Side Hustle

Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Messages
970
With Intel building a big plant up by Columbus I’d think you’d do good to get the skills you’d need to get in on that. Semiconductor industry pays pretty decent.
 

LoggerDan

WKR
Joined
Jan 8, 2023
Messages
507
Location
AK
@Customweld - you are doggone right! Last year, fresh from Afognak island, I hired on with a tree service on the kenai peninsula, to get an idea of pricing. Holy smokes. It’s hiway robbery. I quit and them went around under bidding them and every other tree service I could. Fall em. id limb it, or buck it however they wanted. But no clean up! I just wanna make the messes. Other guys need to make money too! After years of cutting the big stuff, the little stuff was too easy. 1500 bucks versus 200? Easy decision for homeowners.

@Xerute -cutting timber? Easy to learn. How to do it correctly? It is a lifelong learning endeavor. Lots of methods that vary from region to region, but west coast style is the soundest and best way. Stihl or Husky saw, axe, wedges and a head on your shoulders. If you have questions, I’m all ears.
 

Jauwater

WKR
Joined
Jun 30, 2016
Messages
3,220
I'm a Plumber full time. My main hobby these days is wood working which has turned into a money maker for me. Not that I make a ton, but its a hobby that turned into a side hustle that pays for itself, pays for the tools, and any extra earned is spending money.
 

Agross

WKR
Joined
Jan 25, 2017
Messages
1,678
Location
Michigan
Maybe it’s different by you, but up here everybody, and I mean everybody, is looking for help. All trades all businesses, everybody. I would think you could find work doing about anything right now.
 

Yoder

WKR
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
1,304
With Intel building a big plant up by Columbus I’d think you’d do good to get the skills you’d need to get in on that. Semiconductor industry pays pretty decent.
I've worked in the semiconductor industry for 30 years. Inhell is the wokest of the woke. I worked there years ago and it was bad then. The entire industry is that way. The last company I worked for hired a third party company. They came in and gave us all power point presentations about our privilege, the 1619 project and BLM. We celebrate every racial/sexual month and holiday. We have sexist groups that are women only and racist groups for blacks and API. Every email signature has a place for you preferred pronoun and some even have links to a page explaining the use and importance. We create products that help big tech destroy freedom. The entire industry makes me want to throw up in my mouth. I only need a few more years and I can quit. I've worked too hard for too long to give up what I'm making to switch jobs now. Just trying to save another person from a life of widget making for the woke mob.
 

Ranger619

WKR
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
542
Location
MN
I started a Handyman business almost 2 years ago. It has been mostly carpentry though. I have been doing most of my work as small jobs for a contractor in the area. He is having a hard time finding carpenters now. Our local college shut down their carpentry program so that is going to cause even more of a shortage.
 

Fatcamp

WKR
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
5,659
Location
Sodak
If you learn to tig weld you would never lack for work.

I think it's hard though.
 
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
59
I work too much as it is. But when I retire a few things I've thought about...
Flipping cars
Small archery shop
Seamless gutters
ATV salvage
Rental/construction cleanouts
 

KneeDeep

FNG
Joined
Dec 30, 2022
Messages
22
In my own experience, if you NEED more cash, lots of decent advice above. But, if you WANT more cash and have a stable job, the side hustle is an amazing opportunity to explore doing something you love. In the end, if you find something you enjoy or that has meaningful purpose to you, you'regoing to be a hell of a lot more successful doing it that others punching a clock, and you'll eventually get paid very well for that. I know it's trite, but it's also true. Hoping and praying for you, that you'll find what you're looking for.
 

bnsafe

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
587
dont forget taxes if you got to big. but, depending on you skill set how bout taxidermy. anything from europeans only to full offerings. limit the amount of business you take, or if it takes off change your other gig to part time. only down side to that is getting the skills to do full taxi, plus with this economy someday folks are gonna have to quit mounting stuff.
My son in law does the same job you do and does lawn in the summer and snow in the winter. They do well at it.
 

MHWASH

WKR
Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Messages
807
Location
S.E.WA
I mowed lawns for many years as a side hustle, then when I got tired of it I passed it on to my boys. It's cheap to get into and pays pretty well. My son is getting paid a $1 a minute for lawns with a $25 minimum. If you go this route, buy a rear wheel drive mower. We abused a couple of the cheaper Hondas and they've been bullet proof. For a trimmer buy a straight shaft, not a curved one, it's much better on your back. another good hustle, but that's hard to balance is snow removal. I use my SxS, but I know a couple of guys in town that just use a snow blower and shovel.
 
Joined
Oct 2, 2016
Messages
2,652
Location
West Virginia
Go to hvac school in the evenings. Get certified. Take a job with a company to get hands on experience. By the time you are 28, go on your own. The money will be what you make of it as your own boss but, it is unbelievable around these parts. If you hustle and commit to it, by 30 you’ll be making better money than ER doctors.

Work hard. Play hard. Invest in your business and heavily into your retirement. Keep personal debt to a minimum and use debt to your advantage on the business side. It’s is doable and very rewarding if you make it your lifestyle. You’ll sacrifice nothing.


Think about this. Personally, What will a new truck do for you that a 15 year old truck won’t do if you maintain it well? Take those savings and invest it in your future instead of paying a lender. Look at every material possession like that. It’ll open up a lot of money that’ll work for you. Instead of enslaving you.

Working for yourself is a huge commitment. But, the rewards are worth it. That becomes more apparent the younger you start. Good luck.
 

ztc92

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 8, 2022
Messages
222
What side hustles do you guys do with spare time to make some extra money.

I am 23 years old and live near Cincinnati Ohio. I currently work as a field technician for a cable company. Not much experience with anything obviously but love to learn new skills and looking to see what has worked for you. Willing to work any amount of hours.

My dad runs a construction business centered around plowing, splicing and installing fiber optics, which seems to be the future for much of the telecommunications industry. With your background as a cable technician you would be a “plug and play” option for a company like that doing installs at the house. If you don’t already splice fiber, you could easily learn that on the job with no trade school needed - his employees managed to teach me when I was 15 and I was splicing on my own at 16.

It seems the future of the industry will be for telephone companies to acquire their own equipment and workers to do the work of plowing, splicing and installing fiber in order to cut out the cost of subcontracting companies like the one my dad runs. Getting into a local telephone company now could turn into a great career with a lot of variety going forward. If you build a skill set working with fiber, you should be able to move most anywhere and find work.

As an aside, many of the workers in my dads business use their familiarity with telecommunications equipment as a base for their side hustle, so maybe you could use the same line of thinking to find one that fits you? For example, those workers that do home installs are familiar with coax, CAT-5, routers, modems, computers, TV’s etc. so they all have side gigs like installing security systems, troubleshooting TV/Internet/Computer issues or wiring/installing TV/Internet jacks in homes (upgrading old homes vs fresh install in new construction).

Assuming you are happy with your job as a cable technician and intend to stay there, then my advice would be to reflect on what skills you already possess from that job, your upbringing, and your hobbies and find a side hustle that uses that skill. Finally, while I agree with posts above that finding a hobby that also makes you money (woodworking was an example), I would caution you to set some ground rules to ensure you don’t turn your hobby into a business, because the moment you put that kind of pressure on yourself, you’ll likely lose the enjoyment that hobby provided.

Best of luck and feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions about the fiber industry, as my dad has been in the industry since it started and has a wealth of information on where it’s headed as fiber becomes the standard for most of rural America.
 

Tod osier

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
1,615
Location
Fairfield County, CT Sublette County, WY
What side hustles do you guys do with spare time to make some extra money.

I am 23 years old and live near Cincinnati Ohio. I currently work as a field technician for a cable company. Not much experience with anything obviously but love to learn new skills and looking to see what has worked for you. Willing to work any amount of hours.

At 23 you might want to think a "better" job/career if you want more income, rather than a side hustle. Better pay, better benefits, more flexibility. Be it a trade or a white collar job, it will pay dividends later in life.
 
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Joined
May 10, 2015
Messages
2,050
Location
Timberline
Just a note on trades stuf like carpentry, electrical, and plumbing for remodels:

Make sure you understand your state's rules on offering contractor services. Also might want to think about being insured and bonded.
 
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MattB

WKR
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
5,411
At 23 you might want to think a "better" job/career if you want more income, rather than a side hustle. Better pay, better benefits, more flexibility. Be it a trade or a white collar job, it will pay dividends later in life.
This. Having one job and then taking on a second to make more money isn't going to set you up for long-term financial success. Working toward a career is a much better plan for long-term financial success.
 
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Xerute

FNG
Joined
Jan 28, 2022
Messages
80
Thanks for all the replies soo far. My real goal is to learn a new skill that will be helpful in my life in general and something I can use to make money on the side when I'm not at my main job or backpacking/hunting.
I've always liked refinishing furniture and building stuff so my next step is to look into those skills.
 
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