Looking for side hustle ideas to earn extra money alongside your job or studies? Start with the time you can free up this week and the amount you want to spend on a trial. With two free evenings, a defined freelance gig often fits better than a shop with daily orders. If you enjoy selecting products and can ship them, you can start with one item.
Below are twelve ideas for the Netherlands. Use the times as a starting point for your schedule and adjust them once you know how much work the first trial takes.
Compare 12 side hustle ideas
| Idea | Time to reserve | What you need? | First step |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Resell your own items | 1 hour for photos and ads, plus time for messages | Possible packaging and shipping | List three items you already have for sale and note what you keep after costs. |
| 2. Freelance writing or editing | 2 hours for a short trial assignment | Your own sample text | Offer a webshop to rewrite one product page for a pre-agreed price. |
| 3. Online tutoring | 1.5 hours for preparation and a first lesson | Teaching material and video call | Offer a trial lesson on one topic, such as fractions for grade 8. |
| 4. Virtual assistance | A fixed block of 2 hours per week | The software the client requires | Agree with one entrepreneur which administrative task you’ll take over weekly. |
| 5. Local handyman jobs | One afternoon by appointment | Transport and possibly materials | Offer one concrete job, such as garden maintenance, with a clear price agreement. |
| 6. Photograph second-hand products for others | 1.5 hours for the first photo session | Phone, lighting and possibly transport | Offer to photograph five items. Agree beforehand who will post the listings. |
| 7. Sell digital templates | Two blocks of 2 hours for an initial version | Design software and any platform fees | Let three people try a sample and then offer one paid version. |
| 8. Sell handmade products | One afternoon for a small series | Materials, packaging and selling costs | Make five pieces and track your work time per item. |
| 9. Print on demand | 2 hours for design and a trial order | A sample item and selling costs | Order one sample and assess quality and total costs before you offer the design. |
| 10. Sell via bol | 2 hours for the first comparison, then time on weekdays for orders | Sample item, inventory and selling costs | Compare two items and calculate the cost per sale for one of them. |
| 11. A niche website with affiliate links | 3 hours for an initial comparison | Possible hosting and a domain name | Write about a question you can answer yourself. Clearly disclose paid links. |
| 12. Edit short videos for entrepreneurs | 2 hours for a first editing example | Editing software and suitable source material | Create a short example with your own footage or with permission and offer one edit. |
Which side hustle fits your week?
Want to start small? Begin with a skill or items you already have. Offer one clear job or list three items. Note how much time you spend on photos, messages, execution and possible shipping. This shows you what you keep per assignment or sale.
Do you mainly have time on weekends? Choose something you can do or deliver in one block. A photo shoot or a series of handmade products works better if you’re less available during the week. With online sales, customer questions and shipping deadlines can also fall on weekdays.
Do you want to sell the same product more often? Research one item before you buy stock. Look at similar offers, request a purchase quote and also calculate what’s left if the selling price turns out lower. For a sales plan alongside a regular job you can use the steps from KVK about part-time entrepreneurship.
What do you have left when you sell via bol?
Suppose a product yields €25. You count €8 purchase cost, €4 commission, €4.50 for packaging and shipping and €1.50 as a reserve for return costs. All example amounts are exclusive of btw. That leaves €7 per sale before ads, fixed costs and your own time. If the selling price drops in the same calculation to €22 while you keep the costs the same, €4 remains.
Replace these example amounts with your own quote, shipping costs and the commission rate of bol for the item. Calculate your margin with the Zoloo Winstcalculator and also test a lower selling price before you order your first stock.
Choose one trial for the next seven days
- Write down what you offer, for whom and at what price.
- Set a limit in advance for your time and expenses.
- Measure demand with a paid trial assignment or a sale. Also recalculate the margin for a product with a real quote.
- At the end of that week decide what you still want to test and what to drop. Note where it got stuck, for example finding customers, price or number of hours.
Keep the receipts and note from your first sale what comes in and what costs you incur. The Belastingdienst explains how selling your own items differs from buying items to resell for profit.
Develop your idea further
- Plan a side hustle alongside a full-time job, make a plan for four Saturdays or test an idea without a start budget.
- Test whether someone will pay for your idea or price a first series of handmade products.
- Compare bol with Marktplaats or see whether a own webshop fits your week better.
- Create a budget for your first bol product, test it with a small stock and recalculate your first ten orders.
Want more ideas that fit the Netherlands? Also read our guide about starting a side hustle in the Netherlands.
Next step
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