Episodes
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The end of the year is upon us, which means it's time to reflect back on the side hustles that stood out — the ones that got people talking and that I was most excited to share.
"Best" is always subjective. But what marks a good episode is when I hang up the call, thinking, "I need to drop what I'm doing and go do something else. I should totally do that."
And I try and exercise some level of discipline and restraint because the shiny object syndrome is real.
But when the shiny object shines for me, I know it's going to be a hit episode.
So here are the top 10 side hustles for 2024.
(Here is the Spotify playlist to make it easy to go add that to your device: Best Side Hustles of the Year 2024)
Full Show Notes: The 10 Best Side Hustles of the Year
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Why should your first online business be a directory? This is one of the most overlooked yet potentially lucrative side hustles out there.
I've got a little bit of experience in this space (I actually built a virtual assistant directory years before), so this is something close to me.
But my experience is nothing like John Rush’s from JohnRush.me, who is a master at quickly building and marketing these little side projects.
He has launched 30 directories in just the past year, managed to monetize 10 of them, and even sold one (AllGPTs.co) for a sweet five-figure exit.
(If you want more resources, check out John’s full Directory Guide or his no-code builder at Unicorn Platform.)
Tune in to Episode 647 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:
Why directories are a great starter side hustle
How to pick the right niche
The tools and strategies to build your directory
Full Show Notes: How to Start an Online Directory as a Side Hustle
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Airbnb — Discover how much your home could be worth and find a professional co-host today!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Gusto — Get 3 months free of the leading payroll, benefits, and HR provider for modern small businesses! -
Missing episodes?
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If you create content online, sell anything—whether it’s in person, over the phone, or on a website—and want to make stronger connections, reach more people, and ultimately grow your income, here’s something to help you learn how to do it by speaking directly to the 9 types of buyers.
To help us is Melanie Warren, a professional copywriter and the author of The 9 Buyers System.
She has helped sell millions of dollars worth of products and services, and she has graciously agreed to stop by and give us the goods for free today.
Let’s break it down, starting with a closer look at these nine buyers and how you can tailor your content to meet them where they’re at.
Tune in to Episode 646 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:
How to identify the 9 types of buyers
Strategies to tailor your content to connect and convert effectively
Expert tips from Melanie Warren on emotional and logical selling
Full Show Notes: The 9 Buyers: The Key to Stronger Connections and Easier Sales
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Airbnb — Discover how much your home could be worth and find a professional co-host today!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Gusto — Get 3 months free of the leading payroll, benefits, and HR provider for modern small businesses! -
Building a remote cleaning side hustle from scratch. How crazy unique is that?
Skyler helps homeowners get the help they need while also helping on-the-ground professional cleaners get the work they want — and still makes a margin in the middle.
And the most interesting part is he’s running this $60k/month operation in less than two years — all while keeping his day job.
Tune in to Episode 645 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:
How Skyler landed his first customers and cleaners
How to market a remote cleaning business in today's world
Exact tools and strategies he uses to scale a service business
Full Show Notes: The $60k/mo Remote Cleaning Side Hustle
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Airbnb — Discover how much your home could be worth!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Gusto — Get 3 months free of the leading payroll, benefits, and HR provider for modern small businesses! -
If you’re looking to add some time-leveraged cash flow to your bottom line, two of the best options are investing in rental real estate and buying small businesses.
Both are viable options, and to help you figure out if either or both of these investment options are right for you, it’s time for another Side Hustle Showdown.
For the debate, I’ve invited back two Side Hustle Show favorites:
Chad Carson is the owner of over 100+ properties and the author of Retire Early with Real Estate.
Codie Sanchez is the owner of several so-called “boring” small businesses, including a laundromat and a podcast production service.
(In Chad's first appearance, we covered several low-cost real estate side hustles. With Codie, we explored how to grow and monetize an email newsletter.)
Tune in the week to learn:
what kind of portfolios Chad and Codie have built up
how you can get started buying real estate and small businesses
some of the creative financing options available
the mistakes they made along the way
and more
Full Show Notes: Side Hustle Showdown: Buying a Business vs. Investing in Real Estate (Greatest Hits)
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Gusto — Get 3 months free of the leading payroll, benefits, and HR provider for modern small businesses! -
Would you believe there's a marketplace of millions of buyers eager for digital products for teachers — and it's not Etsy?
Rob is a high school math and personal finance teacher at fieducator.com. He's built an impressive side hustle selling lesson plans and resources online at fieducator.store.
Through the popular platform Teachers Pay Teachers, Rob has turned his passion for financial education into a growing business that regularly brings in $2,000 a month — and it’s been growing 40% a year.
Tune in to Episode 644 of The Side Hustle Show to learn:
How to find your niche on Teachers Pay Teachers
Rob's $2k/month digital product business
Rob's process for launching new products on FB groups
Full Show Notes: $2k a Month in Semi-Passive Income on the Side
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Gusto — Get 3 months free of the leading payroll, benefits, and HR provider for modern small businesses! -
It's that time of year again—Thanksgiving!
What's particularly fascinating about this year's collection is the blend of traditional services reimagined for the digital age alongside completely novel business ideas.
This is the 7th installment of the series, so I encourage you to check out the previous episodes if you like this format, make sure to grab the full playlist here.
Here are the past editions if you want to see them individually:
10 Creative Side Hustles Part 1 – 2018
10 Creative Side Hustles Part 2 – 2019
10 Creative Side Hustles Part 3 – 2020
10 Creative Side Hustles Part 4 – 2021
10 Creative Side Hustles Part 5 – 2022
10 Creative Side Hustles Part 6 – 2023
Let's talk about this year's most innovative money-making ideas!
Full Show Notes: 10 Creative Side Hustles That Make Real Money
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Airbnb — Discover unique stays and unforgettable experiences – find your dream getaway today! -
I'm always looking for ways to work smarter and more efficiently, and to that end I took a recent inventory of my online business "toolkit."
Of course many of these will be obvious to you, but hopefully you discover some helpful new resources as well.
The good news? Many of these are free or at least have a free version!
And if you're looking for the definitive guide to online resources named by top entrepreneurs, check out the full collection in my book, Work Smarter.
One important note is I didn't start here. I've cobbled together this toolbox over the last 10+ years, and added expenses only as the revenue justified it.
Start scrappy, start lean, and then invest where it makes sense!
There are also a ton of great suggestions in the comments below!
Full Show Notes: 50+ Tools and Apps to Work Smarter and Get More Out Of Your Side Hustle
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Airbnb — Discover how much your home could be worth! -
It’s time once again to dive into the ol’ listener mailbag and answer a few questions in this week’s edition of The Side Hustle Show.
I’ve had quite a few interesting questions come in since the last Q&A episode, and picked 10 to talk through in today’s show.
Click here to join Side Hustle Nation for free!
We're covering everything from building audiences in today's digital landscape and even how to compete in what some are calling a "no-click world.
This is the 17th installment of this series, so feel free to check out the older ones:
616: Lifestyle Creep, Luck, and Why Every Podcast Guest Has an Online Course: Q&A w/ Nick
585: Giving Away Ideas, Getting Great Guests, Growing Your Business, and More: 20 Questions With Nick
556: Pricing, Podcasting, Permission to Quit, and More: 20 Questions with Nick
498: Profitable Podcasting, Getting Clients, and $50k/mo in Passive Income: 20 Questions with Nick
451: Affiliate Marketing, Early Retirement, and Side Hustle Shifts Over 8 Years of Podcasting: 20 Questions with Nick
431: Fear of Selling, Protecting Ideas, Podcasting and More
412: Side Hustle Ethics, Charging Your Friends, the Side Hustles I’m Most Excited About, and More
365: Market Saturation, Mind Mapping, Miracle Mornings, and More
346: The Con of the Side Hustle, Beanie Babies, Affiliate Marketing, and More
320: Multiplying Money, Morning Routines, and $100k Side Hustles
291: Email, Ebooks, Platforms, and Conferences
271: Brilliant Blogging, Ruthless Productivity, and Guaranteed Success
245: Network Marketing, Imposter Syndrome, My Side Hustle Mistakes, and More
219: Growing Traffic, Monetization, List-Building, a Day in the Life, and More
198: Blogging, Branding, Book Writing, and Finding the Right Side Hustle for You
181: SEO, Affiliate Marketing, Self-Publishing, Udemy, and More
Plus, I'll share what keeps drawing me back year after year at FinCon.
Let's dive in!
Full Show Notes: Starting Over? Podcasting, Newsletters, Competing in a “No Click” World, and more (10 Questions with Nick)
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Airbnb — Discover unique stays and unforgettable experiences – find your dream getaway today! -
How do you make extra money in a low-risk way? And one method I keep coming back to is the idea of starting a consignment business.
So you're selling other people's stuff and just taking a percentage. They get paid, you get paid, and you've got no upfront inventory risk like you'd have with a traditional physical product business.
Sarah McAffry of Statemint Consignment earned over $10,000 from her first consignment event and has continued to grow from there. She has been crushing it in this space for the last 10 years, and it has now expanded to 23 locations across the country.
Tune in to Episode 640 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:
How Sarah got her first 50 sellers to trust her with their inventory
Her marketing strategies to get buyers in the door
How you might start something similar in your own area
Full Show Notes: Get Paid to Sell Other People’s Stuff: Starting a Consignment Side Hustle
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Airbnb — Discover unique stays and unforgettable experiences – find your dream getaway today! -
Looking to make extra money for Christmas?
You’re not alone!
The average American spent over $900 on Christmas last year.
In this episode, I'm joined by Allison Baggerly from Inspiredbudget.com and we’ll share our top side hustle picks to make extra money for the holidays.
These side hustles are easy to start and have no to low startup cost so you can earn what you need for the holiday season.
Ready? Let’s do it.
Full Show Notes: 30 Ways to Make Extra Money for the Holidays
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Airbnb — Discover unique stays and unforgettable experiences – find your dream getaway today! -
More than 150,000 women have completed Tiffany "The Budgetnetista" Aliche's Live Richer Challenge. The roughly 30-day challenge participants step-by-step instructions on how to get their financial lives in order, get out of debt, and start saving money.
Collectively, Tiffany's tribe has saved $17 million and paid off $1.5 in debt!
I first heard Tiffany tell the story of how she started the challenge and how that's turned into a thriving business at FinCon last year, and am excited to share it with you this week.
This year, The Budgetnetista expects to bring in more than $500,000 from speaking, book sales, sponsors and affiliate relationships, and a new private membership academy.
I think her model can be replicated across a number of different niches and industries so you can apply these same strategies and tactics in your business.
Tune in to hear how the former preschool teacher came up with the idea for the challenge, the innovative way she grew her tribe, and how giving it all away for free turned into a very profitable venture.
Full Show Notes: How a Free Challenge Turned Into a $500,000 a Year Business
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
Airbnb — Discover unique stays and unforgettable experiences – find your dream getaway today! -
Happy Halloween! It’s the perfect time to explore some creative and spooky-themed side hustles that can bring in real money.
I sat down with Jared Bauman of 201creative.com and host of Niche Pursuits Podcast to talk about 10 scary-good side hustles that could add a little financial excitement to your Halloween.
Tune in to Episode 638 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:
how to turn hobbies or unique skills into profitable side hustles
why holidays and niche markets offer huge earning potential
unconventional ideas that lead to real money-making opportunities
Full Show Notes: 10 Scary-Good Side Hustles That Make Real Money
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
OpenPhone — Get a powerful business phone system that works on all your devices! -
It’s always inspiring to reconnect with longtime friends of The Side Hustle Show, and Debbie Gartner aka the Flooring Girl is one of them.
Over the last few years, she’s turned her love for simple, creative projects into a $4,000-per-month digital product business on Etsy.
What started as a personal outlet has grown into a scalable, semi-passive side hustle.
Tune in to Episode 637 of The Side Hustle Show to learn:
how to build a $4,000/month Etsy shop selling digital products
keyword research, customer loyalty, and bundling to increase sales on Etsy
how AI tools can streamline and help scale your side hustle faster
And be sure to check out Debbie's free Start Your Etsy Shop Challenge to kickstart your own digital product journey.
Full Show Notes: $1000 a Week Selling Digital Products
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
OpenPhone — Get a powerful business phone system that works on all your devices! -
There have been a few requests for a Progress Report update, so wanted to take some time this week to give a behind-the-scenes look at the last year or so of the business of Side Hustle Nation.
Inside you'll learn more about:
what I’ve been working on / through
some of my biggest challenges, wins, and projects
what's been on my reading list
Ready? Let's do it!
Full Show Notes: Is Business Coaching Worth It? A Look Inside the last 12 months of Side Hustle Nation
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
OpenPhone — Get a powerful business phone system that works on all your devices! -
Sometimes the simplest ideas can lead to remarkable success.
That's certainly the case for Gary Grewal, founder of Cal Box Rental, a moving box rental service that has grown from a college student's brainstorm to a successful side hustle generating $1,000 in monthly recurring revenue.
For the last 10 years, he has been renting out moving boxes with a low start-up cost, consistent and increasing demand, and only a few hours per week to run on the side of his day job.
Tune in to Ep 635 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:
how Gary turned a college idea into a thriving box rental business
the tactics that helped him gain his first customers
how strategic partnerships fueled his success in the moving industry
Full Show Notes: $1000/mo Renting Out Plastic Bins: Starting a Box Rental Side Hustle
Free Listener Bonus: 25 Unconventional Rental Business Ideas
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
OpenPhone — Get a powerful business phone system that works on all your devices! -
Chloe Winstanley began making and selling polymer clay earrings as a hobby.
It was a decent side hustle, but the big unlock came when she started teaching other people how to make the jewelry.
"I just realized that I could make way more money from hosting people for workshops than I could just by selling the earrings," she explained.
Her business taps into the "experience economy," helping people get out from behind their screens and out in real life with friends.
In just a couple years, Chloe sold more than $100k worth of tickets to her in-person workshops.
Here's how she did it.
Tune in to Episode 634 of Side Hustle Show to learn:
how to turn a hobby into a profitable business.
tips for attracting and keeping workshop attendees.
simple marketing tactics for local events.
Full Show Notes: $100k Hosting Local Craft Workshops as a Side Hustle
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
OpenPhone — Get a powerful business phone system that works on all your devices! -
There’s hidden gold in everyday places — if you know where to look.
That’s the message Rob Stephenson from FleaMarketFlipper.com and Flipper University is spreading, and he’s back with some of his most profitable stories yet.
Rob is a full-time flipper, sourcing low and selling high. He’s turned a side hustle into a full-time business with jaw-dropping profit margins, all from part-time work.
In episode 633 of The Side Hustle Show, Rob explains the "Big Profit Flipping Model." This model draws inspiration from how he consistently finds and flips items for $1000+ profits.
Full Show Notes: 9 $1000+ Flips: Uncovering Profitable Resale Items
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free!
Indeed — Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
OpenPhone — Get a powerful business phone system that works on all your devices! -
Thinking of becoming a bookkeeper?
Side Hustle Show listener Kate Johnson started her bookkeeping business in 2017, and now serves several recurring clients. She targets an effective rate of $70 an hour, and is able to work from home.
With her youngest starting preschool, Kate found herself with an extra 9 hours a week. “I wanted to be a good steward of that time,” she explained.
Tune in to this episode to hear Kate explain:
Why she decided to start working as a virtual bookkeeper
How she landed her first clients
How she’s grown her client base with little marketing
The surprising new side hustle this work has spun off
Full Show Notes: How to Become a Bookkeeper and Make $70 an Hour from Home
Check Out: Free Training on Launching a Bookkeeping Business
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
OpenPhone — Get a powerful business phone system that works on all your devices!
Found — Stop getting lost in countless finance apps and try Found for free! -
How can a food tour side hustle turn into a $300k a year business?
Chris Andrews from Bienville Bites Food Tour started his side hustle back in 2017, where he gave food tours on the weekends in Mobile, Alabama.
Fast forward a few years, and now he’s running a $300k business! He quit his job at the steel mill and now runs these food tours full time.
How did Chris go from slinging steels to doing food tours?
Tune in to Ep 632 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:
how Chris built his food tours from the ground up
how he's removed himself from some of the day-to-day operations
how you might start something similar in your town
Full Show Notes: From Weekend Side Hustle to $300k/year Business
New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Sponsors:
Shopify — Sign up for a $1 per month trial!
Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!
Mint Mobile — Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month!
This is Small Business — Learn how to start and grow your small business with “This Is Small Business,” an Amazon original podcast, on your favorite podcast app. - Show more
