4 ‘Lazy’ Side Hustles That Can Earn You $2,000+ A Month

As seen on Forbes.

When you hear “side hustle,” the word “hustle” often sounds like the most important part. We must grind, sell, always be on the go, or even combine multiple jobs that work together. The hard work pays, but what if you could work smarter?

Some of the most profitable side hustles aren’t about trading more hours for dollars. They’re about creating an asset that earns for you even when you’re not working. Highlight the “side” in side hustle and forget the grind.

These four “lazy” but powerful side hustles might be the answer to that extra $2,000 monthly income.

1. Create A “One-Time” Digital Product

Can you imagine creating something once and then having it sell hundreds or even thousands of times over? That’s the power of a digital product. This isn’t about becoming a course creator and selling lesson plans. It’s about solving specific problems with simple, yet effective products. Think resume templates, digital planners, habit trackers, budget spreadsheets, or social media graphic packs.

Some small business profiles on Business Insider highlight how creators earned thousands of dollars selling digital printables. The key is to do the creative work upfront. Design the product and set up your shop. Then sit back and let the platform handle the sales and delivery automatically.

• How to get started: Identify a problem you’ve solved for yourself. Did you create a spreadsheet to track your job applications? Did you design a template for your family budget? Turn that solution into a clean, easy-to-use digital file and list it on a platform like Etsy or Gumroad.

2. Start A Niche Affiliate Blog

You don’t need to be a famous blogger to make serious money from affiliate marketing. The secret is to go niche. Instead of a broad “travel” blog, think along the lines of “the best carry-on luggage for business travelers.”

By writing a handful of high-quality, in-depth review articles, you can attract a very specific audience. Plus, you could earn a commission when they purchase through your links. Once your article ranks on Google, it can generate a passive income stream for years. This is an example of a side hustle that requires skill, not constant selling.

While building traffic takes time, the earning potential is significant. The CNBC featured a mother who makes $6,300 a month when she realized that she could monetize her monthly website views through affiliate links and ads. This case study demonstrates that a successful niche blog can easily surpass the $2,000 a month threshold.

• How to get started: Choose a product category you’re genuinely interested in. Use a simple website builder like Squarespace or WordPress, sign up for Amazon’s affiliate program, and write your first detailed review of a product you already own and love.

3. Rent Out Your Unused Assets

Here’s the ultimate “lazy” income stream because it involves monetizing what you already own. While a spare room on Airbnb is the classic example, the rental market has expanded to cover almost any asset.

Your car could be earning you money on Turo instead of sitting in the driveway. According to Turo, hosts earn an average of over $900 per month. That unused garage or shed? You can rent it out as storage space on a platform like Neighbor. You can even rent out specialized equipment like high-end cameras or bicycles for a daily fee. Stack your rental assets and push your passive income well past $2,000.

• How to get started: Take inventory of your assets that sit unused for more than half the week. Research the top rental platform for that specific item (like Turo for cars or Fat Llama for equipment) and create your first listing.

4. Automate A Faceless YouTube Channel

You don’t need to be a charismatic vlogger to be YouTube famous. In fact, some of the platform’s biggest channels are “faceless,” where the creator never appears on camera. This trend, also called “YouTube Automation,” is booming because it focuses on scalable content, not personality.

Think of channels like Bright Side, which has over 44 million subscribers and uses a mix of stock footage and animations to create viral listicle videos. Or consider the countless channels dedicated to rain sounds or meditation music that rack up millions of views by providing a simple background experience.

While setting up a system for creating and scheduling videos takes initial effort, a backlog of content can generate ad revenue passively for years to come. It’s a prime example of turning your knowledge into a six-figure digital product. Since income depends on ad revenue, which varies per topic, becoming a creator in a high-value niche could earn you between $500 and $2,500.

• How to get started: Pick a topic you can easily create content for without showing your face (e.g., historical summaries, tech tutorials, book summaries). Script your first few videos, use free stock footage from sites like Pexels, and assemble them with a simple video editor like CapCut.

Building wealth doesn’t have to mean sacrificing all your free time. Focus on efficiency and create systems that work for you. This way, you can build powerful income streams that support your financial goals without leading to burnout. It’s time to stop hustling harder and start building smarter. You’ve got this.