There are so many people who make money on the side by using their skills and passions to create income-generating opportunities.
Get inspired by the stories of individuals who have turned their hobbies and talents into profitable side hustles.
1. Writing Novels
“I wrote a fantasy novel. It took fifteen years, and I missed a LOT of television. I believe I have sold eleven copies.” said one.
“I did the same thing. And I sold ten copies, all of which I suspect was to my parents. So I went on MySpace because it was brand new and started giving away short stories for free. If people liked them, I asked them to check out the book. I ended up selling several thousand copies on Amazon before realizing I was a better marketer than an author.” another shared.
2. Making Soap
“My wife is a soapmaker. I was skeptical of homemade soap at first, but after trying it, I couldn’t go back. I didn’t even know my skin was dry until it wasn’t anymore. It also lasts forever and smells pretty nice.” said one.
“My mom retired and turned Soaping into a full-blown business. It has gotten to the point she has the top pick of booths at craft shows all over the South.” another shared.
3. Shoveling Snow
“The amount of money some people will pay for you to shovel their sidewalk and driveway is incredible, and it’s a great workout.” a user said.
“This is something I learned as a kid – people hate the cold. Twenty years ago, I could make $10-15 shoveling a few people’s sidewalks; raking leaves for people, on the other hand, was garbage, and I’d probably only make about $5/hr for that.” another shared.
4. Playing Piano
“I play piano for wedding ceremonies, corporate events, cocktail hours, Christmas parties, and receptions. And recently, I got cast in a pilot for a TV show which I hope will get picked up.” said one.
5. Cleaning Evicted Homes
“I did it for my landlord during high school and college. $10 an hour under the table. I have a strong hold on carpentry, plumbing, and flooring skills. It is bad when you find used stuff on the walls, but hey- I score some neato stuff that people leave behind.” said one.
“I started doing this for a local bank in High school. I made over $20/h because we could also charge for landscaping.” another shared.
6. Welding
“I contract out to inspect welds on construction sites and make about as much in two days on the weekend as I do during the week at my actual job.” shared one.
7. Upcycling Furniture
“I buy old wine barrels, convert them into furniture, and sell them for cash. It doesn’t make huge amounts, but every bit helps, and as my wife says, at least it is a self-funding hobby!” said one.
8. Audio To Text Transcriber
“I work as an audio-to-text transcriber on the weekend. It’s self-employed, and I work from home. I don’t earn huge amounts, and it’s pretty tedious not ever having a day off, but it can add up to £80 a week or so, which helps.” said one.
“I used to do this when I was between jobs. Just google freelance audio transcription or similar. They used to send me audio files, and I’d send them back transcripts by a certain deadline, usually a week. They wanted particular formats, but it was easy to set up in Word.
At the start, they sent me a 5-minute file to test for accuracy, but after that, it was all paid. It was about £36 per hour of audio, which takes about 3-4 hours to transcribe. I sent them an invoice at the end of each month, and they transferred the money into my bank account. It was handy because I could ask for as much or as little work as I wanted, and if I finished it early, I just asked for some more.” another shared.
9. Party Film Creator
“I make films for children’s parties. I get given a particular theme, star wars were the last one, and wealthy parents who just want to distract their children for an afternoon pay me to make a film with their kids and friends.
The kids love it, the parents can relax while I do all the work with another person, and they get a fantastic 7-10 minute film at the end, making them look like a Jedi Knight or a mini James Bond.” said one.
10. Rare Book Collector And Seller
“I buy rare books and sell them online. Sometimes I buy them on eBay and immediately resell them on eBay for more money. This used to be my money on the side, but I quit my job three months ago, and it has paid enough to keep me not homeless.” shared one.
11. Local Band Graphic Designer
“I make posters and album covers for local bands and small festivals. It doesn’t pay much or almost nothing, but I love it. It’s something I am good at and enjoy, and I work with awesome people from my local music scene.” said one.
“Great thing to put on your resume, too!” another said.
12. Drummer
“I’m playing drums at a local club on Friday and Saturday nights.” shared one.
“Same here. Classic rock cover band playing 1-2 Saturdays per month. Free beer, lots of Tom Petty, and enough cash to pay some bills.” another shared.
13. Photographer
“I take Tinder profile photos for guys who dislike smiling in NYC. $60 for 1 hour, and I email them the results later that day, usually 8-12 polished photos.” said one.
You can even make money selling feet pics.
14. List Writer
“I write top ten lists for a site called listverse.com; they pay $100 a list and haven’t rejected a single list I’ve sent. I used to write for the comedy site Cracked.com but list verse pays better, and all readers do on cracked is not good about every little thing in an article.” a Redditor said.
15. Etsy Poster Designer/Seller
“You know those “Keep Calm and ______” posters that Reddit hates? Yeah, I make/design and sell those. These funded my last two vacations. Etsy is fantastic.” a user said.
“I have done the same with lyrics on posters… Ed Sheeran and One Direction fans are crazy for that stuff.” another said.
16. Tutoring
“I do tutoring online on the side; I’ve earnt about 30,000 dollars per year just by tutoring online.” said one.
“I tutor 4-5 nights a week and love it. Although, I do mostly homework support and supplementary stuff to their current school work. It’s a great source of satisfaction and extra income for me.” another said.
Source: Reddit
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