Most Successful Side Business Ideas To Try While You’re Still Working Full-Time

Many reasons make the modern age the best time ever to achieve your goals.

While working on your side business ideas still takes a lot of work and determination, the number of increasing useful apps and startup funding has made the whole process easier. There is no limitation on what you can achieve as an entrepreneur or a business owner.

So don’t be afraid to go after your dreams of owning a business. Benefit from great apps and experience others have been through, and make your next great success story.

This post is for people who want to earn extra money outside of their day jobs. Maybe you want to treat yourself a nice vacation without feeling guilty about it. Perhaps you’re looking for a way out of the corporate world to launch your startup. You want that ultimate financial freedom, right?

Here is a list of side business ideas that you can do today. And the best part is, there are no technical skills and huge investment required to get started with any of the side business ideas presented.

List of Most Successful Side Business Ideas

1. Sell on eBay

Sell nearly anything to almost anyone over the Internet. Find sites like eBay, Amazon Marketplace and Yahoo! to offer items to anyone with a connection to the Internet and a mailing address. You can sell books, art, painting, antique, old clothes, and handmade items on these sites. You can even start up your shop on these big platforms.

2. Transcribing

Many professionals prefer to dictate notes, letters, and drafts of articles, speeches, and books. Corporate and government committees often seek transcripts of meetings. If you are great at listening and writing, then you may try this out!

3. Personal Trainer

There is no requirement for a personal trainer to have a license or any professional certification, but you should explore possible affiliation with a few national organizations. Your role would be to help clients to achieve their weight loss or fitness goals. You can start as a personal trainer by advertising your availability in community centers, stores, health, and athletics clubs.

4. Be a tour guide

If you live in a vacation destination, apply as a local tour guide. You can work as a part-time tour guide for a travel agency and get a commission for every tour you do. Or you can offer your services and ask for a tip at the end of the trip.

5. Consultant

If you have significant experience in or knowledge of a specific subject, try a new role as a consultant. There might be specific jobs you’ve tried or learned that you can share it with other people. If you’re good at it, market yourself as a consultant and charge the ongoing rate.

6. Virtual Assistant

If you like to try out many roles, you should consider working as a virtual assistant as one of your side business ideas. It can be an opportunity to connect with influential people, build up your professional network, and develop in-demand new skills by staying in the comfort of your home.

7. Social Media Manager

We spend too much time on social media, so why not use your expertise as one of the side business ideas?

Many companies are always in need of people to help build their brands online. You can add more service offerings as you grow in your ability to leverage on various social platforms.

8. Remote English Teacher

You can take advantage of your native language and offer personalized instruction to those seeking to learn English in other countries. The role can be quite lucrative and can open up doors for you to travel the world. 

9. Teach your expertise

Other people might be willing to pay for the knowledge you have. Skilled peers and colleagues teach much of today’s online learning.

That’s true. If you have a specific skill or experience, you can build an online course and accept payment from students around the world.

10. Start a blog

Many bloggers are creating profitable content on topics as diverse as home cooking, travel, film, lifestyle, business, personal finance and more. Although it takes time to earn money out of it, you can try this out if you want to grow your side business for a long time.

11. Rent your space

With Airbnb, you can rent out a room in your home or the entire place if you have somewhere else to stay. The company provides an online booking interface and handles all the payment processing. If you have a spare room or even if you have a traditional rental, this could be an exciting and lucrative way to earn more money from it.

12. Start Freelancing

Want to do some creative work that you have not been able to do in your full-time job? Consider offering whatever skills you can excel as a freelancer. Few in-demand creative services are writing, editing, graphic designing, web designing, web development, translation, and they all tend to pay well. Also, you get to work on an hour or a contract basis. 

There are many digital resources you can use to market yourself and list your services. Few freelance sites like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr are a good place to start. But, don’t limit yourself to these sites. Make your website and social media channels to market yourself as an authority and maintain your schedule.

13. Drive for Uber or Lyft

One of the most widely available ways of making money is to drive for Uber or Lyft. These networks allow you to turn on and off your availability with a simple click of a button, allowing you to make money no matter what time of day it is.

14. Affiliate Marketing

Refer visitors to buy products online and earn a small commission on every sale you make. The idea behind it is that you promote other people’s products, often through an affiliate network or Instagram influence.

15. Start Investing in Real Estate

Most people hesitate with the idea of investing in real estate and becoming a landlord. That shouldn’t be the case because it can be a very profitable side business. 

Conclusion

We presented you with a list of the most successful side business ideas, and now it’s up to you to choose the ones that sound most interesting and attainable to you. Do you have any unique side business ideas you’d like to share? If so, we would love to hear from you in the comments below!