The Ultimate Guide to Side Hustle Business Ideas to Bring in Money

Have you thought about starting a side hustle? Do you want to make some extra money?

The reality is the most people either hate their jobs or they don’t bring in enough money from a 9-5 (or both). This is why I’m all about freelancing and side hustles. I wrote a book about freelancing in 2012. A lot has changed since then. It’s now easier than ever in the history of mankind to make money on the side. You don’t even have to leave your home or have any special skills to generate revenue.

This is why I had to put together the ultimate guide to side hustle business ideas to help you find side hustles to make money. I want you to make more money so that you can save more, tackle that debt, and do what you want to do in life.

I don’t want to ever come off like a life coach or some annoying motivational speaker, but there’s nothing like making money on your own. The other day I finished my coffee crawl (where I get paid to drink coffee) and I was tipped an extra $20. I have zero special skills and I’m making money on the side by showing coffee shops to strangers that I meet on Airbnb.

Do you want to quit your job? Do you just want to grow that bank account? Are you ready to finally try working for yourself?

I’m going to include my best material on side hustles so that you can get in the game. Please bookmark this page and go over the links.

What’s a side hustle to make money?

This could be anything that brings in an income on top of your regular job.

A side hustle can be a profitable hobby, service that you provide, dance lessons, yoga classes, a freelancing service, or a combination of many things.

There are no rules or limitations. I’ve helped friends and readers make money through ridiculous means.

Here’s a random list of the best side hustles that I’ve encountered lately:

• Playing in a wedding band.
• Selling meal plan recipes.
• Freelance yoga instructor. There’s also big money in running retreats in Costa Rica. Namaste!
• Managing social media pages for businesses.
• Freelance writing (this is how I got my start).
• Creating an Airbnb experience.
• Podcasting.
• Making videos for local companies.
• Dog sitting.
• Dog walking.
• Selling jewelry.

The list goes on. I don’t even know what exists out there totally. The world’s changing and new opportunities are opening up on a daily basis.

Just the other day when I went for an oil change I met an older gentleman who rents out a coffee machine now that he’s retired. He was bored so he bought this machine. He then bought a few other machines. He rents them out to retailers. He maintains them and charges them a fee for the rental.

So random.

There are no limits as to what can bring in money for you.

I have many reader case studies about folks who quit their jobs to work on their side hustles full-time. It’s very common these days to meet someone with a unique gig. This could be you. Matt quit his job to make tables and Theo started his own tutoring company.

What’s the point of starting a side hustle from home?

If you love your job and don’t want to do anything else, then that’s cool. Most people want out of their jobs. Instead of complaining about your situation, you can do something about it.

The benefits of starting a side hustle include:

• A better way to spend your free time. Trying to grow your skills and make more money will go a lot further than complaining on social media or playing video games.
• More money. Making more money is always a good thing.
• The possibility of quitting your job. I’m not here to sell the dream, but your side hustle could generate you enough money to one day quit your job.
• Meet new people. Why not get paid to be social?
• A way to monetize your hobbies. Your hobbies don’t have to be a drain on the wallet.
• Something to do. Life can get boring if you just work and go home. A side hustle can open you up to new social circles and situations.
• Expand your horizons. I have many friends who think that a 9-5 is the only way to bring in money. This is far from the case. I’ve always relied on side hustles to survive.

The best thing for you can be to replace your mindless scrolling that’s taking up your time with a new source of income so that you can make some moves in life.

That freelancing gig could help you escape that boring 9-5 gig that’s bringing you down. You don’t have to feel stuck at that boring desk job. You have options.

What are the quickest ways to start with a side hustle?

The easiest ways to make money are usually through the sharing economy.

By easiest I refer to the fact that you can start in the near future. You don’t have to worry about investing thousands into courses or programs. You can just start the application process today and be on your way to making money in a few days.

Here are the quickest side hustles to get into:

1. Rent a room or your entire place on Airbnb. You can set up an Airbnb page and bring in extra money for that spare bedroom or your entire place when you travel. If you don’t have any space, you clean try to clean units or help people manage their space.
2. Drive for a ridesharing company. You can drive for Uber or Lyft to bring in money.
3. Deliver food. Do you have a bicycle? You can deliver food for a few hours here and there.
4. Offer an Airbnb experience (click the link to read up on how I get paid to drink coffee). You can setup shop on a popular app instead of trying to make it on your own.

With these options you don’t have to go too deep. You just offer something that you can easily do.

I would start here if you want to bring in some extra money.

Freelancing for extra money.

There are so many ways to make money through freelancing. You have the potential to bring in huge money with freelancing. I’ve seen friends go on to become successful freelancers.

How do you freelance?

There are three essentials steps that you have to follow to make money from freelancing.

1. You think of a service that you can offer. What can you do for others? Can you teach something? Can you solve a problem? Can you provide a service?
2. You find a market. Who would be your target customer? Where could you find this target market?
3. You have a way to get paid. How will you collect money?

You don’t have to complicate this stuff. You don’t need to order 500 business cards. You certainly don’t have to spend thousands on a website.

There’s a variety of services that you can offer in exchange for money. You can be a tutor, writer, instructor, guitar teacher, freelance writer, and so on. I don’t want to get off track so I’ll include some links below.

Check out the video below to see how my friend Eric makes six figures as a freelance writer…

[Must read: Freelancing vs starting an online business.]

The best side hustles to make money…

This is where you go deep on something and start a business with a long-term vision.

The problem with this model is that you may have to wait to see some money. You’re going to have to put in the work upfront. It’s also going to take time to see results. However, the good news is that you can make the most in the long run with these ventures.

What would I consider a highly profitable venture?

1. Blogging.
2. Building a brand on social media.
3. Starting a business (online or offline).

Blogging and building your own brand are usually the most profitable in the long run. This blog started off as a passion project and has turned into more than I could’ve ever imagined.

Blogs can bring in huge revenue opportunities when you grow. You can also bring in legit passive income.

The obvious issue is that you have to put in some serious energy into these ventures. Like any business opportunity that can grow to be significant, it takes time, dedication and investment. The good part is that you can work a number of jobs during the day and blog at night. Just make sure you are getting the sleep you need to stay sharp during the day to keep hustling. Most people will give up when they’re not rich after 6 months. This is why so few blogs actually survive or even make any money. It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re not seeing the big bucks rolling in.

The following articles will show you exactly how you can start making money with detailed tips:

1. The exact steps to getting paid as a writer.
2. How to start an online business in 6 easy steps.
3. How to make money off social media.
4. How you can make money online.

I don’t want to repeat myself. This whole side hustle thing is a chose-your-own-adventure kind of journey.

The “follow your passions” model.

This is where you follow your passions with a ridiculous idea that may never work. I’m all for this since I’ve been involved in some ridiculous dreams that have zero chances of every paying off.

Here are examples from my own life:

• Grappling. I did kick boxing and then I switched to grappling (BJJ no-GI) because I really wanted to get good at some form of combat training.
• Pro wrestling. I grew up being a pro wrestling fan my entire life. I had to try it out to at least say that I tried because I didn’t want to have any regrets as I got older.

While I never made it big at any of these, there is money to be made. For example, in pro wrestling, you get paid for shows and you can sell your own merchandise (photos or shirts). In grappling, you can eventually get into teaching and seminars.

This type of side hustle journey is for the dreamers. I’m kind of a dreamer when I’m in the mood.

What’s the best way to start with a side hustle?

The problem is that too many people get excited about chasing their dreams and they think that the only way to do this is to quit a job or to do something extreme. We tend to encourage going all in when the best thing can be to dip your toes in to see what’s possible when it comes to making more money.

Don’t go quitting your job just yet.

The best way to grow a business is to do it on the side. Your main job can help you pay the bills and fund this side hustle.

I guarantee you that you’re going to walk away with at least one new side hustle idea that will bring in good money.

You have to look at your time, resources and skills.

• How much time do you have? You have to be realistic. If you work a stressful 9-5 job and have family commitments then you can’t really devote too much time to a side hustle.
• What resources are available to you? Do you have a room that you can rent out? Do you drive?
• What skills do you posses? Do you have any skills that are marketable right now? It’s okay if you don’t.

We looked at popular ways to make money a few months back and many interesting ideas popped up.

You can always consider flipping stuff to at least get into the game.

Flipping stuff the easiest way to get started with a side hustle. You don’t actually need to have something. You can start with a few bucks. You can then go hunting for deals. You can look for deals online and in person.

When you have no other skills and free time, this is the best way to try to generate some cash. I would suggest that you start slow to see if you have the patience to find deals and then post the sales page.

Here’s what I would do to start a side hustle today…

“Can I do what you do?”

Whenever someone finds out that I work online, they ask about how they could do the same. I never know how to answer this because it’s tough to tell how committed this person is. I also don’t know what skills they have or how much time they’re willing to commit.

If I were starting off today this is exactly what I would do…

Choose one way to make money.

You have to decide what you’re going to do for money. Will you freelance, promote products, build a brand, start a blog, or host an experience?

I was lucky that in 2008 you could only start a blog. You didn’t have like 20 different options (podcast, YouTube channel, Instagram business, Shopify store, and so on). I probably would’ve tried to be everywhere at once.

I would decide on one way to make money and dive in for at least 3 months. 

I would focus on growing a social media following around my side hustle.

I’m currently doing this with my coffee crawl. The coffee crawl is an official Airbnb experience, but the Instagram page isn’t limited to just coffee pictures. I try to discuss things to do.

The beauty of making money these days is that you never know where the income will come from. You can start by selling a product and then end up selling advertising.

I would choose one social media platform and go all in.

Here’s the thing: most of us waste time on social media when it could be the best business tool. Creating content on a platform will force you to at least get to know your target market and what they’re looking for.

I would start ASAP.

I almost hesitated writing this article because I don’t want you to get stuck. I want to see you take action.

Please don’t do any of the following:

• Share the same useless motivational quotes.
• Tag your friends in a Gary Vee video. We get it. You have to work hard. Bla bla bla.
• Read another self-help book.

Don’t worry about being perfect. Just launch. I’ve always just launched and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Do more and consume less.

You don’t have to buy a course on courses, you don’t need to listen to a podcast on podcasting, and you certainly don’t need a blog on blogging. Most authors encourage you to read and to invest in yourself because they’re trying to sell you something. I want you to do something.

I would certainly read less and do more if I could do it again. It’s too easy to get caught up in reading and consuming. You become addicted to studying success instead of going after it.

Here’s a quick recap of how I would start with a side hustle today:

• Choose one way to make money and go all in for 3 months.
• Go all in on one social media platform to grow this brand/idea.
• Start ASAP.
• Do more and read less.

Which side hustle are you going to follow up on?

Watch this video if you’re stuck at day one…

Check out the other articles in this series:

• Is entrepreneurship worth it for millennials? — Does it even make sense to try to work for yourself?
• How you can chase your passion when you have no time or money. — Short on cash and time? Join the rest of the world.
• Do you have to be self-employed to be successful? — We look at the notion that you need to work for yourself to be considered a success.
• The Beer League Rule. — How I decide which side hustle to follow through on.

The material on side hustles and boosting your income mentioned in this guide should be more than enough to get you started.

Those are the best side hustles to make money. I want you to promise me that you’re going to start one side hustle and follow through on it. Deal?