Here are all the side hustles I’ve tried (including failures) and ones that I’m still working on.
Web Development
STATUS: IN PROGRESS (STARTED IN MARCH 2015)
Freelance web development was my first side hustle and has always been on the back of my mind, ever since I started learning how to code in 2015. This side hustle never really panned out, but I wouldn’t consider it a failure. I just never got any real clients. I built some websites for a couple friends, but that was it. However, studying web development did help me start my career. That’s was the one big positive thing about this side hustle.
Rental Property
STATUS: IN PROGRESS (STARTED AUGUST 2022)
In 2022, I bought my first home and rented out two rooms. That makes me a landlord, right? Probably not, but I like to think it does. If it could be called a side hustle, it would definitely be one of the most simple ones. No selling involved. As you know, I hate selling. Thankfully, there’s no reason to sell shelter, something that everyone needs. It sells itself. These are the type of side hustles I like, ones that I don’t have to sell.
Knife Sharpening
STATUS: INACTIVE (STARTED OCTOBER 2022)
This is my latest side hustle. I bought an Edge Pro Sharpening kit. Sharpening a knife isn’t as easy it sounds. I have no idea what I’m doing, and what I’ve done so far isn’t working. The first order of business is to learn how to sharpen. Then, I can think of how I’d go about starting a little knife sharpening side hustle.
Lending
STATUS: INACTIVE (STARTED OCTOBER 2022)
I’m not proud of this one. Most people who take out short term loans (also known as pay day loans) are in dire need of some cash. The fees are quite high. Unfortunately, the fee has to be high because a lot of borrowers do not (or can not) pay back the loan. Normal interest doesn’t work in this situation. Imagine you lend $1000 at a normal ten percent interest. You make $100 in a year. It would take just one small, unpaid loan of $100 to wipe out all of your earnings. I also justify the practice by telling myself it’s better if they borrow from me instead of a company that could get them even more stuck. I don’t charge late fees, monthly fees, or anything besides the agreed repayment. I also won’t sell their car if they don’t repay.
Web Development Tutoring
STATUS: ENDED/MOSTLY FAILED
TOTAL MADE: probably $0.
I did make some money, but I think all of it went to expenses (advertising and software subscriptions). This didn’t pan out. I charged $50 per month for tutoring and some courses I created. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself, it’s that I’d never be good at any side hustle where I’m the product.
I really thought this would’ve worked out, but it never took off. I spent a lot of money on Facebook ads, but no one ever paid for tutoring. Actually, one person did, but that was it.
Stock Trading
STATUS: ENDED/COMPLETE FAIL
TOTAL LOST: $13,500
Would stock trading be considered a side hustle? As you can probably guess, this one didn’t turn out too well. Thankfully, I was trading with money in my Roth IRA, and I never got into options or shorting. Shorting actually could’ve worked out well, but we’ll never know. Every now and then, I’ll probably be tempted to do some trading, and when I do, you’ll hear about it.