310: 10 Creative Side Hustles that Make Real Money

In this episode of the Side Hustle Show I’ve put together a round up of creative side hustle ideas that people have shared with me over the last couple of years.

Here are the 10 creative side hustles I cover in this episode:

1. Flyer Distribution Business

2. Moose Poop Art

3. Tumbleweed Sales

4. BabyQuip 5. Subleasing Airbnb

6. Snuggling

7. Waiting in Line

8. Penny Posters 9. Funeral Cryer Service 10. The Death Reminder App

Full Show Notes: 10 Creative Side Hustles that Make Real Money

309: Side Hustle Coaching: How Can I 10x My Current Business?

Nikko Mendoza is one listener who’s taken a lot of action this year building his side hustle

He runs a really cool business in the 3D printing niche that today has 2 main revenue streams:

1. Selling digital files for masks and customer armor inspired by well-known comic book characters, where customers can print out their own physical products at home with their own 3D printers.
2. A Patreon campaign, where fans of Nikko pay him monthly for behind the scenes access and members-only content.

Currently, those 2 income streams combine to earn around $2k a month, but Nikko told me he had the goal of 10x-ing that income in the next year.

To help me brainstorm ways to get that done, I invited Don the Idea Guy back to the program for this special coaching episode.

As you listen in, we talk traffic generation and revenue generation for Nikko’s business, and I’m confident you’ll find some parallel opportunities to pursue in your own business too.

Full Show Notes: Side Hustle Coaching: How Can I 10x My Current Business?

Bonus: 5 Ways to Be More Effective Every Day

Busy doesn’t always mean effective!

It’s not just about getting more stuff done; it’s about getting more of the right stuff done.

So how can we be more intentional, proactive, and destination-driven with our days, instead of just reacting to everything life throws at us?

Today I want to share 5 ways — 5 key habits — I’ve found that will help you be more effective, excited, satisfied every day.

And because I’ve seen their power firsthand, these are the 5 habits I’ve baked into my brand new Progress Journal. (Official subtitle: A Simple Daily Planner to Make Meaningful Progress on Your Most Important Work.)

Click here to order yours on Amazon today!

Now let’s dive into those 5 ways to be more effective every day.

308: How to Start a Knife Sharpening Business

Every house in the country is a potential repeat customer…

Matt Rowell set himself the goal of generating an extra $5k over 5 years to fund some passion projects, and he’s well on his way.

Matt runs AmericanEdgeSharpening.com on the side from his day job as captain of a research vessel. It’s a knife sharpening business, which was up to $250-500 a month when we spoke and is earning him $30-60 per hour.

He saw an ad while posted abroad with the Navy that gave him the idea for his business. 

And then he took action. Matt:

• Picked up a knife sharpening kit
• Taught himself how to sharpen knives by watching YouTube videos
• Offered to sharpen knives for family and friends for the practice
• Found paying customers

The best thing about the knife sharpening business?

“If you drive down the road, every house that you pass has a bunch of knives in it,” Matt said. That means an almost limitless number of potential customers.

Tune in to hear how Matt got started with this idea while he was deployed in Djibouti, Africa, including his equipment, how he learned how to do it, and how he’s marketed and priced his service.

Full Show Notes: How to Start a Knife Sharpening Business

307: Online Arbitrage – How to Find Amazon FBA Profit from Home

Can you find Amazon FBA profit from the comfort of your couch?

Amit Desai of CreditCard101.us has built a business doing exactly that, and now he’s on track to sell $250k worth of stuff this year – all on the side from his day job.

We’ve covered Amazon FBA and retail arbitrage before on the Side Hustle Show, but Amit has a unique angle in that he sources most of his inventory online.

Full Show Notes and PDF Highlight Reel: Finding Amazon FBA Profit from Home

Amit’s side hustle background is actually as a travel hacker. He’s one of those guys that racks up a bunch of points and frequent flier miles, so he can go on awesome trips for free.

It was at a travel hacking conference where one of the speakers presented about his Amazon business, and how he was racking up tones of credit card points by buying inventory for his business that a light bulb went off for Amit.

Flipping Items for Profit on Amazon

Amit realized that if he could figure out a way to flip items on Amazon and breakeven he could step up his travel game. However, he soon found out there was real profit out there, not just from credit card cashback offers and free flights.

He shares some interesting examples of how he’s stacked cashback and other discounts on the items he’s flipping to effectively increase the ROI on his products while being able to sell them at a competitive price.

You’ll hear where you should be spending your time if you’re starting out in the FBA space, loads of cool apps, websites, and tools that have helped automate most of his business, and the criteria he uses when sourcing goods.

Tune in to hear Amit’s favorite tools for sourcing profitable inventory, his buying criteria, and how you can stack different discounts and rewards offers to improve your margins and get a leg up on the competition.