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
- 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 data69 ideas, page 1 of 2
- Rentals and assetsRenting out a former church space in a strip mall for parties and events, run alongside a full-time job. Renting the space to churches covers the monthly rent.In personThe Koerner Office, 2026
- Physical productsAn online store dropshipping high-ticket camper van and motorhome accessories in the UK, with the niche chosen from search and competitor data. Sales come through Google Shopping ads as an authorized reseller.OnlineSide Hustle Nation, 2026
- Physical productsAn anti-inflammatory coffee brand made with turmeric, produced by a local manufacturing partner. Sales come from subscriptions, bundles and influencer-driven social proof, run alongside a full-time job.$1k to $10kOnlineSide Hustle Nation, 2026
- Rentals and assetsBuying ATMs and placing them in local businesses, earning income from transaction fees with about an hour of work a week. The hardest step is finding and pitching good locations.Hands-offOnline and in personSide Hustle Nation, 2026
- Services and freelancingSetting up themed tents and bedding for kids' slumber parties as a weekend rental service. A married couple runs it as a side hustle alongside full-time jobs.In personSide Hustle Nation, 2026
- Services and freelancingA laundry service that picks up, washes, folds and returns customers' clothes. It started solo with a van and now runs on a large network of contractors.Side Hustle Nation, 2026
- Services and freelancingThe agency helps software firms get recommended by AI chat tools by cleaning up a source-of-truth site and getting listed on the pages those tools cite. Clients are mid-size SaaS companies.OnlineThe Side Hustle Show, 2026
- Services and freelancingA local crew business that trims and removes trees for homeowners. Income comes from per-job fees.Part-timeIn personThe Koerner Office, 2025
- Services and freelancingTaking aura portraits at events and partner businesses, charging per short session. The operator runs it while keeping a full-time job.In personSide Hustle Nation, 2025
- Physical productsA dropshipping store selling high-ticket outdoor products for ponds and water features. Sales come from Google ads aimed at ready-to-buy shoppers, with supplier relationships in place of inventory.OnlineSide Hustle Nation, 2025
- Digital productsCreated an online course teaching DevOps to small companies and self-hosters, which keeps selling even against bigger instructors.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2024
- Physical productsOperates a small 3D print farm that sells custom clips and connectors for workshop equipment.$1k to $10kHacker News, 2022
- Physical productsBuilt an online resource for learning CAD with a supporting community, aimed at people who want to design and sell products.OnlineHacker News, 2022
- Content and mediaPosts videos on tech and photography and earns from the channel.$1k to $10kOnlineHacker News, 2022
- Services and freelancingSells commissioned art, licenses existing work from a large catalog, and puts designs on print-on-demand sites for low-effort extra income.OnlineHacker News, 2021
- Physical productsBuilds dinghies, canoes, catamarans and other small boats in spare time, selling some and taking commissions from friends.$1k to $10kPart-timeHacker News, 2021
- Physical productsMakes and ships a gadget for a small niche market from home, with no software in the product, and also plays music part-time.Hacker News, 2021
- Physical productsStarted a niche menswear business alongside a full-time job. It now runs mostly on its own at small scale.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2021
- Physical productsSells products as a third-party seller on Amazon, treated as a semi-passive side business.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsBuys and sells collectible trading cards such as Pokemon and Magic, managing an online store and in-person sales.Online and in personHacker News, 2019
- In personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingDJs at nightclubs on Friday and Saturday nights, built up from a university hobby into a steady side income.$1k to $10kIn personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingPlays medieval and Renaissance music at castles, festivals, battle reenactments and museums.Part-timeIn personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingStarted a developer conference with sponsors, then was hired by a sponsor to run its events, which grew into full-time conference consulting.Near full-timeHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingA brokerage that represents home buyers in residential purchases and rebates part of its commission back to them.Hacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingWorks as a DJ in addition to software work, paid per night.$1k to $10kIn personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsDry ages meat in specialized fridges and bags in a place where it is hard to find, then resells it online and over messaging apps at a large markup.Online and in personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingWorks as a professional fine artist and illustrator on the side, in a shared studio space.Hacker News, 2019
- Physical productsBuilds furniture using only hand tools and takes the occasional paid project.In personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsMakes wooden items with a laser cutter based on video games and shows, and sells them on Etsy. Covers materials and machine time.$1k to $10kA few hours a weekHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingPlayed music for pay for decades, including after retiring from a programming career.In personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsRan a hot sauce business with real sales until it started eating all spare time, then dropped it.Online and in personHacker News, 2019
- Content and mediaDocuments fixing up an old sports car on YouTube. Income comes from ads and Patreon support.Online and in personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingDesigns and 3D prints props and cosplay pieces for clients who come by referral, charging per commission.$1k to $10kPart-timeHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsKeeps bees and sells the honey, which brings in a few thousand a year.Hacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingRepairs engine and transmission controllers and other electronics for older and rare cars when replacement parts are no longer available, for owners who send them in.Hacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingBuilds custom wood pieces for people who asked after seeing earlier work. Charges mainly to cover materials and some labor.In personHacker News, 2019
- Teaching and coachingPlays regularly with a jazz band, gives occasional guitar lessons at home, and earns a little from fan support on Patreon for performance videos.Online and in personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingLeads sea kayak expeditions and teaches instruction for a local outfitter, earning enough to pay for gear.Part-timeIn personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsLicensed a home as a winery to make hard cider, selling to local stores and at a summer farmers market.Part-timeIn personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingShoots high school sports and local races for pay, as a hobby that pairs well with technical interests.$1k to $10kIn personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsMakes pull-up bars for home fitness in a small craft business that also gives side-job work to a few people. Most customers buy only once.Online and in personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsRuns an online store focused on keto and nutrition products in Canada.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingFixed up a used CNC mill and does quick prototypes and small production runs for local customers, found by referral.Part-timeIn personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsSells genuine Intel processors on a local classifieds site in a country where import costs make online marketplaces hard to use, earning a margin on each sale.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Teaching and coachingWorked as a scuba instructor on the side, which kept the owner supplied with dive gear, though the stress of the service work eventually led to burnout.Part-timeIn personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsMakes yogurt from organic milk bought from a local dairy farmer and sells it.Hacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingWorks as a firefighter and medic, adding contract wildland fire deployments. Takes a few hours a week plus one deployment a year.A few hours a weekIn personHacker News, 2019