Hey, have you heard the story about the guy who sold stuffed animal holidays?
People would send him their stuffed animals, and he’d take them on a tour of Berlin. He’d drive the toys around in a Soviet era car and take photos along the way. The venture was so successful that it became a legitimate business named Teddy Tour Berlin.
If you think that’s batty, there’s a thing called confidence coaching, where strangers act as your fake date to build your social skills.
Besides being bizarre ideas, they have one thing in common. They are paid for their services. All it took was one wacky, out-of-the-box concept to monetize.
Hustle-preneurs are dominating the gig economy, which is on the up-and-up. By 2035, its projected global growth is expected to reach $2.52 trillion.
But those who are taking their hustle spirit to new heights are tapping into niche markets. They’re making a killing from their couch.
If teddy tours and confidence coaching aren’t your bag, you’ll be surprised at the options when finding unconventional ways to make money from home.
Garbage Picking
You know the phrase, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Well, it’s absolutely the truth when garbage picking in posh neighborhoods.
Previously, the activity involved literally diving into a dumpster and looking for non-perishable food or valuable items. Now, it’s become quite fashionable to cruise through sought-after areas in your minivan before trash collection. You’d be amazed at what rich folks throw out.
Don’t believe us? Chicago mom Claudia von Mallinckrodt has turned curbside treasure hunting into a full-time gig. With more than 500K Instagram followers, the thrifting influencer documents her finds and either rehomes them or sells them.
Von Mallinckrodt’s advice to beginner garbage pickers? Learn the bulk-trash rules and regulations in your town. Also, keep track of garbage pickup schedules.
Subscription Boxes
You need to be a certain type of person to pull off a subscription box business. If your creativity needs to be reigned in from time to time, then you’re onto a winner.
However, Cratejoy says your boxes must subscribe to at least three of the following elements:
- A recurring need
- Emotional connection
- Evergreen content
- Existing community of devotees
- Continuous discovery
Making Cross-Border Payments Easy
A subscription billing model is tied to admin things. Lots of it. One of them is recurring billing.
PayPro Global makes a case for an eCommerce platform that handles global payments, taxes, and Merchant of Record.
Obviously, you’d want your customers to have a seamless checkout experience. The logical solution would be to invest in a specialized payment platform that handles taxes, compliance, and payment issues.
Professional Sleeper
Everyone needs sleep to perform at full capacity. Yet, very little is known about the act of sleeping.
Vladyslav Vyazovskiy, a professor of sleep physiology, says that despite research, there’s no scientific consensus on what sleep is. Yes, we’re told to get sufficient rest, and what happens when we don’t sleep. But Vyazovskiy explains that “sleep is perhaps the biggest blind spot”.
And that’s why research needs more people who enjoy having a lie-in. Imagine your sleeping patterns contributing to the greater good of humankind? The University of Colorado Boulder pays up to $4 000 to study participants. Not too shabby for “snoozing on the job”.
Review Sensitive Content
You know that “Warning, sensitive content” message that flashes across your screen when you’re heading into dodgy online territory?
Content moderators get paid to decide if the stuff you’re viewing is indeed sensitive. People share millions of posts on websites like YouTube and Reddit daily. Companies hire people to review these posts.
Of course, you’d need a certain kind of disposition to take on the job. Not being easily offended is one of them.
Waiting in Line
Professional line standing can be a profitable side hustle. Gig platforms like TaskRabbit and Spotblaze are a goldmine for people who have all the time in the world.
A client pays you to stand in line for them, be it a sample sale, concert tickets, or SCOTUS hearings. Some people charge up to $60 an hour. Yes, the cash is good, but it does come with a few challenges.
Thehustle.co explains that boredom can quickly overcome you. If allowed, many professional line standers bring tarps, tents, and gaming consoles. Stay warm and keep busy.
For the Love of Money
There are no hard and fast rules for making money. Yet every entrepreneur who’s made it rich from a crazy dream did so because they based their business on one fundamental: supply and demand.
If there’s a demand, sell it. If not, create the demand. A classic example is the diamond engagement ring. De Beers launched a massive marketing campaign over a series of years. Suddenly, diamonds became a symbol of romance and commitment.
And that is the unconventional truth.
