Starting a side hustle can be one of the most beneficial work decisions you can make, but it’s not always easy to know where to start.
In this article, we’ve listed 30 of the best side hustle ideas to start in 2024. Even if you don’t decide to go with anything on our list, we hope that they might give you some insight into what you might like to do.
What is a side hustle?
A side hustle refers to any kind of income that is outside of a full-time job. People often use the term side hustle to refer to sources of income that are outside of employment entirely, and are more entrepreneurial in nature.
30 side hustles to start in 2024
If you’re stuck for side hustle ideas, here are 30 ideas that might help you, and that are popular side hustle choices for many people.
1. Tutoring
Students and professionals are always on the lookout for tutoring services, whether they’re looking to pass an exam or study for a qualification.
Sites such as TutorCruncher and MyTutor will provide a good starting point if you don’t already have leads. From here, you can start to build up a portfolio, and good pass rates for your students, attracting more clients, and eventually even going private.
2. Selling digital products
If you have a particular skill set that people are looking to learn, then instead of directly tutoring them, you could consider selling a digital product, such as a course or a tool that helps people achieve something. If you have a large online following, then profits from digital products can be very high.
This is an ideal side hustle for anyone who is a bit more experienced in their field, and has knowledge that is in-demand.
3. Translation services & language learning
Being bilingual can be incredibly useful for a side hustle, as you can consider offering translation services. Translation is in high-demand, particularly translations done by native speakers who understand the nuances and colloquialisms of each language.
You can also tutor people who are learning a language via iTalki. This could be a great way to get started on teaching a second language. This side hustle will also allow you to move into translation or tutoring.
4. Teach English online
Even if you’re not bilingual, there is a huge global demand for English learning. Many students across the world are looking to sharpen their English skills, as well as professionals looking to boost their English abilities to look for employment opportunities in English-speaking countries.
Sites such as Preply are always looking for English tutors, which could be an ideal place to start.
5. Mystery shopping
Brands are always looking for ways to collect accurate, real-time data, and platforms such as Shepper will pay you to collect this information. By taking photos and filling out surveys, you can earn on average £7 from each job. This side hustle can be done at any time, so you can fit it around any work schedule.
6. Fitness coaching
Fitness coaches will never go out of fashion, and due to the variety of activities and increased awareness around health, you can carve out almost any niche within it. You could look into becoming a personal trainer, a yoga instructor, a pilates instructor, or a martial arts coach.
7. Refereeing
In the same vein of physical sports, refereeing can be a great side hustle. Many people are looking to play football for their own fitness and social lives, as well as part of collaborative work activities. Often kids’ clubs and schools are looking for referees for weekend activities.
8. Selling clothes & accessories
Vintage and second-hand clothes are becoming increasingly popular thanks to awareness of sustainability and increasing rejection of fast fashion. This means that there is a demand for old clothes, and greater appeal of clothes that are no longer in production.
Vinted and Depop are some of the most popular choices to start selling clothes.
9. Cleaning
Cleaning services are constantly sought after, and they can fit around almost any schedule. You could become a cleaner for houses, or even offices. Joining an agency is a good place to start, and after that, you could move into a more private service.
10. Event planning
Event planning can be a great side hustle, particularly if you’re well-connected. Starting a side hustle as an event planner can be challenging, but incredibly rewarding. We recommend starting with local band shows and charity fun days, before getting more experience and moving onto larger events once you’ve built up a good reputation.
11. Catering & baking
If you’re a keen cook or baker, then you can sell your food online via a delivery service. Many people who start food trucks or food stalls begin this way. Food trucks are popular in London, particularly outside offices in places such as Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf. Once you’ve established yourself in this way, then you could look to expanding and creating your own restaurant or shop.
12. Voiceover acting & modelling
There are plenty of projects looking for voiceovers and models. This can be anything from product promotions to business guides. Sometimes these product promotions will require your face to be in the video to present the product, which is the opportunity for more work.
Many gigs on Fiverr are offering voiceover work, so you could post a few gigs yourself and offer your services there.
13. Teaching an instrument
People of all ages are looking to learn an instrument, and due to the expertise and time required, they will often pay well for lessons.
You could start with friends and family, and then move on to more clients. Often people will begin this way, but you can also begin online with platforms such as MusicTeacher.com.
14. Makeup artistry
Makeup artistry is constantly in demand, particularly for events such as weddings and birthdays. If you’re a skilled makeup artist, then this could be a fantastic side hustle to get into.
You could also expand into social media content, to not only build an online presence, but also attract new clients.
15. Data entry
Data entry jobs as a side hustle are incredibly easy to start and can make good money. FlexJobs is one of the most popular sites for data entry jobs. Data entry can be low-paid, but the upside is that there is always work to be done. If you have a lot of free time and you are efficient, this can be a very profitable side hustle.
16. Personal shopping
Becoming a personal shopper as a side hustle is ideal if you have a keen eye for retail. Personal shopping isn’t just a high-end luxury service. You can shop for almost anything on behalf of other people. Charity shop and thrift shop personal shopping is on the rise too, which could fit in well with the clothes selling side hustle listed earlier.
17. Tour guiding
Do you live in a historical city or a tourist destination? If so, there might be opportunities to give tours, either as part of a company, or even hosting your own private tours to visitors.
TripAdvisor is a great place to advertise an attraction tour, which visitors will see when they’re looking for things to do in your area. You can also use this to join a group of tour guides to facilitate larger groups, or tours in different languages.
18. Babysitting
Babysitting is a service that is constantly in demand, and building a good reputation within a neighbourhood or town will mean a constant influx of work. Due to the nature of babysitting, it’s often a service that’s needed outside of working hours, so you can do this easily alongside your main job.
19. Medical testing
Paid clinical trials are one way to earn extra income, with some trials paying over £100 per day. There are also flu camps, which can pay thousands for a few weeks. While these schemes will have sufficient protection, this should only be tried by those who are confident of their own health and aware of the risks.
20. Freelancing
Freelancing can be one of the simplest ways to boost your income. The best part about freelancing is that often it can be done in the same field as your main job.
For example, if you are a graphic designer, you could then also work with freelance clients within your own time. Plus, there are barely any start-up costs to freelancing.
Read our 17 business ideas blog for more detail on freelancing as a side hustle.
Top Tip: Freelancing is a great way to test the waters with a passion to see if you enjoy earning money from it. To learn more about how to jumpstart your success as a freelancer, read our guide to 32 proven ways to increase your clients as a freelancer 💥
21. Virtual assistant
Virtual assistants help entrepreneurs and business owners with multiple tasks. As a virtual assistant, you may help with invoicing, social media management, proofreading, responding to customer inquiries, and much more.
One of the best places to find a virtual assistant job in the UK is Virtalent. You can also build your own website to grow your online presence and market yourself via platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook groups.
Top Tip: Virtual assistants are just one of many online business options that you can delve into as part of your side business. To learn more, read our in-depth guide to starting an online business 💻