The Side Hustle Show – Episode 715: The 10 Best Side Hustles of the Year

Host: Nick Loper
Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this annual “best of” episode, Nick Loper compiles the top 10 side hustles featured on The Side Hustle Show throughout 2025. The episode offers a diverse mix of online and offline entrepreneurial ideas, each illustrated via inspiring case studies. Nick highlights actionable advice, standout quotes, and memorable moments drawn from featured guests, providing listeners with a practical roadmap for starting and growing their own side income streams.

Key Side Hustles & Insights

1. Modern Vending (AI Smart Markets)

Episodes Referenced: 662 (March), 703 (Follow-up)
Guest: Anthony Koloje
Timestamps: [00:01]–[05:33]

• Business Model:
  Traditional vending machine business upgraded with “AI smart markets”—modern automated kiosks in high-traffic locations. Scales to $100K+/month in just two years.

• Key Success Factors:

  • Rapid proposal turnaround (“within 24 hours”)
  • Outstanding customer service and reliability
  • Setting stocking expectations with property managers
  • Transition from solo operation to hiring a driver and leasing warehouse space

• Notable Quote:

  “Get back to people quickly, set expectations from the beginning. … Property managers…are floored away of how quickly they got that proposal.”
  —Anthony Koloje ([03:01])

• Memorable Moment:
  Anthony wakes up, shows his wife they made $25 in their sleep, prompting the realization: “What if we had 10 machines? What if we had a hundred?” ([05:33])

2. Printables & Digital Downloads on Etsy

Episode: 665
Guest: Cody Berman
Timestamps: [06:46]–[10:51]

• Business Model:
  Selling digital products (planners, trackers, media kits, etc.) via Etsy. Cody built a new shop up to $1,000/month in four months.

• Getting Started:

  • Repurpose personal tools/templates
  • Generate printable ideas via brainstorming & ChatGPT
  • Use keyword research tools (Erank, Everbee) to find low-competition niches

• Scalable Strategy:

  “Stack up an army of these little mini digital evergreen assets…it can start to be a pretty serious operation and one that’s time leveraged.”
  —Nick Loper ([10:51])

• Notable Advice:
  Find “low volume search terms…with almost no competition.” Ten sales of a $5 product = $50/month passive income; repeat and scale.

3. UGC (User-Generated Content) for Brands

Episode: 666
Guest: Megan Collier
Timestamps: [12:35]–[17:36]

• Business Model:
  Create authentic short-form content for brands’ own marketing, without needing to be an influencer.

• Getting Clients:

  • Reach out via Instagram DM or email pitch
  • Start with brands and products you already use
  • Build a simple portfolio of sample videos

• Notable Quote:

  “I can almost guarantee most of those brands are posting consistently on social media and probably a lot of them are already working already with UGC creators.”
  —Megan Collier ([15:24])

• Memorable Moment:
  Megan lands her first $750 UGC deal within 10 days—offering extra videos to overdeliver and increase her first payout.

4. Mobile Foam Party Business

Episode: 676
Guest: Tim Carstensen
Timestamps: [21:16]–[25:06]

• Business Model:
  Brings professional foam machines to parties, schools, churches, and camps. Low-risk validation: used save-the-date deposits to fund equipment.

• Startup Tactics:

  • Targeted direct mail (700 postcards to local organizations)
  • Minimum equipment investment (can resell if business fails)
  • Simple, clear marketing message

• Memorable Moment:
  Tim originally considered inflatables but discovered foam parties had little local competition—a “blue ocean” opportunity.

• Pricing Example:
  $375 per hour for a basic birthday party ([25:01])

5. White Label E-commerce (Bald Buck BBQ Seasoning)

Episode: 678
Guest: Chris Gray
Timestamps: [26:15]–[29:24]

• Business Model:
  Chris didn’t invent his seasoning blend—instead, found an existing great product and white labelled it under his own brand, then marketed it online.

• Go-to-Market:

  • Leveraged influencer and content marketing
  • Positioned commodity product at a premium price through storytelling
  • Outsourced product fulfillment to the manufacturer

• Notable Quote:

  “I don’t have to create everything from scratch. A lot of the work can already be done. If you can find something that’s already working, find a different way to position it, different way to sell it.”
  —Chris Gray ([29:24])

6. Glamping / Short-Term Rental Experiences

Episode: 686
Guest: Garrett Brown
Timestamps: [31:12]–[34:39]

• Business Model:
  Builds “Instagrammable” stay experiences (tiny homes, geodomes) within an hour of a major city; commands $400/night for a property that costs less to build than a hotel.

• Site Selection Framework:
  “60-30-10 Rule”

  • <60min from city
  • <30min from natural attraction
  • <10min from a store/gas station

• Financing Hack:
  Buy property with a house (easier to finance) and use a seller concession to lower effective down payment.

• Key Quote:

  “People came for that Instagram-worthy shot…costs a whole lot less to set up than trying to run a four season hotel.”
  —Nick Loper ([31:12])

7. Return Reselling with Sharetown

Episode: 687
Guests: Matt & Hannah
Timestamps: [37:32]–[39:06]

• Business Model:
  Acts as the “reverse logistics” solution for online retailers (mattresses, furniture). Side hustlers pick up returned big-ticket items, resell locally (e.g., Facebook Marketplace), and split profits with the brand.

• Why It Works:

  • Low overhead, no need to build an audience or create a product
  • “Just need to do the work” mentality

• Notable Quote:

  “People that are willing to do something different…even when it’s not yielding results…that can be the beauty of a side hustle—it helps you achieve your goals and gives you flexibility.”
  —Megan Collier ([38:31])

8. Local & “Near Me” Informational Directories

Episode: 692
Guest: Frey Chu
Timestamps: [40:30]–[44:53]

• Business Model:
  SEO-driven content directories for local searches (e.g., thrift stores, daycares, splash pads). Monetized via ads, affiliate links, and digital products.

• Niche Validation:
  70% data-driven (keyword volume, competition, “clear bounty”—evidence a clunky existing directory is ranking), 30% personal interest.

• Notable Quote:

  “I typically try my best to have that 70% data based ...and then 30% will be more passion based.”
  —Frey Chu ([40:30])

• Protective Against AI Disruption:
  Location-based queries are harder for AI to answer accurately than non-local ones.

9. Facebook Content Monetization Program

Episode: 706
Guest: Jeff Rose
Timestamps: [46:46]–[49:19]

• Business Model:
  Creators are paid by Facebook for high-engagement posts/memes. No clear application process—invite only, but can earn $1,000/day for viral content.

• Growth Hack:

  • Repurpose viral posts from Twitter/Threads
  • “Digital spaghetti at the wall”—post 8–20+ times daily for maximum reach

• Notable Quote:

  “It’s very much a volume game, very much a game of throwing a lot of digital spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.”
  —Nick Loper ([47:53])

10. Public Domain Audio Repurposing Membership

Episode: 708
Guest: Cheyenne Bullock
Timestamps: [51:50]–[56:31]

• Business Model:
  Repurposes 1950s public domain radio shows (“Dragnet” etc.), layering homemaking and cleaning routines. Charges $25/mo or $45/quarter for new episodes.

• Audience Building & Funnel:

  • Instagram posts direct followers to a free sample episode lead magnet
  • Leads funneled to a carefully designed email sequence
  • Retargeting ads only, since organic content attracts high volumes

• Notable Quote:

  “Every single post on Instagram needs to go to the lead magnet which captures their email. … I make a pain point oriented Instagram caption that calls out their pain, tells how these episodes are the solution.”
  —Cheyenne Bullock ([51:50])

Honorable Mentions

• Local SEO Services (Ep. 684):
  Eric Dingler claims, “the fastest path to $20,000 a month is with a local marketing service.”
• Teen Entrepreneur E-commerce (Ep. early 2025):
  Harrison Knott, 15, sells cooling towels on TikTok Shop, highlighting the importance of learning from expensive mistakes early.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The shiny object syndrome is real when you’re sitting in my chair as the host. But when the shiny object shines for me, that’s when I know it’s going to be a hit episode.”
  —Nick Loper ([00:01])

• “I’m not crazy passionate about selling mattresses. … But it makes it hard to ever consider working for somebody again because we work together and we have flexibility.”
  —Megan Collier ([38:03])

• “You just need to do the work.”
  —Nick Loper (on Sharetown, [37:32])

Conclusion

Nick’s top 10 list for 2025 demonstrates that innovative side hustles are thriving both online and off. The highlighted stories show that creativity, persistence, and execution—not perfection—are keys to side hustle success. Whether you aspire to launch a vending empire, digital content directory, or a clever subscription membership, these case studies offer tangible first steps and inspiration for building your own profitable side gig.

For full interviews and details: See episodes [662, 665, 666, 676, 678, 686, 687, 692, 706, 708] on The Side Hustle Show feed, or follow the Spotify playlist linked in the show notes.