There are plenty of reasons to start a shared side hustle as a couple. After all, if financial freedom is what you’re both looking for, why not chase after it together? But what are the best side hustles for couples?
As a couple, you’re working with two skill sets instead of one, so you can divvy up tasks that play well to each of your strengths. Plus, you can pool your money to cover any potential startup costs.
From earning quick cash in your free time to starting a bona fide small business, we’ve listed the best side hustle ideas for couples in 2024.
How To Choose a Side Hustle Together
As you begin thinking about starting a side hustle, each of you should make a list of what you’re interested in and good at. This should help narrow your focus and get you thinking in the right direction about a side hustle that makes sense.
Compare your lists and identify any skills or interests that are compatible—and could lead to a profitable side hustle. When it boils down to it, the key to a successful side hustle is the combination of doing something you love and providing real value to customers.
Once you have a viable idea, it’s time to get to work.
13 Side Hustles For Couples
Here are some excellent side hustles for couples to start today:
- Invest in Real Estate
- Open an Etsy Shop
- Monetize Social Media
- Become Virtual Assistants
- Start an Online Business
- Become Sitters
- Start a Blog
- Rent Your Place with Airbnb
- Sell items on Craigslist or eBay
- Take Online Surveys
- Drive for Uber or Lyft
- Become Freelancers
- Get Cash Back with Rakuten
1. Invest in Real Estate
Think about those HGTV shows where couples flip houses together. Seems fun, right? Fortunately, you don’t need to be a contractor and a broker to invest in real estate together.
Real estate investments can be a great source of passive income, and you can get started with crowdsourcing platforms like Fundrise and Arrived Home.
In case you’re unfamiliar, Fundrise is an app that allows you to invest in real estate with as little as $10. With the funds from its investor network, Fundrise acquires properties that are undervalued or have growth potential. As the property values increase over time, you get returns on your investment.
Arrived Home is similar but instead focuses on rental properties. You can buy shares of a property, and you earn money on both rent payments and the appreciation of the building. Plus, you can get started with as little as $100 upfront.
Both platforms encourage investors to think long term. After all, returns in real estate take time. So, if you’re thinking about investing in real estate, you need to plan for the long haul.
2. Open an Etsy Shop
If you’re a crafty couple, selling your handmade goods on Etsy can be an excellent way to earn a side income. Etsy is the go-to digital marketplace for unique products, and you can set up your own shop in just a few minutes.
After you’ve determined what you plan to sell, you can customize your shop’s aesthetic and start promoting it. Of course, quality products should be your main focus. But it’s also your job as a couple to get people in the door.
Etsy allows you to design your page in whatever way fits with your brand. You can upload photos and customize your banner or add a brief welcome message to let buyers know what you’re about.
Once you’re ready to open the proverbial doors to your store, it’s time to think about promotion. Your social media accounts can be useful tools in this endeavor. But you also want to make sure that your page is optimized for search engines so that regular web users can find it organically.
The main thing to consider with Etsy is your overhead. It’s not a free platform, and you’ll need to pay fees for all listings and transactions. Add these to the cost of shipping and materials, and your expenses can add up.
With this in mind, you need to be intentional when you set your prices.
3. Monetize Social Media
If you’re the type of couple who loves social media, you might want to look into becoming influencers. This can be a fun and potentially lucrative project.
There’s tons of money to be made on social media through brand partnerships. And with the right content, you can get in on it.
By working together, you’ll be able to expand your reach and potentially target more people. You and your partner might appeal to different demographics, so you’ll cast a wider net as you try to build a following.
Of course, you can take this in a few different directions. Depending on your strengths, you could start a YouTube channel, post on Instagram or TikTok, or try to corner the market on Facebook—whatever makes the most sense for your brand and content.
No matter which social media platform you target, keep in mind that this is not an avenue for quick cash. Unless you already have a big following, it’ll take some time to turn a profit. The key is understanding your audience, being consistent, and always focusing on quality.
4. Become Virtual Assistants
If you want to work from home, becoming a virtual assistant can be a great side hustle. Virtual assistant duties vary from client to client, but you can expect to be responsible for tasks like data entry, bookkeeping, scheduling, and more.
If this line of work sounds interesting, you can tailor your approach based on your skills and experience and seek out clients that are a good fit.
Virtual assistants typically work as independent contractors, not full-time employees. That being the case, you can aim for short-term gigs or work with multiple low-volume clients at the same time.
As a couple, you can either divide and conquer by splitting up tasks for a client or manage your own accounts separately. To get started, check out freelance marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork or sign up at VAnetworking.com.
5. Start an Online Business
The classic idea of a mom-and-pop shop has gone digital.
Small businesses everywhere are moving online because you can start a business you’re passionate about for a fraction of the cost of a brick-and-mortar location.
Online business ideas can take a ton of different forms—from e-commerce to consulting to creating online courses and everything in between. That said, if you want to become a successful business owner, you need a solid plan on top of a viable idea.
As business owners, you’re in charge, and the buck stops with you. This means plans for marketing, logistics, customer service, and more. Of course, this also means that the potential rewards are that much greater.
Successful online businesses take dedication. But if you’re a couple that’s looking to turn a side hustle into a career, this is one of the best ways to get there.
6. Become Sitters
If you want to earn money while helping people out, you can start a side job babysitting, house sitting, or pet sitting (or, better yet, all three!). Sitters can earn solid hourly rates, and with online platforms, it’s easy to find and land regular jobs.
For example, Care.com provides access to a wide range of opportunities, including a child and senior care, housekeeping, and pet sitting. You can sign up for whichever roles you qualify for, and rates vary depending on your location and the type of care you provide.
If you’re a dog person, you can also check out Rover, arguably the largest marketplace for pet sitting and dog walking. According to Rover, you can make up to $1,000 per month walking or sitting for furry friends. But there’s even more on the table if you sign up to keep pets overnight as a boarder.
7. Start a Blog
Like social media influencers, bloggers with a respectable following can make extra cash through affiliate marketing. Plus, you get to produce content centered around something that’s meaningful to you.
As you build your blog, there are two main things to focus on: finding a niche and optimizing your content for search engines.
It’s no secret that the world of blogging is competitive. As such, you’ll give yourself a better shot at being seen if you focus on a currently underserved topic. Similarly, if you don’t take SEO into consideration, it’s unlikely that new subscribers will find you on search engines.
Of course, your content quality needs to be top-notch. Even so, the best prose won’t catch on without SEO and a unique value-add.
The beauty of a blog is that you don’t need to limit yourselves to written content. Blogs, in general, have evolved into multi-channel platforms, so photos, videos, and podcasts could all be part of your overall content strategy, too.
8. Rent Your Place with Airbnb
If you have a vacation home or even just an extra bedroom, renting with Airbnb could be one of the best side hustles around. After all, Airbnb is the most popular peer-to-peer renting platform in the world, making it a great opportunity for good, consistent extra income.
To get started, all you need to do is sign up and list your space. To make your listing pop, take high-quality photos and include as many details and amenities as possible. You also might want to consider starting out with a lower rate to entice your first guests.
How much you can charge overall depends on location, the size of the space, and its amenities—like whether it has a dedicated parking space or a pool. As you build up positive reviews, you’ll have a better chance of securing a higher rate.
A lack of cleanliness is the kiss of death with an Airbnb listing, so always make sure that your place is spotless before a guest arrives. Airbnb allows you to add a cleaning fee to your booking, so it's well worth it to hire a professional to stop by whenever a guest checks out.
Learn more:
9. Sell items on Craigslist or eBay
Arguably one of the healthiest things you can do for your relationship is to declutter your space. Minimizing helps you get organized and prioritize, and you can even make some good money along the way.
Sometimes decluttering means just throwing stuff out. But at least some of your unwanted stuff is likely worth something. Whether it’s clothing, electronics, furniture, or collectibles, you can find a market for your used goods on Craigslist or eBay.
Craigslist is a great option for bigger things like furniture, but you can sell pretty much anything on the site. Once you have your items listed, you can negotiate the price with potential buyers and organize delivery or pickup. The other benefit of Craigslist is that it doesn’t process payments, so you can earn fee-free cash.
And for everything else, you can head to eBay. The massive marketplace features everything from car parts to used records, and you can instantly connect with millions of potential customers around the world.
Of course, the downside is that eBay takes a cut of every sale through listing and transaction fees. You’ll also need a plan for the cost of packaging and shipping, so set your prices accordingly.
10. Take Online Surveys
If you don’t have a lot of spare time, online surveys are an awesome way to earn a little bit of extra money. Just don’t expect them to replace your day job. If you and your partner tend to spend nights on the couch watching TV, taking surveys together can turn that time into money.
Survey sites like Swagbucks and Survey Junkie offer tons of paid opportunities to contribute to market research. It’s free to sign up, and you can get started right away.
Each survey has certain demographic requirements, so, unfortunately, you won’t qualify for each one. Once you complete a survey, however, you earn a payout toward your balance.
Most sites require you to reach a certain threshold before you can actually cash out. Reward options vary, but the most common ones are cashing out through PayPal or accepting Amazon gift cards instead.
You can also make money with survey sites by bringing in referrals. Some sites will offer a one-time bonus, but others (like Swagbucks) give you a cut of whatever your referral earns using the site.
11. Drive for Uber or Lyft
If you and your partner have a car, you can put it to work as part-time Uber or Lyft drivers. This is a great option for those who live in metropolitan areas where there are a ton of people looking for rides.
Rideshare platforms pay per ride. That being the case, the more you drive, the more you earn. This makes it a good fit for couples who don’t have the same full-time work schedule. If one of you is driving while the other is at the office, you can double your extra income potential.
To get started, you need to apply and pass a driving background check. Your car also needs to be in good shape and set up with the minimum insurance requirements.
The key to making money with rideshares is to hit the road when prices are surging. This could mean waiting until the bars get out or checking out incoming flight times.
Bottom line? Whenever you think people need a lift, you should be ready to pick them up.
Learn more:
12. Become Freelancers
With droves of people embracing remote work, freelancing has become a more popular option than ever. Freelancers work for themselves from wherever they want and can earn great money over time.
Plus, there are plenty of different freelance opportunities. Whether you want to be a freelance writer, graphic designer, or proofreader, there are clients looking for your services.
The most challenging aspect of freelancing is getting your foot in the door. If you don’t have much (or any) experience, you might have a tough time convincing clients to take you on.
To get yourself going, leverage your network. People who already know you will be more likely to give you a shot, and you can quickly build up your portfolio. You can also offer to work for a lower rate while you get your feet wet.
To find freelancing gigs, you can sign up for popular freelance marketplaces like Fiverr or Upwork.
13. Get Cash Back with Rakuten
If you simply have no free time to earn extra money, you might as well get cash back every time you swipe your credit card.
If you and your partner are frequent online shoppers, you’re leaving money on the table if you aren’t using a platform like Rakuten.
Rakuten is an online shopping portal that makes money through affiliate marketing. This means that Rakuten partners with hundreds of brands that are looking for customers and connects them with people like you. The site gets paid when you buy something and then sends a portion of its cut over to you as cash back.
Rakuten is completely free to use. You get a sign-up bonus when you become a member, and payouts are issued quarterly.
This could be a good option for generating a little extra cash.
Shared Side Hustles for Couples
In most cases, side hustles are usually viewed as individual ventures. While there’s nothing wrong with going at it alone, there’s a huge benefit when you involve someone that you trust.
In a relationship, money has an impact. Whether you want to save money, pay off student loans, or just have some more spending cash, chances are you’re both thinking about your finances regularly.
While shared personal finances can be challenging, there’s no rule that says they absolutely have to be. By starting a side business together, you can grow as a couple and work toward your financial goals.
And who knows? Maybe the right side gig will allow one (or both) of you to quit your day job for good.
Now that you know where to start, get out there and build that perfect side hustle, together. You might be surprised to see how strong your relationship becomes because of it. Good luck!
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