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 data84 ideas, page 2 of 2
- Physical productsRan a coffee kiosk with branding and promotions designed to make customers return daily. Profitable but demanding on time and staff.Over $10kNear full-timeIn personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsCuts custom tabletops compatible with a popular woodworking tool brand on a CNC router and advertises only on Craigslist. Gets repeat orders from hobbyists and contractors.Over $10kHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingWorks as a hypnotist, getting most clients through word of mouth and a website.Hacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingUses a CNC laser cutter to make items for friends and local schools, for a modest monthly income.A few hours a weekHacker 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
- Services and freelancingHelps organize small music shows and festivals and records local indie bands, mostly for friends and acquaintances.In personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsBought vineyard plots and makes organic wine in an old-school dry style with help from a winemaking family, selling it and reinvesting the proceeds.Over $10kIn personHacker 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
- Services and freelancingStarted a shared hosting company so existing clients could move away from big, confusing hosts. Customers pay hosting fees.OnlineHacker News, 2016
- Services and freelancingA retail shop that fixes broken phones for walk-in customers, grown from one location to several. The owner later sold the business.Over $10kIn personTop Founders, 2016
- Physical productsA wholesaler supplies replacement parts to independent repair shops and recycles broken screens. Money comes from selling parts to hundreds of shops.Over $10kTop Founders, 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
- Physical productsDesigns and sells a card game aimed at women, people of color and LGBTQ players. Ships stock to an Amazon warehouse every couple of weeks and runs some Facebook advertising.OnlineHacker 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
- Software and appsA platform for event organizers to host and live stream events.OnlineHacker 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
- 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