6 Zero-Budget Side Hustles in India You Can Start With a Full Time Job

Tired of living paycheck to paycheck?

What if I told you could start a side hustle in India with zero investment?

And you can do it even while working full-time!

I know it sounds unbelievable, but I can tell you it's possible because I have already done it.

I wasn't dissatisfied with my job, I just wanted to earn an extra income.

And I know a lot of people who are doing the same.

Therefore, in this blog, I am going to share 6 side hustle ideas that won't interfere with your 9-to-5.

6 Best Side Hustles in India You Can Start Alongside a Full Time Job

Here are some side hustle ideas that you can start with a full time job and zero to minimal budget.

1. Online Tutoring

You don’t have to be a qualified teacher to start this side hustle. All you need is expertise in a subject. In fact, having a good rapport in your neighborhood can also work. In India, there's a growing demand for online tutors who can help students with their academics, test preparation, or specific skills development.

Although you have the option of calling kids to your home or taking home tuitions, since we are focusing on freedom and flexibility, we’ll stick to online tutoring. You can easily connect with students from all over the country through various online tutoring platforms like Vedantu, CueMath, MyPrivateTutor, UrbanPro, etc.

You can set your own hours, choose your subjects, and even decide whether to teach one-on-one or in group sessions.

Since there are many people who will be vying for this, there are some things you can do to stand out.

Market Your Expertise

Show what you're good at! Tell students all about yourself and why you're a great teacher on your tutoring profile. List the subjects you can teach, what grades you've worked with, and any special awards or certificates you have. If you've taught students before and they liked it, include nice things they said about you! A good profile helps students and parents see why you're the perfect tutor.

Set Competitive Rates

Pricing your services can be tricky, so do your research to find a sweet spot. Look into the average rates charged by other online tutors in India who teach similar subjects and grade levels. Consider your own experience and qualifications when deciding your rates. You might start with lower rates to attract your initial clients and gradually increase them as you gain experience and positive reviews.

Offer Free Demo Classes

Give potential students a taste of your teaching style by offering free trial sessions. This is a fantastic way to showcase your expertise, build rapport, and demonstrate the value you can provide. A free demo class allows students (and their parents) to assess your approach, ask questions, and get comfortable with online learning before committing to paid sessions. It's a win-win strategy that can lead to more paying students and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.

Budget Required: This side hustle in India requires ZERO budget.

2. Blogging

I understand this is very common but the reason it is so common is that it works. Also, this is my second side hustle. I have just started this so I still haven’t started earning from it yet but I plan to monetize it later.

So one of the issues with blogging is that it seems this market is too crowded. Due to that, you’ll find the same information out there on the same topic and it kind of gets annoying. However, the good thing about this is that it offers you an opportunity to dominate a particular niche before spreading your wings.

For example, I wanted to start a book review website because I read a lot of books and thought it was a good place to start. However, during my research, I found there are a lot of book review websites with hundreds of book reviews already published.

Then there are websites that publish reviews of only non-fiction books. As you know, there are many websites and apps that provide summaries of these books too.

So I decided I’ll focus on a particular niche, and that is business books. There also, I decided I’ll only post reviews of books that pertain to startups only. Apart from that, I am also providing an additional tool that helps people search startup related words and get the meaning. So I put in something extra for people on the website apart from the reviews that will give them immense value.

So basically, I am focusing on a micro niche, and I’ll expand from there.

Similarly, suppose you want to start a travel blog. Instead of posting about places at random, start with a particular city. Give all the information you can about that city. Once you get some traction and the trust of people, you can move on to different locations.

Then there is also the fact that Google considers the authority of your website to rank your pages, but let’s take that discussion to a different blog post.

Budget Required: This is of the best side hustles in India and requires minimal budget. Many websites provide a free template to create your blog if you buy the domain name from them. Apart from that, you require web hosting.

3. YouTube / Instagram Channel

Again, I know! Very common side hustle in India! But it works.

You’ll have to take the same approach here as blogging. Focus on a niche and expand from there.

Here is a very interesting example for it. There is a fitness influencer on Instagram, calisthenicsbypaulina. However, she didn’t start as an influencer. She started the account to track her progress of doing chin ups. She took up a 100-day challenge. Just doing chin-ups and posting everyday.

And guess what, her page grew to a whopping 100K FOLLOWERS IN JUST 3 MONTHS!!

Now she is doing different challenges and has already launched a “Beginner’s Calisthenics Guide” which is a paid product.

So what happened here was, she documented her journey everyday that made people root for her. She completed challenges that made people trust her and motivated them to start their own fitness journey. And she definitely has a friendly vibe that works in her favor.

And you can do the same for your niche!

Budget Required: This is one of the top side hustle ideas in India that requires ZERO budget.

4. Build a Digital Solution

Here, I am not talking about digital products like e-books or online courses.

This will work if you are a software developer with decent coding skills or a non-technical person willing to learn coding. You can build your own digital solution and sell it as a product or offer it on subscription.

I know this sounds like a stretch but I feel it is doable. I am not talking about complex services or software. It could be something basic that people need in their everyday life.

One great example of a digital solution that started as a side hustle and grew into a massive success is Gmail.

In the early 2000s, Paul Buchheit, a Google employee, was tasked with developing a better email solution. He started working on it as a side project during his 20% time (a Google policy that allows employees to dedicate 20% of their workweek to personal projects).

Buchheit initially built Gmail for his own use, frustrated with the limitations of existing email services.

As Buchheit shared his creation with colleagues, it quickly gained popularity within Google. The company recognized its potential and officially launched Gmail to the public in 2004.

Trust me, if you know how to code, it will open a lot of doors for you!

Budget Required: ZERO. The only investment you need to start this side hustle in India is learning how to code. There are numerous tutorials on YouTube that offer free tutorials. All you need is the commitment to do that.

5. Sell Your Handmade Products Online

This is also what many people are doing nowadays, thanks to social media that doesn’t require any money to showcase your products.

The concept is simple!

Whatever you are good at, be it painting, knitting, pottery, crotchet, etc, create it and post it on social media. I know it’s easier said than done, BUT, if done right, it can yield great results.

My wife makes some really cool hand painted apparel. She paints on t shirts, shirts, tote bags, bed sheets, curtains, you name it. She has a page on Instagram, paintednotprinted, dedicated to that and sells these products there.

The response was so good that we are now planning to create a website on Shopify.

All you have to do is create a posting schedule and do what you love. There are numerous tutorials and tips on how to grow your social media page. And since it's a side hustle and you don’t have to rely on that, you can work on it at your own pace.

Budget Required: The cost of the raw material

6. Freelancing

This is, again, one of the best side hustles in India

In fact, freelance content writing was my first side hustle. I started it with my full time job and it became a significant income stream.

Although I took a break from it for a couple of years, now I earn almost as much from it as I earn from my full time job. In fact, I am now considering doing that full time. I especially love the freedom and flexibility that comes with it.

Usually, one would assume that you can only get a freelance gig from sites like upwork or fiverr. Although these sites are a good choice, there is another easy way, especially if you are in India.

Just search “freelance [your skill]” and you’ll see so many gigs on sites like naukri and indeed. These are some really good places to get you going and build a portfolio. LinkedIn is another platform where you can find a freelance job easily.

And just to be clear, it can work for roles like graphic designer, web designer, web development, etc. You name it, and it’s there. All you have to do is get past your fear and make an effort.

Budget Required: Zero

Also Read: Review of The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

The List of Side Hustles in India is Endless

This is not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to starting a side hustle in India. I’ll be adding more ideas in the future to give you more room to explore. You never know which idea might strike inspiration and lead you to the path of attaining financial freedom and personal fulfillment.

But remember, all these side hustle ideas may not require an investment but they do require intense commitment and consistency.

If you are looking for more inspiration and information, check out our other blogs and book reviews. StartupWords is all for helping you out on your startup journey.