---
title: '8 Best Side Hustles to Make a Lot of Money in 2026'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=4Ney5B-Iuhw'
video_id: '4Ney5B-Iuhw'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 767
---

# 8 Best Side Hustles to Make a Lot of Money in 2026

> Source: [8 Best Side Hustles to Make a Lot of Money in 2026](https://youtube.com/watch?v=4Ney5B-Iuhw)

## Summary

The video presents eight unique side hustles for 2026, emphasizing high-value skills over traditional gigs. From AI content creation to digital products, each offers substantial income potential with minimal hours, catering to those seeking financial freedom.

### Key Points

- **AI Social Media Creator** [00:16] — Use AI tools like VEO, Sora, and HeyGen to create realistic UGC content for businesses. Earning potential: $50-$300/hour. Companies value lead generation via social media.
- **LinkedIn Management** [01:54] — Create organic content for business owners on LinkedIn to generate leads. Charge $2,000-$5,000/month retainer. Repurpose content for other platforms to add value.
- **Building Websites for Local Businesses** [03:17] — Use HighLevel to quickly build websites. Offer monthly maintenance for $500-$1,000/client. Also provide CRM setup for extra income.
- **Photographer (Retro/Film)** [04:40] — Specialize in film photography to stand out. Charge $100-$500/hour. Starting equipment cost ~$1,000. Higher rates with experience.
- **Platform Installer (Notion, Asana, ClickUp)** [06:06] — Set up productivity platforms for businesses. Charge $50-$100/hour. Focus on one platform initially, then expand. Create content to attract clients.
- **AI Implementer** [07:15] — Consult businesses on AI integration to boost productivity. Charge $50-$300/hour or $3,000/month retainer. Stay updated on AI trends and tools.
- **Affiliate Marketing** [08:23] — Create content promoting affiliate links. Earning potential unlimited but risky. The creator makes ~$3M/year through this method. Requires building an audience.
- **Digital Products (Specific Niche)** [09:41] — Create niche-specific digital products like Hyrox workout guides. Low cost, high margins. Sell for $17-$27. Combine with social media to build audience.

### Conclusion

The best side hustles involve high-value, unique skills that generate recurring income. Focus on one niche, leverage AI tools, and build an audience for long-term success.

## Transcript

rich. And whether you already work a 9-5 or you're looking to start working for be possible for you to start. My name is Charlie. I've been doing side hustles my going to go over the best side hustles to make a lot of extra income in 2026.
that everyone talks about. Rather, everything I picked here is quite unique if you don't want to work that many hours, but still want to make a lot of started. So, the first side hustle I want to talk about is the AI social
media creator. This is without a doubt one of the best side hustles of 2026 and beyond because it's a very high-value skill that a ton of companies and So, instead of being a traditional content creator like this, talking in
to be creating all the content just with a computer. So, you'll use AI like VEO, Sora, Nano Banana, HeyGen, and more to basically create social media posts for you're one person behind a computer making dozens of posts per day. And so,
if you really think about it, this is extremely valuable for companies because the hardest part for any business is lead generation, getting customers and clients. And social media will continue being probably the best way for most
let's say, 10 different creators to create content for them and paying a lot funnel that money into one person who, with these platforms, can make really realistic-looking UGC content. With that content that you create, they're going
pages. They're going to run ads to it. And yeah, it's going to help them make a this, you should easily be able to make between 50 to $300 per hour. The only thing is that it requires you to understand these AI platforms, learn how
at creating really realistic videos. Trust me, the tech will get there to where you won't be able to see a single difference between AI-generated stuff really cool side hustle or business you can create that can generate a ton of
money. Number two is doing LinkedIn management. Now, LinkedIn is a platform that a lot of people use, but it's not like the sexy platform that people talk the truth is that LinkedIn is a great place for a lot of business owners to
actually get clients. And the way that they get clients is by creating organic posts and content, driving some type of engagement, and then generating leads. Paired, and we're definitely able to generate a consistent amount of leads
this is basically where you guys can come in, create organic content for entrepreneurs, and this is going to help them get more leads, right? So, if this is obviously very high value, and as a result, you can charge a lot of
you can actually repurpose what you write or make and repost them on other this. So, what I recommend doing for this type of side hustle is get good at creating content, get good at copywriting, do a lot of outreach to
this type of service, really sell the get more organic leads angle, and then charge some type of monthly retainer. I would say anything between $2,000 to $5,000 per month, and they should get, let's say, X posts per week, something
upcharge by repurposing this content for their other platforms, because, yeah, if they're probably doing Instagram as well. This is a very high-value service that much time to become a good copywriter and content creator, and you
thousands of dollars per month. Next is building and maintaining websites for if you look around at a bunch of different around you, a lot of them are run by people that are not tech-savvy at all. Meaning, they don't have a website
at all, or they have a really outdated website that isn't helping them get more correctly. So, what you want to do is use something like HighLevel to create With HighLevel, you can basically create a website super, super quickly just
using AI. Spend maybe an hour to tweak the website, and then reach out to this business showing them the actual website that you made with some type of monthly offer. Right? It could be something like $500 to $1,000 per month for you to give
much time for you guys to actually maintain it. And I think that's the best way to actually run this type of side hustle. Yes, it does take some time to also hire people to help do this for you. And think about it. If you are a
website, someone comes up to you, says, "Hey, I made this fully built website for you." Chances are it's going to convert extremely highly. I know I would HighLevel, you can also help them run their client acquisition systems. Right?
So, if they have a bad website, they probably don't have a good CRM. And you can also help run this, you know, charge extra for it. And this can easily per client. I'll share a link down below to HighLevel if you want to check them
exclusive to my audience [music] only. You also get about $15,000 of bonuses doesn't take that long to learn, and it can easily create really great recurring a photographer. This is something that, you know, is not new. People have been
doing photography for decades now. But I stand by this, I do think this is one of got my start with photography when I was like 13 years old. And I think anyone with any sort of desire to become a photographer should absolutely explore
it. Nowadays, it's definitely easier than ever to create good photographs advanced. So, what I actually recommend doing is going for a more retro route. Right? Specialize in film, specialize in stuff that not that many people do, and
something that doesn't really resonate with you, of course [music] you can route. But this is one of those little side routes that I recommend if you want to [music] stand out from everyone else. Create a website for your business,
once you have a small portfolio, you should easily be able to charge between $100 to $500 per hour. This is a very, very high-value skill, and the more charge. You also don't need that much money to start. $1,000 will get you a
you start making money, then you can start upgrading your equipment. Again, like I said, try going the retro route if you can. Specialize in film. Film out the photos for your clients, charge for that, and this is a great side
creative eye can do. Okay, [music] next is becoming a platform installer. So, let me explain. There are tons of businesses out there who want to install something like Notion, Asana, ClickUp into their business. These are basically
productivity platforms that allow businesses to automate, delegate, and Like I use Notion and ClickUp a lot for my businesses. But, the thing is, it takes a good amount [music] of skill and research to actually set up. As a
result, there's a huge demand for help in setting up these systems. And so, if one of these platforms really, really well, and yes, you can learn them YouTube, then you can start offering this as a service. Done right, you
more per hour. And yeah, not that many people are talking about this because it is quite boring, but a lot of the great money in these side hustles is in boring work more with solopreneurs, and then focus on Asana or ClickUp if you want to
choose one to learn for now, and then just really focus on that. To get content on Instagram and TikTok. Give a lot of value to your target audience and services when they're ready. Again, a pretty [music] boring side hustle, but
the next side hustle I want to talk about is the AI implementer. [music] So, of course, in 2026 and beyond, AI is a huge part of everyone's lives, what you will want to do as an AI implementer is stay on top of trends in
AI, and figure out how AI can help businesses boost their productivity, and just generate more output. You'll act basically as a consultant for existing businesses, and your main goal is to help optimize the business and optimize
I actually hired someone to do this for me. This was a full-time hire, and their entire goal is to basically help my team build AI tools, figure out how AI can fit into their current workflow to make them, you know, have more output. And
And so, you should easily be able to make between 50 to, let's say, $300 per hour. What I would do is some type of monthly retainer where you charge, let's say, $3,000 per month, and clients will get access to a certain amount of calls
with you, a dedicated Slack channel where you can talk to all their members. And yeah, essentially, you act as an AI concierge. Obviously, you need to know researching all the cool tools out there. And you have to be really smart
at figuring out how these can actually go into their business. Yeah, this is a talks about and one of the highest-paying skills you guys can learn is affiliate marketing. If you watched any of my videos, you'll know that I
love affiliate marketing. I think it's one of the best business in the world. is you are creating some type of content, offering value to people. programs. And when someone uses your link to purchase a product, buy a
some type of commission. Now, the reason why I think this is one of the best side hustles in 2026 and beyond is because the earning potential is basically unlimited. This is definitely one of the more risky and not guaranteed businesses
on this list, meaning you're not really guaranteed results. But if you can do it correctly, this can make you a ton of money. I'm doing about $3 million per you guys want to learn more, I'll actually link my smart affiliate course
down below. Basically, covers my exact process, how I build my channels, how I yeah, I'm positive that if you really want to get started with affiliate amazing course for you. Now, this is one of those businesses where it does take
you're not going to make money right away. But if you can get the content an audience, then if you do it correctly, you can actually make a ton of revenue by promoting affiliate links. Definitely one of the harder ones to
video. That's essentially because you're not doing any type of service, right? But yeah, if you can figure affiliate marketing out, it's by far one of the All right, the last side hustle I want to talk about is making digital
products. Specifically focusing on a very, very specific niche. Now, I've done a lot research on this right now. I think currently doing workout guides is can make. If you don't like working out, then you can start doing guides for
really specific. Let me take you through exactly what I would do with a digital new training styles that are getting really popular. And as of 2026, Hyrox is are getting into the sport, and as a result, there is a huge demand for Hyrox
basically where you can come in. You can get very specific with this type of audience, and you can create workout guides that they can actually purchase. type of low-ticket training plan. Maybe something like $17, $27, and selling
this, right? So, it's essentially a PDF, which costs $0 to fill. And so, every sale you make is pretty much 100% profit. Pair this with some type of social media strategy where you create organic videos about Hyrox. And once you
build up a very specific audience, people that are into Hyrox, you're going your training plans. Digital products are one of the easiest businesses to start. And the reason is because it basically costs $0. Plus, the profit
margins are just insane. Now, some other ideas are going to be maybe triathlon, doing marathon training guides, Ironman, any type of very focused sport that has following. There's tons of different ways you can sell your digital products.
something like Hostinger. You can use something like Kajabi. You can use you. And I'd say the hardest part is just getting the audience in in first place. But I see a lot people with great audiences who don't monetize correctly.
that they should be doing is just creating a digital product that fits So, yeah, if you have an audience right now in a very specific niche, [music] product, try selling it, it's going to do really well. Or if you don't have an
niche-specific audience. It doesn't need have a lot of people, and then start my opinion, these are the best side hustles to start in 2026 and beyond. everyone can do. You don't want to do those. You want to do something that's
very specific and that involves a very high-value skill. And when you do that, that generates a ton of income. So much so that you could probably leave your but I'm absolutely obsessed with side hustles. I got my start in
different side hustles myself. And these are the ones that I really think are the best you can start in 2026, especially if you want to make a lot of money. If sure to hit that like button, and also subscribe for more content just like
this. I do a ton of videos about personal finance, entrepreneurship, AI. financially successful life. Thank you again for your time, and I'll see you in again for your time, and I'll see you in the next video. Peace.