A Home Business That’s Both Realistic And Very Lucrative
A home business is the quintessential side hustle that allows you to set your own hours and reap the rewards. Self-employment has become more popular than ever, but many of these businesses are unrealistic. Fake tree trimming? Fake pest control? How about a fake tanning salon?
These are just a few examples of companies that have recently popped up on other people’s social media feeds. These ads will likely knock your socks off with their outlandish claims and eye-popping prices, enticing anyone who sees them to want to sign up for an impossible service. But these companies aren’t real.
I have created a list of my favorite home based side hustles that you can do on your own time and still earn a significant income. I call them realistic, because you will likely have to take time off from your day job to accommodate these businesses. You may also want to take additional classes, whether it be in photography, writing or marketing.
If you want to start earning more money while you're trying to figure out what else you might like to do in your spare time, then click here for some easy tips.
Long distance escrow company is an idea that came to me in the middle of the night. I was simply lying in bed, unable to sleep and wondering why so many of my friends were struggling to pay their bills. I tried Google and came up with a list of companies that do this already, but they all seemed way too expensive.
I decided to sit down and figure out how much money I could make for myself by setting up an escrow business, focusing on people located in Texas, Florida and California. People that wanted to buy things from those states had some items shipped there, the fee was taken from the order and the buyer received the product at their door. Sellers received a check upon delivery.
Wondering how to get started? Click here for helpful tips along the way.
I met my wife while I was living in San Francisco, and in order to stay in the city, we needed some supplemental income. After interviewing a few babysitters, we decided it wasn’t worth it for us to go out every time our nanny needed to take a break. So what did we do? We created our own nanny cam!
This turned into a massive success for us and we made enough money that my wife could quit her day job (one she hated). We would take turns monitoring the camera, and if we saw something inappropriate, we would take pictures and e-mail them to our clients.
Our business was successful, but it still wasn't enough to support a family of three (though it did help us save money on living expenses). We ended up hiring a second nanny who could also babysit when my wife or I was working. All in all, this little project eventually paid for itself, and our lives were changed forever.
If you'd like to learn how to get started with your own live nanny cam business, click here for some easy tips.
Another cousin introduced me to what is now my most popular side hustle - pet sitting on Craigslist.
I received an email from a friend of a friend that said her cat had passed away. She was looking for someone to spend some time with him while she went on vacation, but it would be tough to find someone on such short notice.
I responded and told her I would be happy to care for him while she was out of town. Before long, I had hundreds of people contacting me wanting to keep their pets while they were out of town. I signed up with several different pet sitters in California because they were the closest ones to me, and soon I was making so much money that I switched over to working full time as a pet sitter via Craigslist and Angie's List .
I have since moved to Denver, CO and I still make more than $15 per hour for each job. My clients are thrilled with the service I provide, and I'm thrilled with what this hustle brings to my bank account.
I have found that the most lucrative side hustles involve services where you can build up a following on sites like Craigslist and Angie's List. You can also try your hand at selling your own handmade crafts or products on eBay or Etsy, but these websites take a percentage of your income (and they aren't free).
It can be very difficult to compete with factory-made goods on eBay, but some local markets will support custom handmade items. What sold well at craft fairs in California rarely sold as well in Colorado.
Here are some helpful tips on how to get started with your own pet sitting business. Click here to learn more.
I never thought I would be a dog walker, but when we moved from San Francisco back to Texas, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something new. I put an ad up on Craigslist and before long, dozens of people were calling me for appointments. I finally had to start turning them away because I just didn’t have enough time in my day for all of the walking that was available to me.
I met with a fellow dog walker and she told me I should hire an assistant, so I began training my very own personal assistant on how to walk the dogs. She was a natural and soon we were up to three dog walks a day. We also started checking in on our clients' pets when they were away at work, making sure they didn't get too lonely or bored.
With the help of my assistant, I was able to keep up with the demand and even have time to pursue other interests. Eventually, we started getting additional clients who didn't want us to interact with their pets at all and were only interested in having them walked. This allowed me to hire two other walkers, allowing me some free time when my wife and children were home from work.
If you would like to get started as a dog walker, click here for helpful tips along the way.
A housekeeper is one of those side hustles that many people don’t think about until they are in a situation where it's absolutely necessary. Here is a story about one of my friends who found herself in that very situation.
Her daughter was born with a rare blood disease and the doctors had no idea how long she would live. She spent most of her time at the hospital, so it was up to my friend to take care of everything else.
She became a stay-at-home mother and took care of her other children as well as all of the household duties, but this was taking its toll on both her and her husband. They began fighting about chores that weren’t getting done and just trying to keep up with everything became overwhelming.
Conclusion
The stress of her new situation was just too much to handle. Her husband suggested she try to find a housekeeper, but she was unsure of where to start or who she could trust. After all, they weren’t the wealthiest family in town and found it difficult to pay a lot for services.
They tried a few housekeeping companies in their area but were always disappointed with the service they received. They never knew what to expect, and when the maids arrived at their house there was always a lot of confusion about what exactly was “included” in their service. Some cleanings were really expensive, but did not include anything more than sweeping the floor and picking up dirty dishes from the counter tops.