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
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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 data651 ideas, page 14 of 14
- Content and mediaRan a seasonal site of pancake recipes and ideas for pancake day. It earned yearly ad revenue.Under $100Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2011
- Content and mediaA technical blog documenting electronics projects, earning small ad income.OnlineHacker News, 2011
- Content and mediaA YouTube review of a pull-up bar that ranked well in search and pays a periodic share of ad revenue.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2011
- Software and appsSold software that lets people build their own social network, later releasing the code for free.OnlineHacker News, 2011
- Digital productsPublished an e-book priced as an impulse purchase, expecting it to keep earning with no stock to manage.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2011
- Physical productsA small hardware device that reads digital sensors and outputs data through a serial connection, sold to customers.Online and in personHacker News, 2011
- Content and mediaBuilt a Sudoku website that now earns from advertising, mostly sponsored text links, with free signups seeing no ads.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2011
- Software and appsBuilt a Twitter app that helps users share more links without flooding followers. Offers a free plan and paid monthly plans.OnlineHacker News, 2011
- Content and mediaRuns wallpaper websites that earn from domain registration commissions, plus ads on a related blog.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2011
- Software and appsBuilt a to-do app for Windows Phone in evenings and sold it through the app store.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2011
- Directories and marketplacesThe operator uses scraping tools and an AI coding assistant to build a listing site for a niche, then monetizes through leads, ads, affiliate links or listings. One example was a luxury restroom trailer directory.Hands-offOnlineThe Koerner Office
- Services and freelancingThe operator started by repairing brick mailboxes and grew into masonry work for homeowner associations, using crews for the labor. Income is per-job fees.Part-timeIn personThe Koerner Office
- Services and freelancingA seasonal service installs holiday lights for homeowners and businesses, with multi-year contracts to repeat the work. It was started by a teacher on the side.In personThe Koerner Office
- Services and freelancingThe 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
- Content and mediaThe operator buys an expired exact-match domain for a niche, rebuilds it as a site that earns from the niche audience, and adds a niche job board. Upkeep is minimal.Hands-offOnlineThe Koerner Office
- 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
- Rentals and assetsThe operator leases large trailers and sub-rents them to customers who need storage or transport space, earning the difference. It was run mostly from a phone.$1k to $10kOnlineThe Koerner Office
- Services and freelancingThe 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 $100The 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
- Physical productsA subscription sends customers a story in physical letters on a regular schedule. Revenue is recurring subscription fees, with fulfillment handled by mail.The Koerner Office
- Rentals and assetsThe operator places vending machines at one high-traffic location, in this case a hockey rink, and keeps the sales. Costs are stock and machine purchase.Over $10kIn personThe Koerner Office
- Rentals and assetsThe operator rents washers and dryers to tenants and finds customers through Facebook Marketplace. Income is monthly rental fees.Over $10kOnline and in personThe 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
- Teaching and coachingThe 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 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
- Services and freelancingA 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-timeOnlineThe Startup Ideas Podcast
- Teaching and coachingThe 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