101 Best Side Business Ideas to Start While Working Full-Time

31. College Admissions Essay Editor.

If editing and advising college students on how to write compelling 500 word essays on topics such as "You were just invited to speak at the White House. Write your speech," seems like a compelling way to spend your free time, trust me - tons of parents will pay you to edit admissions essays and offer constructive feedback for their children.

32. Portrait Photographer.

If you own a camera, starting a freelance portrait photography business could be a very natural way to make a side income. Start with doing free shoots for friends and family to build up a strong online portfolio, then you'll be able to get paid for photographing professional head shots and celebratory family moments. Check out this men's portrait photography class on CreativeLive.

33. Wedding Photographer.

Wedding photographers command premium rates - after all, you are capturing one of a couple's most important life moments. Many professional wedding photographers charge between $2,500 - $10,000 (or more) to shoot a wedding. Check out The Wedding School and the Complete Wedding Photography Experience to get up to speed on everything you need to launch a successful wedding photography business.

34. Online Dating Consultant.

Believe it or not, some people have such a difficult time at dating, that they can’t even handle the online component of it. If you’re a smooth talker, why not leverage that skill into a paid match maker?People are paying.

35. Writing Erotic Fiction.

Werewolves, stepbrothers, and tentacles—the demand is high. As odd as it may sound, if you’ve got the imagination (and a clever pseudonym), you can make upwards of $5,000 a month writing erotic fiction.

37. WordPress Website Consultant.

Countless small businesses start out their web presence using a WordPress hosted website before needing to upgrade to other solutions for various reasons. Many of them will pay several hundreds of dollars for someone to get them set up online. If you have the patience to learn how to do it yourself, it's an extremely valuable skill.

38. Drive for Uber or Lyft.

Driving for one of the two globally expanding app-centric taxi alternative services, Uber or Lyft can be a very lucrative way to earn money on nights and weekends - working only when you want.

39. Rent Your Car on Turo.

If you own a car but barely use it, you can make some easy cash on the side by renting it out on Turo. Before you freak out, know that there’s a $1 Million insurance policy on all cars, plus drivers are prescreened, so you can have peace of mind.

40. Art Collector.

Not to be confused with hoarding, this one takes a lot of time, patience, and passion. If you have an eye for good art, it’s easy to get in on the ground level by visiting the studio department at your local university. Many art students are more than happy to sell their work for a bargain, and in as little as a few years, there's a chance that piece you bought for a couple hundred bucks may be worth well into the thousands.

41. Catering Business.

EatWith is a great way to test the waters as a chef, and if you have enough rave reviews you might be able to turn your knife skills into a full-time business.

42. Develop an App.

Sometimes it seems like there’s an app for everything. Yet somehow, new ones keep popping up and selling for lots of money, all the time. If you spot a niche that hasn’t been filled to its potential just yet, and you can learn the coding skills (or know someone who already has them), you could be on to something. Today, it's even possible to build an app without any coding skills whatsoever. Just make sure you validate your app idea before jumping too far in.

43. Online News Correspondent.

You don’t need to have a degree in journalism to be a reporter these days, and there are many news websites that can always use a bit of help on getting local coverage. Some of them, such as The Examiner or HuffPost, will compensate contributors based on ad revenue generated per article written - a great incentive to provide compelling content.

44. Patent Something.

Kia Silverbrock has been granted over 4,665 US Patents in his lifetime (so far). You don’t have to invent the wheel to make good money from your patented concepts - just make sure that your idea can be produced affordably, or it will never stand up against a lawsuit in the future.

45. Buy and Sell Domain Names.

Domain name trading has been around for the last couple decades, and while the slam-dunk names have long been sold off (Insure.com went for $16 Million in 2009) there’s still plenty of others that you can get your hands on for relatively cheap. But beware: some experts doubt the long-term viability of this business so you shouldn’t quit your day job just to put all your effort into this one without some successes already in the bag. To get you started, here are some tips from GoDaddy, arguably the world’s largest and most famous repository of domain names. Imagine owning desirable domain names for the next decade's worth of innovative companies.

46. Start a Popup Shop.

While the barriers to entry for a retail shop can be very high, one way to keep costs down and limit your time investment while you keep your full-time job, is to set up a weekend popup shop. More of whatever it is you’re selling—donuts, clothing, antique baseball cards, or anything else—will stay in your pockets instead of going to pay for operating expenses such as rent or utilities. This guide from Shopify will give you a step-by-step process for getting your popup shop off the ground.

47. Brew Your Own Beer.

Like drinking beer? Why not try making it yourself? With patience and skill you might end up brewing something that others are willing to pay to drink. Pick up an easy-to-use starter kit from Mr. Beeronline.

48. Freelance Proofreading and Editing.

As long as there is still the written word, there will always be editors. Freelance editing and proofreading not only pays a decent hourly wage, it also gives you the chance to read about potentially interesting topics too. What's more, freelance writing & editing can afford you a lifestyle that let's you travel the world as a digital nomad. You can find lots of job postings from companies and individuals in need of writing, proofreading, and editing services on Upwork.

49. Buy Used Electronics and Refurbish Them.

Many people give up on their faulty laptops, mobile phones, or cameras without even looking into the cause of their malfunctions. If you have the skills to fix them, consider starting a side business refurbishing and reselling used electronics.

50. Data Analysis.

Got a thing for numbers? Plenty of companies need to hire someone who’s good at data analysis.Upwork and Digiserved are but a two of many websites that are great for freelancers with an analytical prowess, looking for extra work.