Side hustles are getting more popular these days as busy parents yearn for more flexibility and a better work-life balance. Many of us have accumulated quite a bit of debt and are working on paying it down (student loans anyone?) and balancing our budgets. Being able to earn some extra money from home is wonderful and can help in so many situations. Read on for some great ideas for side-hustle businesses you can start and maybe even work from the comfort of your home in your pajamas!
Some links in this list are sponsored or affiliate, meaning I may be compensated for their inclusion or if I refer you.
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Side-Hustles Online
Like this one! Blogging is a wonderful way to express yourself, make connections with others, and make a difference. It allows you to be super creative with honing your writing skills, learning photography, and sharing your adventures!
Affiliate marketing can be an incredible side-hustle. It can be partnered with blogging, or just in social media or email (per the terms of the affiliate company, of course). You promote products you already use and love and get a commission if someone snags it up with your link.
Starting a part-time Digital marketing and SEO consulting business from home can be amazing because consulting hourly rates are quite lucrative, so the hours of work required to reach a goal can be much lower than a full-time job.
Social Media Consultant
Being a digital consultant is one of the more popular work-at-home business ideas. You can sell all kinds of services based on your expertise. There are many different ways to be a social media consultant, and you can even be very specific in your niche! I recently interviewed a social media consultant who specifies in helping military and spouses!
Surveys
Online surveys can be easy and quick. You get to sample products, share your thoughts, and get paid! Here is a list of survey companies you can join to earn yourself some extra spending money:
- Opinion Outpost
- Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel
- Pinecone Research
- ESearch
- Reward Survey
- Survey Junkie
User testing
It has become a popular tip for blog owners to get a free test of their website to get an idea of how a new user understands and navigates your site through User Testing.
Side-Hustles from your Car
Do you like to drive around? Are you just fine with passengers in your car? If so, you might like to drive for Uber. Pick someone up from the airport and take them to their home. Be someone’s designated driver home from the bar to avoid drunk driving issues on the road.
Uber EATS works with the best restaurants in your city to deliver local food. There are 3 types of couriers on Uber EATS: 1) Biker 2) Driver 3) Scooter. Wouldn’t it be a great side hustle gig to deliver meals to the elderly, or to new moms who seriously have no time to cook or drive around?
Be a Grocery Shopper
Did you know you can get paid to shop for other people? Some of us hate to grocery shop with our toddlers. I use a service called Shipt to shop and deliver my groceries from my local store. And there’s also Instacart for grocery delivery. You can be a shopper and grocery delivery driver for either of these businesses!
Read more about becoming a grocery shopper with Instacart.
Delivery Driver for Take-Out Food from Restaurants
You can also drive for restaurant take out services, like Door Dash. DoorDash is a food delivery service that has partnered with local restaurants in over 300 cities across the US. Busy or lazy people like myself order food via the app, and as a driver for Door Dash, you would go to the restaurant and order and pick up the food, and deliver it.
Side-Hustles selling a Service
You can become a photographer if you already have amazing photo-taking skills! People are always looking to memorialize important events – weddings, new baby, etc. If you have the talent and are good at capturing emotion in a click, this might be the gig for you.
Coaching
Being a business coach to other aspiring business owners has gained a ton of popularity lately. If you’re amazing at motivating and teaching someone how to simplify their business model, you can really take off on this avenue. You can read about becoming an Executive Coach here.
Sell services on Fiverr
You can create gigs for just about anything on Fiverr – social media, graphic design, ebook design, editing, etc. the list goes on. Decide what you’re good at and can do quickly and set up a gig.
Run a Bed and Breakfast
Ever thought of owning a hotel and running a bed and breakfast service? It is a pretty interesting idea, and I have an interview with a B&B owner.
You can also turn your property into an Airbnb! Put your extra space to work for you! Earn money hosting with the safety and support of Airbnb.
Be a Pet Sitter
I have a lovely interview with a pet sitter about the business of playing with cats and dogs. Yes, get paid to pet animals. One such company is Rover.
Sleep Consultant
Tired parents seek help with their baby sleep issues, so sleep consulting is a great service to provide.
Sell an Online Course
Teaching people is a great side hustle if you have some knowledge you want to share. For example, here is an amazing Breastfeeding course to help new moms!
Side-Hustles selling a Product
Direct Sales Consultant
Being a direct sales consultant is a very popular way to sell a product without having to create your own.
Wine lovers can share the love of wine by working as a Wine Guide. In fact, here is another wine direct sales option.
I recently interviewed a Norwex consultant who shared how to get started in direct sales and also chatted with an It Works distributor.
You can even start a fitness motivation business via a direct sales company.
Etsy shop
If you make handmade products or even digital printables, you can start a shop on Etsy and sell your goods. I knew someone who sold festive hair tie bows for young girls. A former neighbor has a handmade woodworking business.
Start your own clothing line
You can even start your own website to sell your designs. I have an interview with an industrial designer who started her own clothing line. I also interviewed an Amazon seller with her own shop.
Be a home decor crafter
A handmade business to make home decor is a great option if you have the skills. You can make signs, for example. My neighbors have a custom woodworking business. Here’s another woodworking gift business interview I did.
Write a book
Writing, whether being an author or a freelance writer, is a great option. Here is my interview with a children’s author and another with an author helping working parents.
Sell baked goods
Selling baked goods would be more of a local business, but you can be really creative. Check out this interview I did with a lovely military spouse who bakes macarons!
Make an app
Everyone has a mobile device these days, right? Making an app that someone can find helpful is another great side hustle if you have the programming skills (or partner with someone who does). This is an example of a babysitting exchange app that helps other parents.
Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a way to sell products without keeping inventory or shipping items. The drop shipper is a sort of middle-man between the customer and the vendor providing the item.
Side-Hustles Investing and Trading
Invest in Stocks
Stocks allow you to share in the profits of a company as it grows and thrives. You can start investing even with a fraction of a share using Stockpile. Trading is done online or from your app, making purchasing shares super easy. My review post has more details.
Online Trading
Start off online trading on the right foot by choosing brokers which have demonstrated reliability over the years. A good trading platform to start with would be something like CMC Markets that offers a host of trading tools and a wealth of helpful tutorials for those who are new to the industry.
Over to you – what side hustle ideas do you have? Have you started a side business of your own? I’d love to interview you!
Nikki says
I actually thought about doing Uber, but my husband said “no way”! Haha
Julie says
Ha. I’m not so cool with the whole stranger thing either.