8 Up-and-Coming Side Hustles To Make Money in the New Year
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Over the years, certain side hustle ideas have become famous for earning some quick extra cash or steady passive income streams. For instance, everyone knows about driving for Uber or renting out a room on Airbnb, just as they know about selling crafts on Etsy and reselling on eBay in their spare time.
However, in the ever-expanding gig economy, the number of viable second jobs is increasing and hopeful hustlers have more options than ever when striving toward financial freedom. Here’s a look at some of the most popular up-and-coming side hustles in 2025 — and how to get in on the action.
Zoom Workshop Host
Post-pandemic, no one knew what office life would look like in the long term. Now with remote work remaining as a sustainable environment, there is a great chance to earn money through online meeting platforms.
For example, hosting a paid Zoom workshop is a side hustle that can be accomplished by just about anyone with a solid Wi-Fi connection and passionate expertise about an industry or profession that others want to learn about.
“First, start a free private Facebook group on a specific topic you have experience in, and others care about,” said Jonathan Milligan, blogger, speaker and the author of “Your Message Matters: How to Rise Above the Noise and Get Paid for What You Know.”
“For example, if I want to help other accountants advance in their careers, I would create a ‘Career Tips for Accounting Professionals’ Facebook Group. I then would invite people through my social connections and the social connections of my friends to join the group.”
Next, you might host a live three-day challenge in the Facebook group.
“Choose a topic your ideal audience cares about,” Milligan said. “Using the accounting career niche, I would host a ‘3-Day Create a Killer Resume Challenge’. Go live in the group and teach what you know…
“At the end of the challenge, offer the participants an opportunity to go deeper with you by hosting a paid Zoom workshop. If you charged just $100 and got 10 people to join, you would make $1,000 on a Saturday hosting your workshop on Zoom.”
Restaurant Shifters
Some restaurants are experiencing staff shortages and are looking for side hustlers who will take a shift or more on an ongoing basis.
FrontHouz, a gig platform for restaurant shifts, is an example of a company that pairs people passionate about and experienced in the hospitality industry with restaurants in need of workers. It’s pretty easy to get started with FrontHouz, and they’ll help you get training, so you’re ready for success on day one for your temporary day job.
“Users make up to $80 an hour, including tip,” said Starr Douglas, the CEO of FrontHouz. “FrontHouz workers who consistently pick up shifts can earn upwards of an extra $5,000 per month, making it a rewarding opportunity for those looking to boost their income.”
Micro-Influencer
“Social media influencing isn’t only for musicians and socialites,” said Terry Kasdan, the founder and digital marketer of atCommunications, LLC.
“Micro-influencers with a few thousand followers are in high demand by brands looking to reach smaller, more distinctly targeted audiences. All it takes to become a micro influencer is starting an Instagram or TikTok account and sharing engaging content. It costs nothing but time and effort to start.”
Successful micro-influencers typically create or curate content around highly specific niches, genres, products and services. They can make between $200 and $1,000 per sponsored post. Influencers with 500,000 or more followers can make tons more — $3,000 to $15,000 per sponsored post, according to EmbedSocial.
Niche Website Founder
“I think one of the best side hustles out there is starting a website,” said Dave Evangelisti, the founder and CEO of Test-Guide.
“There are tools and platforms out there that allow individuals to start a website without having to know anything about web development or coding. The best thing about starting a website? You can pick a niche you are passionate about. The niche can be about anything. People are always searching for things.”
Evangelisti provided a broad overview of the steps to start a website side gig to earn extra income:
- Pick a niche.
- Choose a domain and register it.
- Choose a website host.
- Choose a content management system.
- Determine what you want to create content about. Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush and WordStream to find out more information on the specific keywords for your topics.
- Publish great, high-quality content.
- Monetize your content using ads, affiliate links, surveys and videos.
Evangelisti’s niche site started out as a $5 per day side hustle and has blossomed into a thriving business with several full-time employees.
Life and Expert Coach
Life and expert coaching is an ever-burgeoning field, and gig seekers with a passion for helping people lead better, more fulfilling lives should consider getting in on this growing trend.
“Coaching is an up-and-coming side hustle,” said Dielle Charon, the founder and business and sales coach at Dielle Charon Coaching.
“Coaching can be done completely online and in any capacity that you are an expert in. For example, if people come to you for help on their sourdough, help organizing or help with your resume, these may be areas that you could think about coaching.”
There are plenty of life coach certification programs out there, but Charon said they are not required.
“Income can vary depending on how much you take on,” Charon said. “I was making $300,000 a year as a side hustler coach.”
Online Course Creator
Hanah Alexander, the editor-in-chief of Today Testing said, “Using platforms like Udemy, it’s easier than ever to get your own course up and running. Whether your expertise is exercise, coding, cooking — whatever it may be — there are people looking to be taught what you know.”
Creating a course is pretty straightforward.
“You choose a topic and create an outline,” Alexander said. “From there, you record video lectures and put together written portions. You can create them directly in Udemy, which makes it pretty easy, or create on your own and upload them.”
Experienced online course creators earn tens of thousands of dollars per month, while others new to the work may earn a few hundred dollars, according to Heights Platform.
House Hacker
Though investing in real estate and renting out property is hardly a new concept, it’s generating interest in through last year and appears to be picking up momentum in 2025 as a lucrative side hustle.
“With interest rates and property values remaining relatively high, buyers may need to get more creative about how they can finance properties,” said Ryan Barone, the co-founder and CEO at RentRedi.
“This is leading to an increase in house hacking, where a homeowner rents out rooms or space in their own home while they also live in it.”
How much you can make with this side hustle depends on your space and location, but consider that, according to Barone, people can even make money renting out their mailboxes!
Notary Public
“As a single mom of two young children, working 40 plus hours a week as a bodily injury adjuster, I needed to find a side hustle that would allow me the flexibility of working from home and working a schedule outside of my current 9 to 5 career,” said Crystal Saleh, BS, CCLA and a notary public.
“By becoming a commissioned electronic notary and working for Notarize, I am able to work from home and make my own schedule,” she said. “I know notary loan signing agents who make $10,000 plus a month [and others] who make six figures a year.”
Each state has statutes in place that list how much a notary can charge for fees of the notary service. You can learn more here.
Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article.
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