About fifteen years ago, we started a side hustle for our business. I’ve been in the marketing / design / advertising and then web development business since 1987. I’ve had sidehustles to my job for decades. But having a side hustle to your business? Let’s look at why that could be really good, and some examples of pairing side hustles with your primary business.
As a web developer and marketer, I am well used to promoting businesses and running e-commerce businesses. In 2002, my husband started a side hustle, using PayPal and a basic website I set up for him and began cutting boat registration number stickers. We had a vinyl cutter we bought to run vinyl graphics for our charitable bike ride (from 2003 – 2015) and we wanted to use the cutter when we weren’t running graphics for the ride (which was 11 months of the year.)
In 2015, I upgraded the site to WordPress + Woo commerce and business took off. SEO is easier on a platform you control and we are particularly good at it in general – we became the #1 – #10 results for Michigan MC Numbers – even outranking the State of Michigan (where you actually register your MC numbers!)
In 2020 during the pandemic, I set up a separate site, BoatRegistrationStickers.com for all the other states, and at first, orders trickled in. I boosted (for 2 months) the site with Google ads and then stopped. The site took off! Boating took off too, and soon, that site eclipsed orders from the Michigan site which we still run.
Fast forward to 2025, these 3 sites account for about 60% of my annual revenue for about 20% of the work. Yes, I’m a web developer, and a great one, and I also spend EVERY DAY in my own e-commerce sites, doing exactly what I tell my clients to do – develop content, optimize every page and image, improve SEO and sell stuff. I use the same CRM systems I recommend, and I use the same project management systems I recommend. I also have the chance to field test new plugins which I can refer to my clients, and, because this business continues to grow, my teens help with a lot of the labor (they get paid well), I am making money that comes in day and night, whether I’m here or not!
Another business that I run is designing & making graphics for the sailing industry. We develop branding, livery and regatta graphics for events all over North America and the Caribbean. If you want to stick it on a boat or sail, we can do it.
Examples of good primary + side hustle businesses
What other businesses could you run besides your primary one and how can they benefit you? I’ll give some examples.
If you sell products online, but also want to boost local revenue, try hosting pop up shops, and if those are successful for your business, consider inviting others to join the pop up and host them in other locations. You become, in essence, an event planner, in addition to running your online business. You might discover that the events business is more profitable than your commerce one (or at least use it to support your commerce business.)
If you own a retail store but also like to take photos, and have some talent at it, use that to help other local businesses with their product photography. You can pool resources such as studio lighting, use other businesses’ space to take product photos and help out your local business owners while making some extra side hustle money by being a photographer. You can do the same thing if you love to make short and long form video for your own business – many entrepreneurs do NOT love this task; you could help each other out!
If you consult, or own a professional service business, products are a natural extension – books, courses, and other things can easily be set up from your website, and your clients will benefit from having a one-stop shop. You don’t have to MAKE the book (or have written it), and you don’t even have to have designed the course (pair up with another course developer!)
If you sell or are a retailer and are good at it, you can coach or train other retailers to do what you do – online retail boot camp courses, in person workshops and other training programs can help you translate what you do well into how you can teach others to do the same. This includes both promotion but also things like selecting point of sale, setting up inventory systems, running your type of retail store (market nationwide.)
Many an entrepreneur has been in one business, needed something, started doing it, and then expanded THAT business. Some have even left their original business for better opportunities in their side hustle!
Mine has a lot of room to grow. I am barely scratching the surface of the market share available in the USA, and I know I can improve. But I also know EXACTLY how to do that because, well, I tell people HOW to do that and help them to do it every day. Bonus in that it keeps my own skills sharp.
Need more advice on what business side hustle would work for you? My first 30 minutes is free (and the second 30 minutes will cost you $70). Send me an email and let me know how I can help you too!
One of the things I sell is custom boat name stencils and stickers. It’s easy work and fun besides! People come up with great boat names.
