5 Side Hustle Business Ideas You Can Start Today In 2024

There’s never been a better time to start a side hustle. The side hustle world has been boosted by new platforms, software, apps that enable you to earn extra cash on the go, and AI (artificial intelligence). Technology advancements make it easier for you to make money on the go and even earn supplementary income from home without needing to take on a second outside job.

And the most exciting part is that many professionals with side hustles have discovered that they no longer need to work a job they don’t enjoy. You can easily find countless stories of individuals who have quit their jobs altogether to go all-in as their their business idea turns into a resounding success.

5 Side Hustles And Business Ideas You Can Start Today

There are endless opportunities to make money from home, and here are just a few side hustle business ideas to inspire you and get your wheels turning:

1. Virtual Event Planner

Since the pandemic, online events (and hybrid events) have remained popular, as they offer a convenient way for more people to attend training, seminars, and other private and corporate sessions—at a fraction of the price if it was held in-person.

As a virtual event planner, you would be handling everything from coordinating schedules and specific events within the main event to administering tech setup and hosting, while being on hand to manage any technical issues throughout the event. You may also offer your services to co-host the event. You can charge an hourly rate or create a package fee. Virtual event planners on Fiverr typically make upwards of about $60 an hour.

Prior experience in events planning, project management and coordination, and experience using remote work tools certainly helps.

What you can do to start today: Build a portfolio by offering your services pro bono to small businesses you already have a relationship with, and create a profile on a freelance marketplace like UpWork or Fiverr.

2. Sell Soaps And Candles

Handmade/homemade soaps and candles have a personal artisan appeal and make for great gifts, especially during the Christmas and winter holiday period. You may notice that certain times of the year experience a peak in demand (besides the winter festivities), such as Valentine’s Day. The amazing thing about making handmade soaps and candles is that they can be designed to be vegan and eco-friendly, resonating with those who share these core values, while at the same time they have a comparatively low start-up cost, and some of the ingredients you might already have in your kitchen or bathroom cupboard.

You could even decide to tap into niche markets such as aromatherapy for massage therapists to use, or organic products. Once you’re ready, you can sell on Etsy, Amazon, or your own website.

What you can do to start today: Research different recipes and allow your imagination and creativity to run wild. Use ChatGPT to help you brainstorm different ideas so that your product line can be niche, while at the same time ensuring it is profitable and has strong demand.

3. Print-on-demand

A major part of the appeal of printing on demand as a business is that it requires no inventory, meaning you don’t need to have storage space to begin with, and you don’t need to spend upfront costs on purchasing inventory either.

Not only does this save you money and space, but it also protects the planet, reducing waste. With printing on demand you earn a commission based off each sale of items such as t-shirts, tops, hoodies, notebooks, and mugs. Some platforms for this include Teespring and Canva, who will handle the printing and shipping for you. You can also set up your store on places like Etsy or Shopify.

What you can do to start today: Decide on a niche and have fun as you start designing graphics for your POD products.

4. Personal Training/Virtual Exercise Classes

The health and wellness industry is in a period of strong growth, and is expected to surpass $6 billion in value by 2027. You can teach live classes on Zoom, or pre-record workouts and upload the videos to a fitness app. You could also offer personalized coaching and provide fitness plans online. This allows you to train clients from across the world, not being limited by geographical location. The market for personal training and fitness is fiercely competitive however, so you will need to work on identifying what makes you and your programs stand out, and have strong results to show for it.

What you can do to start today: If you’re already a certified trainer, go ahead and offer free classes to begin with. Build some momentum and interest in your classes then begin to charge by adding extra value and upgrades, such as membership options.

5. Ecommerce Chatbot Development

Another excellent business idea for 2024 which you can do as a side hustle, is to develop custom chatbots for ecommerce businesses. As more people continue to shop online, more small businesses will seek to make their operations more efficient and improve their customer experience by offering chatbots that answer customer questions and provide support, automating various points of the customer journey. If you already have coding knowledge or experience or can use a no-code chatbot-building platform, this skill can be a lucrative venture that pay can several hundred dollars as a minimum.

What you can do to start today: Target small or medium-sized ecommerce companies, and approach them through LinkedIn or freelance platforms.

From event planning, to creating products, to using tech to help businesses grow, now is the time to turn your skills into a profitable business idea and side hustle. Get started with the suggestions in this article today.