What's your side hustle?

[4651feeder]

With all the Uber responses seen here, am curious how receptive the auto insurance companies are to this endeavor?

Speaking from experience, I find retirement to be busy and rewarding enough without a side hustle to $upplement.

 

[Thegeek]

I'm pretty sure this was a requirements issue. It was a supplier to a supplier of Suzuki. The part did the job, but not in the environment it was subjected to. This spanned the 2 models for only 1 generation. It was corrected in the newer models. The beauty of it is that it's high margin work, goes quickly, and the dealer alternative to my repair service is to buy an entirely new assembly for $1200.

So, I correct the damage, and address the flaw so it never happens again. What really sucks is I claim the income on taxes. I've been doing this for 11 years. At $50 a piece, and an average of 300 repairs a year I can't complain.

 

[Gabriel]

At $50 a piece, and an average of 300 repairs a year I can't complain.

Yeah, that's some decent money depending on how much it costs you in material and time.

My side hustle (the one I have up and running) makes me roughly $18K a year before materials are figured in, but it about halves when you figure materials... then the government takes the rest.

 

[Gabriel]

Interesting responses. I was wondering if people's side gigs mirrored what they mainly do for a living or not. I'm also surprised that a lot of them are actually side jobs working for someone else, which is good if you like it and you don't have to deal with the headaches associated with being the boss and dealing with the paperwork and taxes.

I know a lot of my coworkers do security side jobs all the time. A shift of police work is more than enough for me (on slow days). I can't imagine having to sit somewhere for 4-8 more hours doing security work on top of it. I'd go absolutely nuts. I've been building things since I was a little kid and this is the first job I've had that wasn't working with my hands. I spent years at different jobs building things from blueprints, wood working, and doing machining (not a ton). While my job pays the bills, no matter how much I accomplish during a shift I still feel like I wasted my entire day. That's mainly because I measure my day by what I create and why my side hustle is making knives/hatchets/brass knuckles/whatever I think of next.

I have a second side hustle I'm working on getting off the ground. I patented and item for first responders that I came up with several years ago and have been using with good results since then. It's been a long road from finalizing the design, to finding a place to manufacture, and getting the patent. I muddled through all of that not having a clue as to what I was doing (so it took a lot longer than it should have and probably cost more than it could have). Now I'm all caught up with that and have a website, but have to work on marketing... which I also know nothing about. I'm also a complete introvert, so I think the marketing and trying to get the product out there part is going to be that hardest.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I'd hire someone for the marketing; I can imagine there are enough hungry marketers out there (or ones looking for a side hustle ) you could get that done better than you could do it. I'm a strong introvert and a touch aspy, so I'd lose money selling ice to the Saudis.

None of the stuff I think about doing is anything like anything I've done professionally aside from some fixture building and contributions to facility maintenance. I'd thought of Über, but the only thing I have with four doors is the giant SUV. I thought it would be a bit of a laugh to sit someone in the seat of the Mustang, take off with a burnout, and turn a ten minute journey into five minutes of white knuckled terror. They probably wouldn't tip well.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

One of our Illinois members might be this guy...

 

[churchmouse]

Interesting responses. I was wondering if people's side gigs mirrored what they mainly do for a living or not. I'm also surprised that a lot of them are actually side jobs working for someone else, which is good if you like it and you don't have to deal with the headaches associated with being the boss and dealing with the paperwork and taxes.

I know a lot of my coworkers do security side jobs all the time. A shift of police work is more than enough for me (on slow days). I can't imagine having to sit somewhere for 4-8 more hours doing security work on top of it. I'd go absolutely nuts. I've been building things since I was a little kid and this is the first job I've had that wasn't working with my hands. I spent years at different jobs building things from blueprints, wood working, and doing machining (not a ton). While my job pays the bills, no matter how much I accomplish during a shift I still feel like I wasted my entire day. That's mainly because I measure my day by what I create and why my side hustle is making knives/hatchets/brass knuckles/whatever I think of next.

I have a second side hustle I'm working on getting off the ground. I patented and item for first responders that I came up with several years ago and have been using with good results since then. It's been a long road from finalizing the design, to finding a place to manufacture, and getting the patent. I muddled through all of that not having a clue as to what I was doing (so it took a lot longer than it should have and probably cost more than it could have). Now I'm all caught up with that and have a website, but have to work on marketing... which I also know nothing about. I'm also a complete introvert, so I think the marketing and trying to get the product out there part is going to be that hardest.

My HVAC work is a continuation of the trade that sustained us for the most part. Like you I have been building/making/modifying anything mechanical since I was a wee lad. Started with Bicycles then mini bikes and go carts. Fixing my buddies cars. I was 14 and doing tune ups in the drive way on the juniors and seniors cars. Anything to hustle a dollar. Spent a lot of time racing in IMSA Indy Car NHRA working on the cars and that blossomed into the hot rod side of what we do.
We are pretty fair carpenters but not fast enough to make any money at it.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

My HVAC work is a continuation of the trade that sustained us for the most part. Like you I have been building/making/modifying anything mechanical since I was a wee lad. Started with Bicycles then mini bikes and go carts. Fixing my buddies cars. I was 14 and doing tune ups in the drive way on the juniors and seniors cars. Anything to hustle a dollar. Spent a lot of time racing in IMSA Indy Car NHRA working on the cars and that blossomed into the hot rod side of what we do.
We are pretty fair carpenters but not fast enough to make any money at it.

That’s funny. I also enjoy some carpentry, but like you said, not skilled/quick enough to try and make a buck at it.

 

[Gabriel]

We are pretty fair carpenters but not fast enough to make any money at it.

Yeah, my brother makes fun of me after he has me come over and work on his toys (four wheelers /side x sides / snowmobiles) because of how particular I am about everything and how slow that makes getting anything done. He always says I'd be the most popular mechanic around, but would never make a dime.

 

[churchmouse]

Yeah, my brother makes fun of me after he has me come over and work on his toys (four wheelers /side x sides / snowmobiles) because of how particular I am about everything and how slow that makes getting anything done. He always says I'd be the most popular mechanic around, but would never make a dime.

But being particular I will bet you seldom have to do it twice.

I can get things done rapidly if the pressure is on but chance favors the prepared mind. Take your time. Have a plan.

 

[thunderchicken]

I can get things done rapidly if the pressure is on but chance favors the prepared mind. Take your time. Have a plan.

Absolutely right

 

[Nitreoxide]

Make leather holsters. Pretty relaxing and make a few bucks once in awhile.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Make leather holsters. Pretty relaxing and make a few bucks once in awhile.

That's a skill I need anyway. Every left handed holster I've ever seen for a 1911 leaves the mag release exposed, and once in a while it gets bumped.

 

[Nazgul]

Retired from forklift mechanic/service supervisor, sat around for 6 months decompressing from th 24/7 phone calls for service.

Wife is a Teacher, started substitute teaching. Liked it, connected with some of the tougher kids. Work full time again running the In School Suspension class.

The principal and I wrote some simple rules. No phone (big problem). stay awake, sit in a seat and get some work done.

Like it a lot. Not really about the money.

Don

 

[gregkl]

Years ago I had a friend...er I mean a friend of mine from years ago rebuilt carbs for a side gig. I'd go over and hang out with him in his shop as he talked to me while he dismantled carbs without even hardly looking at them down to each single component. He'd throw it all in a basket and drop it in a solvent tank. Then he'd grab a basket that was already clean and start rebuilding it, tweaking this and bending that until he had what was essentially a brand new carb.

One of his specialties was getting rid of the Quadrajet "bog" when you kicked the secondaries in. But he could tune them all.

My guess, he is probably mostly retired from that now.

He also fabricated trailers some but I don't think he had that quite down good. He made me a 4 X 8 trailer and mounted the axle dead center. It wouldn't track if you got over 40-45 MPH. I ended up selling it to a guy who had a lawn service and said he never drove faster than that and didn't care.

 

[Slow Hand]

As many know, I make kydex holsters as a side hustle.

For a podcast suggesttion, check out Jack Spirko on The Survival Podcast. It’s an awesome show that talks about everything from Guns to gardening, power, politics, etc. his tag line is ‘making your life better when times get bad, or even if they don’t.’

 

[henry0reilly]

I'm a mystery shopper. Before it became so easy to get customer feedback through internet connected cell phones, big chains would comp a meal for two to evaluate service, food, and cleanliness of their restaurants. Sometimes you had to order specific things and towards the end of the Applebees gig you were limited to 2 alcoholic drinks. I'm still registered with 4 companies that do this sort of work. I got $35 last week to go count how many 3D glasses our local theater had on hand. A couple months ago I got over $100 to assemble a fairly complicated cardboard display of movie characters so people could stand in it and take their photo with said characters. $14 per store inspect the credit card emblems on the door and near the registers for Discover and Apple Pay (unfortunately only 1 local store for this one).

 

[TB1999]

I'm a mystery shopper. Before it became so easy to get customer feedback through internet connected cell phones, big chains would comp a meal for two to evaluate service, food, and cleanliness of their restaurants. Sometimes you had to order specific things and towards the end of the Applebees gig you were limited to 2 alcoholic drinks. I'm still registered with 4 companies that do this sort of work. I got $35 last week to go count how many 3D glasses our local theater had on hand. A couple months ago I got over $100 to assemble a fairly complicated cardboard display of movie characters so people could stand in it and take their photo with said characters. $14 per store inspect the credit card emblems on the door and near the registers for Discover and Apple Pay (unfortunately only 1 local store for this one).

I want to be a mystery shopper..who do you work for?

 

[dhamby]

My side business I started by just selling rifle scopes, red dots, spotting scopes, etc and has grown to also selling firearms and building precision AR15 uppers.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

That’s funny. I also enjoy some carpentry, but like you said, not skilled/quick enough to try and make a buck at it.

I could price my carpentry jobs high, and still clear less than a nickel per hour.