4 expert side hustlers share their top gig recommendations

• Business Insider asked people with side-hustle experience about their top gig recommendations.
• Two people recommended content creation; one of them said it's fun but takes time to build up.
• Another person recommended selling digital wall art on Etsy, particularly if you like creative work.

If you're looking to make some extra money, you could try one of these side hustles.

Business Insider reached out to several people with experience with side hustles. We asked them about what advice they'd give to anyone starting out on their own gigs, including the No. 1 side hustle they would recommend.

"There's a lot of content out there around side hustles, and many people are selling ideas and dreams," Ryan, who frequently posts on social media his thoughts on potential side gigs and whose last name is known to BI, said. "My advice is to pursue what you're passionate about, but do your research first."

Four serial side hustlers suggested selling digital wall art on Etsy, creating content, or earning on-site commissions through the Amazon Influencer Program.

Having a side hustle or a way to make passive income may help people reach their financial goals. However, Meghan Lim, who earned side income in several ways before quitting her job to pursue self-employment, said don't pick a side hustle simply for the potential earnings.

"If you don't enjoy what you're doing and only chase the money, you will not be happy and you can quickly burn out," Lim said.

Here's what four expert side hustlers recommend as their No. 1 gig.

Amber Smith, 27

Smith used to work a tech job, but she's now self-employed with the help of her past side hustles, which include making content and reselling clothing.

"I was at this job, wasn't totally happy with it, and I knew I had been making decent money doing my side hustles part-time," Smith previously told BI. "So, I spent a lot of time doing the math, being like, could I actually make this work if I took them full time?"

The top side hustle she recommended was content creation, like making videos for brands. Smith said this type of work "takes some time to build up" and wished she had started earlier than she did. Still, she said the gig is fun and can open creators up to different opportunities to make money.

For instance, she said a business paid her hundreds of dollars to make a video about trying out a new breakfast sandwich. In addition to earning money from brand deals, Smith has made money as a content creator in other ways, such as from TikTok's Creator Rewards Program, which has some eligbility requirements to be part of the program. So far this year, she has earned $3,640 in rewards, which are earnings from videos that meet requirements.

"Eligible videos will start to collect rewards as soon as they reach 1,000 qualified For You feed views," TikTok said. "Rewards are calculated based on qualified views and rewards per 1,000 qualified views."

In general, Smith said she thinks anyone can create content as a gig, but people who try this side hustle need to be "willing to try new things, learn, and put themselves out there."

Ryan, 39

Ryan previously talked to BI about side hustle recommendations.

He told BI in a new statement that his No. 1 side hustle recommendation was earning on-site commissions through the Amazon Influencer Program. The program involves making product videos or other content.

According to Amazon, participants can earn on-site commissions when people click on their videos or other content that Amazon has chosen to show and then go on to buy a qualifying product.

Ryan said he sees passive income-earning potential from this. He said this gig isn't his main focus, but he made over $100 in commissions from various products sold on Amazon from a set of review videos he made in 2024.

He said this potential gig is good for people "comfortable with content creation or product recommendations" and doesn't require too much experience.

Ryan's general advice for beginners is to "start small and stay focused on one thing." He added people need to be consistent and put in the effort to have success with side hustles.

"I wish I'd known how important it is to be patient," he said. "Results don't happen overnight, and side hustles take time to build into something sustainable."

Meghan Lim, 26

Lim, who used to work a day job as a financial analyst, has tried several side hustles. She has made money making videos and from pet sitting and dog walking. She left her financial analyst job and now works on her content creation and other former side gigs.

She said the No. 1 side hustle she recommends to others is content creation because of the variety of ways to make money. She said someone could make content for brands "and give them permission to post it on their own social media pages instead of your own." Working with brands and companies can also involve posting on your own pages.

Lim made $12,750 from two separate deals which largely involved making and publicizing content on Instagram.

Another idea for content creation as a gig is making "content about products on TikTok shop and earn passive income that way," she said.

Lim said people can learn the necessary skills as they go, such as how to edit videos and best SEO practices to try to get their content seen by others. While people can take their time to improve their video-related skills, Lim said consistency is the main skill needed when starting with content creation.

"That would be constantly uploading content on a regular basis because it takes a while to build a following and doesn't just happen over posting a few videos," Lim said.

Kate Robb, 27

Robb said she's been fully self-employed for over a year and a half after being laid off in early 2023. She said she earns money from multiple sources.

"I have tried so many side hustles over the past two years, but one I frequently recommend to my friends is selling digital wall art on Etsy," Robb said, adding that the minimal startup costs are a large reason she recommends this. "You create digital poster designs that will ultimately be used for wall decor — but there's no physical inventory involved."

One potential plus is its flexibility. Robb said, "you get to make your own schedule and work on your shop whenever it's convenient for you."

Robb said this gig may be best for people who like creative work. She said people don't need a background in graphic design to get started, although it may take time to learn. Robb said the graphic design platform Canva is a beginner-friendly tool people can use.

"There's also no true 'materials' cost since you're selling a digital product, which means the profit margins on each sale are typically very high," she said.

Selling digital wall art has been lucrative for Robb. Her net profit on Etsy in 2024 at the time of reporting has been over $16,000 for this gig, around double what she made last year after starting her digital wall art shop on Etsy in April 2023. That net profit takes into Etsy account fees and marketing but excludes a couple of extra expenses she has, including her Canva subscription.

Etsy told BI that sellers sold over $11 billion in goods last year.

"Etsy sellers range from hobbyists to professional merchants and have a broad range of personal and professional goals," Isabella Diaz, a community manager at Etsy, told BI.

What has your side-hustle experience been like? Reach out to this reporter at mhoff@businessinsider.com to share.