20 unique side hustles to escape the boring 9–5

Tired of the same old side gigs? Cash in with Whop’s pick of the 20 best unique side hustles which pay well.

Tired of the same old side hustles? It’s time to discover new, unique ways to make money that actually excite you.

Whatever your skills, experience, or passions, there’s a unique hustle out there waiting for you.

The beauty of unique side hustles is that they often come with less competition than the usual gigs. You might even carve out your own niche and offer something no one else can. And while these gigs can start as a way to earn a little extra cash, many have the potential to grow into full-time opportunities — or even full-fledged businesses.

So, if delivering groceries, mowing lawns, or filling in surveys don’t set your heart racing, here are some unique side hustles, which are weird, wonderful and – best of all – well-paid.

20 unique side hustles you’ll actually want to try

1. Sell digital products

We begin with the best side hustle idea for anyone who wants to move beyond the gig economy and make money on their own terms.

Selling digital products is one of the most exciting side hustles out there because it lets you turn your creative or “weird and wonderful” ideas into real income.

A digital product is anything you can sell online that doesn’t exist physically — like ebooks, courses, templates, design files, software, or even exclusive community access. Because they can be created once and sold infinitely, digital products are incredibly flexible and can fit almost any niche.

What makes digital products unique compared to traditional side hustles is how low the overhead is. You don’t need to worry about inventory, packaging, or shipping costs. Instead, you can focus entirely on creating something valuable and letting the internet do the distribution for you.

Digital products are a powerful way to earn money online because they combine creativity, scalability, and flexibility — without the headaches of running a traditional business.

How to get started

Decide on what you’d like to sell, create your products, and launch on an all-in-one platform, like Whop. Need inspiration? Check out numerology-focused business TheZAxis, which has found a home right here on Whop.

2. Rent out your stuff

Who needs Airbnb? Of course, listing accommodation for short-term rental can be a great money spinner. But if you don’t happen to have a spare apartment (or don’t want a stranger in your spare room), you can still take advantage of the “rent” economy.

You can rent out all kinds of things. It’s a win-win situation — you get income from things you don’t use, while the renter gets the benefit of using your stuff for as long as they need.

For example, you can list:

• Driveway, garage, or parking space (that you have the right to use)
• Baby gear (such as strollers or cribs in top condition)
• Boats, RVs, and campers
• Cameras and camera equipment
• Musical instruments
• Your bike or motor vehicle
• Adult clothing (such as designer wear)
• Sports equipment
• Secure storage space

How to get started

Find stuff which you’d like to rent out, join a suitable rental platform, and create your listing (including price and availability).

You could go the DIY route here and rent your items on places like Facebook Marketplace, but the best advice is to go through a legit platform, where you can create your listing. These platforms should have safeguards in place to prevent either the renter or customer from being scammed. 

Example platforms include Neighbor (for storage space), Getaround (for vehicles), Pickle (for adult clothing), or BabyQuip (for baby gear).

3. Get ordained

Okay, bear with us on this one. It is possible for people in some (not all) states to become ordained online by a non-denominational ministry.

People usually become ordained so they can officiate a wedding for their own friends and family. However, once you’ve been ordained, you can charge money for officiating weddings in person — and with more couples choosing to elope rather than have a big Church wedding, there's a ton more business for small-wedding officiants.

An example of a ministry which offers this is the Universal Life Church, which invites people to become “ministers” and even offers training in fulfilling your duties. According to its website, its list of ordained ministers includes The Rock and Lady Gaga.

Despite including this on a list of unique side hustles, it’s an important role which requires you to do everything by the book. This includes getting a marriage-officiant license, conducting the ceremony, and completing the couple’s wedding license.

How to get started

Find a non-denominational ministry which offers online ordination and fill out the form (a fee might apply). You’ll need to register in your state after you’ve been approved.

4. Become a life coach

It might have become a bit of a “buzz” term, but there’s still lots of demand for life coaches. The role involves helping clients navigate their life challenges on a one-to-one basis.

This might mean assisting them in taking the next step in their career, getting organized in their daily lives, or moving forward after a life transition. As well as being lucrative, life coaching can be rewarding as you see your clients make positive progress.

While there are no specific qualifications, life coaches often gain certification and experience before going solo. It’s also important to pick the best coaching niche.

When it comes to finding a coaching niche, there's a lot to explore, including career coaching, mindset coaching, relationship coaching and family coaching.

The great thing about life coaching is that it can be a completely virtual gig - simply create your whop, add the Courses app to share educational info, the Chat app for conversation, and the Video calls app for live coaching sessions. Your life coaching business can be ready to launch in just minutes.

How to get started

Choose a niche, gain certification and/or experience, and build your brand to attract clients.

5. Resell vintage items

Reselling has long been a popular option for making money. However, profitability depends on the products you sell. One way to ramp up your income is to focus on vintage items. Examples include:

• Vinyl records
• Memorabilia and retro toys
• Watches and jewelry
• Clothing
• Furniture
• Posters and art
• Comic books and trading cards
• Early video games

Collectors and fans are prepared to pay top dollar for genuine vintage items. But the key is knowing the market. So, this is a particularly good option for people who already collect the items and understand their true value.

Places to sell vintage items include eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Ruby Lane, and Etsy. However, there are more specific options, such as record stores, markets, and vintage clothing stores.

How to get started

Pick your reselling niche, research the market, find sources for the products, and list them on platforms or sell in person.

6. Officiate sports

The NFL or WNBA might not be hiring you anytime soon but there are smaller sports organizations and leagues across the country (and world) that rely on part-time officials.

As well as the mainstream sports, there are niche leagues which don’t attract much attention, so think outside the box. Also look at youth sports, which have a constant need for officials.

You could be refereeing and umpiring, or work as a scorer, lines-person, backroom official or timekeeper.

This is one money-making opportunity that usually requires credentials and experience. Make sure you read up on the rules, which are generally available online for most sports. You could consider volunteering for a while to learn the ropes.

Other things to consider are the fitness requirements, travel demands, and seasonality. It also helps to be decisive and to be able to stand your ground when you make an unpopular call!

How to get started

Research sports organizations and leagues in your area and reach out to find out if they need (paid) officials and what the requirements are. Usually, the sport’s governing body will have guidance on getting involved. Also, check out the National Association of Sports Officials.

7. Become a tour guide 

Live somewhere interesting? No? Think again. Even if you take where you are for granted, visitors may be interested in getting a local perspective. Whether your area has historical significance or a buzzing food scene, you can make money by giving tours.

Where you live will also determine what type of tours you offer and how much you charge. Research the area to see what’s available and even take a tour or two to check out the competition – and do it better or differently.

You’ll need liability insurance for the role and to take steps to protect your safety. Some locations might require you to get a tour guide license or certification.

Communication skills are important as is the ability to think on your feet. In some places, speaking different languages might be advantageous and boost your customer base.

How to get started

Check the tour guide requirements where you live, craft your offer, and promote your services via a website, travel forums, social media, or ads.

A good place to start is the Showaround platform, which connects guides with people interested in seeing places with a local. You might also want to check out the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations.

Or, you can even become a virtual tour guide! Create a whop and use the Video calls app to live stream your exploration of an area, and the Courses app to share recorded videos of your tours.

8. Write resumes

Make money by helping people land jobs with this freelance writing niche. One of the great things is that you can bundle services to maximize your profit. For example, you can add:

• Reviews of clients’ existing resumes
• LinkedIn profile optimization
• Cover letters
• Social media presence
• Personal website copy
• Academic resumes
• Application forms
• Personal branding
• Interview prep

With the job market rapidly changing, if you’re able to help people tailor applications suited to modern requirements (like bypassing AI screeners), then you can turn a nice profit.

The big money here is in writing C-suite resumes (for executive-level positions), where the salaries are as high as the clients are demanding. If you have experience in certain industries — like tech, law, or medicine — you can sell specialist services, as you understand the “lingo” and the specifications of the job roles.

How to get started

Brush up on your resume writing skills and craft your offer. Places to look for work include Fiverr, LinkedIn, and Upwork. You might also want to check out the National Resume Writers’ Association.

If you need experience, you could spend a little time working for one of the resume writing companies, like TopStack or Executive Resume Writers.

Another idea is to create your own whop and offer a resume writing service within it. This is a great option as you can chat with customers, have video calls to get more details, and send finished files through Whop.

9. Start beekeeping

Okay, back to the weirder end of the scale with this opportunity. If you’ve got access to adequate outdoor space and some time to invest — plus a willingness to learn — you can create a side business which also helps the environment.

By keeping bees, you can make money in a few ways. First, from selling honey of course (either wholesale or marketing your own produce). Plus, you can also sell other bee-related products, like candles, wraps, and soap.

But the real money to be made is in offering training and paid content to help others (like sharing your bee-keeping skills in your whop). In fact, according to the Washington Post, in 2023, there were 100k hobbyist beekeepers just in the US. That's a huge audience of people who may pay for hive-set ups and bee-keeping advice.

Things to think about are the start-up costs, local regulations on domestic beekeeping, and the health and safety requirements (including making sure you’re not allergic to bee venom).

Most backyard beekeepers have 3 to 5 hives, with at least 2 needed to turn a profit. Each hive is home to 20k to 80k bees (yeah, we’re talking a lot of 🐝).

How to get started

Read up on the legal requirements in your location, learn about beekeeping, and join an organization which can offer help on getting started – including how to buy bees.

10. Become a paid friend

Like people and have a little free time? Put your social skills to work by becoming a paid friend. There’s no romantic element to this – it’s not dating or hook-ups. It’s about offering companionship.

Your clients might have just moved to town or simply find social interaction difficult. Alternatively, they might have an extra ticket to an event or need a last-minute “plus one” because their date has bailed.

The best part is that you get paid an hourly rate for your time plus expenses. So, if you arrange to meet for a movie, they buy the tickets.

Safety is key here. Always meet in a public place and tell someone where you’re going.

If you don’t want to meet people in person, you can become a virtual or cyber friend. Growing in popularity during the pandemic, this type of companionship takes place remotely, often via video call. It's a great way to get paid to chat.

How to get started

Join a platform like Rent a Friend or Rent a Cyber Friend, or go it alone and promote your services online, such as on social media or Fiverr. Make sure you’re clear about what you are (and aren’t) offering.

11. Tutor a niche subject or skill

While there’s nothing unique about tutoring as a side hustle, we’ve included this on the list to highlight the sheer range of subjects people will pay to learn.

If you have knowledge of a niche or specialist skill, you can stand out in the crowded e-learning market. Browse the main tutoring platforms and you’ll see instructors offering subjects as diverse as Latin, playing the ukulele, and cryptocurrency.

The best part is that a lower level of competition means you can charge more for your services. In addition to one-to-one tutoring, you can offer courses, downloads, and other complementary materials to boost your income.

How to get started

Craft your offer, set your price, and look for students. Whop’s a great platform on which to build your teaching or tutoring business (sign up for free).

12. Create and sell recipes

If you’re into food and like working with different ingredients, you can turn your passion into a side hustle by creating and selling recipes. The big money here is in selling recipes to established food blogs and companies rather than individual buyers.

The good news is that recipes are just the start. You can also explore blogging, teaching, publishing your own cookbooks, food photography, and bespoke meal plans. You can charge a subscription or membership fee, offer a mix of paid and free content, or simply sell ebooks and courses.

This is a crowded space, so writers and recipe developers who specialize in a certain cuisine or type of diet – like vegan or gluten-free – can more easily build a definable brand.

Because recipes aren’t copyrightable, having a strong online presence is important to promote your content and encourage people to engage with what you have to offer. You should also consider putting together a recipe portfolio. If you use WordPress, WP Recipe Maker is a popular plug-in.

How to get started

Dig out some original recipes or develop new ones and explore your monetization options – such as by building your food business on a platform like Whop (like the folks at Easy Vegan Delights). With Whop you can sell a subscription to weekly meal plans, once-off recipe books, plans personalized to your client's macros, and more.

13. Give tarot card readings

For anyone with an interest in spirituality who wants to learn how to make money from home, this unique side hustle might be something to explore.

Tarot cards look like regular playing cards but the 78-card deck features symbols which are interpreted in various ways to offer guidance and encouragement (not fortune-telling). Interpreting tarot cards is a skill which can be developed, with people willing to pay for a personal reading.

You can read online, though, if you prefer, you can organize in-person readings. There are other monetization options, such as teaching others how to read Tarot, and setting up spiritual communities for group sessions.

One thing to bear in mind is that what you tell people might have serious implications. So, make sure you research things like personal liability insurance and disclaimers before you give readings.

Also, look at the rules around business licenses and permits in your location, as well as the safety risks if you do in-person readings.

How to get started

Learn how to read tarot cards and market your services. YouTube videos are a popular marketing tool, allowing you to show off your skills. Again, Whop’s a great platform to realize your tarot ambitions – just check out Tarot Tea Society by Maria.

14. Clean garbage cans

Looking for a unique side hustle and don’t mind getting your hands dirty? Become the go-to cleaner of trash cans in your area. This involves using a pressure washer to clean outdoor garbage cans for residential and commercial customers.

While it’s a bit smelly and labor intensive, this is a potentially lucrative opportunity to run your own cleaning business, with regular clients and commercial contracts.

The main thing here is health and safety. Understand the rules on hazardous materials and make sure you wear appropriate protective clothing, including gloves and eyewear.

Permits and insurance will be required, as well as a suitable vehicle. If you prefer, there are franchise offers, where you pay a fee and get all the stuff you need to get started.

How to get started

Research your area to get an idea of demand, get the necessary permits and insurance, rent or buy appropriate equipment, and promote your services.

15. Open an online bookstore

While there are great opportunities out there to publish and sell ebooks, lots of readers still like a book they can hold in their hands. Cash in on this demand by opening a bookstore which sells print books.

While it’s a bit more laborious than ebooks, selling print books can be highly profitable. The key thing is to choose a niche which balances demand with availability. Popular niches include textbooks, sheet music, and vintage books.

Places to source books include:

• Book wholesalers
• Dropshipping
• Used books (such as flea markets)

Promote and sell your books via channels, such as your own website, an ecommerce platform, or Amazon.

If you go the Amazon route, you can use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to take away some of the logistics hassle. Source your inventory and send it to Amazon, which takes care of shipping, sending, and returns.

How to get started

Choose your niche, research the market, source inventory, and price your books.

16. Carry out clothing alterations 

Between higher costs of living and increased environmental awareness, there is more demand for clothing alteration and repair services as an alternative to buying new items. I

f you have or are willing to learn tailoring skills, you can build a side hustle doing things like:

• Replacing buttons
• Shortening pants
• Replacing zippers
• Fixing hems

If you want to go further, you can make items to sell, like clothing, décor, or hair scrunchies. s.

There are some start-up costs involved, as you’ll need the right equipment and accessories. You’ll also need a dedicated workspace. Other things to think about include insurance, business permits, and shipping.

How to get started

Decide what services you’re going to offer, find a suitable space to work, gather the equipment you need, and market your services. As well as social media, ads, and your own website, you can list on places like Airtasker and Etsy.

17. Maintain gravestones

Here’s another potentially lucrative and unique side hustle, which also offers the chance to provide a valuable service. This opportunity involves going to cemeteries – with permission – to professionally clean and otherwise maintain gravestones.

People spend a lot of money laying their loved ones to rest with dignity but after the funeral, gravesites can become overgrown and dirty, and even decay through neglect and weather damage.

Your job is to keep the site looking pristine. Additional paid services you could offer include landscaping and flower planting. This role requires training and the right equipment – it’s important not to cause damage.

Other key things to think about are health and safety requirements. As well as insurance and a business license, you’ll need to contact the cemetery owners to check they’re okay with you attending the location.

How to get started

Research the opportunities in your area and the legal requirements, undertake the appropriate training, and promote your services.

18. Make and sell greetings cards

For anyone looking for crafty and unique side hustles from home, this is a neat niche which harnesses design, art, and even writing skills. This opportunity involves creating attractive cards for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special life moments and occasions.

Many people are tired of mass-market cards with generic greetings and want something original to send to loved ones. You can meet this need with unique cards. Cards can be sold blank inside or with thoughtful messages.

Sell directly on sites like Etsy or look at wholesale channels (which offer lower profits). Ways to boost your income include putting your designs on other products or offering add-ons like personalized messages written in calligraphy.

One thing to consider when pricing your cards is the cost of materials, which, depending on your style, might be high.

How to get started

Research the market, decide on your style/niche, create some designs, and market your cards. Instagram and Pinterest are great for showing off your designs and creating a positive buzz around your work.

19. Provide tech help

Keep on top of the latest iPhone releases? Understand how to get the most from AI tools? If you have the inside track on anything techy, a unique side hustle to make money from home is to share your skills with others.

The great thing about this opportunity is that you can tailor it to suit you. Sell your services as a tutor or a consultant and provide one-to-one help. Or, if you’d rather enjoy passive income, create guides and other paid content.

Because this is a crowded space, specializing is a good idea. Do some research into what’s available and get creative about providing something different or better. Focus on the mass market or provide more technical help with things like coding, machine learning, and programming.

How to get started

Decide on your services and pricing, develop digital content, and market your offer – for the ultimate flexibility, build your business on Whop (like QUED).

20. Sell plants

No, this is not what you think… we’re talking about selling decorative houseplants. If you enjoy growing plants, there are several ways to turn your passion into casual income. You can sell plants you grow yourself or cuttings from them. This means one “mother” plant can yield multiple profitable “babies”.

While not all plants are in high demand, there are lucrative options, such as:

• Snake plants
• Anthuriums (laceleaf)
• Variegated monstera
• Succulents
• Herbs
• Lavender 
• Flowers (including seeds and bulbs)

Plants and flowers each have their own seasons, needs, and appeal. If you’re not already knowledgeable, take some time to research the market and find the right niche.

One thing to think about here is the rules around selling plants – these will vary by region. There are restrictions on sending plants abroad. Also, make sure you create detailed listings which include all important details – some houseplants and flowers are toxic to pets.

How to get started

Do some research into profitable plants, brush up on your plant care skills, check out local rules on selling plants, and market your products.

Launch your unique side hustle with Whop

There you have it, 20 unique side hustle ideas to explore – each of which has the potential to bring in some bucks. 

Whop is built for businesses that don’t fit the mold, making it the perfect home for your side hustle.

Whether you’re running coaching sessions, selling online courses, offering services, building a members-only community, or even creating a digital companion for your physical business, you can do it all on Whop. No matter your model, Whop gives you the freedom to shape your business around what makes you unique.

And because the platform is constantly evolving with new features — driven by feedback from real creators — you’ll always have the tools you need to grow.

With Whop, your unique ideas aren’t just possible; they’re profitable.