If you’ve been paying attention for the past few years, you’ve likely heard the phrase “side hustle” before. “Side hustle” is a term used to describe any kind of job that you have on the side of your regular job. Side hustles provide you with additional earnings (either active or passive income) that you can use to invest or pursue your dreams.
Many people wonder, though, what are the most profitable side hustles you can do in your spare time? How many of them will allow you to make passive income, and which ones will require you to spend more active time working on them?
This article will discuss 12 of the most profitable side hustles that you can start in 2022 to have an additional income stream. If you’ve been itching to start a side hustle but aren’t sure about which one, keep reading to get a dozen great options!
Great Side Hustles You Can Start Now
Ridesharing
Ridesharing has become extremely popular over the past decade. With this gig, you enroll as a driver on an app like Uber or Lyft. There’s no shortage of work available. For example, there are more than 75 million Uber riders worldwide!
Ridesharing on Uber or Lyft requires you to have a vehicle of your own, a valid driver’s license, and insurance. However, working on Uber or Lyft means you can begin and end a shift whenever you have time, and you can pick up as many rides as you’d like.
You will need to keep in mind that driving strangers around can be risky, so follow all safety precautions. You also have the risk of damage to your vehicle. However, if you enjoy driving and like meeting new people, ridesharing could be an excellent option for a profitable side-hustle.
Dropshipping
Starting a dropshipping business is one of the most exciting and profitable new ways to create a side hustle. This business idea is excellent if you are a true entrepreneur because you will get to own your own business!
Dropshipping allows you to sell products to customers without holding any inventory, thanks to wholesale retailers who ship the product directly to the customer for you. This way, you can focus primarily on your brand and customer service.
You can sell virtually any product using this method, so let your imagination run wild!
Food/Grocery Delivery
Apps like Doordash, Instacart, Postmates, and Uber Eats allow you to connect directly with customers who need food or groceries delivered to them.
Similar to ridesharing with Uber or Lyft, food delivery companies allow you to pick up shifts whenever you have time and accept/decline orders at your leisure.
While this side hustle is not passive income, and you will need to have your own bike or vehicle, it’s a great gig to do if you enjoy driving and fulfilling the needs of others.
Wholesale Businesses
A wholesale business is like a dropshipping business, except you’ll be far more hands-on with this side hustle. When you create a wholesale company, you’ll buy products in bulk at a low wholesale price and then sell them online to customers for retail price for a profit.
You will handle things like packaging and shipping in this business, unlike if you had a dropshipping business. This way, you will have much more control over quality. And you will also be the person dealing with customers’ questions about shipping.
A wholesale business will take up much more of your time as a side hustle. Still, it can be incredibly profitable over time.
Freelancing on Fiverr
Whether you’re a writer, editor, illustrator, web designer, or skilled at another service, there is probably freelance work available for you online.
On websites like Fiverr, you can create a profile and offer freelance listings specific to your skills. For example, you could put up a listing for a custom portrait if you are an illustrator. Then people can commission your work, and you can send it to them digitally. Or you could advertise your services as freelance content writer and get paid each time you write a new article.
On Fiverr, you can set your own prices and conditions for the timeframe in which your work will be done. You can also control your own orders, so it’s easy to see which orders you need to complete and which ones you are currently working on.
Sell Digital Products
Selling digital products is one way to make an entirely passive income. That means you only need to put in the work one time for your product to reap the financial benefits over and over.
For example, create a digital planner on Photoshop or websites like Canva. You can then sell the PDFs on places like Etsy for a profit. When someone orders your products, they will automatically receive a download link. So you won’t need to manually fulfill the orders every time you have a customer.
This is one of the best ways to make passive income, especially if you are a creative person.
Create Online Courses
If you have a specific, marketable skill—especially a creative one—you could make great money by creating and selling online courses.
For example, suppose you are a painter. In that case, you can record yourself teaching an introductory painting course and sell it to prospective artists online.
There are many places you could do this. One great way is by creating your own website. Then, when people purchase your class, the site automatically sends them an unlisted YouTube link.
Another way to create an online course and sell it is with sites specializing in this industry, such as Udemy. You only need to record the course once to make income each time someone buys it.
Paid Surveys
Paid surveys are not the most profitable side hustle on our list. But they are a super easy activity for making money in your spare time. You can access paid online surveys through reputable market research sites like Branded Surveys.
Many companies are looking for genuine, valid opinions from people regarding their products or customer experiences. So paid surveys are one way to motivate people to give their real-life thoughts and reviews. This side-gig is also one of the easiest to start, and you can begin right away. All you need to do is create a profile, verify your identity, and start taking surveys for money.
Of course, paid surveys aren’t enough to provide a full-time income, but they are a great way to make some spare cash. Some participants use their survey money to finance ads and materials for their other side gigs.
Be a Tutor
If you have a lot of knowledge in a specific subject, you can offer your services as a tutor and get paid. Additionally, if you’ve taken standardized tests like the SAT and did really well, you can be a testing tutor for students who are about to take them.
This side hustle is an especially great idea if you like working with kids, and both them and their parents will likely appreciate your hard work. You can work with students after school at home or even tutor solely online. In fact, there are many ways to become an online tutor.
Tutors charge by the hour or session, depending on the situation. But either way, this side gig can be incredibly profitable.
Teach English Online
This idea for a profitable side hustle is similar to tutoring. But in this case, the focus is only on teaching English as a second language.
Sites like Skooli, VIPKid, and more will pay you to teach English online to non-English speakers. And many places don’t even require you to have a degree.
Native English speakers can make between $14 and $22 an hour teaching English online, and you will get to help someone else learn a new language. You might also learn something about another culture or language from your students!
Sell Your Unwanted Items
If you have a lot of extra stuff—especially clothing—you can make quite a handsome profit by selling things online with minimal effort.
Sites like Depop, Poshmark, and Mercari allow you to list your items for whatever price you decide, offering you the option to ship with them once the item is purchased and just slap a label on an envelope and ship your item out.
This side hustle is especially useful if you’re interested in buying and reselling clothing or you like to refresh your wardrobe a lot.
Rent Your Car
Another excellent method of earning passive income that’s relatively new is renting out your car! If you have a vehicle that you don’t use very often, you can rent it out to others for a set price per hour or per day.
Websites like Turo or Getaround are two of the biggest new hosts for this side hustle, and using these sites has the potential to earn you more than $600 a month.
You can set the price and availability for your vehicle, so your rentals are on your own terms.
Side Hustles for Passive Income
Many of these side hustles require you to be an active participant in your business. So it’s essential to consider how much time you actually have to commit to these revenue streams on the side.
If you don’t have a lot of time, you should consider choosing a side hustle that provides you with passive income. That way, you can make money while working on other things. There are many fun and easy ways to make extra money with little effort. Don’t limit yourself to just those on this list. The gig economy is going strong. So with a little research, you just might find something to suit your needs even better.
