Choosing a side hustle sounds easy until you actually try to pick one. There are numerous options available.
Online jobs, apps, freelancing, passive income ideas, “easy money” promises… and most of them make it seem like anyone can earn fast if they just sign up.
But here’s the thing: a side hustle that works great for someone else might be a complete waste of time for you. That’s why choosing the right side hustle matters. Not the most popular one. Not the one with the flashiest income claims. The one that fits your schedule, skills, and expectations.
In this guide, I’ll break down how to choose a side hustle that actually makes sense for you, so you don’t end up jumping from one idea to another, or worse, spending time on something that never pays off.
Why do you want a side hustle?
Most people jump into side hustles without ever asking the most important question. Should you even start one?
The truth is not every side hustle fits every person. So, before you start looking for side hustles, take a step back and ask yourself why you want one.
This is an important question to ask because, in my experience, after helping thousands of people earn their first money online, they often start jumping into side hustles without defining their real goal. From what I’ve observed, there are usually two main goals when it comes to earning from side hustles.
First, they want to earn extra income to cover bills, have some extra cash, or save some money. If that’s the case, then side hustles can be a perfect fit because they are flexible. You can just choose one that fits your schedule and skills.
The second goal I often see among people looking for one is to replace a full-time job. They want to eventually replace their full-time job by doing various side hustles to earn a full-time income. If that is your goal, then you shouldn’t treat it as just a side hustle.
You need to view it as starting a business because making that kind of income takes time, skills, and consistency. This is where many people get stuck. Their expectations don’t align with their actual goals. They’ll just end up getting disappointed with the side hustles they do.
So, it is very important to be clear right from the start. If your goal is extra cash, choose something simple that fits with your location, skills, and schedule. I’ll show you some examples later on those kinds of side hustles.
But if your goal is to earn a full-time income, then you should focus on building something that can grow. Later, I will show you my top recommended way on how to do so.
Knowing what your goal is makes every other decision easier, and it keeps you from wasting time on other methods. That is how you succeed, no matter what your goals are.
I have made a video that explains everything I will discuss in this guide. You can also read the full details below the video.
Finding the right side hustle
Now that you know what your goal is, it’s time to look at what actually makes sense to you. Here’s the most important thing you must remember. Not every side hustle works everywhere, and not every method fits every person.
Aside from your goals, you also have to consider your location, skills, and schedule. I’ve seen this many times, where people see videos or articles online about specific people doing side hustles and think that it’s a good way to earn.
Then they try it and realize it barely works for their location and lifestyle. So, to avoid this mistake, let’s go over a few examples of side hustles so you can quickly see what might fit you.
Option 1 – Paid Surveys and Get-Paid-To Sites
If you are looking for some extra cash, joining survey and Get-Paid-To (GPT) sites are the easiest to start with. They are completely free to join, flexible, and available in most countries.
But the amount you can earn will mostly depend on where you are located, because some countries will offer more earning opportunities than others.
In my years of testing these sites, countries like the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and larger European countries offer more earning opportunities, while smaller countries tend to offer significantly fewer opportunities.
If you choose this kind of method, it is important to set your expectations in terms of earning potential properly. You should not expect to earn a full-time income from this method. Think of this as something you can do in your spare time.
I have a list of the best survey and GPT sites in your country that you can join. I have spent a lot of time curating this list, and I have tested every one of them, so they are guaranteed to pay you.
Now, if you can’t find your country in that list, you can still find options in the international survey sites list, but there won’t be as many options compared to other countries.
Option 2 – User Testing Sites
If you can’t find good options from the first method I suggested, or you are looking for more interesting ways to earn, you can, instead, go for user testing sites. These sites (and apps) will pay you to test different websites and apps.
They usually pay quite a decent amount, but they are hard to qualify for, so you have to be patient. The best way to maximize this side hustle is to sign up for as many sites/apps as you can (provided they are available in your country, of course).
That way, you’ll gain access to more earning opportunities and increase your chances of earning. You can check out this list of the best user testing sites you can join. I have tested all of the options on that list, so they are guaranteed to pay you.
Just bear in mind that this kind of side hustle requires you to be a detail-oriented person, so if that’s not you, then this is not the best option to go for, in my opinion.
Option 3 – Gig Economy Jobs
The next option you can try if you want to earn extra cash is gig economy jobs. It’s a good option if you prefer something more active or if you prefer not sit in front of your computer while earning. These jobs will usually involve food delivery (like DoorDash), small jobs in your locale, pet or house sitting, and more.
You just need to figure out which platforms that offer this kind of service are available in your area, since many of them only operate in certain countries or cities. I have a list of the best gig economy sites you can join.
What’s great about this option is that if you put in enough time and effort, you can actually earn some nice extra cash.
Tip on how to earn a full-time income online
Now, if your goal is to find a replacement for your full-time job, there’s a good way to earn a full-time income online. As I’ve mentioned earlier, you need to focus on something you can build and grow over time.
This means you’ll need to build your skills, experience, and knowledge, which means you shouldn’t treat this as a side hustle. After years of testing hundreds of ways to earn extra income online, my top recommendation for building something long-term is content creation combined with affiliate marketing.
The reason why I recommend this method is that you can start it for free or at a very low cost. Also, you can promote products or services that you actually trust, which provides value to other people. And once your content starts getting views or traffic, you can even earn when you are not working.
Plus, you can even do it without ever showing your face (if you are that shy). But let me remind you that this is not a get-rich-quick path. This is very important to understand.
Content creation and affiliate marketing take time to learn and set up. And most of all, it requires consistency over a longer period of time, so you will really have to commit. But it is something that can potentially scale to a full-time income, which is what happened to me.
If you are interested in doing this, you can check out my guide on how to build an online business. It will teach you how to build your online business from the ground up, so you can potentially earn a full-time income even when you sleep.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, choosing the right side hustle isn’t as easy as you might think. It is not about chasing trends or copying what other people do.
It’s about being honest with yourself about what you really want out of it. So, here’s an action plan you can follow to find the right side hustle for you.
- Define your goal.
- Match it to your location and lifestyle.
- Take it seriously from the start if you want to earn a full-time income.
Now, the most important thing to remember is that regardless of what your goal is, every method takes effort. If you choose something that fits you, it stops feeling like a struggle, and it will start feeling like you are actually making progress.
This is the best advice I can give you if you are looking for a side hustle.
If you have any comments, questions, or know of great ways to choose the right side hustle that you think belong in this guide, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.