10 Side Hustle Ideas You Can Start From Home in 2023

It’s no secret that the Internet has opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to starting a side hustle from home. 

Yet, if you’re still staring at your device, trying to figure out how to turn it into a money-making machine, this guide provides all the inspiration, information, and guidance you’ll need to find the one idea that works best for you. 

Whether you’re home-bound for health reasons, need a flexible job you can fit around parenting responsibilities, or you’re simply looking for the perfect way to earn extra cash without changing out of your pajamas, here are 10 side hustle ideas you can pick up and run with from the comfort of your living room. 

10 Side Hustle Ideas You Can Start From Home

Before diving in, let me preface this list by noting that I’m using the term “from home” quite literally here, meaning work you can do without leaving the house. 

Related: Side hustles you can start with no money

That’s why you won’t find side gigs such as food delivery, dog walking, photography, or similar part-time jobs, as these all require you to venture outside to provide your services. 

1. Sell Your Old Stuff 

This first idea is perhaps the easiest to get started with because you don’t need anything more than an Internet-enabled device and the things you already have lying around your home. 

First things first, start with a thorough declutter and take inventory of anything and everything you’d be willing to part with in exchange for extra money. 

Clothes, furniture, electronics, sporting equipment, and collectibles are among some of the most profitable second-hand items to sell online, though you can sell almost anything as long as it’s ethical and legal, and you know the best marketplace for it. 

Speaking of marketplaces, platforms such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace are the best options for selling most items. 

That said, there are a number of niche marketplace sites that may be better suited for certain second-hand goods.

Poshmark, for example, is an easy-to-use marketplace app with 7.8 million active buyers. 

Though the platform is best known for selling second-hand clothing, shoes, and accessories, home furnishings and decor, electronics, and even pet accessories are also popular categories. 

2. Sell Your Services as a Virtual Assistant

The biggest upside to starting a virtual assistant business is that the job can potentially cover a very broad remit of tasks, meaning there’s bound to be at least one type of service you can sell that you’re good at, enjoy, and have the time for. 

Some virtual assistants (VAs), for example, focus exclusively on social media management, helping small businesses connect and engage with their audiences by creating content and moderating discussions.

Others, meanwhile, may only offer bookkeeping or appointment-scheduling services. 

Of course, while narrowing down to a single service certainly helps you carve out a reputation as an expert in that service, there’s no rule that says you can only do one thing. 

In fact, if you’re proficient enough at several things, starting a multi-service VA business is a great side hustle idea if you’re the type of person who doesn’t enjoy doing the same thing over and over again.

3. Work as a Freelance Writer

Far from killing off the entire freelance writing industry, the rise of AI-generated content has only increased the demand for talented human writers who can lend an authentic and authoritative voice to websites, blogs, and publications. 

Sure, competition may be tough in this industry, but there’s money to be made for those with the skills to create high-quality content, especially if you can also combine your flair for words with an ability to demonstrate first-hand experience or expertise in a focused niche subject. 

Although jack-of-all-trades wordsmiths are out there, I often found in my own freelance writing career that clients typically prefer writers who already have a deep understanding of the subject they’re writing about.

For example, I drew on my past career to offer my services as a freelance writer specializing in digital marketing and small business growth, while a friend of mine who works in the medical field channeled her knowledge and unique experience to create a lucrative side hustle as a health and wellness writer. 

I recommend reading our guide to starting a freelance writing business for a full breakdown of the steps involved, but for now, here’s a few quick tips to get you on the road to freelancing success:

A. Create a Portfolio of Your Best Work

It’s rare that you’ll find a client willing to hire you without seeing what you’re capable of, so your first step should be to showcase your skills with a portfolio. 

Create a website or set up a free WordPress blog, and be sure to include links to any previously published writing. Alternatively, if you’ve never been published before, start creating high-quality writing related to your chosen niche subject and upload it. 

B. Find Your First Clients on Freelancer Marketplace Sites

The likes of Fiverr and Upwork are both great platforms for finding freelance work. 

 

After signing up, you can create a free profile to show off your skills and impress potential clients. From there, you have the freedom to either sell pre-packed writing services or browse the marketplace, find clients looking to hire a writer, and send them a pitch. 

C. Go Above And Beyond for Your Clients

As with all side gigs, the best way to develop a loyal customer base is to do such a good job that those clients can’t imagine ever hiring anybody else. 

Not only will this help you build up a steady stream of repeat work, but I’ve found that clients who are really impressed by what you do are usually willing to write a glowing testimonial about your services, which can be invaluable for attracting new customers. 

4. Offer Other Writing-Related Services

Sites such as the aforementioned Fiverr also offer skilled linguists to boost their income by offering writing-related services such as proofreading, editing, or transcription. 

Elsewhere, sites like Proofreadingservices.com regularly hire part-time proofreaders and editors, offering flexible hours that fit in with your own schedule and a rate of pay ranging from $19 to $46 per hour.

Here, previous experience will benefit you tremendously, though if you don’t have any, using a writing portfolio to demonstrate a keen eye for detail, flawless grammar, and an aptitude for constructing well-structured writing can be enough to help you land those all-important first customers. 

If this sounds like the perfect side hustle for you, read How to Start a Proofreading Business to learn what to do next. 

5. Sell Freelance Creative Services

Freelancer marketplaces offer just as many opportunities to make extra income for those whose creative skills lie more in the visual arts than the written word. 

Whether you’re a graphic designer, illustrator, video and animation wizard, or image editing specialist, your first step should be to create a stunning portfolio of your best work. 

While creating your own portfolio website is always a good idea, you may prefer to save some time by using a platform like Dribble, which is designed exclusively for creative professionals and serves as part portfolio, part job marketplace. 

Of course, the other marketplace sites that we’ve already covered in detail elsewhere in this guide likewise make a great hunting ground for all types of freelance creative work, but don’t be afraid to look above and beyond those platforms, either. 

Consider attending business network events or reaching out and offering your services directly to local businesses. 

Finally, don’t underestimate what an important role social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube can play in promoting visual work.

6. Create and Monetize Content

Of all the at-home side businesses you could attempt, creating monetizable content may take the longest to bear fruit, but I can confirm from experience that the rewards are well worth it for patient and dedicated side hustlers willing to invest the time and energy it takes to build a profitable content brand. 

As with freelance writing, you’ll benefit from selecting a niche subject that you can not only speak or write about with authority but also won’t get tired of talking about. 

After all, whether you decide to start a blog, a YouTube channel, or a podcast, you’re going to be spending a lot of hours on this project, so the last thing you want to do is pick a subject you may quickly lose interest in. 

Which Types of Content Are The Easiest to Profit From?

The hard work doesn’t end with the content creation process itself. 

As most bloggers will tell you, that’s only the beginning. 

If you’re going to make money from this, you’re also going to have to work hard on using social media and other marketing channels to grow an audience. 

Take YouTube, for example. 

As of 2023, the requirements to join the YouTube Partner Program (which allows you to make money from your videos) have been lowered to:

• 500 subscribers
• 3,000 watch hours within the past 12 months
• 3 public uploads within the last 90 days. 

While that means that it’s now easier to monetize your YouTube channel than it used to be (previous participation rules required at least 1,000 followers and many more watch hours), you’ll still need to put some effort in if you’re going to reach the current threshold. 

Podcasting presents similar challenges.

Podcasting networks such as Podbean automatically match you with relevant advertisers, with advertising fees split between you and a small commission fee to the network. However, if you decide to create a second revenue stream by sharing affiliate marketing links to relevant products, you may find that affiliate advertisers require you to reach certain audience metrics before they will work with you.

Blogging has perhaps the lowest barrier to entry, with leading ad networks such as Google Ads caring more about the quality of your content and overall user experience than the amount of content you have. 

However, given the enormous number of blogs out there, you’ll really need to go all-in to stand out and attract enough visitors to make your blog profitable. 

7. Sell Creative Work on Etsy

We’ve already seen how you can profit by selling your creative skills as a freelancer, but you can also create a generous amount of passive income by selling the actual work you create on artisan marketplace, Etsy. 

With millions of active buyers purchasing one-of-a-kind items across hundreds of categories, you can sign up for a free Etsy shop and use it to sell anything from handmade arts, crafts, and jewelry to furniture, pottery, stationary, and more. 

In accordance with Etsy’s fees policy, you’ll be charged $0.20 each time you list a new item in your store, along with a 6.5% commission, which the company takes out of the final sale price of each item you sell. 

You can learn more about the pros, cons, and next steps involved in selling your creative work in our guide on how to start selling on Etsy.

8. Start a Web Hosting Reseller Company

If you’re the technically-minded type who knows a lot about creating and hosting websites, you’ve likely already determined that starting a web design business is one of the best side hustles you can start from home. 

Still, why stop there when you could create additional income as a web hosting reseller, which is exactly what it sounds like: 

You buy a hosting server that’s been specifically configured for resellers, then use it to sell web hosting plans to your clients. 

To be in with a chance of success, you’ll benefit from first identifying a niche audience, whether that’s customers looking for eCommerce hosting for their online store, managed WordPress hosting in which will require you to carry out regular maintenance tasks, or something else entirely. 

Believe it or not, there’s also a particularly profitable market in selling server space to players of the video game Minecraft. 

Once you’ve picked your audience, check out companies such as Hostgator and GreenGeeks, who offer tremendous, affordable reseller plans. 

Pick the one that best suits your business needs, then use these 20 low-cost marketing tips to promote your new web hosting business and attract your first clients. 

9. Start a Tech Support / Computer Repair Business

A few years ago, my laptop unexpectedly bit the dust. Holding out hope that it could be revived, I ran a quick Google search and found a local computer repair business just a few streets away that I’d seemingly never noticed. 

I picked up the phone, discussed the problem, and agreed to drop the laptop off for repair. 

The address I was given took me to a private residence, where the owner told me that he had difficulty leaving the house due to health reasons but loved fixing things, especially computers. 

So, he created a free Google My Business profile (the same one that brought him to my attention), made a few posts on free advertising sites such as Craigslist, and then, whenever a potential customer got in touch, he simply had them bring their faulty technology to him. 

That was enough to launch a computer repair business from his living room that earned him a decent regular side-income. 

What’s more, he’d built up a loyal customer base over the years as not only was he very good at what he did, but he was also a lot closer to his local customers than many of the computer stores in town and, since he didn’t have the same overheads as those stores, could charge less too. 

That guy remained by go-to tech repair for a few years. Eventually, I moved home, but I still think about his story and how it’s a great example for anyone looking to turn a passion for tinkering with technology into a stay-at-home side hustle. 

Of course, that’s all well and good, but what if you’re better with software than hardware?

In that case, investing in remote desktop software such as Zoho would allow you to start your own virtual IT support company for which you could find clients via a Search Engine Optimized website, gig work sites including Fiverr, People Per Hour, and Upwork, and as my guy did, via a Google My Business profile. 

10. Start a Home-Based Ironing Business

There are two types of people in this world: 

Those who hate ironing and those who love it. 

If you’re the type that loves breaking out the iron and finds the whole process of making clothes pristine to be a relaxing experience, it might delight you to know that you can make money by taking on the ironing of those who hate it and would gladly pay someone to do it for them. 

To start your home-based ironing business, you’ll obviously benefit from having a top-quality iron and a sturdy, clean ironing board. 

If you have the budget for it, you might also want to invest in other equipment, such as a sleeve press or a trouser press, so that you can provide a higher quality service. If not, don’t worry; you can always reinvest your profits once things get going. 

Having a dedicated space will also be invaluable, not only for allowing you to work uninterrupted but also for ensuring client’s garments aren’t at risk of getting dirty or damaged. 

A spare room is ideal for this, though, as with the equipment, it’s certainly not a deal breaker. 

Once you’ve got everything you need, it all comes down to finding your customers. 

As with all the other side jobs we’ve discussed today, the Internet will prove invaluable for attracting customers via a website, social media, and other platforms, though don’t rule out traditional, offline marketing either. 

Putting up flyers, handing out business cards, and asking friends and family for referrals will all go a long way to making your new part-time business a success. 

How to Decide The Best Home-Based Side Hustle Ideas to Try in 2023?

The 10 home-based side hustle ideas listed above are just a small sample of the world of opportunity that exists to make a solid second income in your spare time without leaving your living room. 

Whether you’re flipping old items for profit, monetizing your creative skills, or charging your for technological expertise, capitalizing on those opportunities often requires little more than an Internet connection, the right platform, and some good, old-fashioned hard work. 

Faced with such an abundance of potential entrepreneurial endeavors, it may not be immediately obvious which one to throw yourself into first. 

If you still can’t decide which one of the 10 gigs we looked at is best for you, there are a few important things to consider before starting a side hustle that can really help you make that decision. 

Think about: 

• What are you good at?
• What are you passionate enough about that you won’t burn out or lose interest during what can sometimes be a long slog to side hustle success?
• What resources do you have that would be useful for creating a good side hustle?
• What can you offer people that nobody else can? Whether that’s a unique style for your graphic design clients, or exemplary service in your home-based ironing business?

Answering these questions should help you start narrowing down your options and determine the best business to start in your free time. 

Once you’ve done that, be sure to read How to Start a Small Business at Home to discover the next steps to take.