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 data107 ideas, page 2 of 3
- Physical productsSells folk music CDs and handmade items at science fiction and fantasy conventions.$100 to $1kIn personHacker News, 2019
- Rentals and assetsRents out spare bedrooms to short-term guests through Airbnb.Online and in personHacker News, 2019
- Content and mediaMakes video tutorials on Arduino programming on a personal site. Earns referral commissions when visitors buy parts.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsKeeps chickens and sells the eggs, which covers little more than feed costs.A few hours a weekHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsKeeps bees and sells the honey, which brings in a few thousand a year.Hacker 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
- Physical productsA website where customers tailor a writing pad to their handwriting style, sold as a physical product.OnlineHacker 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
- Physical productsSells phosphorescent cosmetic modifications for synthesizers, a niche hardware accessory product.$100 to $1kOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsDyes small batches of yarn with traditional methods for a small group of weavers who want specific colors.$100 to $1kOnline and in personHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsMakes jelly by hand from berries grown in the garden and sells it through word of mouth.Hacker News, 2019
- Physical productsDesigns outlines for cases cut on a maker space laser machine and sells them on eBay. Local materials make it possible to undercut imports on price.$100 to $1kOnline and in personHacker 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
- 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
- Physical productsSells genuine Intel processors on a local classifieds site in a country where import costs make online marketplaces hard to use, earning a margin on each sale.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Content and mediaRuns a weekly newsletter that satirizes the tech industry. Revenue is from advertising to the subscriber base, with live events being considered.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsDesigns and sells music notebooks with generated staff lines, using scripts to produce the print-ready PDF. Sold online and the owner is working on getting stores to carry them.Hacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingHelps people fix broken technology, a paid skill since youth.Under $100Hacker 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
- Physical productsSells high-quality pet toys, treats and collars, and started with dog-themed T-shirts printed and shipped by a supplier. Holds pet inventory at home and ships orders.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsA platform for learning to write alongside others, built around habits and streaks.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Content and mediaA morning briefing about the technology industry that readers pay for, with sponsorships that avoid ad-style promotion.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsPublishes a few small utility apps on the App Store and keeps improving them. Income comes from app sales.$100 to $1kOnlineHacker News, 2018
- Content and mediaRuns a curated list of Hacker News recommendations and products. Earns small amounts from affiliate links.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2018
- Software and appsProduces long, project-based video lessons on the Elixir language, with free videos on YouTube and premium content for paying subscribers.OnlineHacker News, 2018
- Physical productsResells items found at home, thrift stores and clearance sales through online marketplaces, and is looking at retail arbitrage on Amazon.Under $100Hacker News, 2017
- Physical productsDesigns and builds adapters that turn surplus server power supplies into general purpose 12 volt supplies. Sold as a physical hardware product.Hacker News, 2016
- Content and mediaMaintains a handful of websites, including a gift ideas site that earns through Amazon affiliate links and some content sites.OnlineHacker News, 2016
- Software and appsSells a productivity app that grows through users sharing it with friends, and is developing a related subscription product based on customer feedback.OnlineHacker News, 2016
- Digital productsDesigned watch faces for a smartwatch and sold them at the lowest price in the store. Sales were strong at first, then copies appeared and they pulled the apps.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2016
- Content and mediaBlogs about travel and working remotely from an RV. Money comes from Amazon affiliate links placed in posts.OnlineHacker News, 2016
- Software and appsBuilt a set of web tools for converting between data formats like CSV. Income comes mostly from Google ads plus an occasional affiliate link.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Content and mediaRuns a site that helps people use the LEGO pieces they own to build other models.OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Software and appsRuns a self-serve service that converts US addresses to coordinates through an API or CSV upload.OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Software and appsAn Android app that syncs with a task manager, sold on Google Play.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2014
- Services and freelancingDoes enterprise software consulting in the evenings.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Content and mediaBuilt a content website covering a niche in a non-US market, with a lot of long-tail search traffic monetized by AdSense.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2014
- Content and mediaRuns blogs on local sports and politics, with posts built from repackaged government data, earning from AdSense.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Directories and marketplacesA marketplace connecting boat owners and dock spaces, grown by posting in boating groups and forums.OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Software and appsBuilds iPhone apps for groups like skydivers and beer fans, earning from sales and Apple affiliate links.OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Directories and marketplacesA niche marketplace where garden centers sell plants nationwide, with the owner taking a share of each sale.$1k to $10kOnlineHacker News, 2014
- Digital productsTurned a portfolio site into a WordPress theme sold on ThemeForest, plus answering support emails.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker 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
- Content and mediaWrites blog articles and earns from affiliate marketing.OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Services and freelancingRuns a blog that has brought a steady flow of consulting opportunities.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Software and appsCreated a web game that earns enough to live on while traveling.OnlineHacker News, 2014
- Digital productsOpens new credit cards regularly for sign-up bonuses and redeems them for travel, and plans a course teaching the method.OnlineHacker News, 2014