20 Best Side Hustle Ideas in India for 2023

In today’s fast-paced world, side hustles have become a popular way for individuals in India to supplement their income and explore their passions. Whether you’re a a working professional, a stay-at-home parent or a student, side hustles offer flexibility and financial rewards. In this blog, we will explore some of the best side hustles in India that can help you earn extra money while pursuing your interests and honing your skills.

List of Top 20 Side Hustle Ideas in India

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing has emerged as a prevalent marketing strategy embraced by brands worldwide. It allows individuals to earn commissions by promoting and selling products on behalf of businesses. This side hustle can be efficiently conducted online, primarily through social media. Individuals can earn a commission for every successful purchase by endorsing products and sharing affiliate links.

Numerous e-commerce websites and companies operate affiliate programs to boost their sales. Joining programs like Flipkart or Amazon Affiliate Program enables individuals to select and promote a wide range of products by sharing affiliate links on various platforms. A percentage of the commission is credited to the affiliate marketer’s account whenever a consumer takes action through an affiliate link.

2. Content Writing

Content writing is an excellent choice for a side hustle to earn extra money in India. Whether it involves writing blogs, social media posts, or articles, content writing offers a lucrative, enjoyable, and creative opportunity.

Content writing lets you express your ideas through words and engage with diverse audiences. All you need is an internet connection and basic computer skills. Content writing as a side hustle provides significant growth potential, allowing you to expand your expertise beyond your initial niche and explore new areas. Furthermore, the growth potential is substantial. With dedication and skill, content writing could eventually become your primary source of income.

3. Start a Dropshipping Business

Dropshipping is a highly profitable side hustle for teens but comes with its fair share of challenges. In dropshipping, you create an online store without stocking inventory in a physical location. Instead, you display products and only purchase them from a third-party supplier when a customer orders. The supplier then handles the shipping process on your behalf.

While dropshipping offers several advantages, such as becoming an entrepreneur without upfront investments, it poses challenges. One of the critical hurdles is finding a reliable supplier who can ensure timely shipments and provide excellent customer service. Despite this challenge, dropshipping remains an attractive option for generating significant income.

Many individuals starting in dropshipping opt to sell on platforms like Shopify, which offers valuable resources and guidance for beginners. This allows aspiring entrepreneurs to minimize risks and investments while establishing their businesses.

4. Freelancing

If you have a side hustle in mind but lack the resources to start it, freelancing can be an excellent option for you in India. It offers a rewarding and enjoyable way to turn your expertise in a specific field into a source of income.

Whether your skills lie in coding, event planning, marketing, or any other area, freelancing enables you to showcase your talents and earn extra money. The availability of online platforms like Upwork and Fiverr has made it even easier to enter the freelancing world.

With the convenience of technology, Women’s can also pursue side hustle without significant upfront investments.

5. Teach Online 

Tutoring can be a profitable side hustle if you have expertise in a specific subject or skill. Whether it’s academic subjects or non-academic skills like playing a musical instrument, offering lessons to others allows you to earn a decent income.

Online tutoring has recently gained significant popularity, particularly during the pandemic. This has resulted in numerous online tutoring platforms that enable you to monetize your teaching abilities. Setting up your online tutoring business from the comfort of your home has become increasingly convenient.

By leveraging your knowledge and skills, you can provide valuable education and guidance to students while earning money.

6. Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant is crucial in providing administrative support to businesses remotely. Their responsibilities encompass administration, bookkeeping, social media management, appointment scheduling, email handling, and schedule management. They often serve as executive secretaries, assisting business owners with various projects.

The demand for virtual assistants has experienced a significant surge, making it easy to find job opportunities on platforms like Freelancer.com, Fiverr, and others. You can secure virtual assistant positions by registering on these platforms and showcasing your skills and experience through your resume. The more experience you possess, the more significant earning potential you have.

7. Become an Influencer

Becoming an influencer is undoubtedly a popular and profitable side hustle in today’s digital age, primarily reliant on building a substantial following on social media platforms. Influencers, often called social media royalty, earn money by sharing sponsored posts and content with their audience. This side hustle offers a chance to make money and provides an avenue for achieving fame and recognition.

The income potential as an influencer is directly linked to your content’s number of followers and views. You can attract a dedicated following by creating high-quality and engaging content in areas you excel, such as styling, DIY, cooking, dancing, and more. As an influencer, you can earn approximately ₹15,000 to ₹30,000 per sponsored post, depending on various factors.

8. Online Survey

 Online surveys can be a viable side hustle option, although it’s important to note that the earning potential may be insignificant. Participating in surveys involves registering with sites that compensate you for completing surveys that align with your profile.

Several survey sites are available for registration, including Fetch Rewards, MyPoints, Survey Junkie, Swagbucks Survey, and more. Once registered, you will be notified whenever a survey matches your profile. While completing surveys is relatively easy, managing expectations regarding earnings is essential.

You can typically earn around ₹4000 to ₹8000 per month through online surveys. Although the income may not be significant, it can still serve as a supplementary source of income.

9. Start a YouTube Channel

YouTube presents a tremendous opportunity for aspiring content creators to start their channels and earn money. With billions of users and countless hours of video content consumed daily, YouTube is a trendy platform to showcase your creativity and interests.

Starting a YouTube channel allows you to create videos on various topics such as beauty, entertainment, cooking, product reviews, and more. The potential to earn money through YouTube relies on the number of views your videos receive. Engaging and compelling content is crucial to attract and retain viewers.

Consistency is critical to gaining more views and increasing your earning potential. Regularly posting new videos and interacting with your audience can help you build a loyal following. As your channel grows and you cultivate an audience, YouTube can become an excellent online side hustle for generating income .

10. Transcription

Transcription is a side hustle that involves converting audio or video recordings into written text. It requires strong listening skills, a fast typing speed, and proficiency in the language used in the recordings. Transcription jobs are often outsourced by companies that require meticulous attention to detail, making it a specialized skill.

Transcription can be an excellent opportunity for individuals with the necessary skill set, and prior experience is only sometimes required. Earnings in this field depend on your typing speed and the clients you work with.

Numerous websites offer transcription jobs, including Transcribe Anywhere, Scribie, Speechpad, and more. Some websites may require you to pass a small test as part of the application process.

11. Graphic Designer

Graphic design is an exciting field that offers immense opportunities for those with a creative eye and design skills. By providing graphic design services, you can assist businesses in creating impactful visual assets such as logos, brochures, flyers, social media graphics, and website elements.

Platforms like Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud have made it easier than ever to create professional designs, even without formal graphic design training. These user-friendly tools provide accessible resources and intuitive interfaces to support your design process.

As a graphic designer, you have the power to help businesses elevate their visual identity and effectively convey their messages through visually captivating designs. By leveraging your skills and creativity, you can contribute to your client’s success while building a rewarding side hustle in the dynamic world of graphic design.

12. Photography

If you have a profound love for photography and own a high-quality camera, you can monetize your skills by offering diverse photography services. This can range from capturing special moments at events and conducting portrait sessions to providing product photography for e-commerce businesses. Additionally, you can explore selling your photographs as stock photography through popular platforms like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock.

By harnessing your artistic vision and technical expertise, you can create visually stunning narratives and assist clients in preserving cherished memories or enhancing their visual branding. Whether you specialize in specific photography genres or build a versatile portfolio, photography enables you to combine your passion with a potentially lucrative profession.

13. Domain Reselling

One of today’s most popular and lucrative side hustles involves investing in domains. This unique opportunity allows you to purchase valuable domain names and sell them at a significant profit, often yielding a 100% return on your investment in a short period. Domains are often referred to as the internet’s real estate, making it an exciting venture to explore.

Many individuals will pay substantially to acquire the perfect business or project domain. By creating a website and listing your domains for sale, you can earn over $100,000 in a year through this venture.

14. Start a Coaching Business

If you are passionate about teaching or excel in a particular subject, starting your business in coaching can be a rewarding side hustle. You can offer your expertise in various areas, whether it’s academic coaching, life coaching, sports coaching, or health coaching.

You can establish physical coaching classes or opt for online classes, which provide flexibility and reach a wider audience.

As your coaching business grows and attracts more students, the income potential increases. You can expand your business by hiring additional coaches to accommodate a more extensive student base and offer a broader range of services.

15. Sell Handmade Goods

If you possess a creative spirit and enjoy crafting handmade goods, starting an online business selling your creations can be a fantastic side hustle opportunity. Whether you excel in soap-making, decorative items, food-related products, knitting, painting, or any other craft, you can turn your hobby into a profitable venture.

The beauty of this side hustle is that you can work on your schedule and be your boss. Take the time to refine your craft and create high-quality products that resonate with your target audience.

Establish an online presence through platforms like Etsy, Shopify, or your website to reach potential customers. Utilize social media platforms to showcase your products, engage with customers, and build a loyal following. Marketing also plays a crucial role in the success of your handmade business.

16. Proofreading or Copyediting

Utilize your exceptional command of grammar and meticulous attention to detail to offer valuable proofreading and editing services. Writers, students, and businesses often seek assistance refining their written content before publication or submission. By leveraging your expertise, you can ensure their work is polished, error-free, and conveys their message clearly and professionally. Through a thorough review of grammar, punctuation, syntax, and overall coherence, you can provide clients with a final product that is refined and ready to make a strong impression.

17. Create an Online Course  

The e-learning industry is experiencing rapid growth, creating a high demand for online learning content in the form of courses. You can create and sell your online course if you possess in-depth knowledge of a particular subject or topic. The emergence of various online course platforms has made creating and selling courses more accessible and streamlined. Furthermore, technological advancements have made using tools and equipment to design high-quality courses easier.

18. Start your own Podcast

The podcasting industry offers an exciting opportunity to share your passions and expertise and earn a substantial income. By focusing on growing your listener base, you can unlock the potential for significant financial rewards. The steady increase in podcast listenership over the years presents a favourable environment for entering this profession.

While podcasts initially gained popularity among comedians, they have become a valuable platform for writers, journalists, and businesses to build their online presence and connect with their target audience. With podcasts available in various formats and genres, you can be as creative and unique as you desire. This versatility contributes to the immense earning potential within the podcasting industry.

19.  Website Tester 

If you possess a keen eye for detail and can quickly identify glitches and subpar user interface designs when using websites or apps, you can leverage your skills as a website tester to earn a side income. As a website tester, you must thoroughly evaluate websites and apps under various conditions, such as poor network connectivity, multitasking, and heavy loading. You then provide valuable feedback to the creators of these platforms.

In return for your valuable feedback, you can earn compensation for your services. This side hustle is particularly suitable for individuals with a solid technical background, including knowledge of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) principles, programming, and other relevant skills.

20. Host with Airbnb

Renting out your unused property or room on Airbnb has become one of the most popular side hustles today, offering a simple way to earn additional income with minimal effort. If you have a property or room not being utilized, why not leverage it by listing it on Airbnb and generating extra monthly cash? The amount of income you can earn will vary based on factors such as the type of property and its location.

You can research similar properties in your area and set a competitive price to determine the appropriate rental rate. Ensuring your property is clean, safe, and equipped with basic amenities like air conditioning and a geyser will enhance its appeal to potential guests.

Conclusion

These online side hustles offer a range of options for individuals to earn extra income based on their skills and availability. Embracing side hustle jobs allows you to learn, grow, and generate additional cash flow. By seizing these opportunities, you can create a lifestyle that aligns with your goals and ambitions. Remember, there are no shortcuts to earning money. Take action today, choose your preferred side hustle, and start working towards your financial success.

FAQs