Stage 2
Services and routines built on a skill or a modest setup: freelancing, local services, small agencies, reselling as a habit. Takes one to three months to become dependable.
Places you can sign up today, with typical pay and what to watch for.
AI training work
Remote freelance contributors write prompts, build grading rubrics, and rate or rank AI model responses on projects matched to their expertise. Work is paid per task-hour at a project rate shown before you start, settled weekly.
AI training work
Contractors evaluate chatbot responses, compare AI outputs, write and review code, or do domain-specific STEM/professional work to train AI models. Work is paid hourly by project track, and earnings are withdrawn to PayPal.
AI training work
Alignerr (Labelbox) contracts experts and generalists to rate AI outputs, annotate documents and evaluate code remotely. Work is paid hourly per project, with rates shown on each job listing and payouts made weekly.
AI training work
Mercor is a talent marketplace that matches professionals (doctors, lawyers, engineers, consultants) to hourly AI-training and evaluation contracts for AI labs. Contractors track hours and are paid weekly in USD.
AI training work
Handshake AI's fellowship (including the MOVE 'Model Validation Experts' track for master's/PhD holders) pays students and degree holders to evaluate and improve AI models in their discipline. Work is remote, part-time and paid hourly at a rate shown before you commit to a project.
AI training work
Invisible Technologies recruits freelance AI trainers through Meridial, its expert contractor marketplace, for projects writing, evaluating and correcting AI model output. Each project states its scope and rate in a Statement of Work, and contractors are typically paid hourly about twice a month.
| Business idea | Category | Videos | Sources | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI / n8n workflow automation agency An agency that designs and runs n8n, Make, or Zapier workflows on top of LLMs for SMBs, billed as one-off builds plus monthly retainer. | Agency Services | 61 videos · 613 channels | 3 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million | |
| Niche event business Run recurring niche events (conferences, meetups, tournaments) for a specific audience, monetized via tickets and sponsors. | Marketplaces & Communities | 48 videos · 485 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School | |
| Retail arbitrage / thrift flipping Source underpriced items from retail, thrift, or clearance and resell online at a margin. | Ecommerce & Products | 48 videos · 483 channels | 3 channelsThe Koerner Office, My First Million, Side Hustle School | |
| Niche in-person experience business Run a local experience business (escape rooms, classes, tastings) targeted at a specific niche audience, monetized via ticket sales. | Local Services | 41 videos · 414 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, My First Million, Side Hustle Nation, Side Hustle School | |
| Local marketing agency Run a marketing agency focused on local SMB clients (restaurants, dentists, services) on retainer or per-project. | Agency Services | 38 videos · 386 channels | 6 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Codie Sanchez, Acquiring Minds, Side Hustle School | |
| Experiential / themed events business Run unique themed in-person events (paint-and-sip, escape-room style, dinners) monetized via tickets. | Local Services | 32 videos · 325 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle Nation, Side Hustle School | |
| Creative / brand agency Run a creative agency that produces campaigns, video, and content for consumer brands. | Agency Services | 30 videos · 305 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School | |
| AI virtual employee / agent-as-a-service for SMBs Provide SMBs with a configured AI agent (receptionist, scheduler, support, ops) on a monthly subscription that performs a specific role. | AI & Automation | 29 videos · 294 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million | |
| Niche lead generation Generate leads in a narrow vertical (lawyers, contractors, B2B) and sell them to operators on per-lead fees. | Agency Services | 28 videos · 285 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School | |
| High-ticket coaching Sell high-ticket 1:1 or small-group coaching packages (5-figure+) to professionals and founders. | Info Products & Education | 27 videos · 275 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School, Indie Hackers | |
| AI phone receptionist / missed-call text-back for local businesses Sell always-on AI answering and SMS follow-up to plumbers, dentists, and home-service SMBs that lose jobs from missed calls, billed monthly… | AI & Automation | 26 videos · 264 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, Indie Hackers | |
| Cold email outreach agency Run an agency that builds and sends cold email campaigns for B2B clients, monetized via per-campaign or retainer. | Agency Services | 26 videos · 265 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Indie Hackers | |
| IRL social club Run a paid IRL social club (dinners, tastings, hikes) for a niche community, monetized via membership and events. | Marketplaces & Communities | 26 videos · 264 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School | |
| Amazon FBA reselling / online arbitrage Source retail goods at a discount and resell via Amazon FBA, monetized via the buy-box spread and Amazon fees. | Ecommerce & Products | 24 videos · 244 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, My First Million, Side Hustle Nation, Side Hustle School | |
| Vertical AI agents (specialty) Build AI agents tuned to a specific vertical (real estate, legal, dental) that perform a single job end-to-end. | AI & Automation | 23 videos · 234 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million | |
| AI market research agent Build an AI agent that does end-to-end market research (TAM, competitors, customers) on prompt, billed per report. | AI & Automation | 22 videos · 223 channels | 3 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million | |
| AI executive assistant agent Sell a configured AI agent that schedules meetings, drafts emails, and handles inbox triage for executives, monetized via subscription. | AI & Automation | 21 videos · 215 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle Nation | |
| Boutique design agency Run a small design studio that brands and ships product design, web, or marketing creative for clients on retainers. | Agency Services | 19 videos · 196 channels | 6 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School, Indie Hackers | |
| Facebook ads agent / AI ad buyer Run an AI agent or service that buys and optimizes Facebook/Meta ads for SMBs on monthly retainer. | Agency Services | 19 videos · 193 channels | 3 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg | |
| Facebook Marketplace sourcing / arbitrage Buy underpriced items locally from Facebook Marketplace and resell via online channels for a margin. | Ecommerce & Products | 19 videos · 193 channels | 3 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, Side Hustle School | |
| AI readiness / implementation consulting for SMBs Charge local businesses and SMBs a flat fee to audit their operations, propose AI tools, and oversee the rollout. | Agency Services | 18 videos · 184 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle Nation | |
| ChatGPT-generated digital products Use ChatGPT to mass-produce digital products (planners, prompts, courses) sold on Gumroad or Etsy. | Info Products & Education | 18 videos · 185 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School | |
| Content production agency Run an agency that produces SEO content, blog posts, or video content for B2B and DTC clients on retainer. | Agency Services | 18 videos · 186 channels | 6 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School, Indie Hackers | |
| Voice agent SaaS (Vapi-style) Build or sell a voice-agent platform that SMBs deploy for inbound/outbound calls, billed per minute. | AI & Automation | 18 videos · 183 channels | 3 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million | |
| Brand-naming agency An agency that names brands, products, and startups, monetized via flat project fees plus optional trademark research. | Agency Services | 17 videos · 174 channels | 4 channelsGreg Isenberg, My First Million, Codie Sanchez, Side Hustle School | |
| High-ticket consulting Sell high-ticket consulting engagements (5-figure+) to executives and SMBs on transformation, GTM, or ops. | Agency Services | 17 videos · 175 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Side Hustle School | |
| Veo 3 / Sora 2 AI video ad creation agency Produce AI-generated video ads using Veo 3, Sora 2, or Runway for brands, billed per spot. | Agency Services | 17 videos · 174 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, Starter Story, Greg Isenberg, My First Million | |
| Automated hiring pipeline / ATS Build or run an automated hiring pipeline (sourcing, screening, scheduling) for SMBs or agencies on monthly retainer. | Agency Services | 16 videos · 164 channels | 4 channelsThe Koerner Office, Greg Isenberg, My First Million, Indie Hackers | |
| Custom woodworking / furniture maker A craftsman builds and sells custom wood furniture, decor or one-off pieces through commissions, fairs or an online shop. | Local Services | 16 videos · 161 channels | 1 channelSide Hustle School | |
| Vending machine route Place and operate a route of vending machines in offices, gyms, and schools, monetized via per-sale margin. | Local Services | 16 videos · 165 channels | 5 channelsThe Koerner Office, My First Million, Side Hustle Nation, Codie Sanchez, Side Hustle School |
