As remote work continues to grow in popularity, more and more people are starting up fun side hustles to earn a little extra from home.
But — what if your side hustle that you just do on the weekends or after work could become your full-time remote job?
Thanks to the internet making it possible to take online courses teaching you new skills, research any topic under the sun, and provide online marketplaces to showcase your creations if you are a creator, it’s now more possible than ever to create a profitable home business.
Today, I’ve listed out four things that can be considered fun “side hustles” that — for many people — have grown into full-time remote careers.
1. Making Digital Printables
I love sharing information about creating and selling digital printables as a remote side hustle because it’s not very hard to learn to do, and many people have had success with it.
If you’re not familiar with printables, they are downloadable files that your customers can print at home for their personal use.
Planners, checklists, educational worksheets, wall art, and invitations are some examples of things people like to download in digital format and then print for personal use.
You can sell these printables in online marketplaces like Etsy, Shopify, and Gumroad just to name a few to reach potential customers.
Digital printables require very few upfront costs and you never need to keep any inventory!
If you’re interested in learning more about making digital printables to sell from home, I recommend this free workshop by Gold City Ventures.
It offers some really good info on creating and selling digital printables for passive income. You make them once with an easy-to-use online tool like Canva, then you can sell them over and over on Etsy.
The students who have enrolled in the full course (a paid option if you determine digital printables are something you’d like to learn to make and sell) have earned $3,385,881 selling printables on Etsy to date!
2. Creating Low or No Content Books
If you like designing and have an eye for aesthetics, creating low or no content books can be yet another lucrative side hustle.
Low content books, if you’re not familiar with the phrase, include products like journals, planners, sketchbooks, and notebooks that contain no, or almost no, written content and instead offer value to the buyer through their layouts and designs.
Self-publishing platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) make it possible for you to sell your low content books without the hassle of printing or shipping.
And the best part — once your designs are created and uploaded to Amazon, they can generate passive income over time as they continue to sell.
If you want to get started, there is a low content book creation course — Low Content School – that teaches you exactly how to make these books and then list them for sale on Amazon.
3. Starting a Dog Treat Bakery from Home
People who love pampering their pets are always on the lookout for healthy and delicious treats. So, if you like to bake and also love dogs, you might consider starting a dog treat bakery out of your home.
There are more people in the market for gourmet dog treats than you might realize!
Using the right recipes and ingredients, you can cater to pet owners specifically looking for organic, all-natural, or custom-made treats.
Once they are made, you can sell them on sites like Etsy, your own website, your social media, or even local farmers’ markets to get a loyal customer base in place.
If you are interested in more information on how to make a dog treat bakery business work for you, you should take the free workshop offered by Diva Dog Bakery. This is created by Kristen Larsen — who had her own dog treat bakery set up just as a side gig, and she made a lot more money than she ever thought possible!
4. Virtual Assistance Services
Business owners often need virtual assistants to help them with admin tasks which may include email management, social media marketing, moderation, and scheduling, customer service, or even data entry.
So if you are organized and tech-savvy, you could offer virtual assistant services as a side hustle — and yes, this can grow into a full-time remote career!
You can find clients to start out on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, and as you gain experience, you can specialize in high-demand services like bookkeeping, content creation, or project management.
If you are interested in learning more about starting a business as a virtual assistant — or even working for an existing company as a virtual assistant — you should check out my e-book, “Your Quick Guide to Virtual Assistant Jobs” to learn more how it works. It also has a list of 50 companies that are usually hiring remote virtual assistants.
The best part — it is just $1 to download!
In Conclusion
All of these side hustles have the potential to become full-time remote careers if you are dedicated, persistent in your efforts, and plan strategically.
As always, good luck if you pursue anything I listed above!
Anna Thurman is a work at home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 14 years. Her findings are published weekly here at Real Ways to Earn.