Best Side Hustles for Couples
Written by Casey Botticello
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Read our full affiliate disclosure here.
Working with your partner can either be a rewarding experience or a difficult one. Whatever the case, teaming up with your better half is a surefire way to make money on the side and test the limits of your relationship at the same time.
Every day, couples are finding innovative ways to put their skills and collective ambitions to the test, launching side hustles by joining forces and earning pretty impressive incomes in the process.
After a year of COVID-enforced lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, many couples emerged into a new ‘normal’ stronger than ever. Those who rode out the pandemic as singles and quickly found love post-2020 have no doubt by now settled into a comfortable relationship.
But COVID-19’s lingering effects have also led to a fascinating development beyond reaffirming the relationship bond – the side hustle. And couples everywhere are taking notice.
We look at the best side hustles for couples hoping to make money as a couple and bring more income into their relationship and potentially develop their new mini ventures into thriving businesses.
So, whether you’re a married couple hoping to spice up your bank account or a freshly minted pair of lovebirds in need of a few extra dollars to cover the ever-increasing cost of living, these 9 business ideas for couples have got you covered. Welcome to the couple side hustle.
Teaming Up with Your Partner
For many people, the idea of doing business with their partner can seem impossible, let alone searching for the best side hustles for couples. Starting a business venture with family usually doesn’t end well, and many spouses will agree that working on a full-time business venture together on a daily basis can lead to friction, chaos, and failure.
But that’s the beauty of the side hustle. It doesn’t cost much to get started, won’t take the place of your regular job, and if it all goes wrong, you can walk away – no harm, no foul.
While side hustles emerged as an active alternative to creating a passive income revenue stream, they have quickly evolved into lucrative online money-making opportunities which allow people to make a little extra on the side.
Backed by various tools, websites, and online resources, side hustle-geared platforms have been designed to allow us to transform our business ideas for couples in couple side hustles earning revenues without interfering with our day-to-day lives.
Pros and Cons of Running a “Couple Side Hustle”
Side hustles are a great way to collect extra monthly income, but they come with some advantages and risks you’ll need to consider before risking your love and happiness.
Advantages of a couple side hustle
- Extra income– Side hustles are an amazing way to make money as a couple without interfering with your regular job or lifestyle. Across the world, people are tapping into the power of the internet, taking their passions, skills, and creativity to innovative marketplaces and gig work platforms, monetizing their time and efforts.
- Working together cements that bond– Believe it or not, success breeds more success – especially on the relationship front. Searching for the best side hustles for couples and then getting it right will remind you why you choose to bunk with your partner in the first place or serve as a reason to commit to them for the long run.
- Two minds are better than one– A side hustle run by two or more people means you can combine your individual talents into a dynamic team, with each person lending their specific strengths and skills to the enterprise.
- The potential of starting something big together– Side hustles can lead to bigger things down the road, especially when you’ve got the support of your partner.
Cons of a couple side hustle
- The kids may hate it– While the prospect of starting something together as a couple may excite you, the rest of the household may disagree as well as any friends who now see less of you.
- Potential for friction– When it comes to couples, even the slightest disagreement can lead to an explosive falling out. Take care to work through any conflict to ensure a smooth operation.
Side Hustle vs. Full Time Business
Before we get into the best side hustles for couples, it is important that we understand the difference between a side hustle and a small business.
- Small business – A small business is a venture that takes up most of your time, essentially serving as your primary source of income. Starting one costs money, and it can take years before you turn a profit.
- Side hustle – The side hustle is a smaller, short-term income opportunity that supplements your primary revenue source fast. Side hustles are intended to be run parallel to your regular job or business and shouldn’t cost very much to get up and running.
As you can see, a side hustle requires far less input than starting a business, and – should you choose to walk away – it shouldn’t cost you anything to stop. Side hustles for couples also require more than one person to operate. Otherwise, you’ll just be running a regular side hustle.
The Best Side Hustles for Couples
We’ve picked nine of the best side hustles couples for couples based on how accessible they are to the everyday couple, how much you can expect to earn from them and how long it’ll take you to get started.
1. Flipping Furniture
Difficulty: 5/10 ∙ Earning potential: High ∙ Time to start: 6 months to learn how to restore furniture
This is a great starting point and one of the most popular business ideas for couples around. Tired of planning to donate or throw out that old furniture but never seem to get around to doing it? Why not flip it? Old or ‘reclaimed’ furniture is all the rage right now, and transforming an aging sofa, table, or set of drawers can be a rewarding – and profitable – experience.
But why stop at your own furniture? Head out to the local thrift shop or goodwill store or ask the community if they have any old furniture they want to get rid of – and restore it. Even the most beat-down items can be fixed up into bespoke ‘antique’ pieces for which people are willing to pay good money.
- How to do it: Set up a website and use social media for marketing your side hustle. Take advantage of platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Etsy to sell your finished products.
2. Social Media Influencers
Difficulty: 8/10 ∙ Earning potential: Average ∙ Time to start: Up to a year to build a following
Influencer couples are often just as successful (and sometimes even more popular) as individual influencers. By partnering with your other half, you can kick off a couple side hustle that drives more engagement by appealing to a wider audience and additional niche markets. Brands looking to pay for sponsored posts are also likely to want to hear from both of you for better context.
- How to do it: Choose a social media platform to focus on (YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram are good places to start), find a niche market, and start a channel. You’ll need to create high-quality content your niche wants to see and then manage your profiles carefully.
3. Blogging
Difficulty: 3/10 ∙ Earning potential: Average ∙ Time to start: Immediately, plus a year to monetize your blog
Blogging is one of the best side hustles for couples and a way to earn a lucrative income on the side. But modern blogging requires more than writing talent – bloggers need to understand the dynamics of blog monetization, website design, audience engagement, and marketing. One of you takes care of the writing, the other, everything else.
- How to do it: Start a website using site builders like WordPress or Wix or sign up on a blogging platform and start blogging. Again, you’ll need in-depth research to pick a niche for your blog if you want it to succeed. Once your numbers are looking good, you can start monetizing with affiliate marketing, display ads, or by creating paid content.
4. Photography Modeling
Difficulty: 2/10 ∙ Earning potential: High ∙ Time to start: Immediately
Stop posting selfies and transform the camera’s love for you into a one of those business ideas for couples that can sustain you for some time. Couples can promote apparel, travel locations, experiences, and products by posing together or individually (with your partner behind the camera). You can also offer photography services to parties, weddings, events, and family shoots.
- How to do it: You’ll need some high-quality camera equipment and editing software like Adobe Photoshop if you want your photos to pop. Be prepared to travel to far-flung shooting locations and think about taking a photography course before snapping your first pic. You can sell your photos to platforms like iStockPhoto, and Shutterstock or even to partner programs like Canva’s Contributor.
5. House & Pet Sitting
Difficulty: 1/10 ∙ Earning potential: Average ∙ Time to start: 1 month to register and advertise
If you’ve got time to kill and live in an area where many of your neighbors are out of town, you can offer a house and pet-sitting service as a couple side hustle. Working as a couple means better safety, extra hands to manage rowdy pets and a level of credibility that only couples can present.
- How to do it: Check out micro job platforms like TaskRabbit for local sitting jobs, or hit up social media to look for available work. Don’t ignore local classifieds, and keep an eye out on message boards and community WhatsApp groups – there’s always someone in need of a sitter.
6. Host Online Classes
Difficulty: 7/10 ∙ Earning potential: High ∙ Time to start: 3 months to research and create your classes
From fitness classes to cooking, home DIY, and travel tips, hosting online classes has never been easier. With this couple side hustle, videos can be streamed to paying customers live or pre-recorded and made available for download later on.
7. Write Contrasting Reviews
Difficulty: 4/10 ∙ Earning potential: Low ∙ Time to start: a few weeks to draft your reviews and post them
Did you know that you can get paid to write online reviews? Reviews can often sound heavily biased, and people aren’t likely to trust reviews that look like they have an agenda. Think about posting reviews as a couple that cover both sides of the subject, with one of you contributing the positive feedback and the other dealing with the negative.
- How to do it: Survey sites like Swagbucks and Survey Junkie will happily pay you for your thoughts and opinions. Margins are low, though, so having two people going at it is a good idea to get the most out of your time.
8. Start a Health Lifestyle Channel
Difficulty: 6/10 ∙ Earning potential: Average ∙ Time to start: 3-6 months to create video content
If you travel a lot as a couple, love going to restaurants together, or working out at home as a duo, make sure you get everything on camera – and then post about it. The Lifestyle niche is by far the most lucrative, and creating content about your ‘couple life’ is a great way to monetize your passions. This is a perfect starting point if you have designs on becoming an influencer couple one day.
- How to do it: Create a website where your content will live and post photos, blogs, videos – anything you think people will appreciate. Integrate with social media, and you’ll soon find yourself in affiliate marketing or display ad territory. You can even look at selling your own merchandise or a paid newsletter using platforms like BigCommerce and ConvertKit.
9. Write Parenting eBooks (for Couples with Kids)
Difficulty: 9/10 ∙ Earning potential: High ∙ Time to start: 1 year for research and writing your eBook
If you’ve mastered the art of parenting, monetize the kids. More specifically, monetize your experience raising them – you can write and sell an eBook on your journey. You can choose to document your parenting adventure from the day the little ones arrive into the world or – if your offspring are already into the teenage years – write an eBook about what you’ve learned so far.
- How to do it: Creating and designing an eBook has been made easy with sites like Canva or 99Designs providing the perfect tools for graphic design work. Then, publish on platforms such as Gumroad and Amazon KDP, where people can find – and pay – for your eBooks.
Tools for Kicking Off Your “Couple Hustle”
While launching your couple side hustle is exciting and fun, it can be a challenge, and you’ll need tools to succeed. Here are some of the recommended basics you should look to get familiar with.
- For your website: WordPress – is the ultimate website host and site builder out there. Over 40% of all websites are built using the platform.
- For your graphic design: Canva – offers a free-to-use graphic design platform loved by millions. Purchase the Canva Pro plan to really level up your content’s design appeal.
- For your marketing: Social Media – sites like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn are mostly free to use for marketing and reach a wide market.
- For giving people a way to pay you: PayPal – can integrate with most sites, apps, and platforms and is a safe, convenient and secure method to get paid for your side hustle.
Conclusion
What are you waiting for? Launching a couple side hustle is easy and teaming up with your partner is an exciting business idea for couples you can enjoy together. Whether you’re looking to make a little extra cash on the side or have plans to start your online business empire, the sky is the limit.
