10 Ways to Start a Side Hustle

Have you ever wanted to turn your hobby or passion into a business? Maybe you enjoy making crafts or caring for animals but you’re not sure if you want to quit your full-time job and make it your career. That’s where the “side hustle” comes in.

Side hustles are ways to make money outside of your full-time job. Not only can it give you freedom to explore your passions but it’s extra income! Sounds like a win-win to us. Just decide how much time and effort you want to put towards your new gig and go from there.

Need some ideas? Here are ten ways to kickstart a side hustle.

Female tutor teaching via video conference
Courtesy: Adobe Stock via Proxima Studio

Tutoring

If you love to teach others, an online teaching job such as tutoring may be a good fit for you. The topics are endless: from cooking to math to teaching a new language.

The best part about a tutoring job is you can do it from the comfort of your home! Tutoring websites like Preply allow you to pick from a variety of languages you want to teach and allows you to dictate your hourly wage. Just be mindful of the time difference if you’re teaching someone outside your immediate area.

Become a Local Tour Guide

Do you live in a fun, touristy town? Become a local tour guide! Many travelers love to check out cool restaurants, shopping areas, and any famous locations around town, so put your local knowledge to work. Pricing and availability are completely up to you—you’ll literally get paid to brag about and show off your town. What a cool way to rack up some extra cash.

Man holding a bag of delivery food
Courtesy: Adobe Stock via Sfio Cracho

Delivery Driver

One of the largest growing side hustles is becoming a delivery driver. Whether you want to deliver food, flowers, or something in between, this gig is a great way to earn money. Websites like PostMates, Instacart, UberEats and DoorDash are constantly looking for drivers, so check out which site is best for your area.

Ride Sharing

Like a delivery driver, ride sharing is another way to make deliveries but with people! In today’s world, it’s almost impossible to NOT spot an Uber or Lyft driver in highly populated areas. The great news about ride sharing is you can turn your availability on and off, so you’re in control of when you work and how much money you want to make.

The biggest thing to consider here is whether you’re comfortable having strangers in your personal vehicle, but it’s totally up to you. Plus, you want to keep your car maintained and cleaned as well.

Woman painting a ceramic plate
Courtesy: Adobe Stock via Nata Bene

Open an Etsy Shop

For craft lovers, consider opening an Etsy shop! It’s one of the largest resources for selling handmade goods online, and you can sell digital items as well.

The options are endless here: custom t-shirts, printable invitations, jewelry, and so much more. We love that this option allows you to set your own schedule, choose your pricing, and decide how many products you want to offer.

Become a Freelancer

If you’re particularly skilled in one area, you can make great money as a freelancer. The good news is that freelancing can be anything: writing, editing, designing, and more.

If you love to write, consider being a freelance writer for a website or blog (like yours truly) or become a ghostwriter for an author. If you’re skilled at video editing, look for freelance work with an online retailer or a local news station.

Not sure where to find these types of jobs? Check out sites like Freelancer, Fiverr, and Upwork.

Woman working on a laptop in a coffee shop
Courtesy: Adobe Stock via Iryna

Start a Blog

Calling all content creators! Starting a blog is a great side hustle option that you can do anywhere in the world if you have Wi-Fi. Like freelancing, you set your own schedule and decide how much effort to put in. Plus, if you’re highly skilled at SEO, your website can basically work on its own once the content is published.

The downfall for this option is that you’re not going to make money overnight. You’ll have to build your audience, and eventually make room for ads and write paid affiliate posts to create revenue. Offering up a service, like an online course or printable, allows you to also make money off your blog. It will take a lot of work up front, but the payoff will be worth it.

Virtual Assistant 

Another remote side gig option is a virtual assistant. Instead of working in an office, you can work from home! Virtual assistants help grow and maintain a company’s brand and can do anything from social media coordinating to bookkeeping and more.

Some places require you to work certain hours, but others allow you to set your own schedule. Again, sites like Upwork and LinkedIn are great places to start looking for these types of jobs. Over time, you could decide to find your own private clients and set your hours and rates.

Couple walking a group of dogs
Courtesy: Adobe Stock via Drazen

Dog Walking

For pet lovers, one of the greatest side jobs is to become a dog walker. If you want to build your own clientele, create a few DIY flyers, and slip them into mailboxes or post them on doors around your neighborhood. This allows you to create your own availability and set your price.

If you’re wanting to expand beyond your own neighborhood, search for jobs on Wag or Rover. These sites come with their own app so you can access pet owners all over. Not only can you make some extra money, but the exercise is great for you and the pup. Plus, you can take on bigger jobs beyond walking like pet sitting.

Rent Your Room

The most personal side hustle, and probably the highest paying gig, is to rent out your space. Sites like Airbnb and VRBO allow you to rent out your extra room, garage and even your entire home.

You set the availability, price, and any cleaning fees required and post photos for people to check out your space. This option will take extra time and effort to keep things clean and safe for your guests, but the more awesome customer reviews you receive, the more bookings you’ll get. It’s that simple.