27 Side Hustle Ideas and How to Get Started

A side hustle is a small business you can start alongside another, usually more stable, job. Starting a business of any type requires a certain amount of dedication, business know-how, and motivation. If you’re like many people looking for a side hustle, perhaps you’re searching for something flexible you can do around other obligations, want to make more money, or feel the drive to bring a passion into your career trajectory. If you have entrepreneurial aspirations, you can even plant the seeds for a future full-time business by launching a side hustle first. Maintaining a steady job during this transition can offer financial security as you explore what it’s like to become a small business owner.

If this sounds familiar, you aren’t alone. As workers across the United States reassess their workplace needs, many turn to side hustles. A 2024 survey from Bankrate found that 36 percent of adults in the US have a side hustle. Looking at the generational divide, the number of individuals with a side hustle rises to 44 percent of millennials and 48 percent of Gen Z [1]. 

Starting a side hustle from home requires a bit of preparation. Explore the following ideas to help you begin.

Launching a side hustle

Before you start a side hustle, it’s essential to identify your “why.” This intangible element can help guide you in choosing what you’ll do, motivate you throughout the process, and ensure your side hustle aligns with your goals. 

What is it that you hope to achieve? Some examples of achievements may be:

• Earn more money

• Express creativity

• Have more fun

• Participate in a community

• Learn about running a business

• Create a launchpad for full-time self-employment

As you consider your “why,” also think about ways you’ll be able to measure success. Your measurement could be related to finances, feelings, social media metrics, knowledge, or anything else that feels right for you. Ultimately, you get to decide what “success” means.

Side hustle ideas

Once you have clarity on your goal (or goals), it’s time to find your idea. With your objective in mind, read through the ideas below and notice if anything sparks your interest. Consider whether that spark can help you reach your desired results as defined by your “why” or if it may be helping you recognize an additional goal you hadn’t yet considered.

Also, be sure to keep your skill set in mind. A side hustle is a great place to use skills you already possess to guide you toward your goals and a mechanism to practice skills you hope to develop further.

Each of the ideas listed below offers some scheduling flexibility, allowing you to pursue a side hustle while still prioritizing a full-time work schedule. Many ideas can also become full-time small business ventures—with the right business plan to back them up.

What’s the best side hustle?

Freelancing is among the best side hustles, according to job site Indeed. However, like any other job, what’s “best” for you is subjective. Ultimately, you want something that will help you reach your goals, fit into your available schedule, and use your skills and talents in ways you find enjoyable. 

Digital creation

Freelancing as a digital creator allows you to earn money using your professional and creative skills. You can help create websites and other digital design projects or post on social media accounts. Some examples of digital creation side hustle include social media management, digital marketing, website design, and website development.

*Average hourly rates are sourced from ZipRecruiter and can vary greatly depending on your location, experience, skills, and the type of services you offer.

1. Social media management

Average hourly rate: $31.00

Social media managers help businesses create and manage their social media presence. You might engage in tasks like developing strategy, creating content calendars, copywriting, and more. Social media can be a crucial part of a business’s marketing strategy, and they’re often willing to pay for expertise. 

2. Digital marketing

Average hourly rate: $25.00

Digital marketers help businesses create and manage their online presence. You may be responsible for tasks like building Google or Facebook ads, creating SEO content, or developing email marketing campaigns. 

3. Website design

Average hourly rate: $35.00

Web designers are responsible for a website's aesthetic appeal and usability. In addition to the technical skills required to update a website, you’ll typically need a background in design, user experience (UX), or user interface (UI). 

4. Website development

Average hourly rate: $45.00

If you are talented at the technical aspects of building and maintaining a website, you may want to consider a side hustle as a web developer. As a web developer, you will code and configure websites on the backend and develop functionality on the front end. After building the site, clients may maintain a contract with you to cover site maintenance.

Professional services: Side hustles from home

If you have the right skill set, you can launch many of the listed side hustles right from home—no formal office space is needed. In many cases, if you have an internet connection, that’s all you need to begin. A few options include accounting, tutoring, proofreading or copyediting, transcription services, virtual assistant, or audiobook narration.

5. Bookkeeping

Average hourly rate: $24.00

Bookkeeping involves balancing checkbooks and reconciling budgets for businesses. It doesn’t require formal education, though you’ll want to be comfortable with basic math and know how to use bookkeeping software. 

6. Proofreading or copyediting

Average hourly rate: $29.00

As a freelance proofreader or copyediting, you can work on a per-project basis to review written projects for errors and mistakes. You may find long-term projects and continue with one client, or you may take smaller projects and work with many different types of clients. 

7. Transcription service

Average hourly rate: $20.00

As a transcriptionist, you can provide clients with a clean document created from an audio file. You can work with platforms online like TranscribeMe or Rev.com and offer transcription in your spare time, or you can start a side hustle as a medical transcriptionist. 

8. Virtual assistant

Average hourly rate: $24.00

As a virtual assistant, you can help clients with administrative tasks remotely, such as scheduling meetings, making phone calls, or managing email accounts. While you may not be able to set your own hours as a virtual assistant, you will be able to work from home. 

9. Audiobook narrator

Average hourly rate: $20.00 

In this side hustle, you will use your voice to bring stories and other writing to life in audiobooks. Depending on the type of audiobooks you create, you may use different voices for various characters or incorporate voice acting to add suspense, gravitas, humor, or other emotions. 

10. Affiliate marketing

Average hourly rate: $23.00

Affiliate marketing is where a third party advertises products on behalf of a company, receiving a small commission when they refer a customer or when a customer makes a purchase. You can choose the products you market, and you may be able to find affiliate marketing in nearly any industry you’re interested in. 

11. Tutoring

Average hourly rate: $35.00

If you enjoy working with kids or teens and enjoy learning, you may like tutoring. You can personalize your services in many ways, including focusing on a specific subject or age group or offering virtual or in-person tutoring. 

Side hustle jobs that get you out of your home

In some cases, you can use your professional skills to work a side hustle that gets you out of your house and working in another location. For example, you could consider babysitting, dog walking, junk hauling, or party entertaining.

12. Babysitting

Average hourly rate: $18.00

Consider babysitting if you’d prefer to play with kids rather than teach them. You may also want to look into part-time nannying to find a babysitting job with more consistent hours. For this side hustle, you may want to bolster your credentials (and emergency preparedness) by getting certified in first aid and CPR.

13. Dog walking and pet sitting

Average hourly rate: $17.00

Dog walking offers a way to profit while taking a daily walk in or around your neighborhood. Plus, when your regular clients go out of town, you may have a built-in opportunity to boost your earnings by pet sitting for extended periods.

14. Junk hauling

Average hourly rate: $15.00

Use your physical strength to help people get rid of things they no longer want. If you know how to navigate your city’s waste and disposal procedures—and have an adequate mode of transportation—a junk hauling service may be the right side hustle for you.

15. Party entertainer

Average hourly rate: $17.00

People hire party entertainers to do magic, dress in costume, or perform at parties—often children’s birthday parties. If you do well with a crowd or have a slew of party tricks up your sleeve, you may be a natural entertainer.

Artistic and creative side hustles

If you have a creative passion, you may be able to translate it into a side hustle. Many people start a side hustle to monetize a hobby or add that specialized skill set to their resume in a more formal capacity. 

To make these side hustles financially worthwhile, you’ll likely want to factor upfront costs for materials and the time you spend creating into the overall cost you’ll charge for your products. If creativity is a priority for you, consider options like crafting, flipping furniture, photography, graphic design, content creation, or baking.

16. Crafting

Average hourly rate: $19.00

Sites like Etsy and Shopify make it easy for casual crafters to turn their hobby into a business. Whether you make jewelry, pottery, cards, or anything else, you could set yourself up with an online shop. You could also rent space at a craft show or farmer’s market to showcase your handmade goods. 

17. Flipping furniture

Average hourly rate: $21.00

If you prefer large-scale projects, you might make a business out of repurposing second-hand furniture. With this side hustle, you purchase used furniture needing repair or attention and refurbish it into a ready-to-use product. You can then sell that piece at a profit because of the work and value you’ve added to it. 

18. Photography

Average hourly rate: $63.00

Since many people schedule weddings and birthday parties on weekends, you could run a part-time photography business while maintaining a full-time job on weekdays. You could also sell prints and digital copies of your photos that customers can order printed on canvas or goods like mugs and t-shirts. 

19. Graphic design

Average hourly rate: $27.00

If you are skilled in digital design, consider a side hustle as a graphic designer. You can find gigs on websites like Fiverr or Upwork or have your designs printed on apparel, stickers, and other products and sent directly to customers using services such as Redbubble. You can learn graphic design fundamentals through the Graphic Design Specialization from CalArts.

20. Content creation

Average hourly rate: $56.00

Consider becoming a content creator if you like the idea of building a community. It can take a bit of time before your audience is large enough to monetize, but the payoff for creating a successful podcast, YouTube channel, or Instagram account can be huge.

21. Baking

Average hourly rate: $15.00

You may need to navigate state laws regarding the sale of food, but if you enjoy baking, it may be worth bringing your kitchen up to code to start this side hustle. You’ll want to research cottage food laws in your area. These laws determine what and how you can sell home-baked goods made in an unregulated kitchen.

Sales side hustles

You can start a side hustle selling or reselling items online or in person. For example, you could resell vintage clothing, overstock pallet goods, or start a dropshipping business. 

22. Reselling vintage clothing

Average hourly rate: $16.00

You can turn shopping into a side hustle by reselling the clothes and accessories you find while browsing your local thrift shops. To reach a wider audience, some people with an eye for fashion will open online vintage shops through sites like Instagram, Etsy, Depop, or Shopify.

23. Reselling overstock pallets

Average hourly rate: $33.00

Also known as pallet flipping, you can purchase pallets of unclaimed mail, items returned to stores, or overstock goods to resell. With this side hustle, you can control your risk by purchasing from trusted sources and focusing on items you know you can resell. For example, you might feel confident reselling electronics and decide to look for pallets containing that type of merchandise. 

24. Dropshipping

Average hourly rate: $20.00

Dropshipping offers a way to create an online retail store while outsourcing many of the operations a traditional retail store must manage. You can focus on creating and marketing a storefront and let others handle warehousing inventory or managing shipping when customers make a purchase. 

Fitness side hustles

If you enjoy physical movement or want a side hustle that helps others get some exercise, you could consider working as a fitness instructor, a referee, a local coach, or lawn care.

25. Fitness instructor

Average hourly rate: $26.00

In becoming a fitness instructor, you’ll find a wide range of niches you can pursue, from yoga to spin to strength training. However, you will likely need to attain specific certifications or complete training programs to begin this side hustle.

26. Referee or coach for local sports

Average hourly rate: $21.00

If you played a sport in high school or college, you might be able to pass down your love of the game as a referee or coach for your local sports teams. Check with your town’s parks and recreation department to learn about opportunities.

27. Lawn care

Average hourly rate: $17.00

You may enjoy mowing lawns if you prefer a more methodical side hustle. One benefit of this side hustle is that people with lawns tend to need them cared for fairly regularly, so you’ll only need a couple of clients to fill up your part-time schedule.

Passive income side hustles

Passive income is money you make without having to put in repeated, active efforts. Often, with passive income, you can make an effort one time and see frequent returns on that one-time effort. One common example of passive income would be earning interest on your savings accounts—but some people build a side hustle off of passive income.

Some passive income businesses include:

• Writing an ebook

• Selling worksheets

• Selling stock photos

• Creating an online course

Find a side hustle and take the next steps on Coursera

With so many options available, finding a part-time gig to supplement your income comes down to assessing what you ultimately want to get from it. Also, deciding on a side hustle requires evaluating your skills, resources, and the amount of time and energy you can commit to the project. 

Whatever type of side hustle you start, you can hone the skills you need to launch and maintain your business with Coursera. Learn how to navigate social media marketing with the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate, explore various accounting principles for yourself or others with the Intuit Academy Bookkeeping Professional Certificate, or learn how to juggle the ins and outs of leading a project with the Google Project Management Professional Certificate.

You’ll find these and more from top companies and highly regarded educational institutions on Coursera. Get access to this and more than 7,000 other courses, Guided Projects, Specializations, and Professional Certificates on Coursera Plus.

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