28 Best Side Hustle Ideas to Make Money from Home
Anush Bichakhchyan • Apr 29, 2022 • 17 min read
It has become a widespread norm for people to seek income outside of their full-time jobs. In particular, life is too expensive to sustain without some form of side hustle. You must think outside of the box to generate other sources of income to be able to afford the life you want.
The rise of the gig economy and flexible hours has brought more opportunities for individuals who would like to earn money outside of their work hours. If you’re one of the people who wants to earn some side money, you’re in the right place. Today, we’re gonna get you started with some working side hustle ideas to make money from home.
Today, you'll learn:
- Paid Directory
- Blogging
- Running Print on Demand business
- Freelance Keyword Specialist
- Building a marketplace
- Vlogging
- Starting a YouTube channel
- Selling information products
- Completing focus group
- Building an online course
- User tester for apps and websites
- Influencer marketer
- Virtual assistant
- Selling personal digital art
- Taking online surveys
- Alternative investing
- Online teaching/tutoring
- Mystery shopping
- Reselling on Amazon
- Online Arbitrage
- Private Labeling
- Turn your full-time job into a part-time job
- Proofreading
- Running an eCommerce store
- Podcasting
- Transcription service
- Translation/Interpretation service
What is a side hustle?
In a broad sense, side hustles are activities outside of your regular job that help you earn more money. Part-time jobs or side jobs have existed for quite a long time. Still, the expansion of the digital environment and solutions created a new side hustle culture with more profitable tech side jobs targeting a wide range of social groups: teenagers, students, juniors, and seniors with years of experience. Providing flexibility, income potential, and minimal expenses: a side hustle is a great way to improve your finances.
How to choose side hustles from home?
Identifying the side hustle that is right for you is easy if you follow the following steps:
1. Evaluate your knowledge and skills
The choice of your hustle depends on your skills and knowledge, so consider what will help you find a profitable side hustle. Evaluate the skills that are the strongest and that can be developed to make you feel confident about the new job.
2. Find what you enjoy doing
A side hustle is also a job, but if you find something close to your interests and hobbies, it will be much easier to distribute your working hours and spare time for a side hustle. Take your time to think of a job that you will enjoy and make money out of it.
3. Use your network
Sometimes you can seize job opportunities or get side hustle ideas from your friends and coworkers. So it is always helpful to discuss your intentions within your network and use its power in favor of your initiatives.
4. Update social media profiles
As we are talking about the digital side hustles, you should, first of all, think about your digital presence. Start updating your social media profiles and focus on LinkedIn, a go-to platform for landing jobs. Start building your professional network and gaining valuable leads.
5. Set short-term and long-term goals
Knowing your goals is part of the process. Well, yes, the main goal is earning extra money, but think much broader. Side hustles are great for developing a certain set of skills and becoming a marketable specialist. Think of short-term and long-term goals that will motivate you.
6. Look for available side hustles
While you have started looking for a side hustle within your contacts, you can also look for freelance and part-time job opportunities on job boards. There are dozens of freelance platforms and part-time jobs out there. The goal is to find a reliable one. Here are top popular websites where you can start freelancing right away:
Stay updated to be the first to get something valuable.
Top digital side hustle ideas
1. Paid directory
You are wrong if you think that directories are old-fashioned and no one will be interested. Moreover, directories with design tools, content templates, newsletters, etc., are priceless for those looking for reliable and viable resources. As a side hustle job, you can build your directory with a no-code platform like Softr. Even without coding skills, the platform has everything to build a robust directory and start earning.
Letterhunt is a newsletter directory that made $4k in just 2 months
Source: Letterhunt Case Study
To monetize your directory, you can offer premium features for users (getting a complete list of featured products, information, etc), partner with services to list them in your directory, or implement affiliate marketing (earning a commission for promoting another person’s or company’s product and service).
Ready to build your directory?
Build, launch, and successfully monetize your resource directory all in one place.
2. Blogging
Blogging is the leading side hustle idea that can work anywhere and anytime. All you need is your computer, internet connection, and your skills to turn ideas into an interesting article. Blog posts are a crucial component of digital marketing, generating traffic and leads for businesses. Through blog posting, marketers take care of webpage ranking, provide organic traffic, implement native ads, and more. In short, blogging is invaluable.
Backlinko is one of the top SEO blogs on the web, which has recently been acquired by Semrush
Source: Backlinko
Here you have several options for monetization. You can either write for money for other blogs or have your blog and offer sponsored posts, and ad placements. The first option is easier to start, but the payment will be relatively low. A personal blog requires building an audience and having a trustworthy word for your readers.
The blogging topic can be anything that sounds interesting to you and fits into your knowledge and skills. If you decided to start a blog as a side hustle, check out Sophia Lee’s video on how to start a blog and make over $30,000 a month blogging.
There are also great courses curated to help you become a professional blogger and monetize your blog.
It will also be helpful to get an account and portfolio on Contently.
3. Running Print on Demand business
We all strive for individuality, and the first thing we care about is clothing and accessories. Consider running a print-on-demand company with this in mind. For example, you can offer custom design printing on T-shirts, canvas bags, caps, mugs, phone cases, pillows, or anything printable. You will easily find the signature design and set your brand identity. As far as manufacturing and shipping will be carried out by third parties, you have more time to focus on marketing and branding.
Printify allows individuals to create and sell their custom products
Source: Printify
For this purpose, you will need an eCommerce website. If you don’t have coding skills and resources to invest in website building, you can easily create a compelling eCommerce site with Softr that offers multiple templates and features without having coding skills.
4. Freelance Keyword Specialist
One of the top rating freelance jobs on the market is SEO keyword research which can be mastered faster than other IT-related jobs. If you are detail-oriented and can dive deep into research, a freelance keyword research job will help you make great money as a side job.
Glassdoor showcases a set of keyword specialist job openings
Source: Glassdoor
Furthermore, project-based research may require a few hours of dedicated work; an excellent option if you have extra time. To start with freelance keywording, check out the following courses:
- Semrush’s Keyword Research Course
- Udemy’s Keyword Research Course
- Yoast’s Keyword Research Training
- Moz’s Academy Keyword Research Course
5. Building a marketplace
Have an idea to sell online, but you don’t have resources for investment? It is not a problem anymore. With modern digital tools, you can turn your idea into a profitable project with minimal effort. Start with building a marketplace where you will present your products. You don’t need to have coding and designer skills. There are many different platforms for building marketplaces, and Softr is one of the easiest ways to get started.
Nanny Network turned its service business into a digital platform for parents to source childcare with a marketplace built with Softr
Source: Nanny Network Case Study
6. Video editor
If you love videos and have a keen eye for detail, video editing could be the perfect source of income. Video editing as a side hustle has never been easier thanks to the advancement of free mobile video editing tools and social media. Here are some free tools to start with:
- Best for all purposes: Lightworks
- Best for beginners: Adobe Premiere Rush
- Best for social media videos: WeVideo
- Best for mobile editing: KineMaster
You don’t need professional equipment and paid software to create a unique video. Get started as a freelance video editor and practice your skills with different online tutorials.
7. Vlogging
Vlogging is very much like running a channel on YouTube. The only difference is that vloggers can focus on other social media platforms besides YouTube, depending on the content. The top channels providing high conversion rates are Instagram and TikTok. The short video format is much easier to create, but the efficiency and engagement are way higher than long videos. Regardless of which platform you choose, you may need to start with learning how to vlog.
Vlogging is a great side hustle if you know how to monetize your content. There are two options: you can run affiliate marketing and brand partnerships.
8. Starting a YouTube channel
With more than a billion users, Youtube is a powerful platform to start your side hustle and promote your videos. You will find an audience for whatever niche you aim to target. It can be a tutorial, life hacks, promoting, or selling things.
In January 2022, Forbes ranked MrBeast as YouTube's highest-earning creator, earning an estimated $54 million in 2021.
Source: MrBeast
Start with learning how to open a YouTube channel, create tutorials or music, and get views. After building an audience, your income will increase with YouTube ads. Keep in mind that side hustle is not about promoting a product or service but creating useful content people want to watch.
9. Selling information products
Information is priceless, especially in a digital environment where great content may get lost in the trash. A digital information product is an umbrella term referring to all the types of content that contain a piece of advice to the user; surveys, white papers, ebooks, webinars, videos, a membership website, etc. Deep dive into the top to find out more on how to sell information products in 2022.
Source: Taplink
This side hustle can be your income if you have relevant skills and knowledge to share with the community. The promotion of information products will target specific groups on social platforms. Email marketing may also be effective if you manage to collect valuable leads.
10. Completing focus group
One of the easiest side hustles that require no specific knowledge or skill is participating in online focus groups. Search for side hustle opportunities on the following websites:
Focus Group by Schlesinger, is an online community where you can share your opinions and views on a variety of topics to help develop technology, food, healthcare, and much more.
Source: FocusGroup
You just need to share your opinion about a particular product or a service and get paid. Easy peasy!
11. Building an online course
If you have valuable skills and expertise, why not share them with others and earn money while on it? Building a course by putting together all the tips and skills that may be useful for beginners is a community-oriented, human-centric, and profitable side hustle idea.
Source: NichePursuits
The challenges of building an online course are planning a structure, finding the platform for selling the course, and promoting it on social media channels. If you don’t have a large audience, you can collaborate with influencers or use affiliate marketing to promote the course.
There are many popular platforms where you can publish your courses. However, if you don’t want to comply with the rules and restrictions enforced by the marketplace (e.g. when making decisions on pricing or discounts) and share a significant part of your revenue, you can use a no-code tool like Softr to build your own custom online courses platform.
Ready to start an online course?
Use Softr to create a paid courses platform and start earning.
12. User tester for apps and websites
User testing is the most critical part of the website and mobile app validation. Before the final deployment to markets, the products are tested among a group of users to get feedback, check the functionality, and reveal pain points. For this purpose, the development team hires user testers to crawl the product and test every single button and page.
Earn extra money in your free time by helping brands build better products and experiences for people around the web.
Source: UserTesting
User tester is a great side hustle that can be done anywhere without much effort. Just be attentive and read the client’s testing parameters carefully. Browse the following sources with user tester jobs:
13. Influencer marketer
Most people have once dreamt of being famous. However, becoming an influencer is not connected to your talents; it’s more about how to market yourself based on your skills. There is a good chance you have a good sense of style or can bake a killer cake. Anyone can become an influencer on social media channels and start a side hustle, and you don't even have to be in the spotlight. It can be photography, travel, fitness, makeup, or any trendy niche topic that may gain followers. In a nutshell, you can monetize your socials in a few ways: through sponsored posts, takeovers, or by selling products through your website.
Source: VisionEdge Marketing
Tip: To become a pro influencer: take care of the published content’s consistency, type, and frequency.
14. Virtual assistant
In a customer-oriented digital environment, virtual assistants and customer support specialists are of great value. It can be a virtual assistant of an app or website, or you can even start your small business with tech support.
You can always get an online course and certification and make more money with your side hustle if you level up your skills and become a valuable asset. Among the courses that will speed up your learning process are:
15. Selling personal digital art
The buzzword of 2022 is NFT, a digital asset that can be valued at millions of dollars. Can you imagine that? For example, any digital product, a picture, video, visual art, illustration, or animation, is assessed as an NFT and can be sold in a blockchain. You can sell NFTs on OpenSea and Rarible.
The most famous NFT sale (and the most expensive NFT sale) is Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days, sold for $69,346,250 (38,525 ETH)
Source: nftnow
If you just heard about NFT or blockchain, it is time to search the terms and dig deeper into the technologies, and learn how to make money as a beginner.
Digital products are also those non-physical assets that can be downloaded. Another great side hustle idea for you can be producing 3D CAD models (3-dimensional computer-aided design technology to create virtual prototypes of three-dimensional objects) and product concepts. Take Stack's NFT as an example, a utility NFT project tied to the startup's unique browser where you will get lifetime access to the tool as well as a collectible. Creating these types of connections to your art or designs will make them more likely to be purchased.
16. Taking online surveys
Online surveys are an excellent digital side hustle idea you may want to consider. The good thing about online surveys is that they offer a viable way to earn money without specific skills.
Online surveys reward vary from less than $1 to more than $20
Source: DoughRoller
It may not make big money, but it can be an easy way to boost your income in no time. Here are some popular websites to start.
17. Alternative investing
One of the trending side hustle ideas is alternative investing - cryptocurrency, real estate crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, or business lending. You may even find a great startup idea to invest in; it may become a big thing in the future and make your contribution. This kind of investment may not bring immediate profit, but it can be your “golden ticket” to the future.
Source: The Money Mongers
The drawback of investment is the chance of losing your investments, so always assess the risks before you make the deal to understand whether you can afford to lose the money or not.
18. Online teaching/tutoring
If you are good at teaching, it can become your side hustle and a great source of income. Online teaching of foreign languages is one common side hustle. You can put your education to use in helping others learn online.
19. Mystery shopping
Are you looking for a side hustle that requires minimal skills and experience? Mystery shopping is a fun side hustle idea and also provides slow income. Your responsibilities as a mystery shopper may be verifying in-store features and shopping experience, rating customer support, or evaluating the brand’s value proposition.
Mystery shopping can be online and offline (visiting brick-and-mortar stores). Here are the top popular companies for mystery shopping:
20. Reselling on Amazon
Amazon is a powerful platform for individuals or small and medium-sized businesses. As a side hustle, you can benefit from the Amazon FBA program (Fulfillment by Amazon) by finding deals locally and shipping them to sell on Amazon. The challenge of reselling on Amazon is high competition and the strict rules of the marketplace you should follow. With professional tutorials and guides, you can learn how to start with Amazon, search for best-selling products and promote your shop.
Start your Amazon side hustle by becoming an Amazon seller. Learn how to become a reseller on Amazon with the following comprehensive tutorials and online courses.
- The Most Comprehensive Seller Training
- Amazon FBA Course - How to Sell on Amazon MASTERY Course
- Amazon seller university
- The beginner's guide to selling on Amazon
21. Online Arbitrage
Online arbitrage is practically the same thing as reselling on Amazon. So why do we offer it as a separate side hustle idea? Everything is simple; besides Amazon, dozens of other marketplaces can be more popular in your region and have potential buyers to provide you with a stable income.
Online arbitrage may require an initial investment for bulk buying, but you will have your profit as soon as the items are sold. Check out the resources on how to start with an online arbitrage:
22. Private Labeling
Private labeling is carried out on marketplaces like Amazon. The process is as follows; you find hot-selling products on Amazon, what customers like about the product, what they don’t, and what they would love to have.
With this information, you try to improve the product, get private labeling, and release your brand to the market. The resources you will need to start private labeling:
- ClearTheShelf.com
- OAChallenge.com
- RevSeller
- Keepa
- TacticalArbitrage
- RevROI
- Reselling on Amazon
- $100 to 7-Figures: Amazon FBA retail arbitrage case study
23. Turn your full-time job into a part-time job
If you haven’t found any side hustle idea, you can still stick to your industry and get a part-time job. The downside of a part-time job is the lack of flexibility. It can be a temporary solution if you need to earn extra money but don’t forget to have a rest, or the burnout will not keep you waiting.
24. Proofreading
If you have excellent grammar skills and an eye for detail, you can think of proofreading services as your side hustle. It is less time-consuming and labor-consuming, but it will help you make decent money. Here are a few ways you can sharpen your skills of proofreading:
- Editorial Freelancers Association courses
- McGraw-Hill's Proofreading Handbook
- Proofreading courses on Udemy
Scribendi offers proofreading and editing services
25. Running an eCommerce store
Online shopping proved to be more practical and effective today than traditional shopping. We are used to looking through the stores from the comfort of our homes, adding favorites, taking time to think, paying online, and getting packages delivered to the door. We are all getting used to this comfort, and you can benefit from our habits by starting an eCommerce store as a side hustle.
We have already mentioned designing and developing a marketplace as an option. Still, if you are not sure about this, you can start with numerous existing and popular marketplaces:
Amazon: How to sell on Amazon
eBay: Start selling on eBay
Etsy: Learn how to sell on Etsy
Instagram shopping: How to sell your products on Instagram
Facebook shop: Set up your shop
26. Podcasting
Podcasting is a great side gig for anyone who loves to talk or has a good story to share. Because podcasts are audio recordings of your voice, it's perfect for those looking for a creative job and passive income.
Podcastle is a podcast recording software that gives an all-in-one solution to creating professional podcasts.
Similar to blogging, podcasting can be started on a budget with a smartphone or computer and free editing software. Practice with the following tutorials on how to create an exciting podcast and choose a topic to address a large group of followers.
- How to Start a Podcast
- How to Start a Podcast STEP-BY-STEP | 2022 Complete Tutorial
- Podcasting for Beginners: The Complete Guide to Getting Started With Podcasts
Podcasts can be monetized using paid sponsorships. Your income will depend on the number of listeners.
The top podcast directories to consider to submit your show.
27. Transcription service
One of the side hustles that has recently gained popularity is transcription services - turning audio recording into text. Most transcribers are industry-based - medical, legal, or podcast transcription. As a beginner, you can learn more about transcribing work by taking one of those online courses:
- Learn How to Transcribe (Skillshare)
- Transcription Skills – Learn Beginning to Advanced Skills (Udemy)
- How to Become a Transcriptionist (Udemy)
- The General Transcription Certification (Transcription Certification Institute)
- Step-by-Step Transcription from Home-Start A New Career (Udemy)
You will only need a computer and internet connection to start the transcription service. Level up your typing skills, be detail-oriented, and you will succeed. Transcribe Anywhere platform is a reliable place to start your side hustle.
28. Translation/Interpretation service
Mastering two and more languages? Translation service is your chance to get a good side income. Put your bilingual skills to use in online platforms handling technical translations. By the way, this type of service is highly rated in the labor market.
To find translation jobs you can search any popular freelance job portals on these websites:
About Softr
Softr is an easy-to-use no-code platform that turns Airtable bases into powerful web apps and client portals. Softr offers a way for you to authenticate your end-users, control access to your content and data based on conditional rules like roles, logged-in status, subscription plans etc. If you're using Airtable as a product catalog you can use a Softr template to build your e-commerce website. Or maybe you'd like to build a custom website for your travel journal, there's a template for that too!
