37+ Part Time Business Ideas to Boost Your Income in 2024
Looking to earn some extra cash while keeping your day job? You’re in the right place. In this blog post, I’ve curated a list of part-time business ideas that can help increase your income. These side hustles are designed to fit into your busy schedule, allowing you to explore your entrepreneurial side and make more money.
There are plenty of part-time business ideas that maximize your spare time. Whether you have a few hours on weekends or pockets of time during weekdays, these ideas offer flexibility and potential for success.
If you need a little extra time-saving boost there are also great online digital planners to help you stay organized and productive.
Having a side business not only gives you some extra income but can also allow you to pursue your passions and develop new skills. With a bit of determination, you can turn your spare time into a money-making machine for personal and financial growth.
I’ve broken up these business ideas into three categories: Services, Products, and Online Business.
What Are The Best Part-Time Business Ideas
Some of the best part-time business ideas allow you to be a home-based business. In this day and age, you don’t need a physical storefront to make money, there’s a large potential for online marketplaces. That doesn’t mean you need to run an online store, there are still many opportunities that can only be done in person.
The best part-time business idea for you will leverage your skills, monetize a hobby, or even explore a new passion.
Below you’ll find ideas that can help you establish a successful part-time business while enjoying the flexibility and convenience of working on your terms.
Services
Part-time entrepreneurs can utilize their spare time by providing a service, which is anything where you offer your expertise, skills, or assistance. Services are always in big demand. While not passive income, you can make extra money with a flexible schedule and keep your day job.
Dog Walking
A dog walking service is a popular choice in the pet industry where you get to spend time with furry friends while earning good money.
Whether it’s providing daily exercise or offering companionship for busy pet owners, dog walking can be a rewarding business with low startup costs and the flexibility to set your own schedule. There are even apps that specialize in connecting dog walkers with potential customers.
Pet Sitting
Pet care services are also very popular. While pet owners are away for extended periods, pet sitting provides them with peace of mind knowing that their tiny, or not-so-tiny, companions are well taken care of in their absence.
Get creative, you can offer to care for lizards, llamas, and everything in between. It can be a flexible and rewarding business that allows you to spend time with animals.
This pet care market could be a profitable venture in another way because it allows you to work on other side hustles at the same time, as long as those side hustles require just your phone or a laptop. You still do have to make sure those pets are fed, cleaned, and most of all played with.
House Cleaning
Do you get satisfaction from looking at a clean and well-organized space? If the answer is yes then this may be just for you. With the demand for cleanliness and tidiness, this business can be lucrative, especially when targeting both residential clients and corporate events.
Entry into this business idea may be a little more difficult as a part-time gig. It requires you to spend money upfront because you’ll likely need to buy some supplies and equipment.
House Sitting
Just imagine pet sitting but with a house instead. You’ll offer a valuable service to homeowners who need someone trustworthy to watch over their property while they’re away. By making sure the house is safe, taking care of plants, and other requested tasks, you can establish a reliable house-sitting business.
Depending on the level or service requested you may be just visiting the house to make sure everything is in order, or you could be living in the house temporarily.
Tutoring
Helping others achieve academic success is a rewarding service that can help you earn some extra income. Whether specializing in a particular subject or offering general academic support, tutoring allows you to make a positive impact while being your own boss.
There are also websites dedicated to tutoring which will connect students to tutors while not requiring a full-time commitment. If you build up a big enough client base tutoring could even become a full-time job.
Freelance Writing
If you have a passion for writing you can turn it into a flexible and profitable part-time business. Writing for various clients and projects, such as blog posts, articles, or website content, allows you to showcase your skills and earn income.
The great thing about this business idea is if you already have a computer and internet connection there will be zero cost for you to start selling your services.
Virtual Assistant
Being organized and keeping on top of a busy schedule can be difficult. This is where virtual assistants step in to provide remote administrative support to businesses and other professionals.
Being virtual means you can work from anywhere, handling tasks such as scheduling, email management, research, and more. Virtual assistant work is something you can easily scale up or down by taking more or fewer clients depending on your schedule and needs.
Personal Chef
As a personal chef, you can turn your culinary skills into your own business. You can offer personalized meal planning, preparation, and cooking, that caters to clients’ specific dietary needs and preferences. Networking with local stores and utilizing social media channels can help you connect with potential clients and promote your services.
Personal Trainer
If you’re a fitness enthusiast, this may be a good fit for you. It can be a small weekend business where with several hours each week you can make a meaningful impact on people’s lives while earning extra income. Personal trainers provide customized workout plans, motivation, and accountability to their clients.
You also have the option to spend time ramping up your client base so you can host group training.
The one thing to note is you may need special certifications to call yourself a personal trainer depending on where you live. Either way, more certifications mean you can charge more for your time, so it’s something to consider even if you don’t need one.
Event Planning
Are you the one your friends turn to to plan birthday parties, baby showers, and other gatherings? Then this may be your calling.
You’ll be organizing and coordinating various aspects of corporate events, weddings, and social gatherings. Having a social media presence will likely help you start. Also, if your full-time job has any events volunteering to organize it may be the way to start building your portfolio.
Wedding Planning
If you planned your wedding or helped someone else plan theirs, and actually enjoyed it, then wedding planning could be a good option.
As a specialized version of event planning, wedding planners play a crucial role in ensuring a smooth and unforgettable celebration. However, since it’s higher stakes, you may need to work with a current wedding planner before you’re able to break off on your own.
Online Dating Consultant
Are you a dating guru with a talent for finding love in the digital world? Embrace your expertise as an online dating consultant. Think business consultant but for people who are looking for love.
You’ll help individuals navigate the complexities of online dating, create winning profiles, and bulletproof their dating strategies. With your personalized guidance, you can empower clients to find meaningful connections and fulfilling relationships.
Marketing Consultant
Marketing consultants provide businesses with expert advice and strategies to enhance their presence be that online or in person. Their skills encompass analyzing target markets, developing a marketing strategy, and implementing effective campaigns. Depending on what kind of businesses you want to work with it may be important to have a larger social media presence or your own website to draw in clients.
Social Media Management
Have a strong social media presence, or know how to grow your followers? If you said yes then this business idea may be a no-brainer for you.
A social media manager assists businesses in managing their online presence and leveraging social media channels for brand awareness and growth. They create engaging content, work with digital marketing, and implement strategies to help businesses effectively connect with their target audience.
Data Entry
Speed and accuracy are your friends when it comes to data entry. Essentially you’ll be inputting information into databases or systems that are connected to databases.
Many companies of all sizes across various industries need this service so it is in high demand. Since it is perfect for remote work it has good potential for side work. However, because it’s easy to break into there may be more competition than other business ideas.
Website Designer
Every business needs some sort of online presence, and most businesses have a website. As a web designer, you’ll fill the need for visually appealing and functional websites for individuals and businesses. There is an endless supply of online courses and resources to acquire this valuable skill, and with the rise in AI tools, it’s becoming faster and easier to build beautiful websites.
Graphic Designer
Scratch your creative itch while building a side business by creating visual assets, such as logos, brochures, and advertisements, that catch your eye and enhance branding. By utilizing their creative skills and software expertise, graphic designers help businesses visually represent their identity and draw in their audience.
Photographer
Professional photography services for various occasions, such as weddings, portraits, or other events, are always in demand. Entry into this business could be difficult because the cost of equipment is high compared to other business ideas.
To look professional you will need to have a website to showcase your portfolio and an easy way for clients to receive their photos either digitally or physically.
Videographer
Videographers combine technical skills with creativity to tell stories visually. Likely you’ll be capturing weddings or creating promo videos for events. Just like a photographer the entry to this could be steep for the same reasons of high equipment costs and requiring an online presence to showcase your work.
Handyman
A very straightforward part-time business idea, if something is broken you fix it. Combine this with the right social media approach like showing engaging and informative videos of fixing things and you may not only be able to drive traffic to your account but could even land jobs in your area. Handymen are always needed in homes and businesses.
Lawn Care
Depending on where you live this may be a seasonal business which can be surprisingly lucrative. This service involves maintaining and beautifying outdoor spaces including mowing lawns, trimming hedges, and gardening.
Knowing landscaping will help you here, but starting this kind of business could be difficult unless you already own the necessary equipment.
Snow Removal
If you’re lucky enough, or unlucky enough depending on who you ask, to live in a snowy climate this could be a great part-time business. Depending on how big you want to go you might just need a shovel, or be driving around a plow rescuing cars and keeping parking lots clear.
Pool Care
Just the opposite of a snowy climate if you live somewhere that’s sunny year-round chances are there are plenty of pools that homeowners are too busy to take proper care of themselves. There is where you can step in to have a mobile pool care business.
From cleaning to setting the right balance of PH and chlorine, and general pump maintenance there’s a lot you can offer to potential clients. The best part is that pools need weekly care to keep them crystal clear and ready for swimming.
Pressure Washing
Pressure washers are relatively inexpensive and are used to revitalize outdoor surfaces by removing dirt, grime, and mold, by blasting it away with a high-pressure water stream. Providing this service you’ll be cleaning driveways, decks, or building exteriors.
With this business idea, you won’t be spending too much on your supplies and will have a lot of flexibility with your schedule.
Delivery Driver
With the rise of online shopping and delivery services, there is always a demand for efficient and responsible drivers. Utilizing delivery platforms like Amazon Flex, and partnering with local stores, can help you build this business.
Products
It has never been easier to start your own part-time business and setting up an online store is an excellent way to turn your passion into profit. Small business owners can leverage the power of online platforms, and reach a wide audience without needing to invest in all the infrastructure needed to run a website and collect payment.
Selling Handmade Crafts
If you’re crafty and make beautiful, useful, or unique items, you could sell your handmade crafts. There are many different options to sell your crafts. Selling through a site like Etsy will help you reach a wide audience faster, or you can run your own website. Craft fairs, or even local shops could be a good way to get early sales.
Start a 3D Printing Business
3D printing is a great way to create custom products, and it’s becoming more and more affordable. You won’t need deep pockets to buy a quality printer to get you started.
Just like with any product you have to decide what you want to create. Since 3D printers are very versatile you have a lot of choices, such as jewelry, toys, home decor, and even medical devices. Once you’ve found a niche market, you can start marketing your products to potential customers.
Baking
If you’re a talented baker, selling those baked goods is a great way to make money.
You’ll need to pick the right baked goods for your market, usually, cookies and cakes are a good start. Once you know what you’re making, bake and take beautiful pictures to showcase your skills. Some good places to start selling would be farmer’s markets, fairs, and partnering with coffee shops or cafes.
Flipping Products on eBay or Amazon
If you’re a bargain hunter, you could start a business flipping products on eBay or Amazon. Although, this may take some patience and an eye for value.
The idea is to buy low and sell high. You can find these products at thrift stores, garage sales, or online auctions. If you’re handy there is a market for restoring and flipping old furniture. A dresser or end table being thrown out on the curb could turn into a profitable sale.
Once you have some items in stock you can list them for sale and price your products competitively so that you can sell them quickly.
Selling T-Shirts on a Print-on-Demand Site
You can monetize your creative design sense by starting a print-on-demand business.
You’ll need to sign up on a print-on-demand site and upload your designs. As people purchase t-shirts or other clothing with your design printed on them you’ll earn commissions on each sale.
Dropshipping
This is a business model where you don’t have to carry any inventory. Instead, you sell products that are fulfilled by a third-party supplier. The way this works is when a customer places an order you’ll forward that order to the supplier, who will then package and ship the item. This is a great way to start a business with little upfront investment.
Once you have a supplier you can start putting your products up for sale on a website. However, one thing to note is that if you’re selling on a major website you’ll have to check their rules and regulations about using their site for dropshipping before starting.
Furniture Flipping
If you’ve got the skills and tools, this could be a great way to put them to use. There are plenty of people looking to offload their old furniture from places like Facebook Market, and Craigslist, often at a very nice discount. You can even find gems in places like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other similar stores.
I see furniture flippers on YouTube and Instagram regularly buy a piece for $100 or less and resell it for $100’s or more.
Online Business
Businesses that are run strictly online can reach the widest amount of people in the shortest amount of time, with very little upfront cost. This makes them ideal part-time businesses that can easily be scaled up or down depending on how much time you have to devote to them. What’s even better is there are virtual office spaces that can easily be set up and used for anything from a digital office if you have remote employees, to holding sales events, or even a space to virtually meet clients if you do any sort of coaching or consulting.
Selling Digital Products
If you have expertise in a particular subject, either from your full-time job or education, you could start a business by creating online courses or selling e-books.
There are many platforms where you can upload your digital content like ones that specialize in asynchronous learning where you can upload entire online courses that you’ve created.
Blogging
Blogging is a great way to share your thoughts and expertise with a wide audience. Blogs can also promote your products or services or build an audience for affiliate marketing.
There are many platforms you can use to start and run your blog so you can just focus on creating your content. With the right strategy and dedication, blogs can be one of the most lucrative and flexible forms of income.
Affiliate Marketing
As an affiliate marketer, you can make money online without having to create your own products or services. You simply promote other people’s products or services, through an affiliate program, and earn a commission on each sale.
This business idea can generate a healthy cash flow when paired properly with a blog.
YouTube Content Creator
Yes, there are plenty of YouTubers out there, but there is a near-endless supply of people who consume YouTube content. If you have a passion for a hobby, a unique skill to teach, or just plain old something to say, there is an audience out there for you.
In this online world, you’re not limited to making money just through ad revenue and sponsorships. You can offer digital products, guides, or even courses. If you happen to get YouTube famous you can partner with companies to produce your own product line.
Creating and Selling an App
If you’ve ever had an idea that you know would be a hit as an app, why not build it? This may seem like a daunting and impossible task but with advancements in AI and platforms made for people who have no programming experience, creating an app is more accessible than ever.
SEO Consulting
SEO Consultants help businesses improve their search engine ranking helping them increase their website traffic and sales. You’ll have to do some extra learning and build a portfolio to show potential clients, but this could make a lucrative part-time business.
How to Choose a Part-Time Business
Choosing a part-time business can be an intimidating task. There are so many different options available, and it can be hard to know where to start.
Below are some tips for choosing the right part-time business for you:
Consider your interests and skills. What are you passionate about? Do you have any monetizable hobbies or skills? Choosing a business that you’re interested in and that you have expertise in will make you more likely to succeed.
Do your research. Once you’ve decided on an idea, research the requirements, do you need something special like certifications or permits? Look at the market potential, startup costs, and projected earnings.
Think about your time commitment. How much time can you realistically commit to a part-time business? If you have a full-time job, you’ll need to choose a business that you can manage in your free time.
Set realistic goals. What do you hope to achieve? Do you want to make extra money? Do you want to replace your full-time job? Setting realistic goals will help you stay motivated.
Be patient. It takes time to build a successful business. Don’t expect to get rich quickly, fast money tends to leave just as fast. Focus on providing a great product or service, and the money will follow.
Here are some additional tips for choosing a part-time business:
Choose a business that is in demand. Simple supply and demand.
Choose a scalable business. This means that you can grow the business as your income needs increase.
Choose a business that you are passionate about. Why bother putting so much time and energy into something that you don’t care about?
Closing Thoughts
Starting a part-time business can be a great way to achieve your financial goals. However, it’s important to choose the right business and tools for that business. To help take away some of the guesswork I do have a guide on how to start a business that focuses on the tools you’ll need to start your business on the right foot.
If you’re worried about your productivity, don’t worry I’ve got you covered there too. I reviewed some of the best virtual coworking spaces that help keep you focused and can give structure to your work day.
Key Takeaways
Choose a business idea that can be done in your free time.
Leverage your current knowledge, skills, and connections.
The lowest upfront cost businesses are online businesses.
Set a clear goal. Focus on why you’re doing this.
Be determined, nothing worth doing is easy.