Side Biz

I do mobile mechanic and farm calls for tractors and other equipment and I do some in house mechanic work too. I can pick and choose my jobs and what I want to charge for the most part, but I still get the calls needing something fixed ASAP and it’s time to rig it to make sure it’s up and going that day, permanently or not, it needs to be up and going.

Ive done a hell of a lot on jack stands and a easy up with a tarp blocking sun/rain/snow and made good money doing it. The trick is making sure the money is worthwhile for the time, effort, and the SO having you roll out at random and come back who knows when.
 
Drunktaco said:
I do mobile mechanic and farm calls for tractors and other equipment and I do some in house mechanic work too. I can pick and choose my jobs and what I want to charge for the most part, but I still get the calls needing something fixed ASAP and it’s time to rig it to make sure it’s up and going that day, permanently or not, it needs to be up and going.

Ive done a hell of a lot on jack stands and a easy up with a tarp blocking sun/rain/snow and made good money doing it. The trick is making sure the money is worthwhile for the time, effort, and the SO having you roll out at random and come back who knows when.
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How can that be a side biz? You can't have a regimented regular job and just head out on break down calls at anytime of the day ...are you in that type of biz already? Just doing 'extra'? Most everyone with an office or manufacturing job couldn't do that type of side biz.
 
benXJ said:
How can that be a side biz? You can't have a regimented regular job and just head out on break down calls at anytime of the day ...are you in that type of biz already? Just doing 'extra'? Most everyone with an office or manufacturing job couldn't do that type of side biz.
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I work a swing shift, month of days and a month of nights. 7-7 12 hr shifts. The most I work is 3 days in a row unless I have to cover or something. 3 days one week (Wed/Thur/Fri) and 4 the next (Mon/Tues/Sat/Sun). If I get a call Monday, I can either do it after work or first thing Wednesday morning. I can keep everything regulated to my days off usually, like I said, I can pick and choose the jobs I want to do. If you call me on Monday and the best I can do is Wednesday but you can’t wait that long then oh well. Does that make more sense?
 
Drunktaco said:
I work a swing shift, month of days and a month of nights. 7-7 12 hr shifts. The most I work is 3 days in a row
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Truth be told I’ve always been kinda jelly of these types of schedules. I know a few folks that do a Fri/Sat/Sun graveyard…sleep until dinner time on Monday, leaves Tues/Wed/Thurs open to have whatever schedule you want…nap friday afternoon and go on about life. Add in any semblance of decent vacation/sick time you can damn near take a full month off on a swing schedule without making much of a dent to your time off balance.
 
UTfball68 said:
Truth be told I’ve always been kinda jelly of these types of schedules. I know a few folks that do a Fri/Sat/Sun graveyard…sleep until dinner time on Monday, leaves Tues/Wed/Thurs open to have whatever schedule you want…nap friday afternoon and go on about life. Add in any semblance of decent vacation/sick time you can damn near take a full month off on a swing schedule without making much of a dent to your time off balance.
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It’s not bad honestly. For example, I can vacate 2 days and be off 7 straight, but I can also get privileged into working 7+ straight too. The only drawback is holidays, if you’re scheduled, you’re working unless something bad happens. We run 365 24/7. Christmas night 0300, we’re here running.
 
I’ve also done various of side gigs. Similar to the above, the amount of money made comes back to how much time and effort invested. We all have a limited about of time/energy and it just comes down to priorities. When I was more broke than I am today, the $$$ took higher priority than time with my wife and kids. As I got older, I realized that time with my kids is truly limited and I need to spend time with them so that they grow into the adults I hope they’ll be. My point is that you have to look at the big picture and be honest with yourself (and your spouse lol) about what you’re going to give up to develop this side gig.

Back to the original question…my most profitable side gig is renovating and repairing houses. The actual income ebbs and flows depending on effort invested, but generally in a year I make a few thousand from helping others and every couple/3 years I’ll sell my house and roll part of the profit into the next fixer upper.
 
Find a market that there isn't a lot of people in. My dad did antique log work, restorations, chinking and made a good living doing it. now he's 65 and cant do it really anymore, there isn't enough to keep someone going full time but i have a back log of work to do whenever i find time. it helps that there is basically him and I and the next closest person that does the same kind of work with the reputation we have is 3 hours away. I've got two repair jobs lined up where someone said they could do it and didn't know what they were doing and screwed up a cabin.

i find it relaxing work, and im pretty honest with people when i tell them its a side hustle i cant promise you when it will be done and i dont work for cheap, it also helps that most of the places i work on our peoples 2nd or 3rd homes.
 
I've wanted to get into modding knives. Its something I enjoy doing to my own knives and I've bought some knives, modded them, and then sold them for a little profit, but just don't have the equipment and not comfortable enough to work on other peoples knives and I also feel like that market is sort of flooded right now.
I'd love something I could do online for a few hours a couple nights a week after the kiddo goes to bed that way I am not missing out on any time with her and be sure to make sure my wife doesn't feel like I am missing time with her. I used to do the car washing/detailing thing for a little bit but then I figured out that wasn't worth wasting an entire Saturday/Sunday.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
I've wanted to get into modding knives. Its something I enjoy doing to my own knives and I've bought some knives, modded them, and then sold them for a little profit, but just don't have the equipment and not comfortable enough to work on other peoples knives and I also feel like that market is sort of flooded right now.
I'd love something I could do online for a few hours a couple nights a week after the kiddo goes to bed that way I am not missing out on any time with her and be sure to make sure my wife doesn't feel like I am missing time with her. I used to do the car washing/detailing thing for a little bit but then I figured out that wasn't worth wasting an entire Saturday/Sunday.
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if your not hurting for money, a side gig to me has to be worth at least double what im making at my real job. im not giving up my weekends and nights to make a little above minimum wage. i just dont need the money that bad
 
If you like the knife thing. Just do that. I enjoy wood working and i like it. It can get tedious finishing up project buts generally i enjoy it. The cnc has allowed me to make some pretty cool stuff even for myself.

If you need some equipment to up your game then maybe look into more.

If the market is flooded that means there are customers. I'm no business man but it seems like it would be better to try and sell stuff people already want than try and figure out the next new trend.
 
Danger_Ranger said:
I keep trying to talk my girlfriend into making homemade porn and sell it on the internet. For some reason she doesn't like the idea lol. Hell I'm just trying to make us some extra money, I thought women loved money.
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That was not the post I was expecting when I saw you user name as the most recent poster. I was expecting some insight into the stump grinding side hustle 🤣
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
I've wanted to get into modding knives. Its something I enjoy doing to my own knives and I've bought some knives, modded them, and then sold them for a little profit,
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My advice...if it's a hobby you enjoy, don't turn it in to a business. If you do it for you, and other people like what you do enough to pay you for it, is completely different. Made fantastic money doing the race shop, but turned us all off to working on our own stuff, and made it really difficult to get excited over things that weren't innovative or open checkbook.
 
Loganwayne said:
if your not hurting for money, a side gig to me has to be worth at least double what im making at my real job. im not giving up my weekends and nights to make a little above minimum wage. i just dont need the money that bad
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Exception - if it happens to be something you love doing, and the money is just added bonus. But that is a very important IF
 
RatLabGuy said:
Exception - if it happens to be something you love doing, and the money is just added bonus. But that is a very important IF
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That’s true. My boss is a acc ref and loves it because he loves football. I got the opportunity this summer to guide some fishing trips but declined. I enjoy that as a relaxing thing and I don’t wanna ruin it with all the stress of putting people on fish.
 
Loganwayne said:
I got the opportunity this summer to guide some fishing trips but declined. I enjoy that as a relaxing thing and I don’t wanna ruin it with all the stress of putting people on fish.
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That was my reason for not getting my degree in music and being a professional musician.

That, and I wasn't very good.
 
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