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 data27 ideas
- 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
- Services and freelancingWrites custom automation runbooks for networks and provides a web platform where customers run them.Part-timeOnlineHacker News, 2021
- 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
- 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 freelancingWorks as a DJ in addition to software work, paid per night.$1k to $10kIn 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
- Services and freelancingPlayed music for pay for decades, including after retiring from a programming career.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
- 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
- Services and freelancingLeads sea kayak expeditions and teaches instruction for a local outfitter, earning enough to pay for gear.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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Services and freelancingBuilt an automated system for deploying webshops for a web agency owner, in exchange for a fee on each shop deployed. The income ended when the client retired.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Services and freelancingEarns on the side from DJ gigs and personal training, both of which are also personal hobbies.Hacker News, 2014
- Services and freelancingA photography business started with a spouse that grew enough for the spouse to quit a day job.Hacker News, 2011
- 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