15 Under-the-Radar Side Hustles With Big Potential

Side hustles are everywhere these days. You usually hear about people walking dogs or driving for a ridesharing service, but the truth is, you're only limited by your imagination. There are plenty of more creative side hustles out there that can provide you with a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars per month. Here's a look at 15 less common side hustles you might want to consider.

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Virtual assistants do the work of a secretary or office administrator, but they don't actually have to be in an office. As long as you have access to a phone and computer, you can work from anywhere. Your hours and tasks will vary depending on who you're working for, but typically this work involves scheduling appointments, making phone calls, and reading and responding to emails.

If you're interested in this side hustle, you can search for virtual assistant jobs online. Many job sites offer these, and you may even be able to turn this work into a full-time career eventually.

If you're not comfortable with the idea of driving passengers around, consider becoming a delivery driver instead. You could pick up fast food from local restaurants or swing by your local grocery store and pick up an order. Then, you just drop it off at the person's door.

There are plenty of delivery apps these days, so finding business shouldn't be too hard. You'll just need a car and a smartphone.

There isn't much you can't rent out these days. You can rent out a spare property, a spare room, your car, possessions you're not using, and even your parking spaces. And the best part is, it's a pretty passive way to earn an income, so it's a great choice for those without a ton of extra time.

Depending on what you're trying to rent out, you may be able to find an app that can make advertising easy. Otherwise, you could turn to your social media channels.

ALSO READ: 15 Things to Know Before Buying a Rental Property

Those with specialty knowledge can leverage this by creating books and courses. Plenty of online platforms enable you to self-publish these days, so the only work you really have to do is write the material. Once that's out of the way, you can sit back and collect the royalties.

Fast typists can make good money working as transcriptionists. There are plenty of websites that enable you to start this work right away, assuming you pass a basic test. This type of work gives you a lot of flexibility to choose when and how much you want to work, though obviously, the more you do, the more you'll make.

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Presented by Motley Fool Stock Advisor
We hear it over and over from investors, "I wish I had bought Amazon or Netflix when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!" It's true, but we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $49 a share! Click here to learn how you can grab a copy of "5 Growth Stocks Under $49" for FREE for a limited time only.

House-sitting is a pretty easy gig, and it can actually pay pretty well, especially if you live in a city. Overnight stays usually pay the best, but there are plenty of opportunities that just require you to stop in periodically without actually staying in the home.

If you like to make art, furniture, T-shirts, or just about anything else you can think of, you can find a place to sell it online. You set the prices, so you have control over how much you make, but you can't forget about the cut your online marketplace will take.

Also, just because you list items for sale doesn't mean they'll sell right away, so this may not be the most consistent form of income.

ALSO READ: 4 Tax Tips for Self-Employed Workers

If you're well organized, you might consider lending your talents to others who are planning large events, like weddings, family reunions, or business meetings. This is another side hustle that could easily turn into a full-time job if you want it to, or you could just keep it simple and only take on the occasional event that interests you.

Tutoring can take many forms. If you have expertise in a particular area, you could focus on that. Or if you did particularly well on your college admissions test, you might consider helping students prepare for it.

You can advertise your services yourself through your social media platforms or link up with a tutoring or test prep service to find new clients.

Corporations use focus groups as a way to gather feedback from customers on their products or services. You don't have to be an expert to participate in one of these, although you often need to fit into certain demographics.

Some focus groups take place in person, while others just require you to answer questions online. But most only last an hour or two, and you can get paid $100 or more for your time.

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Notaries earn money by serving as impartial witnesses to the signing of legal documents, like mortgage signings. They can set their own schedule and work as little or as much as they want.

But in order to become a notary, you must be licensed in your state. That usually requires you to pay a fee, pass a background check, and possibly pass an exam as well.

ALSO READ: 3 Great Side Hustles for Busy People

No one really loves cleaning, but if you don't mind it, you can make a profit by cleaning for others who don't have the time to do it themselves. This is another pretty flexible side hustle, and there's usually little overhead, since most homeowners already own cleaning supplies.

Drop-shipping is where you essentially run a store without any inventory. A seller buys an item from you, and you buy it from the manufacturer and then arrange for the manufacturer to send it directly to your customer.

It's an easy way to start a retail business without any kind of warehouse or major overhead costs. You can specialize in any sort of niche you want, too. But you should be aware that customers will be coming to you if they experience any issues with their order, so you have to be ready to tackle these problems.

There are always people looking to get in better shape, but not everyone knows how to go about it. If you do, consider offering your services as a personal trainer to people in your area. You could also advise them on their diet if you feel confident doing this. It's up to you to decide what services you're willing to offer.

There are plenty of freelance opportunities available online, especially for writers, editors, graphic designers, and web developers. If you have the right skills, you can take on projects here and there that interest you to make a handsome profit. Or you could build up your business until you're able to quit your nine-to-five job.

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Presented by Motley Fool Stock Advisor
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The 15 examples given here are far from an exhaustive list of side hustles. But hopefully they sparked a few ideas that you can follow up on. Think about what skills you have that others might pay for and how you could monetize and market them. You could always try out a few things until you figure out what works best for you.

Then, once you've got money rolling in, treat yourself. Or better yet, invest it. It'll take some time, but investing can turn your side hustle income into thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars over time.

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