Side hustle ideas, with what each costs to start
Good side hustles cost little to open, sell within a month and fit evenings or weekends. Here are 25 from our business guides, each priced from its own cost list: 10 open for under $100, 24 reach a first sale within four weeks, and 12 run fully online.
Big Moods: “In my pottery era” sticker, $4- Open for under $100
- 10 of 25 ideas
- First sale within a month
- 24 of 25 ideas
- Run fully online
- 12 of 25 ideas
What each side hustle costs to open
Each figure is the least it takes to open, from the priced list in that business’s guide: the cheapest of each choice, the first month of any subscription, no LLC and no ads. The same lists sit behind our startup cost calculator, so you can change any line there.
About $11 to open
Open a small online store
First sale: week 4. Evenings; orders come in any time.
About $22 to open
Sell print on demand designs
First sale: week 4. Evenings; a partner prints and ships.
About $25 to open
Tutor one subject
First sale: weeks 2–3. After school and weekends, online.
About $40 to open
Start dropshipping
First sale: week 4. Evenings; no packing or stock.
About $63 to open
Design and sell stickers
First sale: week 4. Evenings; mail orders in batches.
About $64 to open
Launch a small clothing brand
First sale: weeks 2–4. Evenings and weekends.
About $85 to open
Start a t-shirt line
First sale: week 4. Evenings; shirts print after each order.
About $90 to open
Launch one skincare product
First sale: week 4. Evenings and weekends, in batches.
About $92 to open
Consult on what you know
First sale: weeks 3–4. Booked calls around your job.
About $96 to open
Make and sell jewelry
First sale: week 4. Evenings and weekends, in batches.
About $141 to open
Make and sell candles
First sale: week 4. Weekends, pouring and curing batches.
About $199 to open
Keep books for small businesses
First sale: weeks 3–4. Evenings; monthly close on a weekend.
About $205 to open
Walk dogs
First sale: weeks 2–3. Early mornings, lunch breaks, weekends.
About $262 to open
Bake from home
First sale: weeks 2–3. Bake Friday, sell at a Saturday market.
About $465 to open
Design and plant yards
First sale: week 3. Weekend projects, quoted after work.
About $535 to open
Roast and sell coffee
First sale: weeks 2–3. Weekend roasts, sold the same week.
About $637 to open
Clean homes
First sale: week 3. Weekends, or office cleans after hours.
About $651 to open
Do small home repairs
First sale: week 2. Evenings and weekends, by the task.
About $756 to open
Paint rooms
First sale: week 3. Weekends, one room at a time.
About $905 to open
Photograph one niche
First sale: week 3. Weekend shoots, edits on weeknights.
About $1,056 to open
Detail cars at the owner's home
First sale: week 2. Weekends, at the customer's driveway.
About $1,160 to open
Mow lawns on a route
First sale: week 2. Evenings and Saturdays in season.
About $1,231 to open
Cater small events
First sale: weeks 3–5. Weekends, in rented kitchen hours.
About $1,630 to open
Pressure wash driveways
First sale: week 2. Weekends in good weather.
About $2,683 to open
Run a vending machine
First sale: weeks 3–4. A restock visit on set days.
25 side hustle ideas you can start next to a job
Filter by what you can spend, whether you’d rather sell online or to people nearby, and what you’re good at. Weeks to a first sale come from each guide’s four-week plan. Every idea links to its full guide with the steps, permits and cost list.
Showing 25 of 25 side hustles
| Side hustle | Least to open | First sale | Sells through | When you work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open a small online store | About $11 | Week 4 | Your own store on your domain | Evenings; orders come in any time |
| Sell print on demand designs | About $22 | Week 4 | Etsy, then your own store | Evenings; a partner prints and ships |
| Tutor one subject | About $25 | Weeks 2–3 | Wyzant, then your own site | After school and weekends, online |
| Start dropshipping | About $40 | Week 4 | Your own store; a supplier ships | Evenings; no packing or stock |
| Design and sell stickers | About $63 | Week 4 | Etsy or your own site | Evenings; mail orders in batches |
| Launch a small clothing brand | About $64 | Weeks 2–4 | Your own store, by preorder | Evenings and weekends |
| Start a t-shirt line | About $85 | Week 4 | Your own store, in drops | Evenings; shirts print after each order |
| Launch one skincare product | About $90 | Week 4 | Your own store | Evenings and weekends, in batches |
| Consult on what you know | About $92 | Weeks 3–4 | Your network, then case studies | Booked calls around your job |
| Make and sell jewelry | About $96 | Week 4 | Etsy, your own store, or both | Evenings and weekends, in batches |
| Make and sell candles | About $141 | Week 4 | Your own store and craft markets | Weekends, pouring and curing batches |
| Keep books for small businesses | About $199 | Weeks 3–4 | Monthly packages to local businesses | Evenings; monthly close on a weekend |
| Walk dogs | About $205 | Weeks 2–3 | Rover, then your own bookings | Early mornings, lunch breaks, weekends |
| Bake from home | About $262 | Weeks 2–3 | Farmers markets and preorders | Bake Friday, sell at a Saturday market |
| Design and plant yards | About $465 | Week 3 | Neighbors and a portfolio site | Weekend projects, quoted after work |
| Roast and sell coffee | About $535 | Weeks 2–3 | People you can hand bags to | Weekend roasts, sold the same week |
| Clean homes | About $637 | Week 3 | Neighbors, then recurring clients | Weekends, or office cleans after hours |
| Do small home repairs | About $651 | Week 2 | Friends, neighbors and landlords | Evenings and weekends, by the task |
| Paint rooms | About $756 | Week 3 | Homeowners nearby, after certification | Weekends, one room at a time |
| Photograph one niche | About $905 | Week 3 | A portfolio site with booking | Weekend shoots, edits on weeknights |
| Detail cars at the owner's home | About $1,056 | Week 2 | Friends, then a booking site | Weekends, at the customer's driveway |
| Mow lawns on a route | About $1,160 | Week 2 | Door hangers on one route | Evenings and Saturdays in season |
| Cater small events | About $1,231 | Weeks 3–5 | Offices and small parties | Weekends, in rented kitchen hours |
| Pressure wash driveways | About $1,630 | Week 2 | Before-and-after photos, locally | Weekends in good weather |
| Run a vending machine | About $2,683 | Weeks 3–4 | One site with steady foot traffic | A restock visit on set days |
How to pick a side hustle that fits next to a job
1. Start with the hours you really have
Local services happen when customers are home: evenings, Saturdays, the season. Online products let you work at night and ship in a batch. Pick the shape that fits the week you already have.
2. Cap what you'll spend before the first sale
20 of these ideas open for under $1,000. Set a number you'd be fine losing, choose from ideas under it, and spend on ads only after a first customer says yes.
3. Sell a skill you already have
A bookkeeper, a teacher or someone who already bakes for friends skips months of learning. The know-how ideas cost least because the skill is the product.
4. Check the rules before you take money
Food, home repairs, painting and pet care each have rules: cottage food limits, contractor dollar limits, lead-safe certification, insurance. Each guide names them for its state.
Write the plan, then build the site
Write a business plan for your side hustle
Pick the business, add your price and expected sales, and get a plan with its costs filled in. Our business plan guide walks through each section.
Build the site your customers find
Every idea here sells better with a site that shows your prices, your work and a way to buy or book. Describe the side hustle and Replo builds that site, free to start.
Connect your own domain in Site settings. Until then, the page is live on a replosites.com address.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the easiest side hustle to start?
- One that sells a skill you already have, online, for under $100. Tutoring, consulting and print on demand all open with little more than a domain and a free account, and each can land a first customer within a month.
- How much do side hustles pay?
- It depends on your price and hours, so we don't promise a number. As a floor, the BLS puts median pay for employed bookkeepers at $24.36 an hour, grounds workers at $19.27 and cleaners at $17.71. Price your own work above that, since you cover supplies and taxes.
- Can I start a side hustle with no money?
- Nearly. A small online store opens for about $11, the price of a domain, print on demand about $22 for a sample and listings, and tutoring about $25 for a domain and a month of video calls. Ads and stock come later, once orders do.
- Which side hustles can I run fully online?
- 12 on this list: open a small online store, sell print on demand designs, tutor one subject, start dropshipping, design and sell stickers, launch a small clothing brand, start a t-shirt line, launch one skincare product, consult on what you know, make and sell jewelry, make and sell candles and keep books for small businesses. You ship by mail or deliver over video, so you never need to meet a customer.
- Do I need an LLC for a side hustle?
- Not to start. You're a sole proprietor as soon as you sell, and a free EIN from the IRS keeps your Social Security number off forms. Form an LLC once the business has steady sales or real liability, like clients' homes or cars.
