14 Best Side Hustles For Men
The best side hustles for men are geared towards flexible work opportunities that are generally male-focused.
A side hustle can be a great way to earn some money and learn a new skill. Even better if your new side hustle is in an area you already enjoy – such as photography or fixing things.
If you’re looking for a side gig to bring in some extra cash you’re not alone. According to a survey conducted by Bankrate, 39% of Americans have a side hustle. But it’s important to find a side hustle that aligns with your skills, interest, and time availability.
Let’s dive into a few of the best side hustles to pursue – with a focus on the best side hustles for men.
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Physical And Outdoor Activities
A lot of male-focused side hustles involve physical or outdoor activities. Here are some great options to make extra money.
Become a Handyman
How It Works: Enjoy mounting TVs or repairing leaky faucets? If so, becoming a handyman could be a great side hustle for you. There are a lot of needs for handyman services, and if you’re able to do small tasks for people, this could be a great option.
Benefits: Depending on the services you can offer, you can expect to make anywhere from $100 to $500 per job.
Getting Started: To get started, offer your services on a platform like Nextdoor, TaskRabbit, or Thumbtack. Compensation will vary when you’re just starting out. As you become more experienced you can increase your rates.
Once you establish yourself as a reliable handyman, start building a client list through word-of-mouth referrals. Homeowners are constantly looking for help with home projects. The more trusted you are in your community, the easier it’ll be to get high-paying gigs.
Time Commitment: Low Time Commitment
Do Mobile Car Detailing
How It Works: One way to make some serious cash is to offer a service that is too good to pass up. Mobile car detailing is a side hustle that does just that. You can devote as much or little time as you want to this hustle idea in your spare time.
Benefits: You can make anywhere from $50 to $500 per job, but the amount you make is going to be very dependent on the services you offer. The higher-end the service, the more you will make. However, higher-end detailing takes more time, and also more equipment (which you’d have to pay for).
Getting Started: Pitch your car detailing service to apartment complexes or downtown offices. While a customer’s car is parked, get to work detailing it. Not only will you make their day better, but you’ll also be able to charge a premium for bringing your detailing service to them.
Share your detailing side gig on platforms like Nextdoor or Facebook. Work with property managers to negotiate a deal for their tenants. Then start watching the requests come in.
Time Commitment: Medium Time Commitment
Landscaping Services
How It Works: Landscaping is another great side hustle for men. It allows you to put your weed whacker or lawn mower to work by sprucing up other peoples’ properties.
Benefits: How much you can make as a landscaper really depends on what type of services you’re offering. Are you thinking about doing one-off jobs like brush clearing? You’ll maybe make $200-400 for a day’s work. If you’re trying to get regular maintenance going, that’s going to earn you maybe $100-200 per month, but less workload each time.
Getting Started: You can make even more money as a landscaper by offering year-round services or expanding your offerings. If you live in the north, offer snow removal during the winter months. If that isn’t an option, offer additional services like power washing homes.
This side hustle isn’t exclusive to homeowners. You can offer your services to commercial businesses to increase your earnings potential. In fact, if you can get a piece of specialty equipment, such as a stump grinder, you can subcontract through existing landscaping companies to do jobs that they don’t have the right equipment for.
Time Commitment: Medium To High Time Commitment
Moving
How It Works: If you’ve ever moved you know how much of a hassle it is. From packing up boxes to loading and unloading them, the whole process is very time-consuming. Because of that, people are willing to pay someone like you to help them move. Plus, this is a great way to make some quick cash.
Benefits: You’ll likely earn anywhere from $20-50 per hour.
Getting Started: To get started, you can either join an existing moving service as a part-time employee or you can offer moving services on your own. Connect with local realtors to let them know you’re offering moving services. Look for opportunities during peak moving times and fill up your schedule with moving gigs.
There are also apps like Dolly that you can find people looking for movers.
Time Commitment: Low Time Commitment
Creative And Artistic Ventures
Are you a creative person looking for ways to make additional income? Here are some creative or artistic side jobs that can help you start to create multiple income streams.
Drone Photography and Videography
How It Works: Another side hustle to start in the events space is offering drone photography or videography services. Skilled photographers are already highly sought after, make yourself stand out by offering aerial images with drones.
There are two different ways you can work this side hustle. One way is to book gigs. Let wedding and event planners know you’re available to offer aerial photography services and begin booking clients.
Another way is to create a library of stock images and b-roll videos. License your content out on sites like Depositphotos. Aerial videos are used in media ranging from Hollywood movies to YouTube videos. Licensing your content is a great way to earn residual income on the side of your 9to5.
Benefits: You can earn several hundred dollars per shoot, but you’ll have to spend money on the drone and the permits.
Getting Started: To be a commercial drone photographer, you’ll need to get your FAA drone license. You’ll also need to connect with various people – whether real estate agents or others – to market yourself.
Time Commitment: Low to Medium Time Commitment
Freelancing
How It Works: Freelancing is the perfect side hustle in my option. Freelancing is becoming more and more common and it’s unlikely to slow down anytime soon. According to Upwork, 38% of the workforce in the United States has performed some freelance work.
Freelancing includes freelance writing, editing, social media work, and more!
Benefits: With freelancing, you can seriously scale your income. There is also a huge potential for work-life balance because you only do the work you want to do. The income range can be low, or limitless. In fact, I know several freelance writers that earn well past $150,000 per year.
Getting Started: To get started as a freelancer, figure out what your service is. Are you a good writer? Do you have a knack for editing videos? Or, are you really good at running Facebook Ad campaigns?
Once you figure out what you’d like to offer, use a site like Upwork or Fiverr to find clients. Compensation will vary based on what you’re offering and your skill level.
One of the neat benefits of freelancing is that it can help you develop skills to bolster your resume. Who knows, your next client could become your next full-time job.
There are also some courses you can take to get started depending on what you want to do:
There’s also the Brambila Method, which takes you through 8 days of online training to get you started in a solid path towards freelancing.
Time Commitment: Low To Medium Time Commitment
OnlyFans
How It Works: Roughly 30% of OnlyFans creators are male, and there are a lot of ways that you can earn money on the platform. While we discussed this as a side hustle for women, it can also be a good side hustle for men looking to make extra cash.
Benefits: This is another side hustle where you have the potential to earn very little, or extreme amounts of extra income. It really depends if you’re going to keep this as a small fun job, or turn it into a full-time job.
Getting Started: Don’t worry if nudity isn’t your thing – there are other ways to earn. You can make money by posting fitness content, foot pics, cosplay, and live Q&As with your community members. If you’re already a regular content creator on a website or social media, you could utilize OnlyFans as a chance for your followers to get regular behind-the-scenes content about your everyday life.
Time Commitment: Low To Medium Time Commitment
Woodworking And Craftsmanship
How It Works: Turning woodworking into a side job involves creating and selling wood-based products or offering woodworking services. This can range from crafting small decorative items, furniture, and custom pieces to providing repair services for wooden items. The products or services can be marketed to individual customers, local businesses, or online through platforms like Etsy, eBay, or a personal website. Success in this side gig depends on skill level, creativity, the uniqueness of the products, and effective marketing strategies.
Benefits: If you’re already into craftsmanship and woodworking, this could be a side hustle of love. You simply enjoy it, and you get paid. The amount you earn can vary widely – from small items like kitchen utensils maybe earning $20 to $100, to furniture in the $1,000s. But don’t forget your time commitment involved in this – it may not add up to much on an hourly rate.
Getting Started: Getting started with woodworking as a side hustle requires a lot of skill, along with having the right tools and being able to source good materials. You’ll also want to create a portfolio of your work, so that means making sample pieces and showcasing them (likely online). You can start by listing your items on platforms like Etsy, but larger projects are likely to come from word of mouth or proven experience.
Time Commitment: Medium Time Commitment
Entrepreneurship
We call these side hustle ideas entrepreneurship related, but really they are simply wants to earn additional income from something that you have the time for. These are also some of the most popular side hustles.
Delivery Services
How It Works: One of the easiest ways to monetize your free time is to do deliveries on platforms like UberEats, DoorDash, and Amazon Flex.
Delivery platforms allow you to work a schedule that fits around your 9 to5 job. Simply log on to the app and start delivering.
With delivery apps, you can either use your car or make deliveries from a bike or scooter. This makes it easy to not only earn extra cash but get a workout in too.
Benefits: The best thing about delivery service apps is the ability to get paid instantly. These apps aren’t going to really help you achieve financial independence, but they will put a little extra money in your pocket instantly.
Getting Started: It’s pretty simple to get started. Have a way to deliver (car, bike, scooter), and sign up for the relevant apps in your area. Then you just turn on the apps and drive. Check out our full guide on 10 ways to get paid to drive.
Time Commitment: Low Time Commitment
Drive for a Ridesharing App
How It Works: Ridesharing apps are another way to bring in extra cash during your downtime. Just like delivery apps, log on and start driving whenever it’s convenient for you.
Benefits: The amount you can earn driving for a rideshare app is going to depend on how much you drive, when you drive, and any promotional offers you’re currently getting. But this side hustle also requires a vehicle, so there are costs involved.
Getting Started: One benefit of driving with a ridesharing app is that you can use it to bring in leads for another side hustle. If you’re a handyman, for example, keep a deck of business cards in your car. When you converse with riders, let them know you’re also a handyman and offer them your card.
Not only is this an easy way to find new customers this way, but you’ll get paid to do so too.
Time Commitment: Low Time Commitment
Flip Stuff Online
How It Works: One of the best side hustles for men is flipping stuff on sites like eBay or Facebook Marketplace. This is a great side hustle because it allows you to make money around work and family obligations. You can put as much – or as little – time into it as you want.
Benefits: This side hustle has a good potential to earn extra money, but it all depends on what you find, what you sell it for, and can you minimize your shipping or delivery costs.
Getting Started: You can either flip finished goods like vintage toys or find things that need fixing first. To find finished goods, hit up a weekend garage sale or go to your local thrift store. For things that need repairing – like furniture – look on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Spruce up your finds and resell them on those same platforms for a nice profit.
Time Commitment: Low Time Commitment
Professional Services
Repair Services
How It Works: Similar to becoming a handyman, fixing things is another great side hustle for men. It allows you to get paid to solve problems by tinkering with things.
In high school, I knew a kid who worked with his dad repairing small engines, such as lawnmowers and farm equipment. They towed around a small trailer with their repair gear and made house calls whenever someone needed help.
If you already have a garage full of tools, repairing things is a great way to put those tools to work. One thing that’s great about this side hustle is that it isn’t limited to individuals. You can offer your services to businesses and restaurants to be their go-to repair person too.
Here are just a few things you can repair:
- Small engines
- Electronics
- Household appliances
- Office equipment (like copiers and printers)
- Espresso machines
Benefits: How much you can earn really depends on what you’re fixing and able to do. Smaller items will have smaller fees, while things like an iPhone could earn you several hundred dollars.
Getting Started: The best way to find these gigs is by offering them on a site like Nextdoor or Craigslist. Consider posting fliers on community bulletin boards at local coffee shops or civic centers too. Once you establish yourself as a reliable repair person, work on building up word-of-mouth referrals.
Time Commitment: Medium Time Commitment
Tech Support Services
How It Works: Turning tech support services into a side job involves offering assistance with software, hardware, or general technology issues to individuals or small businesses. This can include troubleshooting, setting up devices, software installation, and providing guidance on tech-related queries.
Benefits: Depending on the services, you can earn one-off flat fees of $50 to $100, to several thousand if you’re helping a small business setup their network.
Getting Started: To get started, one should assess their tech skills and identify the types of services they can confidently offer. Building a strong online presence through a professional website or profile on freelance platforms can attract clients. Networking with friends, family, and professional contacts is also crucial for gaining initial clients and building a reputation.
Time Commitment: Medium Time Commitment
Service Industry and Events
How It Works: Do you have experience working in food service? Do you enjoy working events? If so, looking for a hospitality side hustle could be a good way to earn extra money in your free time.
Benefits: You’ll likely earn around $20 per hour, but rates vary based on your state.
Getting Started: Look for gigs on Craigslist or download an app like Tend. This allows you to find one-time hospitality gigs without being locked into a part-time job. You can also set your own rates to ensure you take jobs that help you meet your financial goals.
Time Commitment: Low Time Commitment
Finding The Right Side Hustle For You
When you’re thinking about starting a side hustle, you probably want one that’s going to pay the most money. Not all side hustles are created equal so it’s important to think about how much you want to earn and the best way to reach your goal. And remember, side hustles are not passive income streams. Passive income comes from doing the work and then receiving the income ongoing. Side hustles require constant work.
Here are a few things to think about to figure out which side hustles for men pay the most money:
Is this something no one else wants to do or can do? The harder something is to do, the more money you’ll be able to make from it. Take landscaping as an example. A lot of people can mow lawns. Not a lot of people can cut down trees. You can get started by mowing lawns but if you want to make serious cash, don’t stay there. Look for the things that need to be done but very few people are offering services to do those things.
What services are in demand? Neighborhood groups on platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook are gold mines for side hustles. Peruse the comments to see what people are constantly asking for referrals for. If you notice a lot of people are looking for recommendations for a reliable handyman to keep on speed dial, choose that as your side hustle. Look for where there’s existing demand and you’ll find no shortage of work.
Do you have equipment that no one else has? Many guys take on hobbies that require expensive equipment. If you already have a tool chest or are skilled at operating drones, put those things to work. You have something others don’t. Leverage what you have to boost your earnings potential.
And don’t forget, if you’re just looking for ways to earn a little cash and you’re bored, there is always the low hanging fruit of paid surveys. Here’s some options:
Final Thoughts
While having a side hustle is a popular way to increase your income, there are other benefits to having one. A side hustle can also be a smart way to hone a new skill. If you’re working on your carpentry skills or enjoy fixing things, a side hustle is a great way to practice a skill while getting paid.
The best side hustles for men can help you make money while growing your skills.
Frequently Asked Questions About Side Hustles For Men
What is the most profitable side hustle?
The most profitable side hustle is the one that has scalability and aligns with your existing work-life balance. This can be a tough find. For me, it was freelance writing, which turned into other careers. For others, it might be other side hustle ideas. The perfect side hustle will vary from person to person.
How can guys make extra money?
Guys can make extra money in many ways, from outdoor activities and physical activities like moving, to creative ventures, to more risqué ideas like OnlyFans.
How to make money without a job?
There are a lot of ways to make money without a job, including app-based side jobs like delivery services, ride sharing services, and more.
Do I need an LLC for a side hustle?
No, you do not need an LLC for your side hustle. You can be a sole proprietor.
