50 Side Businesses You
Can Start On Your Own
In the past, I’ve discussed how it’s a good idea
to spend your spare time dabbling in entrepreneurship: it fills your time with
something that you choose (and thus you enjoy) and sets up a potential
long-term revenue stream. I also discussed how I got a side business going
myself.
Since then, lots of readers have written to me,
asking for ideas on how to start a simple side business. What follows is a list
of 50 of those ideas that I’ve collected over the last year or so.
Each of these ideas is very simple to start, and
most can be done as a sole proprietorship at first (meaning you don’t have to
file any legal documents to get started, though you will want to do that if it
starts to take off). Most of these can be done at home in your spare time in
your spare space, too.
See if there are any ideas below that fit you well. If you find an idea, seek
out a guide on how to get started in that area.
50 Business Ideas
1. Antique refurbishment
This is a perfect side business for people who
love antiquing. Take worn-out antiques home with you, invest the time and care
needed to transform those old items into something amazing, then resell them at
a profit.
2. Auto detailing
Have a meticulous eye for detail and love to get
things gleaming clean? Auto detailing is probably a perfect side business for
you. In essence, your job is to make cars sparkle inside and out – and many
people are quite happy to pay well for this service.
3. Babysitting
Got lots of evenings free? Like kids? Babysitting
may be a great side business for you. Keep an eye on multiple children on
Friday and Saturday nights and you can earn some solid income.
4. Bed and breakfast
Have some extra space in your home? Turn that
extra bedroom into a “bed and breakfast” room. This works particularly well if
you have a somewhat older home or live near an area that attracts regular
travelers and tourists.
5. Blogging
If you enjoy writing, find a topic you’re
passionate about and start a blog on the topic. All you need is a computer,
some time, and some energy to consistently write. It can start as a hobby and
turn into a business.
6. Cake decorating
Enjoy baking and have a bit of an artistic touch?
Learn how to decorate cakes and make them for special events. One of my
mother’s old friends does this and makes quite a bit of money on the side.
7. Candle making
Candle making is a great little craft to learn.
You can often easily sell the candles at local shops and also through websites
like Etsy.com, eBay and more.
8. Candy making
Homemade candies are easier to make than you
think and quite popular. Package them in nice little boxes and sell them
through a local gift shop. You can get started pretty quickly.
9. Card making
This is another artistic “crafty” angle you can
follow. Make greeting/birthday cards from scratch using your own photographs,
some blank cards, and a healthy dose of artistic flair. Again, you can sell
items like these through a local gift shop or at sites like etsy.com.
10. Catering
If you love to cook, take the “Blondie” route and
start a home catering business. Catering is a business that’s perfectly
designed to reward those who plan well and can often fit perfectly into
weekends, lining up wonderfully opposite a normal workweek.
11. Childcare service
Many states allow people to start up in-home
daycares with minimal licensing and paperwork. If you love children and have
plenty of time and space at home, this is a perfect business to get into.
12. Cleaning services for businesses
Many businesses and civic institutions have a
need for individuals who will provide cleaning services at a low cost outside
of business hours. This is a great side business for those who can put in a few
hours late at night or on weekends.
13. Collectible trading
If there’s a particular type of collectible that
you know a great deal about, you can often make good money as a collectible trader,
utilizing tools like eBay and opportunities to find those collectibles in the
community. I had some success with this myself with both trading cards and
video games in the past.
14. Computer troubleshooting
I had some success with this in the past, though I’ve largely moved away from
it now. If you have a knack for fixing computers, this is a good place to
start.
15. Consignment buyer
Consignment shops and consignment auctions are
often loaded with good deals if you know how to identify them – quite often,
you can turn these good deals around and make a nice profit elsewhere. Get
started by visiting some consignment shops and critically evaluating the prices
on the items there.
16. Cookie making
Much like candy making, homemade cookies can be a
great seller. Bake the cookies, package them well, and resell them through a
local gift shop. Often, you can find people in your social network who will buy
batches from you for special occasions.
17. Dinner preparer
I recently met a woman who earned quite a bit of
money as a very part-time chef. Once a week, she would go to someone’s house
and prepare a homemade meal for their family, then do all the dishes and
cleanup work. This gives the family plenty of together time, while earning the
lady some cash in the pocket. If you love to cook, this can be a great
opportunity, but you may have to put a lot of work into searching for clients.
18. Event coordinator
Events like family reunions and large parties are
often full of busywork that many people simply don’t want to tackle. That can
be the perfect place for you to step in and take charge of the planning and
coordination.
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19. Event DJing
Are you an audiophile? If you have a great sound
system and a large selection of music, you’ve already got what you need to hire
yourself out as a DJ for various events and receptions. This is a great way to
fill an afternoon and evening while also earning some cash in the process.
20. Exercise teacher
Many gymnasiums will trade membership and often a
bit more for a person willing and able to teach an exercise class. You can also
find people who do not want to go to the gym that you can train from home as a
personal trainer. If you’re in good shape, this is a great opportunity to earn
some extra money, plus it can often lead to additional income with one-on-one
teaching opportunities.
21. Furniture making
If you’re adept at woodworking and have just a
bit of basic equipment, it’s easy to get into business making deck furniture.
It only requires a few items – a saw, a drill, a sander – and some creativity
and passion for working with wood. If you have the tools or just want to turn
your hobby into a business this may be a great small business idea for you.
22. Gardening services
I’ve actually had requests from others for people
willing to do this, so the demand is out there. To put it simply, some people
are willing to pay others to get a vegetable or flower garden started for them
in their yard so they can have access to ultra-fresh produce without all the
legwork.
23. Handy man services
Skilled at basic home repair? Let people know
that they can call you for little repair jobs, like basic plumbing and other
things. You’d be amazed at the simple things people are willing to pay others
to help them with.
24. Housecleaning
Many people simply don’t enjoy cleaning their
homes and are willing to pay a reasonable price to have someone do the work for
them. This is a great way to earn extra money in a flexible way, particularly
if you have time off during the workweek. Still, you want to be professional
and treat it as a business.
25. Interior decorating<
Fascinated by interior design? Have a huge
collection of interior design materials around? Many people are quite happy to
hire individuals to help them decorate their home – I know, for one, that I
have no eye for this type of thing.
26. Jewelry making
If you have a good eye for detail work and a lot
of patience, homemade jewelry can be quite profitable. As with other items on
this list, there are many opportunities to sell such items through local gift
shops or at sites like Etsy.
27. Knitting / crocheting /
quilting
Skilled at creating blankets and sweaters?
There’s a huge
market for these types of items – even better, you can usually make them in
your spare time whenever you have it. As always, local shops and places like etsy are
great places to go to sell such items.
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28. Landscaping services
Willing to mow lawns and trim bushes and trees?
Many people are quite happy to pay for such services. Not only is this a great
side business for a fit adult, it’s also a great way for a teenager to get a
small business started.
29. Meal-to-go preparations
Remember my earlier post about breakfast burritos? Making meals in advance is a great way to save money for
yourself – but you can often prepare these for others as well and sell them for
a markup. Prepare eight casseroles, for example, then sell six of them to cover
your costs, and you’ve got two free dinners for your family (and maybe a bit
more). You can grow this by taking orders from others and finding out what they
like.
30. Online media consultant
Like participating on messageboards, Facebook,
Twitter, and so on? Become an online media consultant and help people promote
things. Start small – help local businesses get a presence on Facebook and set
them up with Twitter. From there, you can grow to whatever works for you.
31. Pet grooming
Many people loathe bathing their pets and
trimming their hair – I know I do. Pet groomers perform these tasks for a small
fee a perfect job for a person who loves dogs and cats.
32. Pet sitting
When people go on trips, they’re often concerned
as to what will happen with their pets. That’s where you step in offer
yourself as a safe place to leave their pets, or be willing to go to their home
to take care of their pets. It may even go hand in hand with your pet grooming
business.
33. Pet walking
Many busy people leave their pets home all day,
but realize that those pets really could use a vigorous walk (and an
opportunity to relieve themselves) during the day. Pet walking is a great
opportunity for exercise, fresh air, and some pocket money if you have free
time during each day.
34. Pet yard waste cleanup
For many people in suburban areas, cleaning up
pet yard waste is a real hassle – it’s disgusting, for one. Instead of cleaning
it up themselves, they might hire someone to do it regularly, two to three
times a week. There are several such services in our area, actually.
35. Produce selling
Like to grow vegetables? Focus in on one
vegetable and sell the excess to grocery stores and at farmers’ markets. My
father does this with tomatoes and earns some solid extra money during the
summer months. You can do really well, though, if you can grow things inside during
the winter – February fresh tomatoes can sell quite well.
36. Proofreading
Have strong English skills and exceptional
grammar? You may have opportunities to work as a proofreader from home.
Advertising for this can be difficult – seek out those who might actually be
able to use your services and advertise directly to them.
37. Public speaking
If you’re the type of person who can get the
attention of a room easily, public speaking might be for you. Take advantage of
every public speaking opportunity you can and you’ll be surprised at the
opportunities that make themselves available for you.
38. Scrapbook making
Many people dream of having beautiful scrapbooks.
They collect all the materials they want in the scrapbooks but never follow
through on the actual creation. You can step in here – take their ideas and
materials and assemble a scrapbook for them.
39. Senior citizen assistance
Many elderly people need assistance with a wide
variety of simple household tasks – cleaning, laundry, and so forth. Many
children of elderly people are quite willing to hire someone to help out their
parents.
40. Sewing and alterations
My wife is quite handy with a sewing machine and
often hems and modifies our children’s clothes. She could easily take this a
step further and offer her services to others, doing basic garment repair and
modification for a small price on lazy evenings.
41. Social media
Almost everyone uses Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, etc. these days but did you know that many companies will pay people
to help them manage their social media accounts, even part time from home. If
you are a social media junky already then this may be a great way to start your
own business that you enjoy, simply by playing around on Facebook, Twitter and
other social media sites all day. Check out PaidSocialMediaJobs.com for more information on how to get started with this type of business and find
companies willing to pay for your services.
42. Soap making and Spa products
Making amazing homemade soaps and other spa
products isn’t as hard as you might think – it just takes time and patience.
Again, items like these can easily be sold via local gift shops and through
websites like Etsy.
43. Teaching music
If you know how to play an instrument
(particularly the piano or the guitar) and have patience, you’ve got what you
need to teach others how to play. Offer lessons in that instrument to others –
this can also be an excellent thing to barter with, too.
44. Toy making
From simple things like sock monkeys to more
elaborate things like handcrafted chess sets, many people are willing to pay
good money for handcrafted toys that you can easily make at home in your spare
time. Again, gift shops are the place to go with items like these.
45. Tutoring
Did you major in a particular topic in college?
Do you have patience with children? You likely have what you need to tutor kids
in particular subjects. Seek out parents and let them know that you tutor in a
particular subject and provide materials for them to share and phone calls will
often trickle in. You can get going locally or across the country online.
46. Video preparation services
Many people like to have videos made for special
events, such as weddings, or for gifts. This may mean actually taking the video
yourself at a special event, or it may mean simply assembling materials and
creating a video from those items. Either way, with a well-equipped PC, some
taste, and some patience, you can make quite sophisticated video productions at
home.
47. Virtual assistant
Many ultra-busy professionals appreciate having
someone who can check and answer their email, organize task lists for them,
update their calendars, and so on, with minimal interaction. The best part is
that you can provide this service from home with a good internet connection.
48. Web site design
Many small businesses in your community could use
a very basic web presence to tell others about their business. Quite often,
these businesses don’t have a large budget for such things. That’s where you
come in – get a bunch of clients from the local community by beating the
pavement, create sites for them, and maintain them for a small fee. Get enough
businesses and you have a nice side business of your own that doesn’t require a
ton of maintenance time.
49. Wedding planner
If you’re one of those people who can’t help but
flip through bridal magazines and think about various wedding arrangements in
your daydreams, wedding planning might be the perfect thing for you. A great
way to get started is to develop a website on the topic, get to know people
online, and offer your services throughout the community.
50. Writing/Editing
If you enjoy writing then writing and editing
content in your spare time for companies is a great way to earn extra cash.
Many website owners and other businesses require content be written or edited
for a wide range of topics and uses. Some will even pay you for simple blog
posts or comments. This type of business requires no overhead or experience and
you can earn a nice income if you can connect with the right companies willing
to pay for your writing services. RealWritingJobs.com is a great place to
start.
I’m betting the readers have many, many more
ideas along these same lines.
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