🚀 This Weeks Side Hustle Guide

This week’s edition delivers truly actionable side hustle ideas, unique marketing tips, and real-world success stories to power up your income streams. Let’s dive into some fresh perspectives that you won’t find in last week’s newsletter. 🏆

🔥 5 Best Side Hustle Ideas with Low Startup Costs (This Week's Fresh Picks)

1. Online Arbitrage: Flipping Discounted Products for Profit

   • Startup Cost: $100-$300

   • How It Works: Online arbitrage involves finding discounted products on sites like eBay, Walmart, or liquidation marketplaces and reselling them for a profit on Amazon or other platforms. Use tools like Keepa and Tactical Arbitrage to identify products with high profit margins.

   • How It Makes Money: Buy items at discounted prices and sell them for higher on marketplaces. Arbitrage can be scaled up quickly with minimal investment once you understand sourcing and pricing.

   • Power Tip: Look for seasonal items during clearance sales (e.g., Halloween or Christmas decorations) and list them at market peak prices.

2. Virtual Assistant for AI Tools Setup

   • Startup Cost: $0-$50

   • How It Works: Many small business owners struggle with setting up AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, or Jasper for content creation and automation. Offer services as a virtual assistant to configure these tools, create prompts, or automate business tasks.

   • How It Makes Money: Charge per setup task ($50-$200), or offer monthly packages for ongoing support. Small businesses are willing to pay for automation that saves time and boosts productivity.

   • Power Tip: Create a few video tutorials and showcase your work on LinkedIn to establish credibility and attract clients.

3. Custom Digital Products on Etsy (Beyond Printables)

   • Startup Cost: $10-$100 (design software or freelance work)

   • How It Works: Instead of selling basic printables, create custom digital products like Notion templates, budget planners, or workout guides. These products cater to specific needs and can be marketed to niche communities.

   • How It Makes Money: Digital products have high profit margins since there’s no physical inventory. A well-designed Notion template could sell for $10-$50 and be downloaded repeatedly.

   • Power Tip: Partner with content creators or influencers to promote your digital products, offering them a commission on sales.

4. Remote Airbnb Co-Host

   • Startup Cost: $0-$100 (basic software tools)

   • How It Works: Many Airbnb hosts are looking for remote co-hosts to manage guest communication, booking, and scheduling services like cleaning. You don’t need to be local; you can do all of this remotely.

   • How It Makes Money: Charge a percentage of each booking (usually 10%-20%) or a flat fee per month. With just a few properties, you can build a solid income stream.

   • Power Tip: Use tools like Hospitable or Your Porter App to streamline guest messaging and automate responses.

5. Local Appliance Repair Services (Microniche Focus)

   • Startup Cost: $200-$500 (tools and training)

   • How It Works: Offer specialized repair services for common household appliances like vacuum cleaners, coffee machines, or microwaves. Focus on a specific type of appliance to become the local go-to expert.

   • How It Makes Money: Charge per repair ($50-$150) or offer maintenance packages for ongoing service. Small appliances often break, and people prefer repairing them over replacing.

   • Power Tip: Partner with local electronics stores to get repair referrals, or offer free pickup and delivery services to attract more customers.

🚀 Weekly Guide: Advanced Marketing Hack – Power of Hyper-Targeted Video Ads
Get the most out of your ad budget by using hyper-targeted video ads on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The trick is to get extremely specific with your target audience and craft short, snappy video content that directly addresses their needs.

• Step 1: Audience Narrowing: Use detailed audience insights to target users based on behavior, interests, and recent activity. For example, if you're running a subscription box for eco-friendly pet products, target users who have watched dog training videos or purchased pet toys online.

• Step 2: Create Multiple Versions of the Video: Make slight adjustments to the video based on different audience segments. Change up the intro to grab attention for each specific group.

• Step 3: Use TikTok's In-Feed Ads or YouTube's TrueView: These formats allow viewers to skip ads, so you only pay for engaged views, ensuring your ad dollars are well-spent.

Pro Tip: Leverage TikTok's Creator Marketplace to partner with micro-influencers who can produce authentic content for your ads, improving engagement and conversion rates.

🏆 Real-World Success: Steve's $250,000 Per Year Vending Machine Empire
Steve started his vending machine business with just $1,000. He purchased refurbished machines and strategically placed them in high-traffic areas such as gyms, offices, and car repair shops. Here's how he scaled up:

• Step 1: Targeting niche locations – Instead of competing for spots in popular locations, he targeted smaller gyms and workplaces where vending options were limited.

• Step 2: Offering healthy snacks and drinks – With the growing health trend, Steve stocked his machines with healthy snacks and protein drinks, catering to the fitness crowd.

• Step 3: Scaling using profits – He reinvested the profits from his first machines to buy more. Now, Steve owns over 50 vending machines across multiple cities, generating more than $250,000 in annual revenue.

📈 This Week's Side Hustle Spotlight: Building a DIY Home Studio Rentals Business
With the explosion of content creation, more YouTubers, podcasters, and TikTokers are looking for affordable studio spaces to rent by the hour. Setting up a small DIY home studio can be a lucrative side hustle with long-term growth potential.

• What It Is: Convert a spare room, basement, or garage into a home studio equipped with soundproofing, professional lighting, and basic recording equipment. Rent it out to creators for hourly sessions.

• Steps to Get Started:

  1. Initial Setup: Invest in some soundproofing materials, a backdrop, and lighting equipment. Look for budget-friendly options or buy used gear. Total cost can range from $500 to $1,500 depending on the quality of equipment.

  2. Market the Space: Use platforms like Peerspace, Giggster, or local Facebook groups to list the studio. Offer an introductory discount to attract the first few bookings.

  3. Expand with Add-On Services: Once you have steady bookings, offer additional services like video editing or equipment rentals to increase your revenue.

• Long-Term Plan:

  • Scaling Up: Convert additional spaces or expand the studio to accommodate more creators.

  • Exit Opportunities: After building a reputation and client base, the business can be sold to local media companies, photographers, or production firms looking for ready-made studio spaces.

Stay tuned for next week's newsletter, where we’ll dig even deeper into unique business ideas and expert strategies to keep your side hustle growing strong! 💸

Thank you,

Mat Gordon