When Kyle Stockford went a few months without selling a painting, he decided to pick up a side hustle.

It was 2021, and Stockford was a full-time abstract artist making colorful collages. Without sales, he needed another way to subsidize his living — so he turned to his brother, who’d been doing people’s yard work and helping assemble Ikea furniture through gig site Taskrabbit.

Stockford signed up to do similar gigs, making ”$16 to $18 an hour,” he says. But the real money was in helping people move: The 29-year-old now charges as much as $98 per hour on Taskrabbit to load up his Chevy Express van with other people’s belongings and transport them across the Boston area.

College move-in season is his busiest time of year: Stockford’s side hustle brought in $9,740 in August 2023 revenue alone, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. It brought in between $3,000 and $5,000 most other months, leading to a total of just over $36,600 in extra cash last year.

“I’ll be doing Taskrabbit for a while,” Stockford says. Here’s how he built his moving hustle.

Stockford bought his van in 2018, during his final year at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He wanted a vehicle that could help him transport paintings from Massachusetts to potential buyers.

After roughly a year on Taskrabbit, Stockford got “kind of antsy about the fact that I’m driving around this big van, and I’m not making any money with it,” he says. He bought straps, moving blankets, gloves and some bungee cords to prepare his vehicle, and himself, for a more intensive set of jobs.

“It wasn’t much,” he says. “Probably around $50 in supplies from [Harbor Freight Tools].”

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Stockford says he started out charging $65 per hour, and booked an early gig helping two Northeastern University students move from the school’s campus to their new apartment. The job took less than two hours, and he made about $130, he says.

“I was struggling, because it was just me,” says Stockford.

Focusing on smaller tasks — like one-bedrooms or Facebook Marketplace pickups — helped him book more jobs per day. He learned to put a lot of effort into customer service, too.

“I started to realize how stressful moving can be for people,” he says. He’d tell them, “Don’t worry, this will be over in about two hours.”

Stockford’s repertoire-building work in 2022 paid off last year. “2023 was insane,” he says. “I worked pretty much every day in August” and about halfway through September.

He felt himself improving at the gig, he adds. If he was working with college kids, for example, he’d know to ask for keys or codes to get in and out of dorm rooms. He’d bring door stoppers and a roof rack for mattresses, park as close as he could and, depending on the task, bring a second Tasker in to help.

“You know what to expect after a little while,” says Stockford. “It’s kind of the same group of furniture and the same couple trash bags of clothes.”

Stockford lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts, so traffic getting in and out of Boston can be tough — and the gigs themselves can be exhausting. “A lot of third floor walk-ups,” he says.

But despite the side hustle’s seasonality, it’s successful enough for Stockford to eschew full-time work. He balances 10 to 20 hours of moving per week with a part-time job as an art handler and preparator at the McMullen Museum of Art in Boston College.

The combination of gigs gives him time to keep working on his own art, too. “I can work three weeks out of the year, make a bunch of money and then just shut it off,” says Stockford.

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Emily Odio-Sutton started her Etsy side hustle on her couch while watching a “Real Housewives” TV show in December 2022. She doesn’t recall which one, but she does remember the months of research fed into that moment.

Her oldest daughter would start kindergarten the following year, and she knew she couldn’t leave her 9-to-5 job in the middle of the day — even though it was a remote gig — for school pickups, or gymnastics or swimming practice drop-offs.

Amid her “doomscrolling,” Odio-Sutton found a series of YouTube videos about print-on-demand — an e-commerce method where sellers create designs for products like T-shirts, tote bags and mugs, and list them on online marketplaces like Etsy or Amazon. When a customer places an order, a third-party manufacturer prints the design onto the product and ships it out.

Odio-Sutton decided to give it a try. Her shop, which specializes in gifts for people with hyper-specific jobs or hobbies, has brought in at least $236,000 in revenue so far in 2024 — more than $26,200 per month, on average — according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. She’s already outpaced her sales for the entirety of last year.

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In her best month so far, the side hustle — which takes roughly 10 hours per week, she says — brought in $54,900. About a third of her shop’s revenue is profit, she estimates.

Odio-Sutton prefers not to name her Etsy shop, to prevent copycats — but its success helped her scale down her job as an internal operations manager at a children’s book publishing company to a part-time role this past summer. It padded her family’s finances, paying for vacations and her $20,000 in student loans, she says.

Here’s how Odio-Sutton experimented her way into a lucrative side hustle.

Before launching her Etsy shop, Odio-Sutton tried her hand at another online side hustle, often referred to as “Amazon FBA.”

She’d visit brick-and-mortar retail stores near her home in Melbourne, Florida, buy items that were trending on Amazon, package them up and ship them to a nearby Amazon warehouse. Then, she’d try to sell them at a slim profit margin through the e-commerce giant’s Fulfillment by Amazon program, she says.

If the trends changed before she listed her items, she’d lose the margin. Three months in, her home was overrun with boxes of Hoka running shoes and Two-Faced makeup products, she says.

Print-on-demand seemed more appealing: She didn’t need any business or design experience, and the time commitment seemed lighter. As a mom with a full-time job, “I didn’t have the same privilege of time as maybe a different side hustler,” says Odio-Sutton.

Her first attempts fell flat. She sold Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day T-shirts, but Etsy’s website was already flooded with similar listings. Switching to more gift-friendly products like mugs, candles, tote bags and journals helped, she says — as did creating designs aimed at specific jobs or hobbies, from speech pathologists to podcasters.

Odio-Sutton uses Google or ChatGPT to brainstorm niche hobbies or professions, and turns them into simple, mostly text-based designs using a program called Canva. A podcast candle, for example, might have the following text printed on it: “The only podcast I listen to are the voices inside my head.”

If a design starts selling, she’ll duplicate it — swapping in a different hobby or job — to try replicating its success. Last October, she made around $5,000 in profit, matching her full-time job’s monthly salary, she says.

She makes more money during popular shopping months: Her shop brought in more than $100,000 in sales between November and December last year.

Odio-Sutton’s extra revenue covers both “fun and responsible” bills, she says. She and her husband also worked with a financial advisor to invest some of it into the stock market and college saving accounts for her daughters, she adds.

Working 20 hours per week at her publishing job and 10 hours per week on Etsy gives her time for other income streams too, Odio-Sutton says. She still has an Amazon seller account, and opened a second Etsy store last year to sell downloadable templates for events — schedules, invitations, and so on.

She also works as a coach for Gold City Ventures, which teaches aspiring Etsy sellers how to open their own shops, and does contract work for business owners who hire her to manage and market their Pinterest accounts, she says.

Sometimes, people leave their jobs to pursue their side hustles full-time. Odio-Sutton says she’d consider it — but only if she still gets to spend as much time with her daughters as possible.

“I live on my schedule in the afternoons. I pick up my daughter at the bus, then I go take her to gymnastics practice,” she says. “My initial vision for [this routine] was always really strong.”

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Back in 2017, I was raising two young kids, working as an HR specialist and trying to pay back over $50,000 in debt. 

I started a blog called “Money Talk with Tiff” to chronicle my journey to debt freedom and help others do the same. Two years later, I started the “Money Talk with Tiff” podcast and became a full-time entrepreneur, running my business from my home in North Carolina.

I didn’t think about leaving the U.S. to live somewhere else until very recently. My dad is from Jamaica, so I have always felt connected to the island. In 2021, when I was 31 and pregnant with my third child, I finally got the opportunity to visit.

I fell in love with everything about it: sights, smells, weather, people, food.

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I stayed for a month, visiting family I’d never met, meeting new friends who felt like family, and traveling from city to city. I didn’t want to leave.

I started to seriously consider moving to the island. I came to the conclusion that I had been my own boss for a while, and I could work from anywhere — why not this place that truly felt like home?

So, in May, I moved with my two youngest kids, 10 and one, to Negril, Jamaica. I’m so much happier now. Here’s why.

Whenever I sit out on my veranda, I say, “My office is open.” There is some incredible scenery right outside my door, so I work outside every day.

I live on the cliff side of Negril, so getting to the beach is about a 10-minute drive. It takes me only two minutes to walk to one of my favorite restaurants, Rick’s Cafe, where I can jump off the cliffs into the ocean. 

My house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a fenced-in yard with many fruit trees. I have moringa, mangoes, naseberry, and ackee in my yard.

The area I live in is one of the most expensive on the island, because it is more popular with tourists. But my expenses come to about $1,900 a month, including rent, utilities, childcare, food, transportation, school fees and home maintenance.

When I lived in North Carolina, my same expenses were about $3,000 a month. 

My oldest will graduate soon, so it made sense for him to live with his dad and finish high school in the U.S. But my middle child is in elementary school and was not thriving academically in North Carolina. This was a chance for him to get a fresh start. 

In Jamaica, the kids get to be out in nature for much of the day instead of sitting in front of screens all the time.

When he is at school, my son and his classmates have two recesses, one for 35 minutes and another for 45. When he gets home, he stays outside until dark. I have noticed his concentration improving already.

Kids in Jamaica start school at three years old. My youngest is nearly two now, and I’m excited for both of them to experience this kind of educational environment.

The kids and I often have beach days and sometimes go to the river. We go fishing without rods, just plastic bottles, hooks and fishing line. I’ve even gone crab hunting at night. 

Some folks here like to do “bush cooking,” where they prepare food outside, and people will happily offer you a plate if you are around.

The food here is incredible. Everything from fish to fruit is fresh and not ultra-processed. Many vendors sell local favorites, items like patties, delicious savory pastries filled with spicy beef and jerk chicken. 

There is so much culture and community here. I love reggae music, and it isn’t unusual to hear people blasting it throughout the day. 

Even though I was friendly with my neighbors back home, we barely saw each other. Here, even though people are busy with work and chores, everyone regularly stops by to say hello and ask after your well-being.

On my lane, most of the residents are related to each other, and they have graciously welcomed us into their family. 

We don’t have hot water, which I surprisingly don’t miss. We have one air conditioner and we wash our clothes by hand and hang them out on the line. I love it. This is what life was like for my grandparents and their parents, and now we get to be a part of it.

Being here, there isn’t the hustle mentality and the constant stress and anxiety that is so prevalent in the U.S. The people here are more relaxed.

That can manifest itself in unexpected ways too. When I opened my bank account, it was an all-day event. It’s the same with many chores you want to accomplish. Getting your food at a restaurant takes a while, because everything is cooked from scratch.

The slower speed used to frustrate me, but I’ve realized everything is fine if you go with the flow. Rushing is no longer necessary. You can take your time and be in the moment.

This move has inspired me. I am in the process of launching another business to chronicle my journey here and help others see Jamaica and all of its natural beauty. I could not be happier to have made this leap. 

Tiffany Grant is a financial educator, writer, podcaster and coach. Before she was an entrepreneur, Tiffany was an HR professional. She is the founder and host of ″Money Talk with Tiff,” an Accredited Financial Counselor and holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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Growing up in Nara, Japan, one food that was a constant in my home was tofu. It’s truly been a lifelong staple. 

When I was a baby, once I could eat solids, my mom commonly prepared two dishes for me — one was a mix of tofu, rice porridge, sweet potato, kabocha (squash), and nori (seaweed) paste, and the other was miso soup with rice porridge.

I carried on that culinary tradition with my two kids when they were small. I never bought any ultra-processed baby food; instead I opted for tofu. It saved me time, money and stress, and it was a way for us to connect with our roots while living in the U.S.

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When we arrived here in 1994, tofu was harder to come by. If I could only find shelf-stabilized packaged versions, I kept about two dozen of them in the house at any given time. Even today, I always have several packs of tofu in my refrigerator.

In Japan, tofu is enjoyed by folks of all ages. My in-laws are 95 and 88 years old. They still live in Nara, and have tofu, natto (fermented soybeans) and miso soup every day. They attribute their longevity and immunity, in part, to that daily routine.

Here is why tofu is my No. 1 kitchen must-have.

Tofu is traditionally made from soybeans and nigari, the liquid that remains after removing the salt from seawater. In the U.S., calcium sulfate is often used as the main coagulant. 

Either way, tofu contains all the essential amino acids that meat, poultry, eggs, fish and dairy do — but without cholesterol, since it is plant based.

It also is rich in calcium, iron, vitamins, fiber and isoflavones, a type of plant estrogen. 

Studies have shown that the consumption of tofu can help reduce the risk of heart disease, fight cancer and reduce the risk of bone loss. 

It takes 70.6 kilograms of greenhouse emissions to produce just one kilogram of beef, but only 3.2 kilograms of emissions to produce the same amount of tofu.

I typically purchase 14 ounces of organic tofu for $2 or $3, which is often much less than the same amount of poultry or beef would cost me at the grocery store. 

To me, it is simple math. In the course of the week, if you were to swap out one or two beef burgers for a tofu burgers, you would feel better, pay less for groceries and do something small to help the environment. 

Tofu has a very natural, subtle flavor, so it can be matched with just about any cuisine or dish. Since it’s soft, you can also prepare it without a knife and cutting board.

As a nutritionist and cooking instructor, I am always developing new recipes, and tofu makes it very easy to experiment.

I serve tofu in a variety of ways: pan-fried or in soups and salads, in nimono (slow cooked roots and veggies), dumplings, veggie pancakes, vegan curry, burgers, cabbage rolls, mochi and ice cream, to name a few. 

My go-to lunch is a tofu miso soup with seasonal roots and leafy vegetables, seaweed, ginger and goji berries. Generally, I make a large pot and return to it throughout the week, serving it with multigrain rice, natto and nukazuke (pickles). 

My other perfect, simple meal is hiyayakko. It is cold tofu — usually the silken or soft variety — topped with nori, sesame seeds, ginger, shiso, scallions, natto and a little bit of soy sauce. If you prefer it warm, you can always pop it into the microwave for one to two minutes and then add your toppings. 

I often call tofu my best friend for happy living. I hope you are inspired to incorporate it into your kitchen, too. 

Michiko Tomioka, MBA, RDN, is a certified nutritionist and longevity expert. Born and raised in Nara, Japan, her approach focuses on a plant-based diet. She has worked in nutritional roles at substance recovery centers, charter schools and food banks. Follow her on Instagram @michian_rd. 

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When I first heard about the concept of passive income in my 20s, I laughed at the idea. Growing up, I had never met anyone who made money this way. 

My mindset completely changed after a conversation I had with a woman I really looked up to. She earned passive income from her real estate business. Seeing someone who I knew and trusted achieve this seemingly impossible goal, made me feel like I could do it too — although it took some time to finally get there myself. 

Four years ago, I was dealing with postpartum depression and struggling with a 9-to-5 job in higher education administration that didn’t bring me joy. I decided to start selling digital products like business templates and party games on Etsy. To my surprise and delight, the side hustle started to take off. 

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As a 36-year-old mom of two, I now make $10,000 in passive income or more every month from four passive income streams. 

Here is my best advice for starting a successful side hustle: 

Passive income doesn’t mean no work. It means front-loaded work that pays off later. No matter what kind of side hustle or passive income venture you are starting, thorough research can help you avoid costly mistakes.

Many people get excited about their first idea or opportunity and jump at it, without running the numbers. For example, when I first started on Etsy I made budgeting templates. I found that these didn’t sell very well because there was low demand and high competition. 

It was only after I took the time to research keywords and trends through Pinterest and Google Trends in the space, that I started to create more specific — and more successful — items for the shop. 

I highly recommend doing financial projections and understanding the expenses you’ll have before you ever spend a penny. One of the main reasons businesses fail, or never begin to thrive, is because they run out of money. 

In many cases, this problem can be predicted and dealt with proactively if you take the time early on to project your expenses.

Building passive income streams requires an investment of time, and many people underestimate how much time they need to allocate upfront. 

It’s easy to get distracted by day-to-day responsibilities (especially as a parent or full-time employee), but they’ll never come to fruition if you don’t make time to work on your passive income projects. 

Schedule dedicated time each week to focus on and stick to your passive income goals. For example, when I first started, I would spend 8-10 hours each week developing the skills I needed for my business, and I did this for months. 

Once I became serious, I started spending 20-30 hours a week actively creating products. Now I spend as a little as 15 minutes a day working on it, responding to messages and client inquiries. 

Studying successful passive income earners has taught me that success doesn’t come from quick wins but rather slow and steady progress toward a specific goal over time. In short, consistency is key.

The beauty of passive income is that it allows you to earn money without everyday active involvement. Automation is your best friend in this process. 

Because I sell digital products on Etsy, the platform comes with the ability to deliver automatically once a payment is processed. I use Convertkit to automate my email marketing.

Automation can save you time and help your income streams remain steady. I’ve found that failing to automate means more manual and mental work, and less freedom.

No one achieves success entirely on their own. Seeking help from mentors, financial advisors, and experts can significantly boost your chances of success. 

I dabbled with side hustles for years, but it wasn’t until I found a course by Gold City Ventures while listening to a podcast that taught me how to sell digital products on Etsy that I successfully created a passive income business.

After taking the course, I was able to get my business up and running and making money in about a month. It took about nine months before I started making passive income consistently. 

Surround yourself with people who have the knowledge and experience you lack. They can offer valuable insights, keep you accountable, and help you avoid pitfalls. 

Most importantly, they can encourage you when you feel like giving up.

Relying on a single source of income can leave you vulnerable to market fluctuations and unexpected changes. I’ve talked to so many business owners who are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic because they put all their eggs in one basket: Their business. 

My passive income portfolio includes stocks, bonds, real estate, and my small business, which sells digital products on Etsy and on my website. 

Diversification is essential to spreading the risk and increasing the chances of consistent returns.

I’ve seen countless people get stuck in the planning phase, waiting for the “right moment” that never comes. I’ve made that mistake too.

I credit studying positive psychology in grad school with helping me break free of those fears. Marilee Adams’s book “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life” helped me develop more of a growth mindset and change my internal dialogue from asking questions like, “Why bother?” to more optimistic ones like, “What can I learn?” 

The truth is, there’s no perfect time to start, and failure is always a possibility. However, the sooner you take action in a smart way, the sooner you can learn, and the higher your chances of reaping the rewards. 

Even small steps, like starting to research and educating yourself, can lead to significant progress over time. It’s vital not to let fear of failure or analysis paralysis keep you from starting your journey to passive income.

Rachel Jimenez is an entrepreneur, professor and mom of two, with a passion for helping others achieve their personal, professional and passive income goals. She runs an Etsy store as well as a blog, Money Hacking Mama, where she shares financial wisdom and practical advice for women navigating their careers, businesses and life.

Want to make extra money outside of your day job? Sign up for CNBC’s online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams, tips to get started and real-life success stories.