While a side hustle can be a great way to start a business or boost your income, many options do have startup costs. However, there are several that you can essentially start with just the tools and materials you already have (assuming you have an internet connection).
“There are so many ways to get started with no money,” says Shaun Ghavami, founder of 10XBNB, which co-hosts short-term rentals and also offers courses on the topic. “You just need to get creative, and you need a niche.”
Ghavami started that way. He launched his co-hosting side hustle with no investment, reaching out to landlords that were not having luck renting their furnished properties and offering to handle their Airbnb listing and act as property manager. He started by charging 20% of the Airbnb revenue, but today takes a 35% cut. His Vancouver-based company has generated over $5 million in booking fees since its founding in 2020.
If managing properties on Airbnb isn’t for you, here are six side hustles that don’t require any up-front investment but still have notable earnings potential.
Companies are always on the lookout for people who can help them turn heads and capture people’s attention in a crowded market. There’s more to a social media consultant role than just attracting attention, though—you’ll also need to monitor engagement metrics and increase interaction. This is a good choice for people who have their own experience building a following on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, or other social media outlets. Sites like Upwork and Freelancer.com are a good place to start looking for clients.
Outbound lead generation
B2B plays are often overlooked when people consider side hustles, which can be an opportunity for someone with the right skills. For this side-hustle business, you’ll identify, attract, and nurture prospective customers for businesses, along with gathering information like contacts, combining data from places like LinkedIn, X, and Meta. You can make the initial outreach to these places and book meetings for your client. You’ll need to be good at research to identify and generate a list of prospective leads. And if you’ve got cold outreach skills, that can be a deal sweetener for prospective clients.
Copywriting
There are thousands of listings for copywriters on sites like Indeed and LinkedIn. Some companies need help connecting with customers through landing pages or social media. Others need someone to write video scripts. If you can turn around high-quality writing in a short period of time, you’ll quickly find demand for your services. The top niche areas for writers, as of last year, are digital marketing, SaaS/e-commerce, and health/lifestyle.
