10 part-time business ideas that pay off in your spare time

Nick A. | April 08, 2022
12 mins

Working “9 to 5” has its benefits: It brings financial stability and a healthy work-life balance to your everyday routine. But sometimes, whether for extra cash or to pursue a passion, you may want to work on something outside of your regular job hours. If you’re looking for some side gig inspiration, check out the part-time business ideas provided below.

10 part-time business ideas

Whether earning money or exploring your passions is your reason for checking out part-time small business ideas, the “small” part is key. After all, you already put in plenty of time for your day job — surely, you want some good R&R time, too. 

The good news is that, with these part-time job ideas, you can work as frequently or infrequently as you’d like. Plus, all these part-time business ideas have the potential to start small and grow big — maybe even big enough to be your main gig. No matter where your side gig is headed, Namecheap’s easy-to-use tools can help you get there. With intuitive website builders, free logo generators, and business card makers, you’ll look polished and bring in customers from the get-go. Keep reading for our top suggestions for part-time business ideas that can turn into something great.

1. Bookkeeping

A lot of small business owners need help tracking and categorizing their expenses. As a bookkeeper, you can commit a few hours each month to a client once you clock out of your full-time job. Since these businesses are on the smaller side, they won’t require the full-time commitment that a large company needs (although you may want a website and a logo to help you stand out online). And if you want to level up, consider taking a bookkeeping certificate course that can help you land more clients — and build a good future working this part-time gig.

Person performing calculations
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

Starting a bookkeeping business is a fantastic part-time venture to explore among various part-time business ideas. Many small business owners seek assistance in tracking and organizing their finances, making bookkeeping services in demand. You can dedicate a few hours each month to help clients manage their expenses effectively. Since most of these businesses are small, you won't need a full-time commitment. However, having a professional online presence with a website and logo can help you stand out. If you aim to grow further, consider enrolling in a bookkeeping certificate course to expand your client base and secure a promising future in this rewarding part-time gig.

2. Home rental host

As far as side hustles go, being a host with a service like Airbnb is more akin to passive income than an actual job. Sure, you’ll have some startup costs and tasks, such as buying bedding, towels, and cleaning supplies, and you may want to advertise your home rental online with a website you build yourself. But after that, you can sit back and relax as visitors come and go. With some basic cleaning after each visitor leaves, your space should be ready to go again. You’ll earn extra income without much extra work.

A house for rent
Photo by Naomi Hébert on Unsplash

3. Virtual assistant

A virtual assistant business is among the most shapeshifting part-time income ideas. Some remote assistants wind up pairing best with clients who need help maintaining spreadsheets, files, and workflows. Others get more involved with social media management and website creation and management, while some actively take calls on behalf of their clients. And occasionally, a virtual assistant may do all of the above. In any case, you’ll learn new skills you can use to pursue other business ventures separate from your virtual assistant work or to add value to your services for other clients.

Working from home image
Photo by Thirdman from Pexels

4. Personal trainer

You don’t need to go to the gym to work as a personal trainer. If your time outside your day job is too limited for commuting to and from the gym, you can start an online training company, teaching courses over video conferences. 

Starting a business in the personal training world may require you to take a certification course. However, you can do so from home in just a few months. Some courses even involve finding clients and launching your part-time personal training business. In fact, increasingly often, personal trainers are small business owners — and you can be one, too. Once you have your certifications in hand, consider establishing a social media presence where you can share exercises, creating a website to showcase testimonials and results, and developing a brand identity to ensure that you shine.

Trainer showing online exercises
Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

5. Online coaching

Online coaching is among the most versatile ways to earn cash outside your day job. Think of an area you know well, and there are likely people looking to learn more and improve in that field. Start with skill sets that your friends constantly associate with you. Maybe you can teach a hobby like playing the guitar or singing, or perhaps you’re particularly good at language tutoring, writing short stories, or anything else.

Once you’ve figured out the area in which you’ll coach, you can ask your friends to tell people about what you’re doing. This word-of-mouth marketing can help you gain clients pretty quickly, especially if you’re able to direct potential clients to a robust website you’ve made with a simple website builder. Then, you can start filling your calendar with coaching sessions and be on your way to success.

Online coaching
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

6. Local business marketing consulting

Local marketing requires a somewhat different approach than general marketing. That said, the two areas do have some overlap. If you work in marketing full-time and have a passion for helping your community, you could be a great part-time local business consultant.

Think about the marketing tactics that prove most effective at your day job. Consider the skills you have in website creation, branding, social media management, or other areas where organizations in your community may need help. Then, think about how the businesses around you could use them to their advantage, especially on a smaller scale or smaller budget. Reach out to these businesses as a customer first and a consultant second. If your conversations go well, you could find yourself starting a part-time local marketing business in your area before you know it.

You can use tools like social media scheduling, email marketing software, QR code generator, and analytics tools to expand your marketing business and increase the reach of your clients' marketing efforts.

Marketing charts
Photo by path digital on Unsplash

7. SAT tutor

Pretty much all forms of tutoring make for great part-time business opportunities. You can set your own schedule, and your services will always be in demand. SAT tutoring, though, is an especially excellent part-time business idea if you have the scores to prove your prowess.

SATs have become so crucial to college acceptance that parents are often willing to pay high hourly rates for these types of services. They might also pay you for sessions spanning several hours, meaning you can earn a good chunk of cash quite quickly. And if you don’t feel like tutoring students one-on-one, recording and uploading online courses is always another option. To get started, consider posting your services on local forums, securing testimonials to help you get more clients, and print up some business cards that your clients’ families can share with others in need of your services.

Tutor performing an online study
Photo by Katerina Holmes from Pexels

8. Freelance writing and editing

The written word makes the world turn round. Well, not literally — but it is important for communicating in all areas of life, including business. As such, the demand for writers and editors is almost always high. On that front, starting a freelance writing and editing business can be a great way to earn more money or pursue your passions.

To get started, join some editorial associations and put yourself out there on freelance websites. Gather your previous work and post it on a personal website to show to potential clients. Then, just make sure you have unlimited access to a word processor. Familiarity with the backend of several popular content management systems is also a plus.

Content writer creating an article
Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

9. Social media manager

Like writing, social media is now among the wheels that make society turn. That said, it’s not often a small business’s primary focus. In fact, an employee with a job description entirely unrelated to social media often winds up handling all the channels. As a part-time social media manager, you can relieve small businesses of this burden while spending time on platforms you love.

Your learning curve to get started will be minimal if you’re already a big-time social media user. Sure, you might need to acquaint yourself with social media management and marketing software, but these platforms are often highly user-friendly. So why wait any longer to put yourself out there if this part-time business idea sounds right for you? You already have most of what you need. Moreover, a lot of different job websites offer a convenient platform to discover remote social media jobs, expanding your opportunities and allowing you to work from the comfort of your own space.

Instagram profile picture
Photo by June Aye on Unsplash

10. Wedding photography

Among these part-time business ideas, wedding photography is by far the most specialized one. You’ll need excellent photography skills and highly advanced photo editing software, cameras, and additional photography gear. Plus, you’ll need to create a website to showcase all your work.

Yes, the initial investment in a wedding photography business can be quite high. But the incredibly lucrative gigs and flexible schedule make wedding photography an undeniably exciting part-time business idea.

After your one-time equipment purchases, each gig you take could earn you several thousand dollars for just a day’s work. If you’re lucky, one gig could even earn you $10,000. And you’ll earn all this money while witnessing a beautiful occasion celebrating love.

5 ways to come up with a part-time business idea

The above suggestions are just a quick glimpse into the world of possibilities for part-time businesses. Really, the sky’s the limit for how you earn money outside your day job. To that end, here are five tips for coming up with a part-time business idea.

1. Do what you love. Any job, even a part-time one, can occasionally get exhausting, but less so when you love what you do. Or, as Confucius supposedly said, “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
2. Choose things for which you have ample time. Some part-time job ideas will wind up being more time-intensive than others. For example, let’s say a certain idea would require 10 hours of work over the weekend. Let’s also say you’re hoping to work just a few part-time hours on Saturday or Sunday morning. In that case, you can likely find superior ideas to the one in question.
3. Think about your skills. Part-time work can be a great opportunity to learn new skills. It can also be tough to enjoy if you’re trying to invest in skill sets that don’t feel within reach. You’ll know instinctively whether this is the case. If it feels that way, pursue something else instead. Your skills might be better suited to that other, more rewarding thing.
4. Consider your financial needs. It’s totally fair if your motivation for pursuing part-time work is more about money than passion. In that case, think about how much money you can earn from the potential products or services you add to your list of ideas. Ideally, you’ll find some sort of balance between fast-earning jobs and work you genuinely enjoy.
5. See if you can get friends involved. Part-time ideas can quickly accelerate into full-time arrangements. When you have some friends you can split that burden with, you’ll likely have a less stressful time. You’ll get more time back for yourself while spending time with people you care about deeply. What’s not to love?

How these part-time business ideas pay off in the long run

The short-term benefits of starting a part-time business are obvious, from more money to more ways to explore your passions. In the long run, they can also prove highly beneficial. They’ll help you save money toward long-term goals. And if you play your cards right, they’ll also go so well that you can turn them into full-time gigs. Imagine becoming your own boss doing something you love that’s entirely your own creation! It sounds like the ideal scenario, and it all starts with an idea.

It’s also a scenario you can reach more easily if your part-time business starts off with ample resources for reaching potential clients. Such resources include a website, logo, and business cards that all speak to you and your operation’s prowess and potential. And with Namecheap’s Visual suite, you can create all these things in just minutes. Never before has it been so easy to ready your part-time business for the world to see!


Biography

Picture of Nick A.

Nick A.

Nick Allen is a writer, photographer, and content marketer. He’s also the founder of BrainBoost Media, a boutique content and operations studio. With a wide range of interests, he enjoys reading and writing about sports, entrepreneurship, and start-ups.

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