The Ultimate Side Hustle List: 100 Ways to Earn Extra Money in 2018

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People often ask me, What is a good side hustle? That’s a really hard question to answer.

Some people are looking to earn some extra money while others are looking for something that can give them more flexibility than their 9-to-5 job. To me there are three kinds of side hustles.

Side Hustles

The first is a passion hustle. You’re doing something you love and though you get paid for it you don’t care because you love doing it so much.

The second is a skill hustle. You’re making money off of something you know how to do well because you’ve become an expert in it. You most likely received a degree in it or it’s a skill you’ve perfected along the way. This could also be a passion, but doesn’t have to be.

The third hustle is the get money hustle. This is when you are doing anything you can to earn money. People have several reasons for doing a hustle just for the money: earning enough to pay bills and eat, paying off debt, or saving for a vacation, home, and/or car.

So if you’re looking for a side hustle you have to ask yourself why.

• Are you saving for something?
• Do you have an idea/product/service that you want to make money off of?
• Do you want it to pay for a hobby?
• Are you trying to obtain financial freedom and pay off debt?

Then you have to ask yourself:

• Do I want a hustle that takes advantage of my skills? If so, what are your skills?
• Do I need to make some money quick? If so, you’ll need to figure out your availability and pick something that makes sense for you.
• Is this a passion project? If so, what are all the ways you can make money from it?

Now I’m about to give you my list of side hustles and my two cents for each of them. This is not an all-encompassing list. For example, fast food isn’t on here, but if you needed to you could definitely work at McDonald’s or Starbucks on nights and weekends.

Instead I’ve tried to list jobs that maybe you’ve heard of, but didn’t really think they were something you could make money from. Or may you didn’t realize how lucrative they could be. Or you didn’t know about them at all. Let’s get started (this article is ridiculously long, strap up and let’s ride).

Driver

Ok, so most of you have heard of being a driver by now, but have you ever considered it? I spoke with Uber drivers while in Atlanta (I love talking to strangers) and they all said they loved it. One guy quit his full-time job because he loved the flexibility and he started making more money driving than he did at his regular job. What!?!

If driving is your thing and you don’t mind having people in your car consider it. There are ways you can tactfully cover your seats and floors to keep your car looking nice. Also, if you have a luxury car I think you might be able to charge more! Here are two companies you should check out:

1. Lift Driver
2. Uber Drive

Online

Doesn’t it feel like everyone is making “easy” money online. Well, I can tell you it’s not easy. To make money online it helps if you have a passion for what you’re doing, but at the very least you have to be willing to hustle and put in the work.

Usually making money online involves creating blog content, starting a website, having a large social media presence, and/or making videos. Depending on what you’re trying to do you don’t have to have all of these items, but one thing that’s a must is you need an audience. To build that audience you need quality content and great marketing skills. Think it’s for you? Try out these ideas.

3. Affiliate Marketing. Listen to episode 04 on the Studio 78 Podcast to hear  the owner of Search by Inseam talk about how she was able to start a niche site and making money through affiliate links. Essentially you link to products or service of another company and you earn a commission.
4. Personal Brand. NacheSnow.com is an example of a personal brand. You create a brand around you and then sell books, courses, or other products. You can also get sponsorships, speaking engagements, and make money off of affiliate links. There are a ton of other things you can do, but this gives you a taste.
5. Podcast. I swear, ever since the release of Serial podcast have exploded. They’ve been around forever, but they are crazy popular right now. You can start one on any topic, check out my podcast Studio 78. It’s really easy to get started, I learned how from Smart Passive Income’s free YouTube tutorials. If you get thousands of downloads per episode you can then get sponsorships. It may also lead to other opportunities.
6. YouTube Channel. Oh, YouTube. Some people make a ridiculous amount of money from YouTube videos. So you might think I’m going to say with ads, but I’m not. Unless each video has millions of followers you’re not going to make that much of ads. People make money by using it to boost the sell of a product, affiliate marketing, sponsors, or selling videos with services like Yonda. There is an article on Lifehack that provides 11 ways to earn money.

Skill

If you know how to do something very well you can earn money by providing a service or a product. There are many skill sets in the world, I’m merely highlighting a few to give you an idea on how you can make money doing things you’re good at. She of these may be a hobby for you right now, but know that you can turn your hobby into a side hustle.

7. Calligrapher – make money creating wedding and other formal invitations; sell inspirational prints and other products
8. Dancer – teach in personal and online, join a dance company, get hired for formal events (belly dancers), check out sites like Answers 4 Dancers, Dancers Pro, and Dance.net
9. Electrician – look for work and post online at sites like craigslist; connect with friends and family and have them tell others you’re for hire
10. Finance – book-keeping , tax preparation, financial planning services, the sky is the limit
11. Graphic/Web Designer – everything in this world needs to be designed; find a niche and market yourself
12. Handletterer – this is huge right now; sell your service, create products, teach, or do it for a local business
13. Illustrator – sell your service to illustrate books, posters, magazine layouts, etc.; sell products online with your artwork
14. Jewelry Making – Everyone loves jewelry; sell it online, at craft fairs, or create a pop up shop
15. Marketing – lots of small business need help with this; reach out to local business and ask them if they want to hire you
16. Musician – sell albums, sell tracks, play at various venues (bars, clubs, restaurants, festivals), play at events (weddings), write songs, be a stand in for a band, perform on cruise ships and at concerts; try places like Fiverr, Patreon, Spotify, YouTube
17. Photographer – become a wedding, portrait, product or real estate photographer; sell stock photography (styled photography is huge right now) on sites like 500px, Creative Market, and Adobe Stock.
18. Proofreader – we need you, sell your services to website owners and book authors
19. Quilt making – the trend right now is having a handmade home; sell online or reach out to some of your local boutiques
20. Scrapbooking – make money by teaching, selling kits, creating digital products, and affiliate marketing; find an industry to target and go forth
21. Transcriber – podcast and videos are extremely popular right now and accessibility is extremely important; find markets online to list your services and email some of your favorite podcast or video authors and offer your services
22. Translator – there are several services that will pay for this, see market places below; find all of the big translator sites and see if they’re hiring freelancers
23. Virtual Assistant – business owners can’t do everything, pitch your service to small business owners in your area or online
24. Writer – so much can be done here: copy writing,  ghost writing, web content writer or write your own book
25. Woodworking – create and sell custom furniture, home decor, and other products online or at local boutiques

Market places to sell your work/services:

Not sure where to start? Before you go at it on your own try using online market places.

99 Designs. This is for designers. You can go here and look for jobs to work on. It is crowd sourcing (I know designers hate this), but it allows you to sharpen your skills and see if you can get work.

Fiverr. Everything is on this site. Yes, everything is $5 dollars, but you sell bite sized services. People use this to land big clients on the side.

Upwork.  Great place for freelance designers, developers, writers, virtual assistance, marketers, accountants, customer service agents and consultants.

Creative Market. This is a market place for designers and photographers. Sell templates, stock photos, graphics, fonts and more.

Store

Now we’re getting into selling products, digital/ physical, and also used/new. There are just so many ways to make money out here! Know that for all of these places you need to put in the work to promote your products or they will get lost in the sea of other products.

26. Amazon. You can sell everything on here. You can open up a regular seller account or apply for handmade market. You can sell new or used items.
27. Ebay. Yes, eBay is still around, This is a good place to sell old stuff sitting around your house or found objects that people might want. That’s how Sophia Amoruso got her start.
28. Etsy. This market place allows you to sell handmade and vintage goods. You also can sell your items wholesale. I currently use them along with Shopify to sell my handmade laser cut home decor goods.
29. Fashion Truck/ Mobile Boutique.  People sell clothes, jewelry, and other items out of a truck or trailer. Other businesses are laundry truck, pet grooming, financial services, and hair. To learn more listen to the archive of the Can I Park Here? podcast.
30. Food Truck. Prefer food? Think about starting a food truck. Check out foodtruckr.com.
31. Pop up Shop. You can do this many ways. Determine what you want to sell and have home parties, rent out spaces, or sell at local markets.
32. Spoonflower. Calling all illustrators. If you have an idea for a pattern for fabric or wallpaper this is your place. Not sure how to make a pattern learn on YouTube.
33. Society 6.  This is great for designers, photographers, illustrators, artist or anyone who has a cool idea for tapestry, throw pillows, iPhone cases, t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. You upload your design and it’s printed on demand. Society 6 will print and ship the item. On episode 02 of the Studio 78 podcast Inked Designs owner talked a bit about her store.
34. Teespring. Have a t-shirt or bag idea? You can sell your items here. They will also print and ship for you.

Teach 

Teaching isn’t for everyone. Some people are really good at whatever they do, but don’t know how to clearly explain how they do it. Teaching is a skill, but a skill that can be learned. If you want to give it a go there are a ton of online providers that will allow you to share your expertise. Here are some of my favorites. Know that if you prefer teaching in person you can also consider teaching classes and workshops at schools, colleges, rec centers, and maker spaces.

35. Lynda.com. If you have prior experience teaching and are skilled in design, business, development or photography apply to be an instructor. This is a marketplace so the will take a share of your profits.
36. Skillshare. I heart Skillshare. I learned calligraphy on there. Anyone can become an instructor. Most popular classes tend to be in the arts. They are actively looking for people to do culinary classes. This is a marketplace so they take a share of your profits.
37. Teachable. This is different from the others. I use it for my courses. You pay a monthly fee to host your own courses on the platform. This means you aren’t competing with other instructors, but you also then have to work a little harder to get your courses out there since you’re not in a marketplace. Another plus is you get to keep your profit.
38. Udemy. They have a lot of courses in business, IT, personal development, design, marketing and office productivity. This is a marketplace so they get a share of your profits.

If you prefer in person training consider being a:

39. Language Teacher
40. Music Teacher
41. Personal Trainer
42. Substitute Teacher
43. Tutor

Service

I’m not going to explain each one because they are self-explanatory. Most of these you can do with no prior experience.

44. Babysitting
45. Bartender
46. Caretaker
47. Car/truck wrapping
48. Car washing and detailing
49. Cleaning service (home, carpet, pool)
50. Club promoter
51. Customer Service Rep
52. Deliver papers
53. Delivery driver
54. DJ
55. Elderly Care
56. Face Painter
57. Food (catering, event food server, personal chef, meal prep)
58. Furniture assembly
59. Gardening/lawn mowing
60. Handyman
61. House sitter
62. Mechanic
63. Moving business
64. Notary Public
65. Officiate weddings
66. Organization specialist
67. Pet Service (dog walking, dog training,  pet sitting, pet grooming)
68. Planner (weddings, events, parties, travel)
69. Real Estate (selling, house flipping)
70. Seamstress
71. Security
72. Sports (game official, coach)
73. Statue (yes, the people who dress up and stand still in a park)
74. Tour guide
75. Window Cleaning

Marketplaces you can use to sell service:

76. Airbnb. Rent out your home or a space in your home.
77. GigWalk. Through their app you can find quick jobs in your area posted by consumer brands and retailers.
78. Instacart. Earn money shopping and delivering groceries for people.
79. Task Rabbit. Do cleaning and handyman task for people. This service also has an app.
80. Turo. Rent your car. Yes, you can rent your car. This service also has an app.

Tech

81. Computer Repair. Everyone has a computer and most people cheaped out on the warranty. If you get known as the person that can work magic on computers you can probably start a lucrative side hustle.
82. Develop an App. I read an article stating Facebook and Google are dominating the market so it can be difficult for the little guy to make money. Except in the gaming market. Something to consider, Google it.
83. Buy and Sell Domains. This is sometimes really annoying because as a business owner you’ll think of a domain name only to find out someone else has purchased it and they are waiting for people to bid on it, grrr. However, you can make money from it. Check out this GoDaddy article on it.
84. Manage Social Media Accounts. A lot of small and large business need this. If you have the skills start pitching your self to local and online businesses.
85. Software developer. No excuse, if you’re worth your weight in gold you can make money. Almost every major site out there is looking for a software developer. Tighten up your resume and pitch some of the small businesses if you’re looking to do this as a side hustle.

Other

86. Antique restoration
87. Brand Ambassador
88. Data Analysis
89. Data Entry
90. Direct Sales (MaryKay, Pampered Chef, Avon, Beachbody)
91. Kindle book formatting
92. Influencer Marketing
93. Interior Design Consultant
94. Process person
95. Professional Mentor
96. Modeling
97. Online Juror
98. Patents (Check out this episode from a SPI Podcast)
99. Property manager
100. Self publish a book/eBook
101. Write greeting cards

With any of the skill listed about you can do the following:

Coach. Partner with someone to help them develop as a person. You will brainstorm, motivate, get them in the right mindset, develop their skills and be there all around accountability partner. Usually one-to-one, but not always. (i.e. Yoga and meditation). I do this now for people who are starting and branding online businesses.

Consult. Advise people on a topic that you’re the expert in. You can teach, analyze, and/or create action plans. Usually in groups, but not always.

Freelancer. Works with multiple companies or clients to provide a service. Make sure you have contracts. Know your fee and decide how much money you want before starting a project. Stay firm.

Speak. Present your heads and or expertise in front of a group of people. Get paid to speak at conference, schools, and other venues seeking your expertise.

Teach. Assist someone with obtain a certain goal (i.e. personal trainer) or teach them your skill set.

Did I miss something? Please add it in the comments.

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