With recent advances in technology, it’s become much easier for people to find a profitable side hustle. While it might be difficult to find the time to invest into something truly profitable, there are plenty of ways to earn a good bit of money.

Some of the best side hustle ideas will involve you sitting at a computer for many hours, so it can pay to have some half-decent computer skills. However, if that sort of thing isn’t your bag, then you can find plenty of good side business ideas that involve driving.

What to consider when choosing a profitable side hustle

There are a few basic criteria to consider when deciding if a side hustle is going to be right for your lifestyle. You will be able to find some passive side hustles if you’re particularly busy, but these won’t usually pay too well. Here are the 3 main things to consider when choosing the best side hustle for you.

Earning potential

This is probably the most important thing people will be thinking about when researching the best side hustle ideas. However, it shouldn’t be the only thing you consider. After all, what’s the point in earning a lot of money if you never get any time to use it?

It’s worth remembering that side hustles usually involve lots of work for a lower amount of money. While it’s entirely possible to earn lots from a side hustle, this will typically involve putting in many more hours. However, some people do manage to support themselves only on a side hustle.

How it fits into your schedule

This point generally goes hand-in-hand with earning potential, and is probably just as important. The point of a side hustle is that it should work for you and fit into your schedule. Whether this means you working all night or only for a few hours is up to you.

Many of the best side hustle ideas will give you flexibility with your working pattern. This is particularly useful for those already doing shift work, as it allows you to design an ideal working schedule. Obviously freelance work is perfect if you’re looking for side business ideas to fit around your main job.

Potential for growth

This might not be something everyone thinks about when it comes to choosing a side hustle, but many people will be looking for growth. It can be entirely possible to turn a profitable side hustle into a full-time job if it’s something you enjoy and are committed to.

However, if you’re just looking for something to earn a bit of extra money, then you can get that too. One of the main benefits of most side hustles is that you can take on as much work as you want, meaning you theoretically have complete control over your earnings.

Consider these 3 factors when thinking about which is going to be the best side hustle for you. It might be worth trying a few out, or at least looking in to several in more depth to decide what’s going to be right for you.

14 Best Side Hustle Ideas in 2020

1. Delivering food

Delivering food is one of the classic, and still best, side hustle ideas. Even though it’s been going for a long time, there are now apps that make it even easier for you to connect with local takeout places in your area.

It’s almost guaranteed that you’ve used an app like UberEats recently, and these can be a profitable side hustle if you’ve got the time to invest. These apps generally allow you to take on as many deliveries as you can manage, but there are obviously certain restrictions.

You’ll need to have a vehicle of some kind, but if you live in a city, it’s perfectly possible for this to be a bicycle. The main drawback to delivering food as a side hustle is that your working hours are limited to restaurant opening hours, but this usually still means you can earn a good bit of money each night.

2. Tutor online

Tutoring children online is an excellent side business idea if you’ve got some spare time and a college degree. Some sites will only allow you to tutor in your area of expertise, whereas others will let you tutor certain subjects.

One area of tutoring that’s particularly profitable at the moment is teaching English as a foreign language online. Websites like VIPkid and gogoKid will connect you with children (or adults) all over the world, allowing you to teach them English.

Of course, to do this you’ll need a webcam and mic, and ideally a good internet connection. Time zones could be your friend here, or your worst enemy. It’s definitely worth doing a bit of research to see which countries would work best for you based on your free time. Bear in mind that most students will be tutored in the afternoon or evening in their native country.

3. Work as a freelancer

Working online as a freelancer has the potential to be one of the best side hustle ideas if you’ve got a skill that can be sold. In fact, you might find it to be one of the most profitable side hustles if you’re good at what you do.

Almost anything can be done freelance online, but the most popular areas include things like writing, coding, video making, web design, and graphic design. However, you can also find work doing things like bookkeeping and data entry. Even better, many websites don’t require you to hold experience or formal qualifications like a normal job would.

The key to turning freelancing into a good side business is hard work. Sites like Upwork and Fiverr allow you to build your own reputation, but it takes time to grow this. However, if you do, you could find yourself being able to live quite well on a profitable freelance side hustle.

4. Share your ride

Ridesharing has become incredibly popular in recent years with the development of apps like Uber and Lyft. It’s something you can do whenever and wherever you want, which is something that few other of the best side hustle ideas can offer.

What’s more, you can earn quite a bit of money from it. Again, this depends entirely on how much work you want to take on, but ridesharing has the potential to be a very profitable side hustle.

The main drawback with this is that ridesharing apps might not be available everywhere, particularly in less densely populated areas. However, do some research and see what’s available in your area, because if you’ve got a car and some free time this can be a great way to earn some extra cash.

5. Start your own blog

If you’re thinking about starting a blog then you need to be a patient person. Making money from a blog takes a long time, which means this might not be the most suitable business idea for those looking for money now.

That said, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort (you’ll need to be posting around 3 posts a week), then you can start making quite a bit of money once you begin affiliate linking and doing product reviews. Websites like WordPress and Bluehost are great for getting started in the world of blogging.

The key to making a blog one of the best side business ideas is to find your niche. While this could be anything, it helps to have an interest, and for there to be easy-to-sell products available. After all, you don’t want to choose a niche that has no market value, because then no one will want to send their products to you.

6. Rent a property

It would be unreasonable to think that many people have a spare property to rent out, but there are intelligent ways around this. If you’re clever about what you do, it can be pretty easy to make short-term property rental into a profitable side hustle.

For example, websites like Airbnb allow you to rent spaces, rather than properties. This could be something like an apartment, a room, or a shipping container in your backyard. People love quirky when it comes to holiday rentals, and some people actively seek out the weird and wonderful.

If it’s not a property or space you need, then it’s reasonably easy to make this into a passive side hustle. Sure, you’ll have to clean it, but many offer self check-in with dropboxes for keys, meaning you don’t even have to play host if you don’t want to.

7. Buy and resell

Reselling stuff is one of the best side hustle ideas, but it needs a keen eye and a bit of creative flare. Again, it involves a bit of work, but can be one of the best side business ideas if you’ve got a bit of creative talent.

Start by visiting local yard sales and flea markets to get an eye for what’s about. The key is being able tell the difference between a gem and garbage, or how to turn the garbage into something worthwhile. Upcycling is a big thing now, and can be a profitable side hustle if you know your market.

Do a bit of research into what’s currently selling well and see what you can get hold of in your area. You do need to consider things like shipping, as this can have a serious impact on profits. However, if you do it properly, then reselling on sites like eBay and Amazon has the growth potential to become a full-time job.

8. Walk dogs

People love owning dogs, but not many can find time to walk their pets. However, dog walking can only become a profitable side hustle if you’re willing to put the physical work into it. After all, you might have to walk 10 dogs a day if you want to make good money at it.

You could also try dogsitting, as apps like Rover offer both features. Dogsitting is a pretty passive side hustle for the most part because caring for a dog doesn’t really take all that much effort.

There are plenty of apps available that offer this kind of thing, but it’s worth downloading a few and seeing what they’re like in your area. The most downloaded app might not be the most popular in your city, so do a bit of market research first.

9. Do something crafty

With the rise of sites like Etsy, people with crafty skills have much better platforms for selling their work. This can be one of the best side hustles because for many people it’s simply monetizing their hobby in a way they couldn’t before.

The amount of money you make will be dependent on what you sell, and how much time you’re willing to put in. Don’t expect to make loads from expensive, work-intensive designs. While smaller, simpler pieces might be more boring to you, they might be exactly the kind of thing that sells.

10. Babysitting

Babysitting is probably one of the classic side hustle ideas to make money. What’s more, apps like Care give people many more opportunities to make money in this area. If babies aren’t your thing, then many apps also offer different caregiving roles that might be more suitable.

Remember that there is a lot of trust in this kind of activity, and there isn’t necessarily loads of room for growth. However, the flipside of a greater level of trust is a higher level of pay, meaning you don’t have to work as many hours.

This is definitely quite a niche area and won’t be suitable for everyone. However, if you think it’s something that appeals to you, it definitely has the potential to be quite a profitable side hustle. In fact, if you want something relatively responsible, or are thinking about a career in care, this will be one of the best side hustle ideas.

11. Find gigs to work

Websites like Craigslist offer easy ways to connect with people looking for odd work. These are usually 1 or 2-day jobs, but the pay can often be quite good as a result. While this might not sound helpful on its own, if you plan things well you’ve got chance to turn it into a good side business.

Finding odd gigs is also a good choice if you haven’t decided what kind of side hustle work is best for you. It allows you to try out a range of jobs that will hopefully help to narrow down your ideas.

To make some decent money out of this, you’ll want to check a couple of websites. However, the main drawback of this idea is that you might have to work at short notice, meaning it might not fit too well around your work schedule.

12. Manage social media

If you know a thing or two about social media, then you can make money managing accounts for small business. Most of them don’t have the time to run a social media account full time, and are willing to pay someone else for it.

Contact local businesses in your area and offer your services to them, for a fee of course. This can be a good side business idea if you’ve got spare time that you usually spend at home, or will have plenty of opportunity to manage their social media during your normal working day.

13. Do micro jobs

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is a website that allows you to complete micro jobs, which in turn can add up to a fair amount of money. This might not be one of the best side hustle ideas, but it’s a good way of earning a bit of money for remedial tasks.

The micro jobs involve things like confirming products should be listed together and testing page accuracy. It’s not necessarily interesting work, but it allows you to drop in and out whenever you choose.

14. Become a cleaner

Cleaning houses is an age-old way of earning extra money, and is still one of the best side hustle ideas. You can just make up some flyers and post them around your neighborhood to get started.

Once you’ve built up a good reputation you can charge a fair bit of money too. While you do have to put in a bit of effort, cleaning houses can definitely be a profitable side hustle if you’re committed to it.

Conclusion

This is a list of some of the best side hustle ideas, but it definitely isn’t all of them. There are so many ways to make money on the side nowadays, and finding the right job for you is all about matching your schedule with your plans for moneymaking.