Extra Income Ideas to Help You Generate Cash for Your Business

Have you been wanting to get your business off the ground, but don’t quite have the cash to advance your idea? Or maybe you’ve started a business and are looking for some extra income ideas to take the pressure off or invest in faster growth.

Don’t fret! With a bit of bootstrapping and creativity, you can get the funds you need to get started — even if it means starting small.

Here are some extra income ideas for you to generate cash for your business:

Below, you’ll find a list of resources to help you quickly employ the above tactics. And once you start earning, we’ve provided a few ideas of how you can put your newfound cash to work.

Tactic #1: Sell stuff you don’t need

Unless you’re an ultra-minimalist, you probably have stuff you aren’t using—clothes you no longer wear, equipment from an abandoned hobby, or technology you haven’t bothered to get rid of.

Combing your home for possible things to sell is a great way to both declutter and make more money. Here are a few places to sell your stuff:

Bonanza is an online marketplace that lets you sell clothes, books, DVDs, and much more without paying a monthly store or listing fee.

BookScouter is a great place to sell used textbooks through 30+ vendors (including Amazon and BookByte) to get the best price.

Facebook Marketplace connects you to people in your area looking to buy anything from old wedding supplies to concert tickets and furniture. (You can also find yard sale groups.)

Gazelle buys and sells pre-owned consumer electronics — phones, tablets, iPods, and Apple laptops — to help you cash in on your old equipment.

Kidizen allows you to resell your kid’s unused clothes, or clothing they’ve grown out of.

Mercari is an online marketplace that lets you sell just about anything, from clothing to tech to sports equipment.

NextWorth is another website where you can sell used phones and tablets, as well as wearable devices.

Reverb is a place to sell musical equipment and instruments for a low fee (plus it has an easy-to-publish listing page).

Tradesy is a destination for used women’s clothing — sell bags, shoes, clothes, and wedding dresses.

VarageSale is a virtual garage sale website that lets you sell new and used items locally.

Worthy is a place to sell used (mostly diamond) jewelry, including rings, watches, necklaces, earrings, and more.

Tactic #2: Complete quick jobs in your spare time

Taking on quick jobs (either online or offline) that won’t eat into your business-building time can be a great way to make money on the side while you have a full-time job.

Find jobs you actually like doing—walking dogs, for example—so you don’t have to dread the added time commitment. Here are a few places to find work:

EasyShift is an app where you can find quick jobs at local stores and shops — for example, completing surveys or price checks, or taking pictures of product displays.

Fancy Hands is a place to find work as an assistant and complete tasks like making phone calls, scheduling appointments, finding hotels, entering data, and more.

Fiverr – You’ve likely heard of this online marketplace for freelance services starting at $5 — you can do anything from writing and web development to voice-over work or administrative tasks.

FlexJobs lets you find telecommuting, part-time, freelance, and contract work in more than 50 categories, from project management to sales.

Gigwalk is an app that connects you to jobs in your area, from taking photos to handing out flyers, mystery shopping, and running other errands.

Mechanical Turk is another Amazon website where you can find “human intelligence tasks” that can be completed from home.

PeoplePerHour connects freelancers (writers, designers, translators, and more) to businesses, with jobs posted as “hourlies,” design contests, and more.

Swagbucks lets you earn gift cards by shopping online, watching videos, and taking surveys.

TaskRabbit connects people who need home-related jobs done to “Taskers” in the area: moving and packing, furniture assembly, yard work, and more.

Testbirds lets you earn money in your spare time by testing and trying out new software and giving your honest opinion.

Trusted Housesitters lets you find house-sitting and pet-sitting jobs in cities around the world.

User Testing lets you earn money by testing websites or apps, and completing a list of tasks, and giving feedback.

Wag has been called the “Uber of dog-walking” and is a simple way to find jobs in your area (though a heftier time commitment may be needed).

Tactic #3: Rent out your home, car, or parking space

Not everyone has the luxury of a vehicle, an apartment they can vacate, or an extra room in their house. But if you do — and you’re comfortable with the sharing economy — renting your home, car, or a parking spot can bring in cash to help bring in extra income.

Here are a few places to list your space:

Airbnb is now the now-ubiquitous, short-term rental website where you can rent your house, apartment, cottage — even rooms — based on your availability.

AirGarage lets individuals and businesses earn extra income by listing unused parking spots, including driveways, carports, and garages.

Getaround is a peer-to-peer car-sharing service that lets you make money off your car when you’re not using it.

VRBO is an alternative to Airbnb, owned by Expedia Group. You have to pay a $499 annual subscription fee to list on the sites, but they don’t charge a booking fee — depending on how often you’ll be renting out your place, see which option makes more earning sense.

SpotHero is a Toronto-based parking spot app that’s expanding across North America. It allows you to rent your parking spot for short periods of time. (JustPark offers a similar service.)

Turo lets you rent out your car, and includes liability insurance. It’s available in 4,700 cities and 300+ airports.

Tactic #4: Teach a skill, hobby, or course

Everyone has a teachable skill if they think hard enough. Maybe in your spare time, you love to cook. Or perhaps you find meditation deeply relaxing. Do you knit while watching TV? Love mixing your own essential oils. Make a list of your favorite hobbies and past-times or things you do that make you feel great and focus on the one you think you have enough interest in to share with others.

Whether you decided to create your own online course, or simply run workshops whenever you have spare time, you’re bound to generate some supplemental income teaching on the side.

Teachable is a platform used to design courses, lectures, and workshops to share online.

Skillshare lets you reach students around the world by sharing your skills through a course you’ve created.

Udemy is a popular choice for folks looking to share their skills and knowledge with the masses.

Tactic #5: Sell your art

Turn your side passion into a second source of income by selling your art online! From paper prints to coffee mugs, to shower curtains, you can print your art on just about anything these days!

Artnet makes it easy for buyers to find contemporary art. With curated galleries, serious buyers can peruse art from all over the world.

Etsy is an online marketplace for makers to sell their art. You can sell anything from macrame wall hangings to original acrylics on canvas.

Redbubble is a global print-on-demand art platform that pays artists every time their products are purchased.

Saatchi Art is an online art marketplace that gets over 1.6 million visitors a month. You can reach global art collectors using this platform.

Society6 lets you print your art on literally every single item imaginable. From bath mats to backpacks, they do it all!

6 ways to put your extra income towards your business

Want more tips on starting a business? Don’t miss our “you can do it” guide!