Discover 24 profitable part-time business ideas you can start while working full-time. Find your perfect side hustle with our updated 2025 guide.
Start your online business today.
For free.
Starting a part-time business is one of the lowest-risk ways to become an entrepreneur while still earning a full-time salary. According to a 2025 survey from Self, these side hustles typically require just five to 10 hours a week and can earn around $688 per month on average.
This article will walk you through 24 profitable part-time business ideas to generate extra income on your own schedule. You can start today, with a 30-day launch plan to help you move your business forward.
A part-time business is a venture you take on outside of a full-time job. Also known as a side hustle, these businesses usually take around 10 to 20 hours per week.
Before you dive into the list of ideas, take a few minutes to reflect on how to come up with the right business idea for you. Whether you’re an entrepreneurial introvert, looking for a family business idea, or a teen or college student in search of a side hustle, the best path forward aligns with your lifestyle and strengths.
Quick self-assessment checklist:
Consider how much time you can realistically commit to a part-time business each week. A five-hour time commitment versus a 20-hour time commitment will make a huge difference in the type of business you choose. More time-intensive businesses, like selling handmade goods, may be hard to sustain if you also need to market and fulfill orders.
You’ll also want to assess what resources you already have—financial and physical. Do you have space to store inventory? Do you have connections who can help you with design? A supplier connection? Understanding what you’re starting with can help you home in on the right online business idea with low investment and high alignment with your lifestyle.
How much capital you’re able and willing to spend will impact the business idea you decide to move forward with. For example, if you’re looking for side business ideas with low investment, models like dropshipping or affiliate marketing can be a smart place to start.
You’ll also want to evaluate long-term income potential. How much money do you want to earn each month or year? Use your goals to guide which opportunities are worth your time and energy.
Learn more 📚What Makes a Great Business Idea?
Before WanderFull’s water‑bottle sling ever hit the shelves, cofounder Katie Hill mapped her and her partner’s complementary talents to a clear market need. “One of the keys to our success is just our differing strengths that we bring to the table,” she says. “I think that’s part of our secret sauce.”
As you determine what to sell, think about your own unique qualities and skills. What skills do you already have, and how can they meet a growing demand? That overlap is often where successful part-time business ideas begin.
With a little know-how and some hard work, you can start a part-time business of your own. Check out the following 24 part-time business ideas for 2025—including options you can start from home, on weekends, or with low upfront investment.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Low 🕜
Whether you want some extra income or want to grow an online store, a dropshipping startup might be the right business idea for you.
Dropshipping is a fulfillment method where you don’t stock any of the products you sell. Instead, you purchase the items from a supplier after the order is placed and the supplier ships it to your customer.
Most dropshipping stores don’t take a lot of money or time to set up and run. When done correctly, it can be a profitable part-time business venture for you.
Most people don’t quit their day jobs right after launching a dropshipping store. They spend time ramping up their store, working out the customer service kinks and finding the best suppliers until they see a healthy cash flow. All businesses and entrepreneurs are different, but it’s possible to generate an income of $1,000 to $2,000 per month after a year of working on your store approximately 10 to 15 hours per week.
While it may seem challenging at first, this passive income idea can earn you residual income and eventually a full-time salary, when done right.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Low 🕜
Print on demand is an easy way to monetize your creativity. It involves working with a supplier to customize products like tote bags or t-shirts with your own designs. You don’t pay for any products upfront—the supplier prints and ships each item on demand under your brand.
Print on demand makes a great part-time business idea because it takes little to no investment. You don’t hold any inventory. You don’t have to spend money on materials or equipment. You just need to choose a print-on-demand company to work with, create your designs, then upload them to a Shopify store.
The biggest investment you’ll make is time for creating your designs and building your online brand. Popular print-on-demand products businesses sell include:
Free Webinar:
How to quickly start a profitable print-on-demand store
In our free 40-minute video workshop, we’ll get you from product idea to setting up an online store to getting your first print-on-demand sale.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Low 🕜
Affiliate marketing refers to earning a commission by promoting a product or service made by another company. It’s a business model where you, the affiliate partner, earns money for providing a specific result to the company or advertiser. Most of the time it’s a sale, but other programs give payouts for leads, click, downloads, and other business outcomes.
Affiliate programs are typically free to join, so startup costs are low. Because it’s a performance-based opportunity, you can turn this from a part-time business idea into a venture that provides residual income.
The list of affiliate marketing niches is long. You can find products to sell in any category including:
The way affiliate programs work is pretty straightforward. You mention a product by sharing it through your social media, blogging website, YouTube channel, podcast, etc. Then you earn a commission each time someone makes a purchase through your unique link.
Affiliate marketing is easy to execute—you’re marketing an existing product rather than creating one. It’s low risk because most programs are free to join and easy to scale once you build an audience.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Low 🕑
Those who want to make money from AI business ideas like AI meme merchandise stores could earn up to several thousand dollars per month. Success depends heavily on creating unique, in-demand designs and building an audience or niche.
Starting out, expect to spend 10 to 20 hours per week setting up your store, creating designs, writing product descriptions, and promoting on social media or marketplaces. Once the shop is live and optimized, you’ll likely be able to spend less time managing it—especially if you go the print-on-demand route.
Use AI tools like Canva, Midjourney, or DALL-E to generate designs, and platforms like Printful or Printify for fulfillment.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Low 🕑
If you’re searching for unique business ideas with a low time commitment and little experience necessary, try TikTok affiliate marketing.
TikTok affiliate marketing is a type of affiliate marketing specific to the platform. You’ll need at least 5,000 followers to participate in TikTok’s affiliate program. Then, you can include dedicated affiliate links on your profile page or in the comments. If you have more than 10,000 followers, you can add links in your Stories.
Income varies based on how engaged your followers are, the types of products you promote, how much you earn for each item, and how often people use your affiliate link to make a purchase.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: Low 🕑
One automated business idea (often called a “set-it-and-forget-it” model) is to create and sell digital products. That could be things like downloadable ebooks, online courses, design templates, or digital art that shoppers can print at home.
While it takes upfront skill and work to get off the ground, digital product businesses are relatively low-lift to maintain.
On average, businesses that sell digital products can expect to earn $76,639 per year, or $6,386 per month.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
A virtual assistant (VA) provides administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients remotely, usually from their home. As more businesses operate online, the global VA market is projected to reach $23.6 billion by 2033.
Virtual assistants can work from anywhere, choose their clients, and set their own hours, making it perfect for part-timers. You can offer a wide range of services based on your skills and interests, such as email management, social media management, content creation, data entry, customer service, and more.
On average, virtual assistants make $24 per hour, with specialized or more experienced VAs able to earn closer to $75 per hour.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: High 🕑🕑🕑
Many full-time business owners selling services online start by part-time freelancing. Freelancers work with multiple companies at different times rather than being employed by just one—and all you need is a skill to sell. The best part? You can start a home-based business freelancing from anywhere.
For example, Kaitlin Cremmins, marketing director of Long Island Screen Printing, turns her photography skills into a part-time income stream.
“I’ve always loved photography, but I could never define an exact niche,” Kaitlin says. “I love to shoot many different things, like maternity shoots, real estate tours, concerts, product shoots for local businesses. Because I work a full-time job, I can shoot photos on the weekends and on holiday breaks. It’s where my creativity shines and is something I am really passionate about. Plus, I can make a little bit of extra money.”
Freelancing comes in many forms:
Freelancing is one of the fastest-growing industries for both part-timers and full-timers. By 2027, an estimated 86.5 million people in the United States will freelance, roughly 50% of the total workforce. Many freelancers also diversify their income streams by creating online courses or selling digital products online.
While freelance websites like Fiverr or Upwork can help you get started, they also charge commission fees. Instead, get your own domain name and start an online portfolio. You can scan job boards and pitch to different companies, or market yourself on social media sites like LinkedIn.
Difficulty level: Advanced ⭐⭐⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
Interest in health and wellness is on the rise, with more people seeking guidance to meet fitness goals—from weight loss and muscle building to injury rehabilitation.
Personal trainers and fitness coaches can set their own hours, making this a strong option for full-time workers. You can schedule sessions based on your availability (early mornings, evenings, or weekends) and market your business on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
You can even get into different types of personal training, like:
Like any business, building a client base takes time, but with consistency and good marketing tactics, you can grow a good part-time business.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
There is always a need for tutors, with ongoing demand in subjects like math, science, and languages, and standardized test prep (SAT, ACT, GRE, etc.). You could also tutor specialized skills like musical instruments or coding.
With the rise of online learning platforms and video calls, you can now tutor students from anywhere in the world. All you need for online tutoring is a stable internet connection, a computer, and a webcam. In-person tutoring is still an option too, and can take place in a student’s home or a public area like the library.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: High 🕑🕑🕑
If you have creative chops, an eye for trends, or prior experience managing social accounts, a part-time social media gig could be one of the best side business ideas with low investment.
Social media managers make $31 per hour on average, but experienced freelancers can charge more depending on their niche and client type.
Aside from posting and engaging with comments, social media managers also research trends, develop content calendars, plan photo and video shoots, and collaborate with other brands or influencers. This role often requires more of a time commitment than others, but offers creative freedom and flexible scheduling.
Create must-share videos
Use this free video briefing template to plan TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube video ads that will attract maximum clicks.
Difficulty level: Advanced ⭐⭐⭐
Time commitment: High 🕑🕑🕑
According to ZipRecruiter, you can earn an average of $24 per hour as a part-time bookkeeper, with rates ranging from $12.81 to $35.11 per hour, depending on skills and location.
If you have bookkeeping or accounting experience, doing this work part-time could be a great way to earn some extra cash. Keep in mind, this part-time role requires more time, precision, and prior knowledge than other ideas on this list.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: High 🕑🕑🕑
Making and selling crafts is one of the most popular part-time business idea for full-time workers. Not only can it be profitable, but working with your hands is good for your mental well-being.
Studies show that using your hands on creative tasks gives your brain a chance to relax and rest. It can also provide a sense of accomplishment and reduce stress and anxiety. Think of it as a meditative practice, but one that turns into an income stream.
Some craft business ideas are:
While many sellers start on sites like Etsy or eBay, consider building your own online store. It’ll help you avoid commission fees and build a brand you fully control.
Learn more 📚 Your options are endless. Need help finding your creative calling? Read Easy and Profitable Crafts to Make and Sell.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
Got a knack for working with your hands but crafts don’t spark your creativity? Try selling new or refurbished furniture online.
Woodworker Chris Hughes, founder of Timberware, worked as a welder’s apprentice and general contractor before starting his furniture business. Being a handyman and building homes inspired a love of working with wood and creating custom furniture for clients. “My best advice would be to start with what you can afford and slowly grow your tool arsenal,” Chris says. “Be patient, and don’t overextend yourself.”
There are different ways to start a furniture business on the side:
Dive deeper 🪑Convinced that selling furniture is your future side business? Learn the ins and outs of starting by reading how to sell furniture online.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
Have a knack for gift-giving? A custom gift box business can be a creative side business idea with low investment. You could include goodies like craft coffee, delicious local snacks, fun stickers, and luxurious candles.
Profit margins often range between 30% and 50%, depending on the cost of goods and your pricing strategy.
To make shopping easier for customers—and sourcing easier for you—Ty Hiss of Fresh Sends recommends keeping things simple. “We strategically keep our offering really limited from a user experience perspective,” Ty says.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
Selling personalized products for your side business could be lucrative. You don’t need much experience to get started, and if you go the dropshipping route, you won’t have to handle the personalization or store inventory yourself.
Average profit margins range from 20% to 50%, depending on product and customization type.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
Livestreaming is becoming a popular way to entertain people. A professional streamer makes money from broadcasting games, music, art, and casual “just chatting” streams. While it began in gaming, streaming has expanded into countless niches.
Streamers make money online through donations, advertisements, subscriptions, and sponsorships. On a streaming service like Twitch, for example, viewers can donate money in the form of “bits,” which are worth 1¢ each.
Popular livestreaming categories include:
Starting requires little investment—you can launch with just your smartphone and a $20 tripod. Once you choose your niche, sign up for a platform like Twitch and start building your audience.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
Starting your own YouTube channel is a great option if you’re looking for part-time business ideas from home. Thanks to its low startup costs and flexibility, you can commit as much or as little time as your schedule allows.
Making money on YouTube varies depending on factors like niche, type and quality of content, posting frequency, subscribers, views, and monetization strategy (ad revenue, affiliate setup, sponsorships, or merchandise).
Influencer Marketing Hub’s handy YouTube earnings calculator estimates that a creator with 20,000 daily views and a 50% engagement rate could earn $28.50 to $47.50 per day, showing how quickly income can scale with audience growth.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: High 🕑🕑🕑
You can start a podcast without a ton of equipment. A quality microphone is ideal, but if you have a newer smartphone, that’s enough to get by when you’re starting out. You’ll also need transcription and editing software, podcast hosting, and a good spot to record (even a full closet could work).
In terms of making money podcasting, you could make nothing, you could make millions, you could land somewhere in between. Earnings vary a lot based on success, so your best bet is to find a great concept and keep at it to create the best show that you can.
Difficulty level: Beginner ⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
One weekend business idea for full-time workers is to create UGC, or user generated content, for brands. This can be a lucrative part-time business because UGC consistently drives results. According to Bazaarvoice’s Shopper Experience Index, shoppers who interact with UGC-driven reviews convert 144% more often and generate 162% higher revenue per visitor.
Part-time UGC creators can make $1,000 to $3,000 per month, with some beginners bringing in a few hundred as they build their portfolios.
In order to make money creating UGC, you won’t need much to get started—not even an online following. Make sure you have great lighting and a smartphone. Then, start filming content that you can pitch to the brands you already love.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: Medium 🕑🕑
The pet industry is one of the most lucrative business opportunities for part-time entrepreneurs. Many owners embrace the pet parenting trend, spending on products like beds, sweaters, raw food, and specialty services.
In the US, the pet care market is projected to reach $157 billion by the end of 2025. If you’re looking to break into the pet industry, pet food and treats make up the majority of ecommerce sales.
Even if you’re not into cooking up dog treats, you can also get into:
For example, Let the Dog Out—a dog-walking service based in Guelph, Ontario—offers free meet-and-greet sessions so dogs and sitters can get comfortable with each other.
A service-based pet business is built on personal relationships. If you enjoy working with animals (and their owners), you can start with a simple website. If your services are good, you may get new clients through word-of-mouth referrals and can grow your side business into full-time work.
Difficulty level: Advanced ⭐⭐⭐
Time commitment: High 🕑🕑🕑
On average, part-time event planners make $63,335 yearly or $30 per hour. This is a more time-intensive part-time business, with many event planners working up to 30 hours per week.
Successful event planning requires organizational skills, the ability to multitask, staying calm under pressure, and building lasting relationships with vendors. To start a part-time event planning business, it helps to have experience in event coordination or a solid mentor who can guide you.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: High 🕑🕑🕑
Home organizers earn an average of $21 per hour, with low startup costs and flexible scheduling. Your time commitment will vary based on how many clients you take on and the size of each project.
Resources like the Institute for Challenging Disorganization and Peace of Mind Organizing offer training, tips, and industry insights to help you get started.
Difficulty level: Intermediate ⭐⭐
Time commitment: High 🕑🕑🕑
If you love to cook, consider starting a meal prep business. Earnings for this type of part-time business are based on factors like the types of meals you prepare (specialty diets, organic versus conventional), your pricing, and whether you offer delivery services.
Time devoted to your meal prep business will depend on meal complexity, client volume, and delivery logistics.
Spencer Donaldson, founder of meal service Eat Well Nashville, recommends: “Read as much information as you can about what’s happening in any given industry.”
He adds, “Networking is the biggest part. I’ve been in Nashville now for 10 years, and I’ve been able to develop a network that’s very open, and I think the market you’re in has to be an open market.”
Understand your startup costs, income potential, and tax considerations, so you can make solid decisions about your part-time business.
Startup costs for part-time businesses are going to vary based on the business you choose. Typically, the cost to start a business includes things like:
Minimize your startup costs by using free tools, opting for simple and affordable packaging you can buy in bulk, and leveraging organic channels for marketing. Also consider choosing an idea with low investment—like print on demand or dropshipping—that requires minimal upfront costs to get started.
A profit margin calculator can help you estimate earnings per item you sell. If you’re going with a digital offering, here are a couple of helpful resources:
Profit margin calculator
Need an effective pricing strategy for your business? First, figure out your markups and profit margins. Use Shopify’s profit margin calculator to find a selling price so your product makes a profit.
As mentioned above, you’ll have to pay small business taxes on your part-time business idea. This will require keeping accurate records of your earnings, understanding sales tax requirements, completing the correct tax forms, and filing on time.
If you decide that you’d rather focus all of your energy on your business, consider hiring an accountant who can help calculate taxes for you.
Spend the first few days selecting the right part-time business idea for you. Then, it’s time to validate your product idea. You can research demand, run a competitive analysis, gauge interest on social media, create a pre-launch interest web page, or use an AI tool like Shopify Sidekick for market insights.
“You have to figure out what’s not being fulfilled in the market,” says Kristen Pumphrey, founder of P.F. Candle Co. “For us, that was creating a unisex candle.”
Now that you have the business idea you’ll move forward with, use a tool like Trello or Google Calendar to set your schedule for the next few weeks. Whenever possible, you’ll want to tackle the most difficult or time-consuming tasks first.
Essential steps for how to start a business include:
Write down and track weekly goals for yourself and your business to help you stay on task. Some example goals you can set are:
Writing your goals down helps keep you accountable and brings you clarity.
Your weekends allow you to get much more done in much larger chunks. They’re usually where you’re most capable of growing your business or having the most impact on your business when you’re working a day job.
The key to making progress during this two-week period is focus. Sounds simple, right? On paper, sure, but in reality, there are a lot of things to keep you distracted.
There are Chrome extensions you can use to help keep you from wandering off, while staying connected to the web:
Whenever you think up a task or project but can’t make time for it during your full time or day job, David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, suggests you add it to a “next actions” list instead of a “to do” list. If you set an ordered list of the next things you need to do for your business, it will require and encourage you to make quick decisions.
At the end of the week, organize these ideas, tasks, and projects into time slots throughout your weekends, then pull each task from your next actions list and move it into your calendar.
Feeling stuck? 💫Listen to a few motivational podcasts or an inspiring TED Talk, read a Shopify success story, or try learning something new.
Now it’s time to go live and make your first sale. Publish your online store, launch your marketing campaign, and start reaching out to your target audience.
Learn more 📚Ecommerce Checklist: Launch Your Store in 20 Steps
Now it’s just a matter of repeating this process and getting better at adapting it to your needs. You won’t be perfect, and some weekends will be more productive than others.
However, making an effort to work at it every weekend and putting in that work, even when it’s only for a few hours, can make all the difference. All of those efforts begin to add up over time and, before you know it, you can have a full-time venture on your hands.
Build an online store with AI
Create a website in minutes with the AI store builder. Describe your brand or products to generate a free custom theme that fits your idea.
Some of the best part-time businesses include dropshipping, print on demand, selling crafts, refurbished furniture, freelancing, pet care services, livestreaming, affiliate marketing, personal training, tutoring, and working as a virtual assistant (VA).
Start by choosing a business idea. Use your weekdays to prepare, and dedicate weekends to execution. Make small, consistent progress and build habits that prime you for a productive week.
The easiest small businesses to start usually require little to no upfront investment. Examples include dropshipping, affiliate marketing, or freelancing—all of which avoid the cost of physical inventory.
With $1,000 or less, you can start a dropshipping store, launch a print on demand business, create digital products, start freelancing, manage social media for clients, become a YouTuber or livestreamer, offer tutoring, or run a pet care service.
The newsletter for entrepreneurs
Join millions of self-starters in getting business resources, tips, and inspiring stories in your inbox.
Unsubscribe anytime. By entering your email, you agree to receive marketing emails from Shopify. By proceeding, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
popular posts
The point of sale for every sale.
popular posts
2023-11-08
2023-09-01
2023-12-05
2023-11-09
2023-09-20
2023-11-23
2023-12-02
2023-11-06
Unsubscribe anytime. By entering your email, you agree to receive marketing emails from Shopify. By proceeding, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Learn on the go. Try Shopify for free, and explore all the tools you need to start, run, and grow your business.
Start free then enjoy 3 months for $1/month
Leave a Comment