After naming my #1 most profitable side hustle of 2022 (furniture flipping), I made it my goal for 2023 to focus on digital side hustles that I could do from anywhere in the world since most of my top 2023 side hustles required some kind of physical product or service – but that shouldn’t stop you if you if you’re looking for a side hustle that allows you to travel in 2024! You’ll just need to enlist some help and coordinate while you are away, which is what I have done in the past! I’ve even helped a psychiatrist set up a completely remote practice while still having a “front door” for her business where she can receive mail or deliveries!
This list doesn’t include my professional side hustles (the ones I do to make the majority of my income) because those do require some training and skills and I like to focus on side hustles that anyone can start.
Print on Demand/Etsy
I easily spent between 25-40 hours per week in the first 3 months of 2023 creating designs and listings for my Etsy print on demand store and by March of 2023, it became a relatively passive income stream. I would put anywhere from 0-20 hours in per week, updating listings, adding new items and responding to messages.
Here’s a screenshot of my actual revenue using my Etsy Year-to-Date Accounting sheet
As you can see, my actual profit for 2023 was $2887.55 which isn’t a lot considering how much time I put in designing and creating listings, but I really enjoyed the work and it’s now a fairly passive income stream that will continue to make money.
Does Truly Passive Income Exist?
Digital Products
While working on my Print on Demand side hustle, I joined various facebook groups and watched endless youtube videos learning the mechanics of Print on Demand and tips from successful sellers. I discovered that digital products and tools to support print on demand sellers were not only being promoted by Youtubers, but also being successfully sold on Etsy.
As a hustler with more time to spend than cash, I am often have to DIY when I don’t want to spend money, so it only made sense for me to list spreadsheets and sizing charts for sale as digital products on Etsy if I was creating them anyway. I didn’t make much this year, but it cost me nothing to make these digital products using Google Sheets and Canva, which I was paying for anyways for POD.
If you are someone who is short on time, maybe you have a fulltime income, I suggest paying the $5-$10 to get the tools and resources you need to start a successful side hustle. But if you’re interested in creating passive income streams, selling digital products is an even more passive income stream than POD when combined with a platform like Etsy or Youtube
My best selling item is a Canadian Print on Demand Price Calculator that I did a Youtube video about and it both drives traffic from my listing to my Youtube and from my Youtube to my Etsy store.
Flipping Items on Marketplace
Just like last year, buying and selling on Facebook Marketplace brought in a good amount of cash. Selling on Facebook Marketplace is one of my all time favourite and most profitable side hustles because you can list almost anything and find buyers in your area, plus there are no listing fees so your expenses should be minimal.
Flipping furniture seems to be a consistent category for making big money for three key reasons.
#1. Moving furniture is a hassle.
A lot of people are willing to give away good furniture just to avoid having to transport it or pay for disposal. People will actually PAY YOU to take away their unwanted furniture. If you are serious about scaling your furniture flipping business, I urge you to reach out to local junk removal businesses and partner with them to save good furniture from the landfill.
#2. Deadlines to sell
People selling furniture on Facebook Marketplace tend to be motivated sellers, meaning they are willing to negotiate and keen to get rid of old furniture fast. They are often on a deadline, either because they are moving and need to empty their home or they have new furniture on the way. Some might wait until the new furniture arrives, if its something essential like a bed, but almost anyone who is selling used furniture wants it gone, quick.
A prime example of this, I offered someone leaving the country $100 for a bike they listed at $120 and needed it gone within a week, turned around and sold it for $175. Plus they gave me some extra’s cause they were leaving (bike lock, oil, extra tire tube).
#3. Poor listing photos
Most people just throw up a photo and a price, maybe they include the dimensions, but chances are the seller hasn’t optimized the listing to get the most money for their item. Photos are everything when it comes to selling anything online. A quick cleaning plus a clutter free photo takes very little time and effort, but goes a long way when it comes to getting the price you want for your item. Adding details like dimensions not only saves you time answering messages but helps you find a motivated buyer when they know its going to fit exactly where they want it.
Last year I calculated my average hourly wage spent flipping furniture and its was a whopping $59 dollars Canadian! I tried convincing my boyfriend at the time to quit his job and flip furniture with me full time, but ultimately I’m not able to scale this hustle without a partner who is readily available to grab furniture with me (although I have moved a couch on my own).
My Less Profitable Side Hustles
Receipt Scanning – $25
User Testing – $20USD
Live In Pet Sitting – $445 ($32.30/night)
Property Management – $150
Poparide Rideshare – $19
My Non Profitable Side Hustles and Why
*disclaimer* these side hustles are profitable when done correctly, most of them I didn’t follow through or stay the course to get back into the profit-land
Craft Fairs – I still have a lot of unsold inventory and my crafting/product testing process was costly in both time and cash
Retail Arbitrage – Regardless of what platform I sold on, it was very difficult to make back what I paid. Shipping and seller fees cut into that and while some items were profitable, I didn’t know what I was doing and just buying anything I thought had better value than the price I paid
Affiliate Marketing – I have yet to make any money from affiliate links however I have received rebates for services I use, but that’s more a referral program not actually Affiliate Sales.
