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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- 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 data35 ideas
- Services and freelancingA large laundromat with a commercial laundry operation and remote management technology, now offered as a franchise.Over $10kIn personThe Koerner Office, 2026
- Physical productsWorked with a factory to make grounded power adapters that stop case buzzing, sold on Amazon.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2024
- Software and appsBuilt an algorithm using maritime trade data to trade options on shipping firms, also selling subscriptions to friends.OnlineHacker News, 2024
- Software and appsBegan hosting game servers for friends, grew into renting servers including scientific computing to universities.Over $10kHands-offOnlineHacker News, 2022
- Software and appsStarted a niche credit card processor that has made money for many years.OnlineHacker News, 2022
- Services and freelancingOwns a franchise hair salon that is managed day to day by someone else.Over $10kHands-offIn personHacker News, 2019
- Rentals and assetsOwns a pawn shop that someone else manages day to day.Over $10kHands-offIn personHacker News, 2019
- Rentals and assetsEarns semi-passive rental income from one property unit and plans to buy more.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2019
- Rentals and assetsOwns rental property, which needs little ongoing effort once it is running.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsBought a foreclosed condo, redid the kitchen and bathroom in spare time, and sold it for a profit later.Over $10kHands-offIn personHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingSells payment processing services, runs a white-label payment gateway, and builds custom apps for payment terminals, alongside a do-it-yourself website builder.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Rentals and assetsOwns a small rental property that covers its mortgage plus a little extra each month.Over $10kHacker News, 2019
- Content and mediaRuns a website reviewing music equipment, especially MIDI keyboards, and earns commissions through Amazon affiliate links.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Rentals and assetsRents out inherited properties, uses a management company for maintenance and screens tenants personally. Income is monthly rent.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2019
- Rentals and assetsOwns apartments rented to students and managed entirely by an agency that finds tenants and handles upkeep, paying a fixed guaranteed income.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2018
- Rentals and assetsRents out the downstairs unit of a multifamily house bought with an owner-occupant loan, collecting monthly rent with little work.Over $10kHands-offIn personHacker News, 2018
- Rentals and assetsBought a commercial property with a fixed rate mortgage and leases it out. Takes little time each month and pays rental income after tax.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2016
- Rentals and assetsHolds a portfolio of valuable domain names and sells them, using brokers to handle the deals. Income comes from large one-off sales.Over $10kHands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Software and appsBuilt a document management and review web app for a large company and gets a monthly maintenance fee, needing very little time each month.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Directories and marketplacesSold a few domains at a profit and then launched a site selling high-quality startup names to fund other ventures.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Rentals and assetsBought several apartments in a new building while it was still under construction at a good price, then rented them out unfurnished to tenants.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2016
- Rentals and assetsRents a property out by the night and has automated guest notifications, door code programming and cleaner scheduling to keep the work low.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2016
- Services and freelancingBought an existing cleaning company and is running it with a business manager, so it needs little weekly attention.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2014
- Rentals and assetsOwns several low-priced rental homes, using a property manager to keep it hands-off.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2014
- Rentals and assetsPut an idle motorcycle up for rent on a quickly built site, earning from renters.Online and in personHacker News, 2014
- Over $10kHands-offIn personHacker News, 2014
- Rentals and assetsBought a house with an existing tenant and collects rent with very little work.Over $10kHands-offHacker News, 2014
- Rentals and assetsRents out spare rooms and then whole properties previously lived in, so rent covers the mortgages.Over $10kHacker News, 2014
- Services and freelancingAdministers rented servers, handling updates and small fixes for tenants who pay monthly fees after covering hosting costs.Over $10kHands-offOnlineHacker News, 2014
- Software and appsBuilt an add-on that lets customers get SSL installed quickly. Reselling certificates required upfront cash.Over $10kHands-offOnlineHacker News, 2014
- Rentals and assetsBought a vacation rental that earns nightly rental income.Over $10kHacker News, 2014
- Software and appsRuns subscription services for tracking website traffic and ad conversions, solo and mostly hands-off.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2014
- Physical productsResells high-end fashion, art, cars and collectibles, with sales largely automated and an emphasis on privacy.Over $10kHands-offOnline and in personHacker News, 2014
- Rentals and assetsBought discounted condos, fixed them up and rents them out through a property manager, keeping most of the rent after fees and taxes.Over $10kHands-offIn personHacker News, 2014
- 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