40 Side Hustles to Make Money in 2024

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1. Rideshare Driver

Thousands of Canadians do side work as rideshare drivers for Uber or Lyft. If you own a vehicle and enjoy driving, it’s an easy way to bring in extra cash while working when you want. However, some Canadian cities prohibit ridesharing, so check with your municipal government to see if you can and what’s required to become a rideshare driver.

2. Food Delivery Driver

If being a ridesharing driver carting people here and there isn’t an option but you enjoy driving, delivering food from fast-food restaurants or grocery stores to people might appeal to you. Furthermore, food delivery has been a mainstay in society for decades, and you can extend your services by delivering medical prescriptions from pharmacies to residents.

3. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are independent, self-employed contractors who typically work out of their homes, providing their clients with administrative, customer service, technical, and other support services remotely. You’ll need a high-quality laptop, mobile phone, and internet access. Still, there’s always demand for professional problem solvers who can help businesses manage many essential tasks to keep their clients’ businesses running smoothly.

4. Dog Walker

Initially, it might seem doggone funny, but if you love dogs, being a professional dog walker can be lucrative and is often in high demand. Dog walkers are paid to take other people’s dogs on outdoor escapades and provide companionship for a set period. They ensure the animals get fresh air, exercise and socialize with other dogs and people.

5. Pet Sitter

Maybe you’re not a ‘dog person’, but you love other furry creatures like cats. Pet sitting other people’s cats, feathered, or finned friends may be the side gig for you. You could expand your services into a pet daycare, including grooming and other services.

6. House Cleaner

There’s no shortage of demand for those with an eye for keeping things neat and tidy. Working part-time as a professional cleaner servicing residential and commercial customers by maintaining the cleanliness of their interior properties – scouring bathroom fixtures, cleaning kitchen surfaces, vacuuming and mopping floors, dusting furniture, polishing shelves and picture frames – can lead to a steady stream of income and repeat customers.

7. Handyman, Handywoman, or Handyperson

Odd-jobber, jack or jill of all trades, or handyperson; whatever you call yourself, if you’ve got the skills and tools to do domestic repairs, maintenance, and minor renovations for homeowners or landlords, you can earn a pretty penny on the side. Homeowners will always seek help from qualified help to do fixes and renovations to improve their living environments.

8. Fitness Instructor

Are you in good shape and love to exercise? People striving to improve their physical health and achieve fitness goals often turn to fitness instructors or personal trainers to help them transform their lives and bodies. Whether you offer fitness instruction in person, online, or both, it can be a rewarding side gig, and you get to work out with others regularly.

9. Freelance Graphic Designer

Yes, artificial intelligence (AI) platforms can help people with no artistic or graphic skills produce some flashy images, but when a business owner wants a unique, professionally designed logo, flyer, advertisement, document, or digital content to use online, hiring a skilled freelance graphic designer can’t be beaten. Using a site like Fiverr, you can solicit your services locally to business owners and others worldwide. 

10. Amazon or Etsy Seller

Selling products online is a straightforward way to make a few extra bucks, and using third-party marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, eBay, and Etsy makes it easy to find customers. Whether you make custom-designed products or simply sell unique items you find and resell, it can be a fun and easy way to bring home the bacon.

11. Mystery Shopper

Many retailers hire mystery shoppers to pose as real customers wandering around their shops, pretending to browse goods. These mystery shoppers can serve two purposes: as undercover store detectives to watch for shoplifters and evaluate a store’s cleanliness and the quality of customer service the retailer’s employees provide. It’s a simple way to earn extra cash and help a retailer improve customer service and prevent theft.

12. Car Washing and Detailing

If you love automobiles and have a passion for making them sparkle inside and out, you could offer hand-washing and auto detailing services to vehicle owners in your community at a fixed location (like your home) or by visiting their properties.

13. Short-Term Property Rentals on Airbnb or VRBO

Instead of going to where your customers are, you could have them come to you by offering short-term rentals of your house or a room to vacationers or community visitors. It’s easy to advertise your short-term rental on home-sharing websites like Airbnb and VRBO, and according to data, an Airbnb or VRBO host earns an average revenue per guest of around $360. That’s not too bad!

14. Trivia Host

Are you a gamer? Do you love board games and trivia? Set yourself up as a trivia and games host at local pubs and community centres. Trivia hosts can also work private parties and special events by offering customized games and trivia contests. If you’re comfortable speaking in front of groups of people and have a knack for socializing as a host of an event, it’s a fun and easy way to bring in extra money.

15. Teaching Art or Music Lessons

If you’re the artistic or creative type with the skills to paint, sculpt, or play a musical instrument, you could share your love for the arts by teaching youngsters and adults how to do what comes to you naturally. For example, if you’re musically inclined, offer private lessons on learning to play a musical instrument or give singing lessons.

16. Social Media Manager

If you have experience in digital marketing and communications, you could moonlight as a freelance social media coordinator or offer your services as one part-time to businesses that don’t have an employee or team dedicated to the role. You could promote your services independently and through platforms such as Upwork to make extra money while helping organizations increase their brand awareness.

17. Mowing Lawns and Shovelling Driveways

Suppose you’re considering starting a landscaping and snow removal business but are still deciding whether to launch. In the meantime, you could provide occasional landscaping services in the summer and residential snow shovelling services in the winter to gain experience and earn funds on the side.

18. Podcasting

If you love broadcasting and interviewing subject matter experts on different topics, podcasting can be a way to make money through advertising or being paid directly by clients to produce an episode that features them. You’ll need to be digitally savvy, have a quality laptop and USB plugin microphone, and use a podcasting platform to produce episodes (there are plenty of affordable podcasting platforms available), but the money is there for the taking. Data from Statista shows Canada has a high podcast listenership, and the podcast advertising market in this country is projected to be worth more than US$67 million in 2024.

19. Freelance Writing and Editing

If writing and editing content is more to your liking and experience, freelance writing for various clients to produce original, uniquely crafted content (blogs, advertisements, social media posts, ghostwriting articles) is a viable side job, even in the age of generative AI.  Use your professional network to solicit your services, find jobs, and use platforms like Fiverr and Upwork to attract clients.

20. Photographer or Videographer

If you’ve got an eye for taking great photos or producing videos and have the equipment and expertise, offering your services on the side can be profitable. What’s great about photography and videography work is the wide range of jobs you can get – weddings, corporate events, real estate, portraits, landscape shots, product photography or videography.

21. Grocery Shopping and Delivery

Not everyone has the means or ability to go to a grocery store to get what they need and bring it home. That spells ‘opportunity’ for you as a grocery shopping and delivery person. Of course, you’ll need your own car (or a bike) and live in an area with a large population, but you can make a few bucks helping others get their groceries. Signing up as an Uber Eats or Instacart driver can make finding customers easier.

22. Event Planner or Coordinator

Another great side hustle idea is offering your services as an event planner or coordinator to help people plan, organize, and host parties and events. It can also be a lucrative job, since most folks who hire event planners have the budget to do so. It’s a lot of work and requires creativity. But if you love socializing and being the architect of memorable events that others enjoy, there’s an opportunity to get new clients consistently.

23. Junk Removal

Hauling junk, trash, and discarded items from homes, offices, or construction sites may not be glamorous, but it can be profitable. You’ll need a pickup truck or cube van and be in good physical condition, but hauling away unwanted items for others and sparing them the hassle of doing it can provide you with a steady part-time income. In some cases, you may be able to refurbish and sell what your customers regard as trash to earn a few extra bucks.

24. Parking Attendant

Another part-time or side job role could be managing parking lots, parking garages, and assisting motorists with parking and payment. Whether in an established parking garage or a temporary site for special events (like lots near concerts and sporting venues), it’s an easy way to help people safely park their vehicles while picking up a few dollars.

25. Craft Fair Vendor

If you create unique handmade items, gifts, artwork or homemade foods, selling your merchandise at local street festivals, craft fairs, and farmers’ markets seasonally or throughout the year may be for you. It can be a worthwhile part-time venture or something you do occasionally on weekends.

26. House Sitting

When people go on extended holidays or head out of town for a few days, they may need a trustworthy person to mind their homesteads for them while away to ensure no one breaks in and robs the place, collect their mail and deliveries, and call for help if something unexpected happens to the house, like a water pipe leaking or bursting. There are even online platforms you can join to offer your services, like TrustedHousesitters, that allow homeowners with pets to hire a house sitter to stay in their digs and care for their dwellings and their animals.

27. Garage Sale Organizer

Another low-stress but worthwhile side hustle to explore is that of a garage sale organizer to help homeowners who want to sell items they no longer want but may be of value to others organize and run garage sales, yard sales, or estate and moving sales. You’ll need to help homeowners prepare for and decide what to sell, set up display tables, price items, and tackle the marketing of an upcoming sale online and in the local community. You can also run the sale and clean up afterwards. It can be lucrative. You can charge a flat rate for your services or a percentage of sales commission fee.

28. Proofreader

Digital content and word processing platforms like Office 365 or Google Docs typically include spelling and grammar-checking features, but these tools aren’t flawless. If you’ve got experience and knowledge in producing and reviewing written content, offering your services for hire as a proofreader can be a great way to make extra funds. Specializing in a particular proofreading field can help you stand out. For instance, if you live in a city with a university or college, you could promote your services locally to students seeking help reviewing and improving their essays and project assignments.

29. Custom T-Shirt Designer

Everyone has t-shirts in their clothing drawers, but not everyone has original, attention-grabbing t-shirts. If you have design skills and a vision for coming up with funny, cool, or stylish designs for t-shirts, making custom t-shirts to sell online and offline is a great way to pad your income.

30. Disc Jockey (DJ)

No party or social gathering is complete without music, and everyone loves a disc jockey (DJ). So if you’ve got a diverse and large music collection, the lights, speakers, and equipment to get everybody in the house up and dancing while creating a fun atmosphere for your clients, being a part-time or occasional DJ can reap rewards. You can solicit your services for weddings, corporate events, and bars and restaurants looking to make their venues hot destinations on weekends.

31. Seasonal Worker

Taking on seasonal jobs is a time-honoured tradition for many hard-working people and students home from school for a few weeks. Plus, there are plenty of opportunities to earn extra money throughout the year, such as working at a Christmas tree lot, a boutique pop-up shop during the festive season or in the runup to Halloween, or at an amusement park in the summertime.

32. Bike Repair

If you’re handy with tools and know your way around a bicycle, a side gig as a bike repair technician or working part-time in a bike repair shop can be satisfying and financially rewarding. You’ll be helping people keep their two-wheelers on the road while fixing up unwanted bikes for resale. Also, it’s fun!

33. Translator

Yes, we have Google Translate and other digital tools to help us translate text in different languages into one we understand, but these tools are no comparison to the knowledge and experience of a bilingual or multilingual human being. Translators or language interpreters are always in demand, especially in Canada, which has two official languages (English and French) and a thriving multicultural community. You can find ample work with companies, community groups, and government agencies independently, or you can work part-time for a translation agency.

34. Furniture Restoration

Furniture upcycling – refurbishing, restoring, and selling older or used furniture – is another way to make a good buck on the side. If you possess the skills and tools to take a piece of furniture that’s been discarded or appears to be worn out and beyond repair and transform it into something beautiful and valuable again, it’s a great avenue to earn money. It also may help reduce the amount of furniture that otherwise may be destined for a trash dump.

35. AI Consultant

If you’re tech-savvy and know how to effectively use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for more than content generation, working as a freelance AI consultant for businesses that want to learn how to safely and effectively use AI to achieve their goals is in high demand. Showing business owners how to leverage AI for deeper insights, data analysis, automating some operations, and enhancing how their employees work could lead to more than occasional gig work.

36. Business Consultant

You don’t have to be an AI expert to get hired as a business consultant. With your knowledge, experience, and expertise in practically any field or industry, you can launch your side hustle as a consultant for hire.

37. Landlord

If you’re looking to earn extra income without leaving home and have a dwelling ideal for housing tenants, being a landlord might be for you. It takes work, of course, but if you have a basement apartment, room in your house, or a secondary property like a condo, leasing or renting a living space to students or working professionals is a terrific money-making venture (and you’ll be providing people with a comfortable place to live). 

38. Restaurant Host or Hostess

Scoring a part-time side job as a restaurant host or hostess is an easy way to earn more and in a busy but fun working environment. Taking reservations, welcoming diners to the venue and seating them, organizing the seating chart, handling wait lists and coordinating with servers, bus and kitchen staff to ensure the dining room runs smoothly is an important role. You might even earn tips from customers or get a free meal once in a while.

39. Security Guard

Working as an occasional or part-time security guard in retail stores, construction sites, office buildings, condominiums, and public gatherings can provide a steady income with flexible hours. It doesn’t require much technical knowledge, but it requires being visible, observing and reporting on events, or resolving conflicts between others. 

40. Teaching Assistant

For the academically minded, there are always opportunities to work as a teaching assistant or tutor to secondary and post-secondary students who need help reaching their academic goals. Some teaching assistants also support classroom teachers with grading, organizing teaching materials, and leading study groups.  

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