20 Best Part Time Business Ideas (Flexible Hours)
Looking to start a part-time business but not quite sure what to start?
The good news is, there are so many opportunities to become an entrepreneur and build an innovative product/service in this line of work.
If you're looking to start your own part-time business, there are several low-capital options you can choose from.
We put a list together below of the most profitable part-time business ideas you can start today!
Here they are:
1. Start an ebay business
eBay business is one of the most fun, and profitable side hustles you should try. You can earn between up to thousands of dollars per month selling on eBay. eBay business is a great side hustle idea because the platform has millions of loyal users. Besides, the platform is best for selling collectibles and different niche market items. But you can also sell old furniture or clothes that are collecting dust at home.
How much you can make: $10,000/month
How long does it take to build: 15 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 4 hours/week
Entrepreneur Adam Torkildson shares how he was able to launch a profitable sports card selling business on eBay with a $10,000 investment and an already existing eBay store, now reaching a monthly revenue of $10,000.
2. Start a budget consultant business
If you have a keen interest in finance and understand budgeting, starting a budget consulting business could be a great idea for you.
With this business, you can offer personalized financial advice, expense analysis, and savings strategies to both individuals and small businesses.
Whether it's retirement planning, debt management, or creating a savings plan, you can help clients achieve their financial objectives and make a meaningful impact in their lives.
One of the best things about this business is that it provides flexibility in terms of scheduling.
You can make it your side hustle or turn it into a full-time venture, depending on your preference and availability.
By starting your own consulting business, you can tap into this market and empower others to take control of their financial future.
How much you can make: $7,000 — $50,000/month
How long does it take to build: 45 days (?)
Learn how Steffa Mantilla transitioned from being a zookeeper to earning $7,000/month gross income through her personal finance blog, Money Tamer, by offering digital printables and focusing on SEO and email marketing.
3. Become a proofreader
Proofreading business is a service that helps customers review their written work and ensure it is ready for publication. Typically, a proofreader corrects grammatical errors and provides the written piece meets any relevant style guide.
As a proofreader, you can work online, allowing you to choose what time to work.
If you plan to start a professional proofreading business, make sure you possess the following skills:
- Have an excellent grasp of grammar
- Ability to correct mistakenly capitalized words
- Familiarity with the proper use of capitalization
- Use spell-checkers to flag misspelled words
Proofreading is a great way to enhance content quality. With the increased use of written content marketing to reach a broader market, the demand for professional proofreaders has grown tremendously. Professional proofreaders earn an average of $12/hr. And $30/hr.
Therefore, consider proofreading as a business if you are looking for a great side hustle idea or simply looking for ways to increase your income.
How much you can make: $2,000/month
A proofreader was able to build a consistent income of ~$2,000 per month from scratch with zero experience in the field, no expenses, and barely any upfront costs by targeting bloggers and content creators who want their content to be copy edited and proofread.
4. Become a mobile personal trainer
Do you love helping people through their fitness journey? If you want a great side hustle to earn extra income, consider becoming a personal trainer.
The fitness trainer side hustle can be an adamant industry to earn good money. However, once you develop a reputation as a good trainer, you can get more clients through referrals. You need to register for the certification course to start offering personal trainer services .
To attract your first clients, consider online advertising, and seek referrals from every customer.
How much you can make: $600 — $8,333,333/month
How long does it take to build: 532 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 4 hours/week
Live Fit, a personal training company founded in 2011, grew from earning $80,000 in their first year with two trainers to earning over $760,000 in 2019 with 12 trainers and two locations, thanks to a focus on building trusting relationships and providing a variety of services to clients.
5. Start a freelance writing business
Freelance writing can be a good career choice if you are looking for a flexible online job.
Working as a freelancer gives you the flexibility to define your work schedule. You can work from home at any time. Freelance writers work across various niches, writing about various topics assigned by the client,
To earn good money as a freelance writer, you need the following personal qualities:
- Strong writing skills
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Stay on the cutting edge
- Be a self-starter
- Be up-to-date with the current writing tools & writing trends
- Proper communication skills
How much you can make: $700 — $320,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $300 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
How David Tile turned a freelance writing gig into an $80k/month business, discussing lessons learned through managing growing demands and maintaining a remote team operation.
6. Start a mobile photography business
Want to start your own photography business? You're not alone. With the rise of social media and photo-sharing, blogging, and online retailing, it's never been easier to start making money behind your camera.
There are photographers shooting weddings, creating images for ad campaigns, freelancing for magazines, touring the world, taking photographs of destinations — the list is endless!
To start mobile photography , research the target audience and determine which specialization area is more lucrative. Invest in high-quality, professional cameras, lenses, and a computer with professional software photo-editing software.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 200 days (?)
Photobooth Supply Co. offers a profitable business opportunity through their sleek and portable photo booths, with up to 97% satisfaction rate and a focus on customer experience, in a fast-growing event industry where photo booths are exploding.
7. Start a youtube channel
For anyone looking to start a successful YouTube channel, there are plenty of YouTube channel success stories that can be used as inspiration and encouragement. In addition, YouTube has an established monetization system and boasts incredible popularity, making it a potential platform for revenue generation.
In this article, we'll look at different approaches you can use to help promote your channel and grow your viewers. While there's no quick and easy way to success, you can take these tips to build your own YouTube Channel Success story. If you love content creation, you can capitalize on YouTube's popularity to earn extra income.
If you want to join the Youtube partner program to monetize your channel, you will need to reach a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months.
How much you can make: $800 — $4,500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 48 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Learn how this entrepreneurial couple made $5-7k a month by helping others find legitimate work from home jobs and creative ways to make money online through their blog and YouTube channel, as well as offering two flagship products designed to help beginner freelancers and new bloggers accelerate growth.
8. Start a tutoring business
Starting a tutoring side hustle is a great way for teachers and students to earn extra monthly income.
If you are considering becoming a tutor, find an ideal tutoring niche, and craft a tutoring website.
Then, find your tutoring clients and market your side hustle online. You can choose to offer online tutoring as a part-time or full-time engagement.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $375,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $100 (?)
How long does it take to build: 15 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
A 22-year-old entrepreneur started an online SAT/ACT tutoring company from his bedroom which has seen a linear increase in student sign-ups each month, currently bringing in an average revenue of $15,000 a month and plans to triple in 2020.
9. Start a transcription business
A transcription service converts live or recorded speech into a written or electronic text document. Transcription service is in demand globally across industries.
Becoming a transcriptionist can be a side hustle or a full-time job, so long as you have the right gear.
Do you plan to become a transcriber ? Take an online transcriptionist course and work on your listening skills. To succeed, you need a good typing speed and excellent language command.
How much you can make: $100,000 — $200,000/month
How long does it take to build: 75 days (?)
How this founder started a $100K/month guaranteed transcription service for medical, legal, law enforcement, financial, academic and general business industries, winning the NASPO ValuePoint transcription services contract over 26 other companies and learning valuable lessons about getting a coach and getting as much PR as possible.
10. Become a personal chef
If you’re looking for a career that allows you to work within your own schedule, look no further. Becoming a personal chef means setting your own hours, planning your own schedule, and taking on as much or as little work as you want.
Not everyone has the time to prepare meals for themselves. If you love cooking, you can start a personal chef business in your area and earn a good income from the side gig. The side hustle can fit into your schedule easily, and you can offer delivery and pick-up or curbside options to ensure more people are buying your services.
Personal chefs can work at various locations, including their client’s homes or restaurant kitchens. They may have regular clients who call on them to prepare meals for them weekly, or they may get called in to prepare meals for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.
How much you can make: $5,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $50 (?)
How long does it take to build: 360 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 15 hours/week
Chef David Buchanan generates over $6,000 per month through his website Chefs-Resources.com, which provides professional chefs with free and paid access to detailed culinary information and kitchen management resources such as Excel sheets, resulting in gross revenue of $46,000 to date and a subscriber growth rate of over 1300% from 2015 to September 2021.
11. Start a handyman business
A handyman business covers a wide range of home repair and maintenance services, making it an easy entry into the industry.
You can start with minimal resources, and by providing valuable assistance to customers, you'll quickly establish yourself as a trusted professional in the field.
To start a handyman business on a budget, identify your skills and the services you can offer confidently.
Then, create a basic business plan outlining your services, target market, and pricing.
Next, obtain any necessary licenses or permits, and invest in basic tools and equipment.
Finally, promote your services through word of mouth, local advertising, and online platforms to attract customers and gradually grow your handyman business.
How much you can make: $8,000 — $1,600,000/month
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 8 hours/week
Learn how a third generation business owner started a profitable pool service and installation business in Southern Ontario, earning an average of $8000/month net revenue during peak season and growing from servicing 0 to 350+ pools since May 2016 by doing things that don't scale, such as manually talking to customers and focusing on the ideal customer.
12. Start a home inspections business
Starting a home inspection business can be a lucrative opportunity for entrepreneurs with a background in construction or engineering.
The business involves conducting thorough inspections of homes, typically before they are put on the market or before a potential buyer makes a purchase.
To start a home inspection business, you’ll need to become certified by a professional organization such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). This typically involves completing a course and passing an exam. In addition, you’ll need to obtain liability insurance to protect your business from potential claims.
To conduct inspections, you’ll need to thoroughly understand a home’s various systems and components, including electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, roofing, and foundation.
You’ll also need to be able to identify potential issues and provide recommendations for repairs or upgrades.
Running a successful home inspection business requires strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently. You’ll need to be able to provide clear and concise reports to clients, including photographs and detailed descriptions of any issues or concerns.
To market your business, you can reach out to local real estate agents and offer your services to them. You can also create a website and social media presence to showcase your services and attract potential clients.
With hard work and dedication, starting a home inspection business can be a rewarding opportunity for those passionate about construction and helping people make informed decisions about their home purchases.
13. Start a personal styling business
A personal stylist advises individuals on aesthetic choices such as new fashion trends, clothing styles, colors, and make-up. To become a personal stylist, you must have a detailed style portfolio, a qualification in fashion, make-up, or a related discipline. Prior experience in the fashion industry will be an added advantage.
How much you can make: $150 — $5,934/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,200 (?)
How long does it take to build: 21 days (?)
On Brand founder Brian McEuen curates personalized selections of clothing for men online, sending emails to individual users without duplicate products, with 75 current users and an annualized revenue run rate of $1800.
14. Build an online research software
As the business world grows more complex, the need for reliable and effective online research software becomes more important. Online research software can help businesses save time and money by providing access to a wealth of information.
This type of software is used for a variety of purposes, such as academic research, market research, or competitive intelligence.
For example, Trello is powerful online research software that can help you organize and keep track of your research projects. With Trello, you can create custom boards to track your progress on specific projects, set deadlines, and collaborate with other researchers. Trello's estimated annual revenue is currently $15.8M per year.
Online research software is a great tool for businesses looking to better understand their customer base. The data collected by this process can be rich and informative, as it includes insights that help you grow your business in ways other methods may not address as accurately or completely.
How much you can make: $5,000/month
How long does it take to build: 635 days (?)
AcademicInfluence.com helps parents and students find colleges that are a good fit with their revolutionary machine learning system to identify and track the influence of the faculty and alumni, resulting in over 100,000 organic search visits per month.
15. Become a yoga instructor
The first step to becoming a yoga instructor is obtaining a certification from an instructor-affiliated institution near you. Your next step should be drawing up a business plan considering various projections. Finally, determine whether to open a brick-and-mortar establishment, offer online yoga classes, or a hybrid model.
The option has far more responsibilities for brick-and-mortar establishments, like paying rent and utility expenses. Also, check business-zoning requirements and acquire the required licenses. Proper marketing strategies will help you build clientele fast and grow your business.
How much you can make: $60,000/month
How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)
Live Fit, a personal training company founded in 2011, grew from earning $80,000 in their first year with two trainers to earning over $760,000 in 2019 with 12 trainers and two locations, thanks to a focus on building trusting relationships and providing a variety of services to clients.
16. Start a social media management business
Similar to virtual assistants, social media managers offer various services, including but not limited to:
- Developing a marketing strategy based on clients’ goals
- Setting up social media accounts
- Posting on behalf of their clients
- Coming up with strategies for increasing client’s social media following
- Marketing analysis.
To become a social media manager, know the various platforms and understand how they work so you can develop strategies that help clients reach their goals.
The beauty of working as a social media manager is that you can define your work schedule and choose what niches to work on.
How much you can make: $20,000 — $166,667/month
How much does it cost to start: $251 (?)
How long does it take to build: 3 days (?)
A social media manager turned entrepreneur created a program that has brought in almost $100,000 in one year, designed to teach women how to run successful social media businesses in less than 30 days.
17. Start a website testing business
In today’s ever-changing and competitive world, the internet has become an integral component of our operations.
Most people search the internet for things they need, entertainment, and transactional purposes.
Therefore, more businesses seek to build websites and be present online and deliver services and solutions quickly and effectively. To achieve the goal, the businesses will test their websites often and fix any issues.
Therefore, starting a web testing service can be a great business venture.
How much you can make: $150,000/month
How long does it take to build: 150 days (?)
PlaybookUX is a remote research platform that uses qualitative research to test and analyze digital assets with Fortune 500 firms and sole freelancers as customers, having achieved $1.8m in annual revenue with 1,100 customers and 100% YoY growth as a result of bootstrapping their business and keeping user feedback in focus.
18. Start a crafts business
If you're interested in starting a crafts business begin by gathering the necessary materials, tools, and a dedicated workspace to create your unique products.
In addition to crafting expertise, it’s important to possess basic business skills such as marketing, pricing, and customer service.
To sell your items, you can participate in local craft fairs take advantage of online platforms like Etsy, or create your own website.
It’s crucial to keep track of your expenses and profits to ensure that you’re making a profit. Nevertheless, running a crafts business can be a fulfilling and creative way to channel your passion for making things.
How much you can make: $600/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
DownHomeModern's Marc Staples turned his creativity into a successful business through handcrafting windbells and chimes with a rustic style that pays homage to American Southwest decor.
19. Start an affiliate marketing business
Are you looking for a side hustle to pay you a passive income? Affiliate marketing is one of those side hustles that will pay you well over the long term. It is a way to earn money online by promoting other companies' products and services. You will be paid a commission for each sale you make as an affiliate marketer.
To get started, learn how to find the right product and brand to partner with. For example, you may prefer becoming an affiliate marketer for an eCommerce store, partnering with a manufacturer, and marketing their products for a commission.
How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 55 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
20. Start a virtual call center business
Do you enjoy helping people and talking on the phone? If you want a business that provides flexibility regarding working location and time, consider starting a virtual call center business.
A virtual call center can be a lucrative low capital and a work-from-home business. Here is a list of what you need to start a virtual call center business:
- Select a specialty area/niche
- Buy computers and call center software
- Find clients
- Focus on growing your business
When starting a virtual call center business, some clients may require you to use their defined call center software.
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
