23 Side Hustle Ideas to Make Extra Money in 2024

Side hustles can provide extra income by building recurring revenue streams that can be beneficial for those with time and energy. Online side hustles offer flexible jobs that can work with a regular job schedule. Starting with a curated list of side hustle opportunities can be productive. With just a few hours a week, you can benefit from a side hustle. Side hustles offer a great way to boost income and explore potential business ideas with little upfront cost or major time commitments. There are various successful side hustle opportunities, whether in person or online, so there is likely to be one that works for you. To help you find the right side hustle for you, here are 23 side hustle ideas that can give you extra income in 2024.

The sting of inflation may have you pondering how to make some extra income. If you have the time and energy, you can put your skills and passions to work with a side hustle.

23 Side Hustle Ideas to Make Extra Money in 2024

1. Start and Monetize a YouTube channel

There are over 2.7 active users on YouTube who watch 1 billion hours of videos daily. This provides an easy avenue you can utilize to start making extra money.  Instead of waiting for ads to become viable, which may be time-consuming, there are ways to make money on YouTube beyond paid ads. Start by producing content that resonates with your target audience, then consider selling paid subscriptions, merchandise, or paid sponsorships.

2. Become a blogger

You may make money from your writing by starting a blog in a specialized market like cuisine, travel, beauty, or fashion and using affiliate sales or advertisements. You can use affiliate sales or advertisements to monetize your site as you gain popularity. Ads pay per view or click, while affiliate sales pay you to promote a product or service. If a customer makes a purchase after clicking on one of your affiliate links, you will get a commission.

Running a basic blog can cost $50 to $100 per year, including domain purchase, WordPress hosting, and web builder platforms like Wix or Squarespace. Assessing the top blogging platforms may assist you in selecting the one that best suits your requirements.

3. Become a Freelancer

Freelancing is a popular way to earn extra money, offering flexible project-based work in various fields such as graphic design, writing, editing, website development, and more. Freelancers can market their skills to their personal network for free via email and social media and reach potential clients using freelancer portals like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.com. Marketing skills on a personal website can add professional polish and allow for convenient online invoicing and payments.

Companies are looking for writers who can edit AI content and have a basic understanding of search engine optimization. Some freelancers charge $100 an hour or more for their freelance writing services.

Here are some of the online platforms to monetize your skills

4. Provide Babysitting Services

Babysitting and in-home child care are popular side hustles that can provide extra income. The American Red Cross offers certification courses for CPR, first aid, and behavior tactics. Babysitting is low-cost and can be marketed using apps like Care.com, Sittercity, UrbanSitter, or Square.

5. Become a Personal Assistant

Busy professionals often prefer a single person to handle daily tasks, making a side hustle an excellent opportunity. This can include grocery shopping, dry cleaning, dog walking, and transportation. Costs for launching a personal assistant side hustle are low, but in nonurban areas, a vehicle may be required.

Top gig and payments apps include Thumbtack.com and TaskRabbit.com, or you can set up your own bookings and payments using Square.

Read Also: How to Become a Speech and Language Pathologist

6. Start a podcast

Podcasting, like social media and blogging, is a popular online content form. It’s affordable, with USB microphones and recording platforms like Audacity being free and easy to use.

Starting a podcast can be beneficial for various reasons, such as generating leads for businesses, being recognized as an industry leader, and sharing important messages. To start a podcast, it is essential to be realistic about your goals and choose a topic that you enjoy regularly discussing and researching. Conduct market research and search your show’s topic on Apple Podcasts to find unique angles and perspectives. To learn more about how to start a podcast, read here

7. Offer pet sitting Services

A pet sitting side hustle is ideal for animal lovers and easy to set up and promote. Costs are minimal for in-home care, but initial setup may require investments in kennels or gates.

Pet owners are increasingly viewing their pets as family members, leading to a growing demand for reliable pet sitters. Apps like Rover, Wag!, PetSitter.com, and PetBacker have made it easier to find clients. Starting a pet business can increase income by selling products and creating a website to sell services and products.

Recommended: Top 10 Best Crowdfunding Websites (2024)

8. Offer Dog Walking Services

Dog-walking services are a great side hustle for those who love dogs but don’t have enough time or space for pet sitting or daycare. Apps like Wag and Rover offer on-demand dog walking, and overnight dog boarding can be offered with the landlord’s permission. Starting a dog-walking service may take time and may require approval. The age threshold is 18+, and the pay ranges from two days to a week. Costs are minimal, but owners typically provide leashes.

9. Car washing services

Car washing is a low-cost side hustle suitable for outdoor enthusiasts. It can be offered at home or contracted with local businesses. Startup costs include cleaning tools, a hose, and a vehicle. Mobile car wash apps like MobileWash and Spiffy can be used, or Square can be used for bookings and payments.

10. Offer digital marketing services

Creative individuals can create and sell digital products in their free time, including artwork, logos, music, photography, video, and website design templates. These products can be downloaded on websites, social media platforms, and various digital product marketplaces. Platforms like Canva, PhotoPea, and Garageband can be used for creation.

Monetization can be done on a website or Etsy store, and creative marketplaces like Canva, Envato Market, Creative Fabrica, Shutterstock, iTunes, and SoundCloud support all types of digital product sales.

11. Become an affiliate marketer

If you have a successful blog, social media presence or video channel, affiliate marketing may be for you. Affiliate marketers review and recommend products, receiving a small share of generated sales.

12. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants offer personal assistant services in the digital world, handling tasks like appointment scheduling, customer emails, travel bookings, and data entry. They can be found on job sites like Flexjobs or Indeed, or through companies like Time Etc or Boldly. However, third-party matching may limit flexibility in hours worked. To start, use sites like Flexjobs, Time Etc, or Boldly. Costs for this side hustle include a reliable computer and internet connection.

Virtual assistant apps like TaskRabbit, ChatterBoss, and Upwork help market services, manage gigs, and payments. Square is another popular platform for bookings and payments.

13. Sell your photography

Burst, Shutterstock, and Getty Images are seeking photos for websites and ad campaigns, as the web continues to evolve. Photography can be sold as prints, mugs, or sweatshirts, as quality prints are easy and affordable. Additionally, photography can be sold as a service, including weddings, concerts, graduations, baby announcements, and annual family photos. The market for photography is significant, as websites constantly update and refresh their content.

14. Become an App tester

Developers often hire testers to ensure websites and apps are functional before they go live. Matchmaking sites like UserTesting, UTest, Userlytics, UserCrowd, and Enroll connect users with various website and app-testing gigs. Some competitive gigs even offer $100 for a 60-minute test. A sample test is required for acceptance. Approval timelines can vary, and payment amounts vary based on test length. Starting a website or app test is easy, with a minimum age of 18 and a seven-day payment period.

15. Become a transcriber or translator

Transcriptionists type audio files from clients, including videos, notes, phone calls, and legal proceedings. They need good ear and quick fingers. Freelance sites like Rev, TranscribeMe, and GoTranscript offer paid transcription opportunities.

16. Become a Language Teacher

Teaching English online to students worldwide can be a rewarding side hustle. And since you may be teaching across different time zones, you can schedule sessions outside of your local regular business hours. If you have non-English language skills, you can likely find virtual teaching opportunities in your language of choice.

17. Self-publish an e-book

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing allows writers to sell their books on the Kindle store for free, with the potential to earn up to 70% of each sale in royalties. The process involves writing a book, uploading the manuscript, setting the price, and checking if it sells. The process is quick and easy, with a minimum age of 18 and a monthly payment after meeting the $100 threshold. However, self-publishing doesn’t guarantee a book will sell due to high competition. The choice of royalty is between 70% and 35%, with the latter allowing higher prices.

18. Create and sell your own handmade goods

Selling your handmade goods, like artisan products, in your spare time can be a lucrative side hustle for those who love crafting handmade items. This can be done online and at local fairs and markets.

Despite initial costs for supplies and tools, you can market and sell your products with minimal upfront costs using platforms like Etsy, Square, or Shopify. These platforms offer integrated online stores, retail POS apps, and mobile card readers.

19. Start a dropshipping business

Starting an online business or e-commerce store with dropshipping is a popular and cost-effective way to make extra money. Dropshipping offers lower startup and shipping costs, easy scalability to meet customer demand, and reduced overhead expenses as inventory management is not required. This flexibility makes it easy to get your business going and offers a flexible solution for those looking to make extra money.

Dropshipping can be a time-consuming side hustle since you manage your own website and customer service, but it’s the cheapest and easiest way to break into e-commerce sales.

20. Provide Tech Setup Services

Tech setup is a great side hustle idea for college students. If you are a tech enthusiast, you can earn extra cash by marketing your skills through social media and handyman apps. You can also seek tech certifications and provide insurance and bonding to boost your credibility for in-home services. Startup and ongoing costs are minimal, but investing in tools like HelloTech and TaskRabbit can help with installations.

21. Become a Social Media Influencer

The advent of technology has revolutionized the way people earn money through the internet, making it easier and faster for individuals and businesses to become social media influencers. Social media is now considered a necessity rather than just a pastime, making it easier and faster for influencers to make money. To become a successful social media influencer, follow these steps:

1. Develop a strong online presence through platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
2. Engage with your audience through social media and engage in conversations to build relationships and trust.

Social media influencers, such as bloggers, celebrities, and industry leaders, interact with followers to promote products or services. Their followers often patronize these products or services, making them powerful marketing tools for new or small businesses. Working as a social media influencer can be attractive due to easy navigation on platforms.

22. Proofreading or Copyediting Services

If you are more of an editor than a writer, you can get paid to proofread or copyedit marketing or editorial content. You can develop a steady flow of side income by finding one or two anchor clients, or clients you work with regularly. Sites like Fiverr, Upwork, or Flexjobs are useful platforms where you can sell you services.

23. Become a Tutor and Personal Instructor

Starting a tutoring business can be easy, and the pay is usually fast, often right away. You can tutor people online or in person. What you charge can depend on your experience, expertise, and what’s in demand. To get started, see what types of tutors are needed on platforms like Craigslist and create a profile on sites like Tutor.com or Care.com. You can also advertise your services at local schools and community centers.

Tutors and personal instructors with academic, musical, fine arts, or sports skills can create flexible side hustle opportunities. They can market their services to parents and adult students, offering convenient sessions during school hours.  You can also advertise your services at local schools and community centers.

Summary

Side hustles offer a way to generate extra income by creating recurring revenue streams, which can be beneficial for those with time and energy. Online side hustles provide flexible jobs that can work with a regular job schedule. With just a few hours a week, side hustles can be productive and offer a way to explore potential business ideas with little upfront cost or major time commitments. These 23 successful side hustle ideas can help you find the right one for you.