What is a Side Hustle and Why Does a Private Investigator Need One?

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Most people haven’t heard the term side hustle and it is a term I only learned about a few years ago.  It’s not a bad word and has nothing to do with illegal activity.  I have no intention of steering you in that direction. 

What is a side hustle?

Entrepreneur.com defined a side hustle as this, “A side hustle is a way to make some extra cash that allows you the flexibility to pursue what you’re most interested in. It can also be your true passion – a chance to delve into fashion, travel, or whatever it is you care about the most without quitting your day job”.

I like their definition but my definition would be this: A second job you can enjoy (or not) that can be considered a fallback job if your investigation career doesn’t go as planned.  You can grow your side hustle job if needed or have it be a supplement income when times are slow in the private investigation field.

Do all private investigators need to have a side hustle?

Yes because some investigation companies are very seasonal for both self-employed private investigators and for those employed with an investigation company.

It doesn’t hurt to have a hobby that brings in money when your main form of income (main hustle) is slow.  Self-employed private investigators or business owners don’t have the option of filing for unemployment when work is slow.  Having a side hustle gives investigators the piece of mind that if things do get slow the side hustle will help pay the bills until things get back to normal.

No, because there is plenty of investigators with a business of their own that do very well.

Have I had Side Hustles?… Yup!

Yes, I have a side hustle.  Blogging is my side hustle.  I have more than one blog that I write for and I can work on it during my free time (when I have it).  It’s not an overnight thing where you start blogging and make a ton of money, plus it takes a while to build a following on each blog.

I have had the most fun writing for the P.I. Advice Blog over the years and that is probably why I have created so many videos and podcasts for the blog.

From 2016 to 2017 I have had a couple more side hustles I have been a part of which I think could be possible for anyone to do in the United States while working as a private investigator.

Scentsy as a Side Hustle

I believe it was the end of August 2016 when my wife and I thought it might be fun to be Scentsy consultants and work together.  Frankly, I had always wanted to do some kind of business with my wife.  She isn’t that keen on being anything other than my editor for my blogs and she was mildly interested in being a Scentsy consultant with me.

Scentsy is a wickless candle that melts in decorative candle warmers.  They make a bajillion different scents and make a variety of different warmers.  

Scentsy can be financially rewarding but it takes quite a bit of work to build up clients.  It requires having many Scentsy parties and being at different events to promote the Scentsy brand.  My sister-in-law earns $1,500 a month after being into it for 4 years part-time.  She has a full-time job and only does Scentsy as a part-time thing.

Selling Scentsy can be a lot of fun and you get to meet a lot of interesting people.  I had a great deal of fun doing this with my wife.  I made a little review website that is a work in progress as I had aspirations of making it a marketing funnel but it will have to be put on hold.  

Here is a video I made for one of the scents. Just having fun and exploring some ideas with Scentsy.  

Uber and Uber East Side Hustle

Uber (if you haven’t already heard of it) is a ride-sharing company.  If you become an Uber driver you are basically a vehicle for hire (kind of like a cab driver) and you pick up people and take them where they want to go.  You can be a driver whenever you want and stop working whenever you want (as long as you don’t have any passengers).  

I have noticed many private investigators turn to Uber driving to fill in the hours during slow periods.  Drivers can potentially average $20 to $30 an hour depending on the time of day.  One friend of mine who is also a private investigator worked 2 hours recently and earned $100 just the other day.  He admitted that was not the usual amount he would make in a two-hour period but on that day he took someone to the airport and that was a big fare.  I am not saying every day as a driver is earning $50 dollars an hour but it always has the potential to be.  

I recently started working as an Uber Eats driver on my free time.  An Uber Eats driver picks up food from a restaurant and delivers it to a customer.  It doesn’t pay quite as well as an Uber driver but I am basically guaranteed to work in my city and the surrounding cities and I can start and stop anytime.  

So if you have either Uber or Uber Eats in your area you should consider it when thinking of something to do when work is slow.  

If you would like to sign up to be an Uber driver here is my referral link: https://partners.uber.com/i/andrewk22488ue

Book Writing Side Hustle

I can say most book writers don’t make a great deal of money for the work that they put into a book. I have relationships with dozens of writers from all different industries and topics and the income from book sales (depending on how much influence and promotion they do) earns $100 to $200 a month at the high end for both nonfiction and fiction books. 

If this is something you decide to pursue, it might not make a great deal of money but you will be incredibly proud of creating something that serves others (fiction or non-fiction). How many people can say they have written a book? It is much easier to create a book than it may have been 10 years ago but it is still an incredible accomplishment.

On that topic, I have curated a list of private investigator books.

Do I know anyone else that has a side hustle and is a private investigator?

Private Investigators Can Definitely Beneift from a Side Hustle

Andrew Kidd

Of course, I do.  I have worked with many private investigators over the years.  Many of them have hobbies they make money from to supplement their income (because they don’t make enough) and others have a side job that just adds to their income (because they just want more money).

Fish Tank Maker as a Side Hustle

One investigator I worked with learned how to make fish tanks.  He then started buying supplies to make tanks and made a side job out of it.  He really enjoyed having a fish tank and it was a great paying hobby for him.  It wasn’t going to pay all of his bills but it was something to bring in some money when times were slow.

Book Writing Side Hustle

This investigator was an author and enjoyed writing.  When I first met him he was writing a book though I never saw it.

As a book writer myself, I can say most book writers don’t make a great deal of money for the work that they put into a book. I have relationships with dozens of writers from all different industries and topics and the income from book sales (depending on how much influence and promotion they do) earns $100 to $200 a month at the high end for both nonfiction and fiction books. 

On that topic, I have curated a list of private investigator books to consider. 

eBay Flipper – Stock Trader – Side Hustle

A friend of mine is an eBay Flipper.  He purchases things from Good Will and garage sales and flips the items for a profit on eBay.  He has actually done pretty well for himself over the years.

The same guy also traded stocks for a while and made a little money doing that as well.

Taxidermist as a Side Hustle

I have friends that enjoy hunting in the Northwest.  One friend in particular almost matched his full-time income as a private investigator by starting a Taxidermist business. He specializes in a particular type of taxidermy and has built up a clientele and has made a decent additional living.  He doesn’t need the extra money but it helps pay for his hunting and fishing toys along with trips to watch his daughter compete in rodeo events.

Website Builder/ T-Shirt Designer as a Side Hustle

This guy was the ultimate side hustler.  He made more money with his side hustles than he did working for a company as a private investigator (and he was a pretty decent private investigator).

He built websites for small companies that didn’t have a website to represent their business. Sometimes he did it for money and other times he did it as a trade.  One time in particular he built a website for a guy who sold custom knives and received some pretty cool custom knives as payment.

When he told me about his T-Shirt design side hustle I was jealous.  He made designs for an online company that printed things on shirts, cups, pens, etc…  He made so much money from his designs that at one point he almost retired from the investigation business.

When did he find time to do all this stuff?  When he wasn’t following or videotaping someone on surveillance he was creating all this stuff on his computer while in his car.

Information Website Creators as a Side Hustle

I have personally created over a dozen websites about different topics since 2013. Some were more successful than others and that mostly related to my interest in the topics I was writing about.

Health Coach Side Hustle Turned Full-Time Income

My wife and I started a health program and later started sharing it as a business. We have helped hundreds of people lose weight and get healthy.  This side hustle turned into a major part of our income which we didn’t immediately expect to happen. 

You just never know what opportunities you may be able to explore and expand into a full-time income until you try.  Unless you scale your investigation business you are not likely to make over $120,000 in your best year.  A side hustle may turn into something like this for you.

Work a Second Job

It might not be something you love or a hobby that pays money.  If you are a private investigation business owner you might want to consider working part-time for an investigation company to fill in any gaps or slow times in your business.  Companies are always looking for experienced competent investigators.   It might not pay the same but you will have money coming in.

One More Thing About Side Hustles

As a Business Owner

You can always just focus on and build your private investigation business to a point where you don’t have to worry about slow times.  There is nothing wrong with that and I hope everyone can have a successful business.

The reality with this industry is that many go out of business quickly because it can be difficult to just build it up to a point where it pays the bills consistently.

As an Employee

Something I have observed about investigation companies is that they frown on investigators that apply for unemployment during slow times in business.  I have seen this especially to be true with small investigation companies. This can feel like a negative point working as a private investigator. If you would like to read more pros and cons of being a private investigator, I have written extensively about that here.

A side hustle might keep you from having to go the unemployment route.  And if your side hustle is your passion then you will be more likely to make it a successful form of additional income.

I hope this has inspired you in some way to start your own side hustle.  If you already have one or plan on starting one I would love to hear about it in the comments below or message me through the contact page.

Andrew