10 side hustle ideas to make money fast

Looking to increase your cash flow but not sure where to start? There are a lot of income opportunities that can fit into your existing schedule or become the seeds of a budding path to entrepreneurship. They can be as low-lift as selling secondhand items online or trying out a freelance creative work. 

Some jobs are best suited to specific people and personalities. We’ve tailored these ideas to ZayZoon’s Money Mindsets, our financial and psychology expert backed spending personalities that are as vibrant and complex as you.

Discover your Money Mindset get your financial strengths, ideal collaborators, growth areas and personalized toolkit to reach your financial goals. 

What is a side hustle

A side hustle, side job or side gig is a job you take in addition to the one you've already got, typically to supplement your income.

Around 36% of Americans have a side hustle, so if it's something you're seriously considering, then you're in good company. Today, most people are turning to side hustles because of inflation. Extra cash can be the difference-maker, for sure, but how much extra can you expect to make? And how many more hours will you need to work?

What to look for in a side hustle

What to look for when generating passive income is very dependent on your own needs. Some things to consider are pay, level of effort and availability for the work, and how long you want to do it when looking to increase your income. 

Additional questions to can ask yourself about what you want out of a side hustle gig include: 

• Does it allow you to use skills you already have, or will you need to learn something new?
• Will it help you pivot into a career that pays better or is more fulfilling?
• Is there a chance it could interfere with your regular job?
• What additional costs might it incur (gas, technology, etc.)?

Side hustles help to support your financial goals. That could be saving for a specific thing (e.g. education, housing, retirement) or trying to keep up with day-to-day expenses. 

10 side hustle ideas

There are many options to earn income from a side hustle. These include hands-on jobs like tasks or delivering food and passive income opportunities such as selling preloved items online. Some of these jobs can be the foundation for a career pivot, and sampling if it’s for you as a side hustle is a great way to understand what you like. 

1. Paid online surveys

There are a number of paid online survey opportunities out there that you can do in the comfort of your own home and after work. 

All it usually takes is a sign-in with a valid email account and a few onboarding surveys about demographics like age, gender and income. Most of the surveys where you earn something  are focused on that information. 

Some online survey providers will send you gift cards or money of a certain value, while others gamify it so a certain number of points yield a specific amount on a gift card. Swagbucks, for example, gives rewards that can be redeemed for gift cards from most online retailers and charities, as well as PayPal cards. But every one hundred Swagbucks rewards equals $1. 

Money Mindset compatibility: Octopus

Octopus spenders love to earn money and they love to spend it. The gamification of online surveys appeals to the Octopus. Paid online surveys—depending on the company—can earn Octopus spenders enough to get gift cards to the stores and places where they love to shop.

2. User research

User research or focus groups are a great way to earn income or gift cards with a high monetary value. One that works well is User Interviews. Get started as a participant by signing up via your name and email. 

You don't need to provide a work email but it’s recommended. This will allow you to access more projects based on your unique skills and experience, with the potential for more money. Unique skills and experiences really depend on what it is you do and what opinions, insights or expert information you can provide to researchers. 

Income can be highly variable for this type of side gig and payment often comes via gift cards.

Money Mindset compatibility: Raccoon 

Raccoon spenders want to make the most of their money. Never to shy away from a small earnings amount, a Raccoon is resourceful and will know exactly what to do with it. 

3. Content creation

Digital content creation is one of the fastest and easiest ways to monetize something you do in your spare time. Snap a photo of a product and post it to Instagram? Have a funny take only YouTube would get? Or are you thinking of writing a newsletter and sending it to a list of subscribers?

Any of these options makes for a great side hustle. How much you earn from each is all dependent on what you charge, who’s paying, and how often those payments come in. 

Money Mindset compatibility: Octopus

Show an Octopus a ring light and a camera, and they can take over the world. Content creation, whatever form that takes, is an ideal side hustle for an Octopus spender. 

4. Test apps

Have thoughts about how some of your applications work? Developers want to know about it. Some paid app testing gigs can net you out a few hundred dollars for an hour or so of your time. It depends on the app, the request, and how often you’re doing the tasks, which usually consists of clicking a bunch of links to make sure the, testing features, and reporting what works (and what doesn’t).

Money Mindset compatibility: Beaver

Beavers like puzzles and testing. This type of spender is big on strategy. Testing apps can be a bit like that—depending on the app that needs to be tested and for what. Beavers will maximize their earnings for their effort. 

5. Odd jobs

There are passive income opportunities available via performing odd jobs. These jobs can be anything from waiting in line to helping someone move to helping clear out junk. If this sounds like something you'd like to do, you can check out Taskrabbit or Handy for potential opportunities. 

What makes this a worthwhile side hustle to pursue depends on what it is you’re doing, exactly, and how much effort you want to exert for extra cash. For instance, is your task house sitting? Or is it pet sitting? What if it’s getting paid to help someone move? 

It’s a great way to make  a little extra money. In a sense, it's like starting your own business, and may actually prove to be a good exploratory opportunity if that’s something you’d like to do.  

Money Mindset compatibility: Squirrel 

Odd jobs take a bit of order to do. Squirrel spenders can make smart decisions on which jobs to do for how long to maximize their earning potential. 

6. Resell second-hand or vintage goods

Selling your pre-loved, less used stuff is another way to passively earn income. This can include posting to online classifieds. Examples of online classifieds include Craiglists and Facebook Marketplace. 

This is as simple as creating a posting for whatever item(s) you’re selling and setting it at a fair price. Some things may be more desirable than others. Consider what’s actually of value and what you’d like to get in return as a profit for it. 

Estimating the hourly return by selling items over Craigslist or another platform like the Facebook Marketplace presents a huge challenge. There's just too much variability. It’s simply a good way to make extra cash when or if you need it. 

Money Mindset compatibility: Raccoon

Raccoons make the most out of what someone else may have forgotten about. Finding goods to resell at a solid price is perfect for a Raccoon. 

7. Rent out a room

Got a spare room? You can rent it out. Parking spot? You can rent it out. Renting out spaces is a great way to earn significant money as a side hustle. If it’s a roommate you’re looking to get, that can be potentially hundreds or thousands of dollars. A parking spot yields less, and is usually dependent on if you live in a city or building where parking is scarce.

This can be a more challenging and labor intensive side hustle. Before you rent out a room, look to Airbnb, or put your parking spot up for lease, consider if what you want is to provide a short-term rental or something more long-term. You’ll have to consider other factors such as any bylaws about rentals, maintenance or potential upkeep, and additional costs like utilities. 

Money Mindset compatibility: Bull

Never to shy away from a risk, a Bull spender is the ideal Money Mindset to take on a renter. Be it a parking space or a brand new roommate, a Bull sees the earning potential here.  

8. Try freelance writing or design

Being a creative free agent is one of the best ways to earn passive income. You can determine which projects to take on, when, and how often. For freelance writers, pitching to media outlets, businesses in need of content, or journals will take up a significant portion of your time, but the earnings can be anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

Social media platforms (Bluesky, X, Instagram, LinkedIn) are a great place to find callouts for freelance work. Other places include freelance marketplaces such as Fiverr or Upwork. 

Money Mindset compatibility: Squirrel

Freelancing is not for the faint of heart. Squirrel spenders make for ideal freelance creatives or writers, knowing it takes discipline, some flexibility and getting into the details to make the most out of this income opportunity. 

9. Become a dog walker

Dog walking is an extremely fun side hustle if you like dogs. It's something you can do in your spare time and an easy pay. Dog walking usually consists of taking multiple dogs on walks at a specific time (morning, lunch or after dinner) and taking care of them or playing with them in a park, if their owner asks you to do this. 

There are a couple ways to approach this. Like any side hustle opportunity, you can try finding this work through word-of-mouth; talk to friends, neighbors, or family and see if anyone is looking to hire a dogwalker. 

You might also advertise online (e.g. online classifieds, community boards) or find it in the odd jobs apps. 

Money Mindset compatibility: Octopus

Dog-walking is an ideal side hustle for an Octopus spender, who may just turn their fave dogs into superstars on the Internet as a bonus (with permission of course). 

10. Become a virtual assistant

Many people need assistants for a variety of reasons but they don’t always need someone full-time. If you have administrative experience, a side hustle as a virtual assistant might be for you.

Some of the tasks for this role include:

• Calendar management: scheduling, confirming or issuing appointment reminders
• Email management: screening communications, updating sender contact information or writing emails in reply
• Phone management: taking calls or messages, transcribing voicemails or calling on behalf of the person you’re helping
• Travel management: booking flights, accommodation or transportation, even arranging events information 

How much you earn from this work depends on how much your rate is (e.g. hourly or a project fee) and how often you work. This work can lead into something full-time and permanent, if that’s something you’re after. It’s a great way to gather relevant experience. 

Money Mindset compatibility: Ostrich

An Ostrich spender knows how to get your calendar into shape. 

Stretch your earnings with ZayZoon’s Perks Marketplace

A clutch way to make the most out of your earnings is to find discounts and savings wherever you can. ZayZoon’s Perks Marketplace has dozens of offers for users, with savings on essentials like gas, pharmaceuticals, groceries and more. 

Data tells us that perks, rewards, benefits and overall recognition matter greatly to people, especially when they are offered through work. Perks and recognition can boost productivity, and engagement on the job. For employers, this can lead to more loyalty at work, reduced turnover and increased retention. For employees, it means finding deals and being happier.