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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- 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 data28 ideas
- Services and freelancingWriting and editing articles for companies that pay for human experience and voice, with AI tools used as helpers. Clients come from Upwork and cold outreach.Under $100Part-timeOnlineThe Koerner Office, 2026
- Services and freelancingWriting jingles for plumbers, roofers and pest control companies, then running them as skippable YouTube ads in the client's area. AI music and voice tools now replace the studio.OnlineThe Koerner Office, 2026
- Services and freelancingThe operator gathers one client's documents, structures them, and loads them into a custom GPT or Claude project so a specific audience can ask it questions instead of the owner. The example was a business broker whose buyers queried the assistant about a listing.Under $100Hands-offOnlineCorey Ganim (YouTube), 2026
- Services and freelancingThe operator replaces a repeated manual process with an automation built on off-the-shelf tools such as Zapier, Make or Asana, usually after a short diagnostic. It is charged as a one-off project, with a walkthrough video and a how-to-fix document handed over.OnlineCorey Ganim (YouTube), 2026
- Services and freelancingThe consultant interviews the owner of one business process, documents how it runs, cuts the wasted steps, and hands over current and future process maps. Automating the redesigned process is sold as a separate follow-on.Under $100Part-timeCorey Ganim (YouTube), 2026
- Services and freelancingVisiting homes under construction to photograph and verify progress for lenders before loan draws are released. Jobs come through inspection marketplaces, with almost no startup costs and no special license.Under $100Side Hustle Nation, 2026
- Services and freelancingThe operator organizes a client's promises, decisions, projects and preferences into a set of linked markdown notes that AI tools can read, then keeps it current with ingest and review routines. It is sold as the first engagement because later automations depend on it.Under $100OnlineBuild With AI, 2026
- Services and freelancingWrites technical documentation and grant proposals, matching funding sources to institutions.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2026
- Services and freelancingHandling building permits for property owners and developers as a niche service, using skills learned while flipping houses. Clients come by referral, with no ads or cold calling.Side Hustle Nation, 2026
- Teaching and coachingTutors middle and high school students in math and CS for an hourly rate.Under $100Hacker News, 2021
- Teaching and coachingTeaches and mentors beginners in web development for companies and bootcamps, in evening sessions.Under $100Part-timeHacker News, 2019
- Teaching and coachingTeaches English and prepares students for standardized exams. Some students paid in food and drinks.Under $100Part-timeHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingTranslates books about magic, often old ones found along the way, for an editor. It began as a hobby and now pays.Under $100Part-timeHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingA CTO with hiring experience helps founders figure out who they need to hire and how to approach them, including finding co-founders.Under $100Part-timeOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingOffers immersive consumer research, interviewing people and documenting their homes and daily routines, then analyzing it to give founders insight into customer behavior. Clients come by referral.Part-timeHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingWrites articles for other people, often on topics outside the writer's own expertise, as one of several side gigs.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingA solo lawyer takes referral clients for small legal jobs like setting up LLCs, winding down or selling a business, and reviewing NDAs, charging less than larger firms.Under $100Hacker News, 2019
- Teaching and coachingTaught guitar, theory and recording part-time, and now teaches small groups online and consults with bands on production and composition.Hacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingWrites and performs stand-up comedy, earning a modest income from paid gigs each month after several years of building up.Under $100In personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingOffers business strategy consulting to startups using topographical business maps. Aims to help avoid costly mistakes and support fundraising.Part-timeOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingHelps people fix broken technology, a paid skill since youth.Under $100Hacker News, 2019
- Teaching and coachingTaught Linux courses on weekends to students eager to learn. Paid per course.Under $100In personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingDoes enterprise software consulting in the evenings.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Services and freelancingDoes social media and blog content for a jewelry company from home and subcontracts the work to a lower-cost writer.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Services and freelancingRuns a blog that has brought a steady flow of consulting opportunities.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2014
- 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 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