Side hustle ideas from people who actually run them
Real side businesses, described by their owners. Filter by cost, time and how they earn.
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- 651 ideas
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- 14 publications and shows
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- 8 categories
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- Files sold online: templates, printables, ebooks, stock photos, fonts, presets, plugins, recorded courses
- A web app, SaaS, mobile app, browser extension, bot or API that people pay for or that earns from ads
- A blog, niche website, newsletter, YouTube channel, podcast or social account that earns from ads, affiliate links or sponsors
- Making, printing or reselling physical goods, online or in person
- Doing work for clients for a fee: freelance, consulting, done-for-you services, repairs, local services
- Earning from something you own: renting property, rooms, equipment, vehicles, parking, vending machines, domains
- A job board, listings site, directory or marketplace that connects buyers and sellers
- Live tutoring, lessons, workshops, coaching or cohort classes
Matching ideas
About the data23 ideas
- Services and freelancingThe operator sets up chatbots and voice receptionists for local businesses on a marketing platform, with a setup fee and a monthly plan. A free trial and a personalized demo are used to win clients.OnlineThe Koerner Office, 2026
- Services and freelancingThe operator audits the landing pages of established trades companies, offers AI-built funnels and booked-job systems, and wins clients through a free case-study build, mail and local meetups.Part-timeOnlineThe Startup Ideas Podcast, 2026
- Services and freelancingSelling whole-home water filtration systems to homeowners through Facebook ads that show the price upfront, with licensed plumbers doing the installs. The channel notes that this model can require a plumbing license, for example in North Carolina.$100 to $1kOnline and in personThe Koerner Office, 2026
- Services and freelancingThe operator sets up one AI agent as an administrative helper for a small business, hosts and monitors it, and coaches the owner on working with it. The coaching proved necessary after infrastructure-only setups did not stick with clients.OnlineBuild With AI, 2026
- Services and freelancingRunning online estate auctions that clear out homes for families without buying any inventory. The operator photographs, catalogs and lists the items and keeps a cut of the sale.Online and in personSide Hustle Nation, 2026
- Services and freelancingA one-person operator deploys AI agents for executives at small firms and handles their requests through a shared ticket board. The client pays one monthly price that covers every automation, model cost and upkeep.OnlineNick Vasilescu (YouTube), 2026
- Services and freelancingSelling ad space on oversized postcards mailed to every home on a route through USPS Every Door Direct Mail. Several local advertisers share each card, and the operators keep the difference.Online and in personSide Hustle Nation, 2026
- Services and freelancingAn agency generates customer leads for local businesses and charges a monthly fee. It was dropped later for opportunity cost.OnlineThe Koerner Office, 2025
- Services and freelancingTrains custom image generation models for customers on request using an automated pipeline, charging per commission.OnlineHacker News, 2024
- Services and freelancingHandles IT, administration, purchasing and research for a partner's art business, which sells commissions and freelance work and direct to customers.Hacker News, 2021
- Services and freelancingDoes web work for clients and keeps income steady with annual payments for hosting, maintenance and small fixes.OnlineHacker News, 2020
- Services and freelancingBuilds and schedules automations for small businesses, using knowledge gained in a day job about common business pain points.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingDelivered freshly baked cookies to dorms and homes near a university on rollerblades, paid per order, and built a delivery management site.Part-timeHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingDoes adult webcam work with an established base of private clients, using it as flexible fallback income between jobs.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingGives bike tours of a home city, earning cash from guests plus a small payment from the bike shop the tours start from.In personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingDesigns websites for clients and hosts them on cloud infrastructure, collecting monthly web and email hosting fees.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Services and freelancingBuilt an online store for an acquaintance in exchange for a share of profits each pay period.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2014
- Services and freelancingDid site-to-WordPress theme conversions for clients, finding them through targeted AdWords ads.$100 to $1kPart-timeOnlineHacker News, 2011
- Services and freelancingOffers a service that helps startups write short, clear descriptions of their product for sites and their own pages.OnlineHacker News, 2011
- Services and freelancingThe operator began by selling tote shelves and expanded into general handyman work for local customers. Income is per-job fees.In personThe Koerner Office
- Services and freelancingThe operator builds search-ranked sites for local trades such as junk removal and auto glass, then rents the resulting phone leads to contractors for a flat monthly fee. Costs per site are small.OnlineThe Koerner Office
- Services and freelancingA seller packages a website, review collection, Google profile and branding for local contractors and sells it by phone for a monthly fee. Leads come mostly from local Facebook groups.OnlineThe Koerner Office
- Services and freelancingThe consultant joins a small number of clients on screen-share calls each month and helps them turn their own workflows into reusable AI skills, with light chat support between calls. Clients pay a monthly retainer, and the consultant caps how many clients to keep the work manageable.OnlineThe Startup Ideas Podcast