How is ROI calculated in the Side Hustle Scorecard?

ROI is calculated as reader-reported net profit (after platform fees, tools, and taxes) divided by total time invested in hours, then expressed as $ per hour. We re-survey every method at least once per quarter and publish each update with a date stamp.

How often is the database updated?

Top-performing methods are re-tested every 90 days; the full 312-method index is re-surveyed at least once per year. Every card shows the last verification date so you can see how fresh the data is.

Are paid side hustles or MLM-adjacent methods included?

No. We do not index MLMs, high-ticket dropshipping coaching, or any hustle that requires a paywall over $1,000 to access training. Paid methods are included only if the core skill or product can be learned for under $100 in publicly available material.

Who verifies the numbers on each scorecard entry?

All entries pass through our in-house fact-checker using the 47-page Methodology Doc. We cross-check platform statements, Stripe or bank-screenshot uploads from named readers, and our own tracking when we have personally run the method.

Can I suggest a side hustle to add to the scorecard?

Yes. Use the 'Suggest a Method' link in the footer or reply to any newsletter issue. Suggested methods enter a 90-day testing queue and are added to the public spreadsheet only after we have verified revenue or interviewed at least three named practitioners.

Rich Quickish Volume 6 · Issue 14 · The Side Hustle Scorecard

The Database · Updated Quarterly

The Side Hustle Scorecard: 312 income methods, every dollar traced to a receipt.

A living index of every side hustle we've actually tested since 2019 — sorted by time required, startup cost, and verified reader-reported ROI. No guru rankings. No sponsored placements. No screenshots we can't audit.

92% open rate · 87,400 readers · One issue each Tuesday morning · Unsubscribe in one click.

A handwritten notebook logging tracked side hustle income, sitting open on a desk. — From the public spreadsheet: 1,847 verified income reports since March 2019.

How to read this

Before you dig in: this is an index, not a listicle.

Below are 312 side hustles we've put on the record — every entry sorted by hours/week required, startup cost in real dollars, and a verified ROI figure traced to reader-reported income, not a sponsored quote. The nine cards that follow are a sample of the most-clicked categories.

The filters above the full database (which loads on /side-hustles/) narrow by time, capital, and income ceiling. We update the scores every quarter and publish the full change log inline; if a number moves, you see the diff, not a rewritten headline.

We do not rank hustles by "best" or "easiest." We rank them by transparency of method: how many active hours it takes, what it costs to start, and what verified readers actually took home.

Nine Categories · 312 Methods Tracked

Sample the scorecard by category.

Each tile below is a verified category aggregation. Click through for the full breakdown — every individual hustle, score, reader report, and caveat.

Freelance Services

Writing, design, and dev contracts

Highest verified ROI in the database. 38 methods tracked, from technical writing to fractional CMO work.

Time: 8–20 hrs/wk
Startup: $0–$200
Income ceiling: $3,400/mo

Verified ROI · 412 reports Browse 38 methods →

Gig & Errands

Rides, deliveries, task rabbits

Time: 10–25 hrs/wk
Startup: $0–$500
Income ceiling: $1,800/mo

ROI · 287 reports

Creator Economy

YouTube, podcasts, newsletters

Time: 15–30 hrs/wk
Startup: $100–$2,000
Income ceiling: $4,100/mo

ROI · 198 reports

Reselling & Flipping

Thrift flips, Amazon FBA, vintage

High capital, moderate time. 41 methods tracked including a deep dive on the post-2022 Amazon FBA landscape.

Time: 10–20 hrs/wk
Startup: $500–$5,000
Income ceiling: $2,900/mo

ROI · 154 reports Browse 41 methods →

Digital Products

Templates, plugins, presets, Notion kits

The category readers asked us to expand in 2023. 29 methods tracked, including the full Notion-DB-to-Gumroad pipeline we use ourselves.

Time: 20–60 build hrs
Startup: $0–$150
Income ceiling: $2,200/mo

Verified ROI · 121 reports Browse 29 methods →

Sales & Brokerage

Affiliates, partnerships, lead broker

Time: 8–15 hrs/wk
Startup: $0–$300
Income ceiling: $3,100/mo

ROI · 167 reports

Local Services

Cleaning, handyman, pet care

Time: 6–16 hrs/wk
Startup: $100–$800
Income ceiling: $2,400/mo

ROI · 213 reports

Income Investing

Dividends, REITs, peer lending

Capital-heavy, time-light. We track 22 methods, but only the ones with a real "income in 12 months" path — not 30-year compounding fantasies.

Time: 2–6 hrs/wk
Startup: $1,000+
Income ceiling: $1,500/mo

ROI · 98 reports Browse 22 methods →

Information Products

Courses, ebooks, paid communities

Time: 30–120 build hrs
Startup: $0–$1,500
Income ceiling: $5,800/mo

ROI · 76 reports

Showing 9 of 312 tracked methods. Open the full scorecard →

How the numbers earn their weight

A 47-page methodology, six-figure rejections, and a rule we will not bend.

Every ROI figure on this site passes through a public Methodology Doc — 47 pages covering how we source income claims, verify screenshots, weight reader-reported results, and handle outliers. The first side-hustle publication to publish the whole thing.

In 2022 alone we turned down $180,000 in ad revenue for violating the No Fake Screenshots policy we adopted in 2020. We've refused over $2.4M in affiliate and course-sponsor deals since launching for the same disclosure standards. We name the rejected partners on request.

Read the methodology →

By the numbers · as of Q1 2024

The receipts, side by side.

1,847 verified income reports

Every dollar tracked in a public spreadsheet dating back to March 2019.

312 side hustles indexed

Each scored on time, startup cost, and verified reader-reported ROI across 11,300+ survey responses.

1.9M monthly visitors

6:14 average session — 3.4× the personal-finance niche benchmark, per Similarweb 2024.

92% verified open rate

The weekly newsletter, sustained for 14 consecutive months — confirmed by Mailchimp's Q1 2024 benchmark report.

Featured in The New York Times "Money" section (March 2023) · Cited by NPR's Planet Money (twice) · Best Personal Finance Newsletter, 2023 Plutus Awards.

Before you dig in

Five questions a researcher will ask first.

What exactly counts as "verified ROI" in this database?

ROI is gross reader-reported income minus documented expenses, divided by active hours worked — never a self-reported "score." We publish the formula in the Methodology Doc (Section 3.4) and the spreadsheet shows the raw inputs alongside the published number.
How often is the scorecard updated?

Every 90 days. Each revision is dated and added to a public changelog linked from the database footer — we never silently overwrite a prior figure. If you spot a stale number, email our fact-checker directly; corrections are credited and dated.
Do you track paid or "guru" side hustles — coaching programs, high-ticket dropshipping, MLMs?

No. We do not index MLMs, high-ticket dropshipping coaching, or anything behind a $1,000 paywall — including the affiliate-driven programs that drive most "best side hustle" lists. Our Editor's Policy documents this exclusion in plain language and we name the categories we've declined to cover.
Who actually verifies the numbers on this page?

A dedicated full-time fact-checker on staff, plus two rotating analysts. Every data point in the database carries the reviewer's initials and the verification date in the public spreadsheet. The team's names and roles are listed on our methodology page.
Can I suggest a side hustle the scorecard is missing?

Yes — use the form on /side-hustles/. We triage every submission within two weeks and add it to a public "awaiting review" queue. If we don't pick it up after 90 days, we tell you why and link to the published note.

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