Don't know what to start? Get inspiration with our huge index of business & side hustle ideas!

My Favorite Flexible & Fun Part-Time Side Hustles

If you want to make some extra cash but don’t have much free time in your weekly schedule, part-time side hustles are the answer you’re looking for.

Many part-time side hustles don’t require any special education. Some even don’t require any experience!

This makes them a great option for an extra cash flow that anybody could try.

Throughout this article, you’ll learn more about the best part-time side hustle ideas you could do.

  • Part-time side hustles offer extra income without needing special education or experience.
  • Popular side hustles include delivery gigs, blogging, online surveys, and pet sitting.
  • These hustles provide flexibility, allowing you to set your own hours and rates.
  • Ensure your side hustle aligns with your skills, interests, and schedule for maximum success.
Brett Helling
Owner, Hardly Hustle

Brett Helling is a gig economy expert who has been running his own small business for over 10 years.

The Best Part-Time Side Hustles

There are hundreds of part-time jobs and side hustle ideas to choose from, depending on your available time, skills, and personal preference.

Some of our top picks include:

  • Delivery Gigs: Deliver almost anything all over town.
  • Starting a Blog: Share your thoughts and experiences on certain topics.
  • Paid Focus Group: Participate in paid clinical trials.
  • Selling Digital Downloads Online: Create digital products and sell them online.
  • Creating Online Courses: Create a course and sell it multiple times.
  • Offering Pet Sitting or Dog Walking Services: Help people care for their pets.
  • Renting Out a Spare Room in Your Home: Utilize any extra space at home.
  • Offering Freelance Marketing Services: Offer your services to multiple agencies.  
  • Becoming an Affiliate Marketer: Get paid to market products online.
  • Selling Your Photos: Make some money off of your favorite photos.

Get Started With Part-Time Hustles

Before you jump into the best part-time side hustles, let’s cover the basics about what they are and why you should consider them.

What Are Part-Time Side Hustles?

Part-time side hustles are small businesses or tasks that you could do along with your full-time job or your main source of income. 

As the name implies, these side hustles don’t come with an 8-hour shift requirement like regular full-time jobs, which makes them a great option for diversifying your income.

A part-time side hustle can come in many forms.

It could be a freelancing gig from home, a part-time job at a company, or even starting up your own small business selling products or services.

Why Should You Consider a Part-Time Side Hustle?

Although a part-time side hustle isn’t often as stable as your main job, that’s actually the beauty of it.

The less commitment required for part-time side hustles allows you to try new things until you find the one that best fits you and your lifestyle.

You could set up your own hours, days, and even your own pay rate, depending on the type of hustle you choose.

With the perfect side hustle, you'll be able to make some decent cash, along with your main income source.

You could even use the extra cash to help you pay your student loans.

The Best Part-Time Side Hustles at a Glance

Side hustles are meant to be innovative and unique, not one-size-fits-all.

The immense diversity of options allows everyone to find the side hustle that best suits them.

That’s why it’s hard to crown a single side hustle as the best.

With that said, there are a few side hustles that were able to grab the attention of many people.

What Is the Best Part-Time Side Hustle?

The best and most common part-time side hustle is freelancing.

Freelancing is a generalized part-time side hustle that allows people to do what they’re good at on their own terms.

That’s why this side hustle has managed to encompass millions of people and allow them to connect with as many clients as they’d like.

What Is the Easiest Part-Time Side Hustle?

One of the easiest part-time side hustles is answering online surveys. However, it doesn’t offer a significant income.

Another part-time side hustle that requires zero skills or experience is delivery jobs. All you have to do is deliver items or food from one place to another.

The Best Part-Time Side Hustles

We’ve gathered a list of the best-performing ideas for a side hustle that many people choose to pursue.

1. Delivery Gigs

As we’ve mentioned, delivery gigs are one of the easiest ways to make extra cash in your free time.

Bonus points if you enjoy going out and wandering the streets.

The best thing about it is how simple it is. Anybody can take up this side gig with minimal requirements.

Costs to Get Started

Generally, you’ll need a vehicle to help you move around faster. The specific type of vehicle depends on where you’ll be working.

In a small town, you might only need a bike to get around.

If you’re in the city, however, you’ll need a motorbike or a small car to cover a larger area.

Of course, with a car or a motorbike comes the expense of gas, maintenance, and most importantly, having your driver’s license.

Where to Find Delivery Gigs

When looking for delivery gigs, you must divide your niche into food and groceries, medical, and package delivery or courier.

The top three platforms that offer delivery gigs are DoorDash, Postmates, and FedEx.

You could also check out Shipt and ScriptDrops for more delivery opportunities.

2. Starting a Blog

If you have a ton of tips and experiences that you’d love to share with people, this is your gold mine.

You can start a blog about the specific niche you’re passionate about and monetize your wisdom and experience. 

Just remember to optimize your blog post to make it SEO-friendly and allow it to pop up more frequently in search results.

The more attention your blog posts get, the more money you’ll make. 

Costs to Get Started

Starting a blog won’t require any special equipment. All you need is internet access and a device to access the internet and update your blog.

You’ll also need to buy a domain to have a designated website for your blog.

You could also buy some books or resources to widen your research material, but that’s not essential for every blogger. It depends on your niche and research process.

Where to Find Blog Gigs

Blogs usually live on their own, designated website. You set up a website hosting and build your blog on WordPress.

Here’s a video explaining how to start your WordPress blog website.

As for your hosting, you could use any of Bluehost or Siteground to store and organize your blog files.

3. Paid Focus Group

Another great way to make easy money is by joining a paid focus group. You’ll be getting paid just to share your opinion!

It could be either in-person or online. So choose the type of group that best suits you and your schedule.

Costs to Get Started

Registering on a focus group’s website is usually free.

So, this side gig won’t cost you anything you’re not already using, including an internet connection and any digital device.

Where to Find Paid Focus Group Gigs

Paid clinical trials are always looking for new participants to join their focus groups. 

You could also apply to Broad Focus Clinical, Ascendency Research, and AcurianHealth to increase your chances of finding more job opportunities.  

4. Selling Digital Downloads Online

From MP3s to PDFs, the sky’s the limit when you consider selling digital products online.

Whether you’re a talented artist and you enjoy creating artistic masterpieces, or you’re into designing unique online calendars or agendas, you could start this side hustle in no time.

Costs to Get Started

The beauty of this side hustle is that you could spend as much or as little as you’d like.

You could start by creating a free account on Canva to draft your graphic designs.

Then, for advanced features, you could either subscribe to the paid version of Canva or buy Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

You could take it even further and buy a tablet or an iPad and an Apple Pencil to create designs on the go.

As for songs and MP3 files, you’ll need a high-quality microphone, which would cost you anywhere between $100 to $500.

Where to Find Selling Digital Downloads Online Gigs

You could post your digital products on Amazon, Pinterest, Etsy, and plenty of other platforms where you could reach a wide target audience.

You could also post it on Facebook Marketplace to reach even more people online.

5. Creating Online Courses

This side gig is one of the ultimate options for creating passive income.

You only have to work on your course and record it. Your job is done once your course is live and starts selling.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the passive income stream you’ve just created.  

Costs to Get Started

To record a professional online course and avoid hurting your credibility, you’ll need high-quality footage and clear audio. 

That means you’ll need a professional camera, along with a high-quality microphone, a laptop to edit your lessons, and of course, the internet.

The microphone would be between $100 to $500.

As for the camera’s price, it differs based on whether the camera is new, used, or rented.

And last, but not least, an average laptop would set you back from $600 to $1,000.

Where to Find Creating Online Courses Gigs

After recording your course and editing your lessons, it’s time to upload it on a platform to be noticed and bought by students.

Start with uploading your course on Udemy, SkillShare, and TrainerCentral, since these are the usual go-to when people want to learn new skills.

6. Offering Pet Sitting or Dog Walking Services

This side hustle is for all the animal lovers out there. If you’re a dog person, why not help people take care of their furry little friends and make an extra income on the side?

It’s as easy as walking their dog every day or taking care of it while they’re away.

Costs to Get Started

If you take the pets in your house, you may need to set up gates in certain areas to avoid having all the pets roaming around your house. 

It’s also a good idea to separate pets who are strangers to each other. Otherwise, things may get out of control.

Other than the gates, you could buy a few cat and dog treats to win the pet’s trust, but that’s just optional.

Where to Find Pet Sitting or Dog Walking Gigs

Some of the best apps and websites to post your service on are Rover, PetBacker, and WagWalking.

All three platforms are trusted among the pet owners community and you’ll have a great chance to land a few new clients.

7. Renting Out a Spare Room in your Home

Another example of a side hustle that requires no equipment or experience is posting a spare room, or even your whole house, online for renting.

Instead of having an empty room in your house, or a second home that you no longer live in, why not rent it out and make a profit out of it?

Costs to Get Started

Assuming you already have the empty space, you’ll only need to run a few maintenance tasks based on the condition of your space.

You could also choose to add in some extra amenities like air conditioning, a microwave, a big-screen TV…etc.

All of these increase the value of your place when posting it for rent.

Where to Find Renting Spare Rooms Gigs

When you’re ready to rent your spare room, check out SpareRoom and Airbnb for potential tenants.

If you succeed in scoring a positive review on these platforms, your spare room could turn into a long-term income stream before you know it.

8. Offering Freelance Marketing Services

As one of the highest-paying part-time jobs, freelance marketing is one of the most popular side gigs of all.

Every single business needs marketing services, but not every single one can afford to hire an entire marketing team.

This is where you come to the rescue.

Costs to Get Started

Based on your business model, this side hustle would cost you anywhere from $3,000 to $7,000.

This includes any required courses, getting your business license, and site setup insurance.

If you run your own small marketing services business, then you’ll also need to create a marketing campaign and run ads, which would increase your costs.

Where to Find Freelance Marketing Gigs

The best place to reach your target customer is through freelancing platforms like Gigworker, Fiverr, WeWorkRemotely, and plenty of other options.

9. Becoming an Affiliate Marketer

This side hustle perfectly fits those who can reach a huge number of people and prefer a working-from-home part-time side hustle.

The goal is to market a product for a company and get a commission on every sale they make through you.

So the more you reach people and persuade them to buy that product, the more money you make.

Costs to Get Started

There aren’t any extra costs to join an affiliate program and market certain products for companies.

All you need to get started is a strong online and social media presence.

Your audience is your capital. The more people you reach, the bigger your paycheck.

Where to Find Affiliate Marketing Gigs

You’ll find plenty of affiliate marketing gigs on Fiverr, Freeup, and SolidGigs.

All of which have solid opportunities to kickstart your affiliate marketing side hustle.

10. Selling Your Photos

If you’re into photography, we bet you have hundreds of brilliant photos cramped up in your storage and have never seen the light of day.

This is their chance to shine — and yours to make extra cash. 

Costs to Get Started

The higher the quality of your pictures, the more money you’ll make. That’s why it’s important to take your pictures with a professional camera.

You could buy a top-of-the-line camera with an average of $5,500 to $6,500.

If that’s out of your budget, you could get a professional camera between $1,800 and $2,600.

Where to Find Photo Selling Gigs

There are many websites, such as Getty Images, Shutterstock, and Depositphotos, that would allow you to post your photos for people to buy and download. 

You could also post your photography services on Fiverr, Upwork, Flexjobs, and other freelancing platforms.

How to Start a Part-Time Side Hustle

Starting a part-time side hustle is as easy as pie once you have a plan and know what to do.

Follow these steps to get a headstart on your next side hustle:

Pick a Side Hustle That Fits Your Skills and Interests

If you’re going to pick up an extra side hustle besides your original job, the least you could do to yourself is make it easy and enjoyable.

First, you need to think about what you’re interested in and what you’re good at.

Then, find a side hustle that helps you monetize these skills.

Ensure That Your Side Hustle Aligns With Your Schedule

For a part-time side hustle to work, it needs to fit comfortably into your schedule to maintain a healthy work-life balance.  

It can’t be cramped with other things that you barely have enough time to sleep. That’s not sustainable.

If you have a busy schedule, then you can’t have a side hustle with time limits. Otherwise, you’ll burn out in no time.

Create a Solid Business Plan

If you decide to start your own business or look for new clients, you must have a solid business plan. 

Within that plan, you need to:

  • Identify your target audience
  • Plan out your offered product or service
  • Know your competition
  • Determine your operating model
  • Calculate all the required costs
  • Plan out your budget and cashflow
  • Outline your revenues.

Determine Your Income Goals

Along with your skills, interests, and schedule, your income goals are an important factor in choosing the right side hustle.

Do you need a quick income that doesn’t last long? Or do you have the capacity to play the long game?

Determine how much you expect to make out of your part-time side hustle and set realistic goals for yourself.

Use Any Free Resources

To increase the profit of your part-time side hustle, you’ll need to minimize the costs as much as possible. 

An easy way to do that is to leverage as many free resources as you can.

Whether you need courses, programs, or tools, there’s a good chance you’ll find them online for free.

Wrapping Up

Part-time side hustles are fantastic for diversifying your income and increasing your cash flow.

The easiest side hustle that requires no equipment and zero experience is joining a paid focus group.

However, you don’t regularly get a chance to join, which makes it not so lucrative.

The best option to make a decent income is offering freelance marketing services.

All you need is to brush up on your marketing skills and you’re good to go!

If you haven’t found the perfect part-time side hustle yet, check out our website for more side hustle ideas. You might just find your perfect match.

Similar Side Hustles to Check Out

  • Passive Income Side Hustles: Imagine being able to make money while you sleep. Well, now you can! Check out these passive income side hustles and start making money without actually working all day.
  • Side Hustles With No Experience: You don’t need any previous experience to start a side hustle and make extra income. All you need is passion, the willingness to try something new, and the information in this guide.
  • Side Hustles to Make More Money: Although side hustles in general are a great way to make a few extra bucks, some are more lucrative than others. This guide is a list of the most lucrative side hustles that’ll help you make a decent income.