy. With that, this article has some inventive ways to earn money with credit cards.
8. List a property on Airbnb. Many of you know how to make money with Airbnb. But, are you maximizing how much you could make? This post gives you 13 insights into making the most money on Airbnb.
9. Make or sell a product. We’re all good at something. Perhaps you can sew well? Are you a skilled furniture maker? If you can make a product, I promise there’s a market for it. And now, you know where to sell it.
Final Thoughts
I’ve given you my list of the 25 side-hustles that you can start making money with now. Keep in mind that you can turn just about anything into a side-hustle. And when it comes to making money, what you sell (service or product) certainly informs how much you make. But, equally, if not more important, is the effort you put into it.
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