All Side Hustle Ideas
Every idea links to its source

Side hustle ideas from people who actually run them

Real side businesses, described by their owners. Filter by cost, time and how they earn.

Ideas
651
ideas
Publications
14
publications and shows
Categories
8
categories

Browse by category

  • Digital products67
    Files sold online: templates, printables, ebooks, stock photos, fonts, presets, plugins, recorded courses
  • Software and apps205
    A web app, SaaS, mobile app, browser extension, bot or API that people pay for or that earns from ads
  • Content and media105
    A blog, niche website, newsletter, YouTube channel, podcast or social account that earns from ads, affiliate links or sponsors
  • Physical products105
    Making, printing or reselling physical goods, online or in person
  • Services and freelancing103
    Doing work for clients for a fee: freelance, consulting, done-for-you services, repairs, local services
  • Rentals and assets36
    Earning from something you own: renting property, rooms, equipment, vehicles, parking, vending machines, domains
  • Directories and marketplaces11
    A job board, listings site, directory or marketplace that connects buyers and sellers
  • Teaching and coaching19
    Live tutoring, lessons, workshops, coaching or cohort classes

Matching ideas

About the data

Startup cost
Under $100$100 to $1k$1k to $10kOver $10k
Time
Hands-offA few hours a weekPart-timeNear full-time
Where
OnlineIn personOnline and in person
Earns from
AdsAffiliateSubscriptionsOne-time salesService feesRentMarketplace cutSponsors and donations
Coding
No coding neededNeeds coding

16 ideas

  • Services and freelancing
    AI chat and voice assistants for local businesses
    The 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.
    Online
    The Koerner Office, 2026
  • Services and freelancing
    AI-built funnels for home-trades businesses
    The 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-timeOnline
    The Startup Ideas Podcast, 2026
  • Services and freelancing
    Managed AI agent with owner coaching
    The 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.
    Online
    Build With AI, 2026
  • Services and freelancing
    Flat-fee managed AI agent retainer for small businesses
    A 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.
    Online
    Nick Vasilescu (YouTube), 2026
  • Services and freelancing
    Local lead generation agency
    An agency generates customer leads for local businesses and charges a monthly fee. It was dropped later for opportunity cost.
    Online
    The Koerner Office, 2025
  • Services and freelancing
    Custom AI image model training commissions
    Trains custom image generation models for customers on request using an automated pipeline, charging per commission.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2024
  • Services and freelancing
    Web agency with hosting and maintenance retainers
    Does web work for clients and keeps income steady with annual payments for hosting, maintenance and small fixes.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2020
  • Services and freelancing
    Business automation services for small firms
    Builds and schedules automations for small businesses, using knowledge gained in a day job about common business pain points.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2019
  • Services and freelancing
    Private adult webcam sessions for regular clients
    Does adult webcam work with an established base of private clients, using it as flexible fallback income between jobs.
    A few hours a weekOnline
    Hacker News, 2019
  • Services and freelancing
    Web design with ongoing hosting fees
    Designs websites for clients and hosts them on cloud infrastructure, collecting monthly web and email hosting fees.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Services and freelancing
    E-commerce site built for profit share
    Built an online store for an acquaintance in exchange for a share of profits each pay period.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Services and freelancing
    Convert websites into WordPress themes
    Did site-to-WordPress theme conversions for clients, finding them through targeted AdWords ads.
    $100 to $1kPart-timeOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Services and freelancing
    Messaging service helping startups explain what they do
    Offers a service that helps startups write short, clear descriptions of their product for sites and their own pages.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Services and freelancing
    Rank-and-rent local lead sites
    The 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.
    Online
    The Koerner Office
  • Services and freelancing
    Website and reviews bundle for local contractors
    A 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.
    Online
    The Koerner Office
  • Services and freelancing
    Done-with-you AI concierge retainer
    The 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.
    Online
    The Startup Ideas Podcast