How Women Can Find The Best Side Hustle In 2026

Who wouldn't want an extra revenue stream?

Published May 01, 2026

illustration of women engaging in different side hustles

Hye Jin Chung

Take it from me: Don’t quit your day job. Start a side hustle instead.

Sure, you’re thinking, having an extra stream of income (or several) sounds nice, but isn’t that a lot of work? Not if you’re doing it right, experts say.

“Women, especially Gen-X women, should think about what they can already do well that doesn’t really feel like it’s work,” says LaChelle P. Johnson, author of "Rise Rich: Intentional Living for First Generation Wealth Builders," and a woman who has had countless side gigs in her life.

A true side hustle isn’t just a second job, says Chris Guillebeau, author of "Side Hustle" and host of the Side Hustle School podcast. Things like driving for rideshare services — in addition to being a safety concern for women — tend to be low paying and unsatisfying and may not be all that different from what you already dislike about your fulltime job. A good side hustle uses skills you already have. You shouldn’t have to invest a ton of money or time into it. “It’s low risk, potentially high reward,” Guillebeau says.

In spite of economic turmoil, side hustles have been on the decline, found a 2025 survey by Bankrate, with only 23 percent of Gen Xers having a source of income outside of their fulltime job. But when Bankrate surveyed Americans about their financial goals for 2026, getting a higher paying job or an additional source of income was the second most common response.

But a side hustle can fulfill a number of needs, not just financial ones. It may be a gateway to pursuing a passion, building a business, or just feeling more stable in uncertain times. “For me, it’s about a sense of security and stability,” says Johnson. “If my employer decides to lay me off, I still have other income streams.”

Getting Started

So, how can you figure out your dream side hustle? Here are three expert-backed ways to get started.

Sell your skills.

“It’s better to focus on what you’re good at than your hobbies or what you like, although the two tend to be related,” says Guillebeau. “Everyone is an expert at something.” If you’re unable to pin down what your top skills are, ask people who know you, or think about your biggest accomplishments or proudest moments. And remember, skills don’t have to be traditional or visible things like cooking or woodworking. “It’s not uncommon, especially for Gen X or older women, to have gone through their lives accumulating knowledge and skills that have not always been economically rewarded,” Guillebeau says. Teachers, for example, are great at communication, leadership, and crowd control. Once you’ve identified your top skills, think about how you might use them in a new way. He recalls one teacher on his podcast who became a professional organizer.

Solve a problem.

Think about your biggest pain points in life. Chances are, if it’s a problem for you, others may have the same problem. And sometimes the simplest solutions are the biggest moneymakers. Guillebeau featured someone on his podcast who came up with a device called the “step and pull” that allowed you to open public restroom doors using your foot. Another woman who was frustrated by having to remove her toddler’s coat to get her in the car seat in cold weather invented a child’s coat that buckles in.

The idea doesn’t even have to be that original. “People often imagine that they need an idea that’s never been done before,” says Guillebeau. “But not every good side hustle is exciting or sexy. Sometimes you’re just meeting a need, and that’s enough.” And, he adds, “If other people are doing it, that shows there is a market for that product or service.” Local dog poop scooping services have popped up everywhere because it's a job people would rather pay someone else to do.

Use what you already have.

The best business model for a side hustle is to keep startup costs to zero or as close to it as possible. A good way to do that is to use items you already own, says Andrea Woroch, a consumer-finance and smart spending expert. These days, you can rent practically anything: Your car when it's not in use via Turo; baby gear you no longer need on BabyQuip; a parking spot via SpotHero; your swimming pool by the hour via Swimly; your RV via Outdoorsy; and your whole home for events via PeerSpace.” If you rent your home for 14 days or less, you can avoid paying taxes on that income, too!). If you have a fenced yard, Sniffspot lets you rent it to dog owners. Similarly, Johnson says that “Every season I sell off clothes and shoes I don’t want on Facebook marketplace.”

Once you’ve established your side hustle, it’s up to you how far to take it. Not every business venture has to become a million-dollar empire. “Some people are just happy to have extra money to save for vacation or pay bills or reduce dependency on their day job,” says Guillebeau. According to Bankrate, 20 percent of those surveyed use their side hustle earnings to pay down debt, 35 percent use it for living expenses, and 69 percent either save it or use it for personal spending. But knowing it’s as easy and fun to earn as it is to spend? That’s priceless.

Jill Waldbieser is a journalist who writes about health, wellness, science, food, and parenting. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, and Everyday Health, among other places. She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and looks forward to becoming a crazy cat lady.