Best Side Hustles [2024]: 20 Ways to Increase Your Income

Making extra money is easier today than ever as there are many great side hustles to consider. The right opportunity for you depends on what you’re good at doing, how much time you have, and how much you need to earn. For example, you could use your day job skills to run a freelance business on Fiverr or do something completely different and start a handyman business on TaskRabbit.

Many of the side hustles allow you to advertise your business yourself, but there are also some great platforms that help you get in front of a much larger audience. I suggest looking at platforms like Fiverr, TaskRabbit, Uber and DoorDash to see how you can use your skills, or if you want to start your own business, consider sites like Shopify or Amazon for reselling or even starting your own blog.

My biggest piece of advice is to diversify your efforts and not put all your eggs in one basket. Find things you love to do and turn them into money-making opportunities without taking up all of your time and without making it feel like another job.

How we evaluate products

The companies we chose to include in our list of best side hustle are popular ways to earn some extra income. We did not review all companies in the market. When evaluating these companies, we considered factors such as earning potential, ease of use, time commitment, and who might benefit most from a particular side hustle.

We included a mix of side hustles, including those that might earn you pocket change as well as those that could help you pay the bills. We included a variety of tasks so that there is something for everyone.

Take surveys in your spare time

Market research companies are constantly looking for consumers to answer their surveys to provide them with insights on the products and services offered. This is a side hustle that will line your pockets with a little cash or gift cards, but not necessarily pay the bills.

I like taking surveys because I can do it from anywhere as long as I have an internet connection, so it’s a great way to pass time waiting at the doctor’s office, grocery store line, or anywhere else you have downtime, while earning a little cash.

How to get started: Check out the popular survey sites, like Survey Junkie, KashKick, InboxDollars, or Branded Surveys to get started. Each of these sites are free to join and all you have to do is complete a profile to start receiving survey invitations to earn cash or gift cards.

Provide handyman services

If you love to DIY all the projects around your home, you can turn your skills into a side hustle. The sky’s the limit with the services you offer, such as cleaning, moving furniture, hanging ceiling fans, replacing floors, or maintaining landscaping. Determine what you’re good at, how much you want to charge, and what’s worth your time and advertise your skills.

How to get started: If you already have the tools, all you have to do is determine where to advertise your services. You can do it for free, advertising on your social media pages or hanging flyers or use platforms like TaskRabbit or Thumbtack to advertise your services (for a cost).

Deliver food

If you don’t mind driving, dealing with restaurant delays, and have great customer service skills, you can make money delivering food to customers. I like this option because you work when you want (no set schedules), and you work by yourself. The platforms pay drivers a flat fee, which you know before you accept the order, plus you keep 100% of the customer tips, so there’s an opportunity to increase your earnings with great service. The key to high earnings is to work during the peak hours, which are typically dinner hours into the late evening, especially on the weekends.

How to get started: The most popular platforms to deliver food are Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. They each have their own requirements, but in general, you must be 18, have a reliable vehicle, pass a background check, and have a current driver’s license. If you’re organized and can keep the apps separate, I suggest double dipping and signing up for the two most popular apps in your area to maximize your chances of getting orders.

Deliver groceries and orders

If you have pep in your step and can get through a grocery store quickly or can keep pre-picked orders organized to deliver, you can make money delivering groceries or Amazon packages to customers. Like restaurant delivery, you must have a reliable vehicle, driver’s license, and pass a background check. However, for some delivery positions, you may need to be 21 years old. The key in making this side hustle work is that you move fast, pay attention to details, and don’t mind communicating with customers if the store doesn’t have the items they wanted.

How to get started: The two most popular grocery delivery apps are Instacart and Shipt. Both apps allow you to select available orders, shop for them at the designated store, and deliver them to the customers. If you prefer to pick up pre-picked orders, consider Amazon Flex where you deliver Amazon orders, but you won’t get tips like you would if you deliver groceries.

Be a rideshare driver

If you have a somewhat new and decent looking vehicle, don’t mind driving a lot and can strike up conversations with anyone, consider rideshare driving. Like food delivery, you pick the rides you want to accept, but instead of delivering food, you pick up passengers and take them to their destination. This works best for people who live in urban areas with a lot of traffic and events, or a popular airport.

How to get started: Uber and Lyft are the two most popular rideshare driving apps. Both require drivers to be between 21 and 25 years old, depending on how many years of driving experience you have, and you must pass a background check. They are also stricter about the type and year of vehicle you drive. The nice thing is you know how much you’ll earn before accepting the ride and can increase your earnings by providing great customer service, as you keep 100% of your tips.

Walk dogs or pet-sit

Are you a dog lover looking for the perfect side hustle? Dog walking or offering pet sitting services could be a great match for you. You are in control of what services you offer, whether you pop in at lunchtime to walk dogs while their owners work or you pet-sit at your home or theirs while the owners are on vacation. You also don’t have to limit your services to just dogs, you can pet-sit just about any animal you’re comfortable with handling.

How to get started: Since you don’t need any tools or equipment, you can offer your pet-sitting or dog walking services right away by hanging flyers in the local area or advertising on your social media pages. If you prefer a platform to help you leverage a larger audience, consider Care.com or Rover. These apps connect you with local families and handle all the administrative and payments so you don’t have to worry about getting scammed, but will pay a small fee for using their services.

Sell your creative skills

Ever dreamed of tapping into your creative side to earn cash? Whether you paint murals, DJ parties, or photograph weddings, you can grow your business offering your creative skills. The sky’s the limit with the services you can offer, just make sure the pay is worth your time. I suggest watching local Facebook groups or even Craigslist for services people are in search of and see if you can fill the void. Look for services you can offer that your area isn’t already saturated with and you can create a booming side hustle.

How to get started: Like many side hustles, you can advertise your services locally, or you can leverage sites like Thumbtack, which is an online platform that matches customers with local professionals running just about any type of business. It’s free to create a profile, though you’ll pay a relatively small fee when a warm lead contacts you directly. You can set your own schedule, geographic location, and pricing. Plus, Thumbtack lets you know how you compare to the competition so you can set fair prices for your services.

Start a side business

Many people have found that a part-time side hustle has been so enjoyable and successful that they've been able to turn it into a full-time business from home. Imagine controlling your own time and turning something you love into your new day job. For example, I started writing as a part-time side hustle to bring in extra income, but quickly turned it into a full-time business that allowed me to leave my standard 9 to 5 job.

How to get started: You must have a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit and learn the ins and outs of how to start a business. You may also need some help to fund your business and get it off the ground, either with a small business loan or a business credit card. Cards like the Ink Business Cash^® Credit Card let you earn cash back on common startup purchases.

Become a freelancer

At its heart, freelancing is nothing more than selling your particular creative skillset to others on a one-off or recurring basis.

Love to write? Become a freelance writer or offer your proofreading or transcription services to businesses or resume writing for individuals. Alternatively, you can use your love of art and computers by doing freelance work as a graphic designer, helping others with their business bookkeeping, or technological needs.

How to get started: All it takes is a little research to find out what people are charging in your area to help you set your hourly rate and bring in some extra income doing what you're good at. I suggest creating an account on Fiverr (or Upwork if you're freelance writing), or a similar freelance platform and start advertising your skills.

Start a podcast or blog

If you have a passion for a topic, hobby, or niche, what better way to share your knowledge than by becoming a blogger or starting a podcast? Learning how to start a successful blog is as simple as picking a name and hosting service and starting to write. As your reach and audience grow, you can monetize your blog. You can also use a podcast to drive more traffic to your blog and any products you are selling. If you grow your audience large enough, you can also take on sponsors who will pay you to promote their goods or services over one or more podcast episodes.

How to get started: You don’t need a lot of tools or money to start a blog except for a computer, but a podcast requires some electronic equipment, such as a microphone, headphones, and a recording interface. When you start, you’ll likely only have a few followers so it will feel like you’re talking to the wall, but stay consistent with your posting and when you have at least 1,000 followers, sign up for services like Google ads or affiliate programs to monetize your blog or podcast.

Become a social media influencer

If images and videos are more to your liking, take to social media and work at becoming an influencer. If your passion happens to be a trending topic and you can convey an appealing personality, you could slowly build an online presence. Depending on the platform, social media influencers can get paid through advertising dollars or by sponsors who will ask them to review and talk about their products. So, not only can you get paid, but you might also get some free stuff!

How to get started: Choose the social media platform you have the largest following on and pick a niche topic. Focus on topics you know your audience will love and possibly share with others to keep your audience engaged and growing. The nice thing is that it’s free to start, so anyone can try their hand at social media influencing as long as you have the dedication to be consistent and deal with adversity as social media has its ups and downs.

Become a personal assistant

If you love to cross items off a to-do list and are extremely organized, you may do well as a personal assistant. You can do these tasks in-person or online, as a virtual assistant. If you work in-person, your tasks may include answering phones, managing calendars, or running errands. If you want a broader reach than your local area, you can offer virtual assistant services, managing a company’s social media, calendars, meetings, or blog posts.

How to get started: The key to running a side hustle as a personal assistant is to advertise your services. If you want to work in-person, network with local businesses or join your local chamber of commerce and if you want to work online, you can use sites like Fiverr to connect with companies nationwide who need your services.

Become an online reseller

If you love shopping for deals, you can make a business out of it by reselling the items online. I have a couple of friends who do this and make their living shopping at stores like TJMaxx and Marshalls to find amazing deals and then sell the items online for a profit. It takes a lot of patience and incredible knowledge of the latest trends and what will sell for a profit, but if you’re willing to handle the learning curve, you can start a great side hustle.

How to get started: This side hustle requires some capital because you must buy items to sell them. I suggest starting small to test the waters and build up as you make a little income. Amazon is a great place to start reselling items, and if you want support figuring out this monster platform, Jungle Scout can help you learn how to resell, find the right products, and even qualified suppliers.

Start a dropshipping business

If you don't want to deal with Amazon, you could also start a dropshipping business with an ecommerce platform like Shopify. This method of selling allows you to market your products without the need to carry inventory or deal with Amazon. The supplier packages and ships all orders; your only job is to market your website to increase sales.

How to get started: Shopify is the most popular platform for dropshippers. But before you start, do some research and choose a niche. Look for areas where there is high demand for products, but not enough sellers to fill the need. Also look at competitors to see what they do that consumers may not like and determine how you can do it better.

Sell stuff you don't need anymore

Think all of those unused items in your home are just junk? Why not look at them as potential piles of cash instead? I love this side hustle because you don’t have to buy anything or learn any new skills. You just need to go around your house and find items you no longer need. I don’t know about you, but I can find stuff just about everytime I look.

How to get started: Take inventory of the items in your house you no longer need and find the best place to sell them. I typically start looking at eBay to see what similar items sell for, unless they are large items, like furniture or exercise equipment, then I look at Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. But if you have designer clothes or expensive items, you may want to look at Poshmark to see what you can get for your belongings.

Rent out your garage

Did you ever wish you could make some extra money from your home but hate the idea of renting out a spare room to a stranger? What about keeping their stuff in your home instead? If you have an empty garage or a designated empty area, you can rent it to tenants and collect monthly rent. This side hustle doesn’t feel like an invasion of privacy to me because it’s just garage space, not space inside your home.

How to get started: Neighbor.com is a person-to-person platform that lets you lease storage space in your home, garage, or property to people in your neighborhood. The company offers $1 million in general liability protection at no additional cost for your guests' possessions and you set the rental rates and terms, while earning extra cash.

Rent out your car

If you have a car you rarely drive, you can rent it out to people looking for rental cars. It may sound scary at first, but the sites offering this service provide protections, such as digital keys and $1 million in insurance coverage so you don’t have to worry about huge financial losses if your renter does something to your car.

How to get started: The two main sites offering rental car services are Getaround and Turo. Both allow you to list your car for rent, but Turo requires you to meet renters in person to give and receive the keys, whereas Getaround installs a digital key so you don’t have to meet the renters in person. Both services require you to set your own rates and manage your listing so you are competitive with other owners.

Start a photography business

If you have mad photography skills but don’t have the time to photograph events or even studio shots, you can sell your photography online. I like this option because it creates a passive income opportunity. You take the photographs once and then can sell them as many times as people will buy them, earning a small commission each time.

How to get started: Choose the site that best suits the niche you have photos in and list your photos for sale. Some popular sites include Shutterstock, iStock, and Foap. Just be sure to read the terms and conditions and understand what you can and cannot sell on the sites, as well as how much you’ll earn.

Babysitting

If you love kids, you can start a side hustle babysitting. You can either watch the children at their own home or start a side daycare business where the kids come to you. Just be sure you check your local ordinances and get proper licensing when needed. You set your hourly or daily rates and decide what services you’ll provide, such as “school time,” lunches, field trips, or any other services you may want to offer.

How to get started: Babysitting jobs often come by word-of-mouth, but you can also list your services on sites like Care.com. This is often a good way to prove you are a legitimate babysitter as Care.com does background checks and ensures all sitters are eligible to watch children. You also get the benefit of leveraging a much larger audience to make more money.

Become a tutor

Tutoring is a great side business to start at home whether online or in-person. If you work for a platform, you may need a teaching certificate, but if you go off on your own, you can tutor in any subject you feel qualified to teach others about. The nice thing is you can charge what you think is fair and most tutoring sessions only last an hour so it’s easy to squeeze them in even when you’re busy.

How to get started: You can either advertise your tutoring services using flyers or your social media accounts or sign up with platforms like VIPKid. If you choose a platform, be sure you understand their requirements, including when you must work. For example, with VIPKid, you tutor students in China, so you must work during their after-school hours, which can be very early morning here.

What is the best side hustle for me?

A good side hustle fits easily into your life and provides the money you’re looking to make. Exactly what that looks like will be different from person to person. Some people need to figure out how to make as much as $1,000 a day while others aim to make that amount in a week or a month.

Here are some things to consider when you start looking into ways to make extra money:

• How much time will I have to commit to earn enough money? A low time-to-money ratio is always a good thing. Earning more in less time makes sense for just about everybody. That said, some side hustles that take more time could make more sense if you’re considering the long-term picture.
• Do you need money to do the job? For example, you can’t earn money with a rideshare company if you don’t have a car that meets its standards. If you have to invest a lot of money into your side hustle to get started, that may be a barrier that won’t make that particular gig worth the effort. Take stock of what you have to offer and start with the path of least resistance.
• When can you work? Full-time jobs, family, and other commitments may keep you on a strict schedule. Determine what your schedule can afford to handle and create a list of ideas that fits into that.