Passive income is money you earn without spending a lot of time or effort working. For example, if you invest in the stock market, every couple months you’ll be receiving dividends without doing anything really.
On the other hand, if you were working in a restaurant, your income would be tied to the number of hours that you work and is therefore not passive.
Passive income is the ultimate way to building wealth. Since you’ll not be working all the time, you can actually go out and enjoy your money.
In this article, we shall be looking at 16 profitable side hustles for high schoolers that want to make passive income. All the ideas are relatively easy to start and don’t require a large upfront investment.
16 Profitable Side Hustles for High School Students
1. Sell stock photography
If you’re like most people and you love taking photos with your smartphone, then this is the perfect side hustle for you.
Stock photo websites like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock allow amateur photographers to make passive income by licensing their photos to other people.
You can sign up on such platforms and upload hundreds or even thousands of photos, and just sit back and watch the money roll it. Every time somebody licenses your photo, you get paid a royalty.
2. Sign up on reward websites
Another easy way to make money as a high schooler is by signing up on reward websites like Swagbucks and performing various tasks in exchange for real money.
Some examples of tasks you’ll get paid to do include answering survey questions, watching videos, and playing games. There’s no easier way to make money than that.
3. Start a blog
If you love writing, then this is one of the most profitable side hustles you can start in high school.
Your blog can literally be on any topic you’re knowledgeable and passionate about. That could be sports, movies, cooking, academics, celebrity news, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Over time, once your traffic starts to grow, you’ll make passive income by placing ads on the blog through Adsense. If you don’t have any web design expertise, you can use tools like Wix and WordPress to easily build the blog yourself.
4. Affiliate marketing
If you happen to have a large following on social media, or a blog/YouTube channel, another easy way to make money is through affiliate marketing.
You can find products to start promoting on networks like CJ Affiliate, Clickbank, and even Amazon. Any time somebody makes a purchase through your link, you get paid a small commission from the sale. It’s a very easy side hustle to start with no upfront capital.
5. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is one of the most popular online business ideas for high school students. This is how it works in a nutshell.
You start by creating an e-commerce website on Shopify and then populating it with niche products that have demand in your target location. Some examples of niche products include workout supplements, phone cases, smart watches, organic soaps, scented candles, etc.
Whenever you get an order through your store, you then use the money to buy the item from cheap suppliers like AliExpress and then have it shipped to the buyer.
The biggest advantage of dropshipping is that you don’t need to keep an inventory of the products you’re selling. That makes it a fantastic side hustle to start with low capital.
6. Start a Print-on-Demand business
Print-on-demand copies from the dropshipping model in the sense that you won’t be keeping stock of the items you’re selling online.
This idea is perfect for creative people that know how to use tools like Photoshop and Canva. All you need to do is create custom designs for things such as t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, etc., and then advertise them on your website.
Whenever you get an order, you simply forward it to a printing service like Printify to fulfill it. They will take care of everything, from printing all the way to delivery. You get to keep the margin between the amount you sold the item for and the amount Printify charged you to fulfill the order.
7. Start a YouTube channel
If you’re an interesting person and you don’t mind being in front of a camera, then you should definitely consider starting a YouTube channel. It’s one of the most profitable side hustles for high school students.
Make sure that the channel is based on something you’re interested in. If you’re into fitness then it should be about fitness, because that’s your area of expertise. You’re more likely to be successful by focusing on things you’re actually good at.
Once you build up your number of subscribers, you’ll be able to monetize the channel through ads as well as affiliate marketing.
8. Start a podcast
If you love talking, but YouTube just isn’t for you, then you should become a podcaster. You’ll only need a mic, a computer or smartphone, and a podcast hosting service to get started.
To make the podcast more interesting to your listeners, you can occasionally interview other people. As your audience grows, you’ll make passive income through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing.
9. Sell digital products
Some examples of digital products include Apple/Android icons, downloadable PDFs, templates, “how to” guides, audio recordings, graphic designs, etc.
If you’re good at creating such products, you can make money by selling them through Etsy, a marketplace for creatives.
10. Monetize your social media pages
Did you know that with as little as 1,000 Instagram followers, you are considered a micro-influencer and can charge companies money to promote their products?
To find such opportunities, you can sign up on influencer agencies like GRIN to get matched with brands that have ongoing campaigns.
11. Create an app
Do you have an app idea that you reckon could become the next Uber? If so, then you can easily build it yourself using no-code tools like Adalo.
Apps usually make money through ads, by charging a subscription fee, or by charging for downloads.
12. Domain flipping
A few years ago, the domain “vacationrentals.com” was sold for a whopping $35 million. Domain flipping has the potential to be a very lucrative side hustle, although it also carries significant risks (if you’re unable to sell). Make sure to only buy domains that are short, easy to read, and could have some brand affiliation.
Domains usually cost just about $10, so depending on your budget, you could build a large portfolio of domains, and then put them up for sale on a marketplace like Flippa.
13. Help businesses generate leads
Nearly every business could do with more customers. If you’re familiar with social media marketing, you can approach small businesses in your city and offer to help them get more leads at a fee. You can either charge a fixed amount of money or a commission per lead.
14. Start a social media management agency
Many small businesses have a hard time keeping up with Instagram, Twitter, and other social platforms. You can start a social media management company and help them run their accounts for a small fee.
Although this idea is technically not passive, you can automate it by outsourcing all the work through sites like Fiverr. It’s a very profitable business idea for high schoolers.
15. Start a virtual assistance agency
This idea is also technically not passive but can be automated by outsourcing.
Virtual assistants are people who help busy individuals with administrative tasks such as data entry, responding to emails, making travel arrangements, etc.
You can start a VA agency and hire freelancers to do all the work for you. Your only job will be marketing to bring in more clients.
16. Start building an investment portfolio
Most rich people built their wealth over an extended period of time through clever investments. Warren Buffet started investing in stocks when he was just 11 years old.
Even if you have a small budget, you can start investing in things such as stocks and REITs. Stocks are simply company shares that are traded publicly and investors get paid dividends from the profits generated.
REITs, or Real Estate Investment Trusts, are companies that own and operate real estate properties. When you invest in them, you’ll also be entitled to a portion of the profits they generate. REITs are generally more profitable than stocks.
You can also invest in real estate through crowdfunding platforms like Fundrise and RealtyMogul. Real estate crowdfunding enables developers to raise money from many small-scale investors. Once their projects are completed, investors get a share of the earnings. You can get started on Fundrise with as little as $10.
