8 Unique Side Hustles to Try This Year

Starting a business can be tricky.

Not only does it require a lot of time and effort, but it can also be very daunting to consider quitting your 9-5 without knowing whether or not you’ll be successful.

With that in mind, I’ve pulled together eight unique side hustles for you to try this year. The aim is to provide you with potential side hustle ideas that you can scale and grow into full-time businesses over time.

That way, you can build an audience and an income stream before taking the ultimate leap and laying the foundations for your future success.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

1. Create an e-course: A high-value niche course can still provide a great form of passive income.
2. Social media management: With more brands expanding their social media marketing efforts, you could use your expertise to manage multiple channels.
3. AI automation consultant: The rise in AI capabilities has left a gap for skilled experts to consult and support.
4. Domain flipping: As it’s easier than ever to create a website, hunting for domains is also more popular.
5. Ghostwriting for CEOs & influencers: Thought leadership is becoming increasingly important, but often, people don’t have the time to do it properly
6. Local drone photography and videography: Drones are a great way to get memorable shots and videos, and they only cost a small amount upfront.
7. Personalized embroidery business: Personalization is a fantastic way to diversify yourself from the competition.
8. Subscription-based coffee roasting business: Subscription-based businesses are a great way to manage inventory and growth in line with demand.

8 Unique Side Hustles to Try This Year

Create an e-course

Pros: 

• Limited upfront costs
• The main investment is time
• Once live, minimal work to maintain

Cons: 

• There are a lot of other eBooks to compete with
• There is a generally negative perception of eBooks
• Building your initial reputation takes time

Firstly, you could opt to create an online course to make a little bit of extra money on the side. Creating an eCourse is easier than ever, with minimal upfront costs other than your time and effort in researching and writing.

Plus, once your course is live, there’s minimal upkeep required, just quick edits and amends where necessary when information changes.

Of course, it’s important to note that the internet is flooded with average, at best, eCourses, so it’s very important that you produce something that doesn’t just regurgitate already available knowledge. Instead, focus on providing true value, accept that this will take a little longer in the short term, and you’ll slowly build a library of popular eCourses that provide you with a healthy monthly income.

Social media management

Pros: 

• Completely remote and easy to scale
• High demand due to increasing brand awareness of social media marketing
• Posts can be scheduled to meet client time zones

Cons: 

• Requires a level of skill, qualification, or experience to start
• It can be difficult to find initial clients
• Constant work to upkeep, manage, and expand

Another popular side hustle you could consider is social media management. One of the biggest benefits of this approach is that you can do the work completely remotely and use tools to schedule content in advance, ensuring it meets client deadlines without taking over your entire life.

Plus, thanks to increased awareness of the value of having a brand presence on social media, there is plenty of opportunity here to scale up your efforts and turn it from a side hustle to a full-time business.

AI Automation Consultant

Pros: 

• Extremely topical
• Scope for growth as the technology develops
• Company concern and lack of understanding are driving high demand

Cons: 

• Requires certain skills and experience
• Must maintain constant learning to stay on top of the newest innovations
• Convincing brands it’s necessary can be tricky

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve gone a day without hearing about the advancements or capabilities of AI so far this year!
However, while some of those advancements either seem minimal at best or hard to understand, the evolution of AI has led to companies desperately searching for ways it can increase production and improve profit margins.

That’s where an AI consultant can help. There’s a ton of scope for growth with this role as the technology develops and becomes even more mainstream, and although it requires consistent upskilling to keep up with the updates, this side hustle could be very profitable.

Domain Flipping

Pros: 

• More and more demand for good domains
• Easy to do at a time of the day that suits you

Cons: 

• Turnover is minimal per domain
• It can be hard to find good domains without taking a gamble
• Difficult to scale without investing more time and money

Domain flipping is another from-home side hustle that can quickly start to make you a nice little second income. 

As it becomes easier and easier for people to create websites, web domains are also becoming more sought after, increasing the demand (and therefore competition) for good quality domain names.

However, I would be wary of expecting this to turn into a full-time role. It can be hard to pick domains that will one day be worth a lot more than you paid from them, and it can be difficult to scale without investing more time and money.

Ghostwriting for CEOs & Influencers

Pros: 

• Fully remote and can be done at a time that suits you
• Potentially high-paying clients
• High demand for quality work that differentiates from the norm

Cons: 

• Hard to expand by investing more time
• Some clients can be very specific or critical
• Establishing rates will likely vary per client

The rise of generative AI would have many people thinking that the role of a ghostwriter is no longer needed. In actual fact, high-quality writing is now more important than ever!

High-quality content is now a significant differentiator for brands, and especially for CEOs and influencers, whose personal brand is absolutely critical for business growth.

You can offer this service fully remotely and work at a time that works for you around other commitments, although it is worth noting that rates will often be dictated by clients somewhat, so income may vary.

Local Drone Photography and Videography

Pros: 

• Drones are now much cheaper than when they first launched, making the startup costs cheaper
• Provide a service normal photographers can’t
• High demand for beautiful imagery and aesthetics thanks to social media growth

Cons: 

• There is a startup cost to factor in
• Work is not remote, and travel is required

When drones first became available, many people (myself included) scoffed at the price. However, now they have been in the market for several years, drones are much more affordable, and as such, have become a very useful tool for setting up a photography or videogreaphy business. 

Whether you specialize in weddings and work your side hustle at the weekends, or work with brands that want more marketing collateral, drone-based photography and videography can be very attractive for many businesses in your area.

Personalized Embroidery Business

Pros: 

• Customers demand personalization
• Personalization can help differentiate from other services
• Turn a craft into a source of income
• Patterns can be produced on a ‘set and forget’ service

Cons: 

• Time-consuming and often demanding delivery times
• Requires specific skills and resources

When launching an eCommerce brand, it can be tricky to show audiences your USP. After all, what separates your brand from others in the industry?

One way to truly differentiate is to offer a personalization-based service. It could be embroidery, it could be metalwork, it could be anything in between! The main thing is that you adhere to a specific type of customer, building a loyal audience that people will make repeat purchases from, helping you grow your side hustle into a business.

Subscription-based coffee roasting business

Pros: 

• Subscription businesses are easy to scale and manage inventory
• The packaging is small, making it easy to store at home until you scale
• Simple to setup, with minimal upfront costs for equipment

Cons: 

• It will take time to build a consistent audience
• Requires time and effort to continue running

Lastly, I wanted to include a subscription business as part of this list, as they are an excellent option for founders who want to track consistent sales and manage inventories on a budget. The reason I chose coffee subscriptions is that it is a commodity that coffee lovers are willing to spend money on, it’s a product that people frequently use each month, and it’s a product that has been proven to be popular for generations.

All of that ensures that coffee-roasting brands are not going anywhere any time soon and that there is a built-in market ready to taste your delicious concoctions.

Final Thoughts

Looking to start a unique side hustle this year? Foundr+ provides the perfect resources to help you turn your ideas into reality. For just $1, you’ll gain instant access to over 30 courses and more than 1,000 lessons, all taught by industry experts. 

Whether you’re launching a passion project or building a profitable business, Foundr+ equips you with the skills, strategies, and community support you need to succeed.

Don’t wait—take the first step toward your next side hustle today. Sign up now.