Side hustles for introverts: which remote online businesses don't require face-to-face interaction and how to start them
Online remote side hustles like blogging or UX design can be money-making opportunities for introverts who want to avoid corporate office work.
Amr Bo Shanab/Science Photo Library/Getty Images
- TikToks about online businesses that are perfect for introverts are getting a lot of attention.
- The videos focus on side hustles that require little to no interaction with other people.
- UX designing, blogging, selling products on Etsy, and taking surveys are frequently recommended.
TikToks touting the best side hustles for introverts have amassed hundreds of thousands of views.
The creators often suggest similar money-making methods that require little interaction with clients, such as copywriting, UX designing, and renting or selling products online via sites like Etsy or Poshmark. Taking online surveys and blogging are also avenues for introverts to make money.
Many digital entrepreneurs start their businesses as a way to circumvent the nine-to-five office routine. Because most of their interactions happen online, people who do these jobs say they're also perfect for introverts looking to make extra income.
A UX designer, Etsy seller, blogger, and online-survey taker share how they got started.
This UX designer has a 'zero-meeting policy' and prefers working alone
Brett Williams
Brett Willams was working as a UX designer at a corporate firm but found the nine-to-five grind boring. "Freelancing appealed to me as an introvert, but the lack of consistent, guaranteed income concerned me," he told Business Insider.
Williams' one-man design agency has made as much as $150,000 a month in revenue. The designer revels in working alone and setting his own schedule to maximize efficiency and income.
Clients pay a monthly subscription fee to keep Williams on retainer.
He told BI he speaks to potential clients in 20-minute introductory phone calls before they buy the subscription. After the initial call, he only communicates via Trello boards — a virtual project-management system.
This Gen Z student started an Etsy shop to avoid interviewing for a normal 9-to-5 after college
Tammy Dinh
Tammy Dihn said she was anxious as a child and would pick at her fingers until they bled. She started making clay figurines when she was 9 to distract herself.
Fast forward to college: Dihn told BI she was working part time as a graphic designer when she saw a video of a woman selling clay figures on TikTok. She didn't like working in the corporate world, so she started selling clay key chains and stickers on Etsy instead.
She now has her own website and makes up to $9,500 a month selling clay figurines. Dihn also started vlogging her sculpting process and built up a YouTube following. Her channel can bring in as much as $10,000 a month.
The Gen Zer told BI she was happy she started the side hustle in college because she'll be able to focus on the business full time when she graduates.
Most bloggers work alone and now can ask AI if they want a second opinion
Courtesy of Samantha North
Blogging is a popular side hustle for introverts because most bloggers make money from paid advertising or affiliate links that often require no personal interaction with clients or customers.
Samantha North is a blogger who runs two websites that made $115,000 last year. She moved from the UK to Portugal in 2020.
She told BI she started using AI to help her type blog posts since she's a poor manual typist. Now, she uses ChatGPT to test out ideas and analyze her content strategies.
She said that ChatGPT helps her generate themes and ideas on a specific topic or write introductions to her blog posts. AI has allowed her to create more content without hiring an employee or working with other freelancers.
Taking online surveys often doesn't require any communication with other people
Jordan Frey
Jordan Frey, a plastic surgeon, started spending two or three hours a week taking surveys online to bring in extra income and said he makes between $500 and $1,000 a month.
He started this low-effort side hustle because he was stressed about the financial burden of his medical training.
The surveys usually take between 10 minutes and two hours to complete, and the pay can vary wildly — he said he's made as little as $30 and as much as $500. He made profiles on survey platforms like Curizon and InCrowd, and the platforms' algorithms generated surveys for him to take based on his expertise.
Frey said he can get paid more for phone consultations with companies, but most of the work involves answering multiple-choice questions online. The surveys are also completely anonymous.