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

111 ideas, page 3 of 3

  • Digital products
    Ebook on PHP deployment
    Wrote a book on deploying PHP applications that sells steadily from the owner's website and builds an audience list.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Physical products
    Joke coffee mug on print-on-demand
    A programmer humor coffee mug sold through a print-on-demand marketplace.
    Under $100Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Physical products
    Print-on-demand themed t-shirts
    Designed themed t-shirts and sold them through a print-on-demand marketplace.
    Under $100Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Rentals and assets
    Rent a spare room on Airbnb
    Rents out a spare room for up to a week each month, needing little work beyond laundry.
    Under $100Hands-off
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Digital products
    Self-published science fiction novella
    Wrote a short sci-fi novel sold through Kindle and iBooks stores.
    Under $100Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Content and media
    Blog earning Amazon affiliate commissions
    Runs a personal blog that earns small commissions from Amazon affiliate links.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Services and freelancing
    Lease out a developer to a client
    Places a former lead developer with an overseas client and earns a margin on the arrangement, alongside personal consulting.
    Under $100Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Content and media
    Music review blog with affiliate links
    Writes album reviews and earns from ads and affiliate commissions when readers buy the reviewed CDs.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Content and media
    Pancake day recipes and activities site
    Ran a seasonal site of pancake recipes and ideas for pancake day. It earned yearly ad revenue.
    Under $100Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Digital products
    Self-published e-book sold online
    Published an e-book priced as an impulse purchase, expecting it to keep earning with no stock to manage.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Services and freelancing
    Community ad boards in restaurants
    The operator places ad boards in local restaurants, sells the slots to nearby businesses, and upsells those advertisers websites and AI services. Profit comes from slot sales per board.
    The Koerner Office
  • Services and freelancing
    Paid introductions between local contractors
    The operator connects contractors who can pass work to each other and charges for each introduction or a larger referral package. It runs mainly by phone and text.
    Under $100
    The Koerner Office
  • Teaching and coaching
    Corporate AI workshops that lead to paid builds
    The operator runs a team training or build-together session inside one company and listens for the process employees want automated. That process then becomes a separately priced build, often a shared context layer across the company's tools.
    Build With AI
  • Services and freelancing
    Paid AI tools assessment for small businesses
    A solo consultant interviews a small business owner about daily pain points, runs the recording through AI to match problems to existing software, and delivers a short written report plus a walkthrough call. It is sold as a fixed-price diagnosis, and the buyer can then hire the consultant for the follow-up work.
    Under $100Part-timeOnline
    The Startup Ideas Podcast
  • Teaching and coaching
    Paid public AI workshop for local professionals
    The host books a room, lists a half-day workshop on Eventbrite for one industry such as realtors or roofers, and teaches attendees to set up Claude and build one skill. The ticket revenue is minor; the point is meeting buyers who then ask for private help.
    Build With AI