Side hustle playbooks
30 playbooks. Pay, cost to start, first dollar and first customers, then the checklist.
Local services
Babysitting
Evening and after-school babysitting for local families.
$17 to $25 per hour · $0 to $100 to start
Dog Walking
Midday walks for dogs whose owners are stuck at work.
$15 to $30 per walk · $0 to $150 to start
Furniture Assembly & Small Handyman Jobs
IKEA assembly, TV mounts, and small fixes: the easy end of handyman work.
$34 to $90 per hour · $25 to $500 to start
Holiday Light Installation
Hang Christmas lights for homeowners who will not climb the ladder: a 10-week sprint with big tickets.
$300 to $1,000 per job · $400 to $5,000 to start
House Cleaning
Recurring home cleaning for busy households, the most repeatable local service there is.
$118 to $238 per visit · $300 to $3,000 to start
Junk Hauling
Haul away couches, garage piles, and cleanouts for people who do not own a truck.
$150 to $350 per job · $800 to $25,000 to start
Lawn Mowing & Yard Cleanups
Weekly mowing and seasonal cleanups for neighbors who hate their Saturday chores.
$40 to $85 per mow · $500 to $1,665 to start
Mobile Car Detailing
Bring the deep clean to driveways and office parking lots.
$100 to $350 per job · $500 to $3,000 to start
Mobile Notary & Loan Signing Agent
Get commissioned as a notary and get paid per appointment to walk borrowers through loan documents.
$75 to $200 per signing · $350 to $1,500 to start
Moving Labor
Load, unload, and carry for people moving. No truck required.
$25 to $50 per hour · $25 to $200 to start
Pet Sitting & Dog Boarding
Board dogs in your home or house-sit while owners travel.
$30 to $65 per night · $0 to $200 to start
Portrait & Event Photography
Family portraits, headshots, and small events for people who need better than a phone.
$150 to $350 per session · $0 to $1,500 to start
Pressure Washing
Clean driveways, siding, and decks with a machine most homeowners will never buy.
$100 to $475 per job · $600 to $4,900 to start
Tutoring (online or local)
One-on-one tutoring in the subjects you are already good at.
$25 to $60 per hour · $0 to $100 to start
Gig platforms
AI Training Tasks (Data Annotation)
Paid remote tasks rating and writing for AI training platforms. No clients, no selling.
$10 to $30 per hour · $0 to start
Food & Grocery Delivery
Delivery on your schedule: the fastest first dollar with a car, bike, or scooter.
$12 to $25 per hour · $0 to $50 to start
Rideshare Driving
Drive for Uber or Lyft when you want: steady gig money with a qualifying car.
$18 to $24 per hour · $20 to $200 to start
Online services
Freelance Bookkeeping
Monthly books for 3-10 small businesses in QuickBooks: steady retainers, no office.
$25 to $75 per hour · $0 to $300 to start
Freelance Writing
Blog posts, newsletters, and web copy for small businesses that cannot write.
$15 to $40 per hour · $0 to $50 to start
Graphic Design for Local Businesses
Logos, social graphics, and menus for local businesses, using Canva or Affinity.
$15 to $35 per hour · $0 to $200 to start
Social Media Management for Local Businesses
Run Instagram and Facebook for 3-5 local businesses that have no time to post.
$500 to $1,500 per month · $0 to $100 to start
Video Editing for Creators & Brands
Edit short-form clips and YouTube videos for creators and small brands.
$20 to $60 per hour · $0 to $300 to start
Virtual Assistant
Inbox, calendar, and admin support for small business owners and solo professionals.
$13 to $35 per hour · $0 to $50 to start
Websites for Local Businesses
Simple, fast websites for plumbers, painters, and restaurants, built from a template and sold flat-fee.
$500 to $5,000 per project · $0 to $300 to start
Make and sell
Flipping & Resale
Buy underpriced items at thrift stores, estate sales, and Marketplace; resell for a margin.
No reliable public data · $50 to $500 to start
Home Baking (Cottage Food)
Sell cookies, breads, and cakes from your home kitchen under your state's cottage food law.
No reliable public data · $100 to $500 to start
Print-on-Demand Shop
Design shirts and mugs; a print partner makes and ships each order. No inventory.
$3 to $8 per item · $0 to $150 to start
Vending Machines
Place snack and drink machines in offices and gyms; restock weekly.
$40 to $300 per machine per month · $2,000 to $5,000 to start
Digital assets
Digital Products on Etsy
Sell printables, planners, and templates once; deliver automatically forever.
No reliable public data · $0 to $100 to start
Niche Newsletter
A weekly email on one narrow topic, monetized with sponsorships once it has a few thousand readers.
$0 to $400 per month · $0 to $100 to start