11 Interesting Part-Time Business Ideas For You to Start on the Side
Part-time business ideas can be the solution! You’ve dreamt about starting a business one day, but there’s no way you can go all in. At least not now. That’s where a part-time business comes in! I'm sharing 11 interesting part-time business ideas to inspire you to start!
Run a small business on the side in your spare time alongside your 9-to-5 job. Get the best of both worlds! Keep your full-time job, which supports your daily life, and launch and run your own part-time business on the side, putting some extra money in your pocket!
Contents
11 Online and Offline Part-Time Business Ideas
We’re going to cover online business ideas and offline business ideas that you can take and run with, launching and operating this side business in your spare time.
Discover different profitable part-time business ideas, including how they work, requirements, what’s involved, potential pay, and more.
Let’s get into it!
Online Part-Time Business Ideas
First, we’re going to examine online business ideas. These profitable part-time business ideas are run 100% on the internet.
Let's go!
1. Freelancing
Freelancing can literally work for anybody who has skills. If you have a job, you can freelance. The simplest way to start is by doing what you do in your day job, on the side, on a freelance basis.
For example, if you’re a web developer in your 9-to-5 job, take some private clients on the side and do freelance web development.
You could also choose to monetize skills you’re not using every day to work in a field you’re passionate about, like:
- Freelance writing
- Illustration
- Animation
- Translation
- Graphic design
You’ll need a computer and clients for this profitable business idea.
Freelancing is a great way to make money from home and an opportunity to earn some additional income without much of a learning curve.
Find clients on job boards, especially remote job boards like Just Remote, WeWorkRemotely, Working Nomads, and Remotive. You can also go to freelance marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr where you can find clients to work with.
The income you’ll earn as a freelancer will vary based on the freelance job you do.
Freelance writers average $29/hour, for example, while freelance animators make closer to $49/hour.
2. Blogging
Starting a blog can be a rewarding and fruitful part-time business idea to explore for extra income. You’ll launch and run a website around a niche you choose based on your interests and passions.
Some examples of niche blog topics include:
- Gardening
- Golf
- Dogs
- Finance
- Food and recipes
Writing blog posts in your niche will attract a target audience online. Then, you can monetize your blog through a variety of channels like online advertisements, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, and selling products and services.
To start a blog that makes money, you’ll need a computer and a small startup budget to cover expenses like web hosting and domain costs.
Blogging is one of the cheapest part-time business ideas to explore, with an initial investment under $250, in most cases.
Blogging can take some time to start churning a regular income, but, everyone’s experience varies. Top bloggers can earn a very lucrative living, like Adam Enfroy, who regularly makes over $100,000/month from his blog.
Starting your own website will be a fun part-time business idea and an enjoyable project you can do on the side to make extra income on your own schedule.
Check out our article on the best blogs about blogging for more inspiration.
And for a foolproof step-by-step guide on how to start and grow a successful blogging business (and even how to eventually sell it), definitely check out The Affiliate Lab.
It's a tried and true blueprint for online success crafted by millionaires with part-time businesses in the space. It not only teaches you how to start the site. It also teaches SEO so you can grow it organically. CRO (conversion rate optimization) so you can get the best results with your site. Also, email marketing, content creation, AI, and a whole lot more!
3. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is an e-commerce model that cuts out the shipping and fulfillment steps for you, as the e-commerce store owner.
When you make a sale in your online store, your dropshipper will pack and ship the order to the customer for you.
That will save you time and save you money, eliminating overhead costs like warehouse fees, shipping materials costs, and avoiding you having to carry extra unnecessary inventory.
The first step is to choose a niche for your online store, like sports equipment, toys, or home goods.
Here are 10 of the best ecommerce niches to explore for the most profits. Next, you’ll do things like source your goods, pick a dropshipper, choose an online store platform like Shopify, and more.
Ecommerce store business income can vary a lot. Some stores run as part-time businesses make up to a few thousand dollars per month, while others do millions.
Matt Giovanisci made $12K from his first ecommerce store launch!
4. Virtual Assistant
For part-time business ideas for people who enjoy helping others, look to virtual assistance. A virtual assistant is an online assistant that performs admin-based tasks for clients. This can include:
- Email management
- Calendar management
- Note-taking
- Creating and scheduling social media posts
You can have one or more clients you help on the side and run your virtual assistant business part-time. As a service-based business, you’ll enjoy a low investment in startup costs with a virtual assistant business, and all you need to start is a computer.
Virtual assistants earn an average of $24/hour with top VAs like Riya Jain making up to $8K per month.
5. Online Coach
One of the top part-time business ideas for people who are experts in their industry is online coaching. An online coach is an expert that lends their expertise to others. This can be a life coach, a business coach, a career coach, a relationship coach, etc.
This is a flexible part-time business that you can work around your personal schedule. Take on as many clients as you’d like. This is a high-paying business that can earn you a full-time income on a part-time schedule.
For example, life coaches charge an average of $120/hour and if you do 40 hours of work a month, that’s an extra $4,800/month!
Online coaches average around $58,000/year.
You’ll need a computer and clients to start this business. Find clients on freelance marketplaces like Upwork. Networking on LinkedIn and other communities online can also be helpful in making connections and getting clients.
6. Online Tutoring
Online tutoring is a home business idea where you’ll be helping students with their studies online. This is good for people who are strong in subjects like math, science, language, or other subjects. Online tutors can help their clients by phone or online face-to-face sessions like Zoom.
Find work by becoming an online tutor at companies like Cambly. Or, start your own private online tutoring part-time business.
Online tutors average around $28/hour.
7. Etsy Seller
Launch an Etsy store! If you’re crafty or you can handmake goods, this would be an enjoyable, creative part-time small business idea to pursue.
Examples of goods you can sell on Etsy:
- Baked goods
- Handmade jewelry
- Digital templates
Starting an Etsy store is a home business you can run on the side when you have free time. You’ll publish and manage your product listings, plus package and ship orders as they are placed.
According to this source, the average Etsy seller earns around $44,500/year.
Offline Part-Time Business Ideas
Now, let’s look at offline business ideas! These are part-time business ideas that don’t heavily involve the Internet. If you don’t want to be behind a computer and desk, these businesses will deliver on that. Check them out.
8. Social Media Manager
Social media management could be an online home business idea or an offline business idea. I think going offline with this business idea could open you up to more opportunities. You’ll have a chance to meet with small business owners in your area and work with them one-on-one.
Social media managers help clients manage their accounts on social media platforms to promote their business online.
This can include:
- Creating a social media campaign and content calendar
- Plan, organize, and maintain a social media presence for your clients
- Manage influencer collaborations
- Reporting on social media traffic and analytics
Social media managers average $57,700/year.
9. Dog Walking Service
Walking other people's dogs is great for animal lovers. If you want to be active in your part-time business and be out and about, consider walking dogs.
Companies like Rover and Wag are good places to start. You can also venture out and start your own private dog-walking business.
If you work for a company walking dogs on the side, starting is as simple as signing up with the company and starting work.
Bear in mind most dog owners want their dogs walked during traditional office hours, so this is something that's more tricky to start as a weekend business.
According to this Reddit thread, dog walkers have reported making $100 to $300 per week.
10. Personal Trainer
A personal trainer is a fitness enthusiast who helps train others to improve and maintain their physical fitness. This is one of the best part-time business ideas for people who enjoy exercise, are knowledgeable and have experience working as a personal trainer.
If this is you, this is a good part-time business idea to consider.
You could run a personal training business where you train your clients one-on-one. You can also host group classes in public settings like a park, the beach, or a parking lot, in specialties like yoga, pilates, or circuit training.
The startup costs for a personal training business are as low as $500, based on certifications required and other expenses.
Personal trainers average just under $27/hour.
11. Photographer
Photography can be a fun and lucrative business to do on the side. It can bring opportunities to travel, network, and have your work published too.
You can either be more of a general photographer or specialize in a niche like weddings, graduation portraits, etc.
Photography is a self-taught skill that can improve over time with more experience. It’s a good offline part-time business idea that will keep you busy and on your feet, shooting live or still objects and people.
Your startup costs as a part-time business will include your photography equipment, and you may need a photography assistant to help with the setup and running of photo shoots.
Photographers earn an average of $18/hour.
What Is A Good Second Business To Start?
A successful business to start will be one that you’re interested in and passionate about. As the saying goes:
Do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life
Confucius
Start by choosing a niche or industry you enjoy. Figure out who your audience is, what problems they have, and how your business will be a solution to them. Then, begin building the business from there.
For example, if you love dogs, think about a dog-based audience: pet owners. What are the pain points that pet owners have? This might be cleaning up dog poop, walking the dog, or dog grooming. Offering services in these areas could be a smart business opportunity.
What Business Is Easy To Run?
Easy-to-run businesses can be solopreneur-based businesses that only take one person to run. I’d also consider service businesses where you’re using your skills to perform the work to be easier than product-based businesses.
Whereas a product business involves research, sourcing, fulfillment, shipping, etc. There are a lot more moving pieces, and many product businesses require a team to manage, which involves the additional work of managing people.
Some examples of easy-to-run part-time business ideas are freelancing and virtual assistance.
What Business Can I Start Without Money?
The best businesses to start without money are service-based businesses.
From our roundup of part-time business ideas above, those include:
- Freelancer
- Virtual assistant
- Online coach
- Online tutor
- Social media manager
That’s because you’re coming to the table with intellectual capital: your knowledge, experience, and background to run the business. Your skills are the business.
The Bottom Line on Part-Time Business Ideas
Running a part-time business can be a smart move that can pay dividends in the future. This is a chance to get your feet wet running a business, while still maintaining your primary job.
It’s an opportunity to start a venture that can be very fruitful and lucrative in the future, as well. It can potentially take over your day job and become a full-time business for you later on!
I hope these part-time business ideas give you some inspiration and a clearer direction of what path to take for yourself. Now is a great time to launch your part-time business and finally take action on your dream.
What part-time business will you be starting?
Check out our list of service business ideas for more inspiration.
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