9 Fun Side Hustles That Pay Well This 2023

Earning a few extra bucks apart from your day job has become a trend in the gig economy. Where there is a strong demand for a service, you’ll likely find freelancers willing to take on the task.

The beauty of side gigs is the opportunity to control your own schedule. You work when you want on the job that you love.

If you have some free time and want to earn extra money helping others, these fun side hustles will help you get started. 

1. Pet Sitting

Think of pet sitting as becoming the adoptive pet parents of dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, etc., while their real owners are away. 

Activities like dog walking, feeding, grooming coats, providing them a safe space for play, and offering them affection are some of your primary responsibilities. Your job can be rendered for a few hours up to several days, depending on your arrangement with the owner. 

Unlike most technical jobs, pet sitting requires a natural affinity to animals. Hence, those who genuinely love caring for these cute, domestic creatures are perfect for this side hustle. You can get paid an average of $15 an hour for it. 

2. Monetizing a YouTube Channel

Do you want to create videos on YouTube? Why not dive into the business potential of this interest to start making real money online?

Earning from YouTube takes time but can be a lucrative side hustle. Your primary task involves creating consistent, high-quality, and valuable video content on a niche. You then share these on social media and work on attracting viewers to your channel.

While you don’t get paid instantly, it’s a fun side hustle idea that can evolve into an online business by tapping into affiliates, ads, membership, patronage, etc.

Earnings vary across Youtubers, but Business Insider reports indicate them running between $1.61 and $29.30 per 1,000 views. 

3. Becoming a Freelance Writer

Freelance writing is hard work but can be a rewarding side hustle for anyone who loves to write. It’s also among the most in-demand remote freelance gigs for earning extra income. 

The good thing about this gig is how it’s open to anybody, regardless of specialization. As a freelance writer, you’re responsible for creating enticing copies that inform, entertain, and, in the case of copywriting, encourage readers to act or buy a product. 

Note that freelance writing is as competitive as all types of remote work. If you’re just starting out, your pay might be less than $10 an hour. But as you accumulate experience, it’ll increase to $23 an hour.

4. Opening Thrift Stores

Do you have tons of unused items at home? Why not open a thrift store and make money selling them at discounted prices? 

Many people like buying affordable goods, and a thrift shop is an excellent starting point to build your own business selling pre-loved or used goods that are still in excellent condition. You can organize garage and estate sales, set up an online store, or tap local businesses to partner with you. 

Your potential earnings are dependent on how many products you sell. For instance, used jewelry can be priced at $10 per piece. 

5. Creating Online Courses

Does the idea of making money through teaching interest you? Online course selling is an excellent way to make this happen, minus the hassle of setting up an actual school. 

The only requirement is your expertise in something, with creative skills, like graphic design and writing, being hot niches for these courses. For example, if you’re a seasoned accountant or successful investor, you can create an online course about financial freedom.

Online courses are among the favorite passive income activities of people who desire to make things easier for others. The average income depends on how many people buy your course and the platform where you put it.

In Udemy, instructors receive as much as 97% of the revenue for sales purchased through their coupon or referral link.    

6. Flipping Items Online

Flipping is excellent if you like online selling and have a knack for spotting items that can earn you more money. The idea is to buy quality items online, like from Facebook Marketplace, and resell them for a profit without needing onsite inventory. 

You can flip anything, but sticking to those in-demand items like furniture, clothes, shoes, collectibles or limited editions, pieces of jewelry, and domain names is ideal. 

There’s no ballpark figure on how much you can earn as it relies on what items you choose to flip. However, you can start by pricing your items 20 to 30% more than you paid.

7. Working as a Tourist Guide

Showcase your knowledge about your city’s best tourist attractions by becoming a tourist guide. Aside from networking opportunities, you’ll also enhance your cultural awareness, which can be a long-term asset when working for international clients. 

As a tourist guide, you’re in charge of welcoming guests, scheduling site visits, purchasing their tickets, and planning alternative activities if the original lineup doesn’t pan out well. These tasks are things you can do even if you don’t have a degree and only have a high school diploma. 

You’ll excel in this gig if you’re an excellent conversationalist with a passion for traveling, earning an average of $21 an hour as your base salary.  

8. Selling Printables

With AI-powered tools and software available online, you don’t need superior graphic design skills to start creating attractive printables. What matters is you have an eye for art that captivates people’s attention.

You can dip your hands into any product niches you want, such as calendars, scheduler, spreadsheets, T-shirts, media kit templates, etc. This offers you enough legroom to create designs for different purposes. 

Since the products are digital, you can immediately sell them to platforms like Etsy. Each printable sells between $2 to $5 and go up to $10 for bundled sets. Some side hustlers even report earning thousands in passive income yearly by selling multiple designs. 

9. Posing as a Mystery Shopper

Make money by visiting stores and assessing the overall quality of their service. This side gig is great for anyone who enjoys shopping and loves working on the go. 

As a mystery shopper, you’ll visit store locations assigned by a company and pose as a regular customer. You’ll then interact with the staff, buy products, and assess a shop’s environment discreetly to get a feel of how efficient they are at servicing their clients. You’re also expected to submit a detailed written report of your shop experience. 

All these work can earn you an average of $15 an hour.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Side Hustles to Consider

Do you need more side hustle ideas to earn good money? Check out this list for alternatives: 

• High-Paying Part-Time Jobs: Earn more money while working less using this list. It’ll provide you an overview of the best part-time jobs that pay well.  
• Remote Weekend Jobs: Do you only have spare time during the weekends? This list gives you a glimpse of the best weekend jobs you can do from the comforts of your home. 
• Freelance Writing Jobs: Check this post if your idea of earning decent money revolves around writing. Learn about the background of each job and their expected earning potential.

Wrapping Up

A side hustle might not replace your full-time job, but the idea of getting extra spending money with just a few hours of work is worth considering. You can choose among the nine jobs we’ve listed to get you started.

Do you have a side hustle? How was your experience? Feel free to share this article with anyone who wants some ideas on their list!