My 2019 Side Hustle Income Report and the Lessons From a Slower Year
2019 didn’t start the way I wanted it to. Between issues with my rebrand and having two wisdom teeth extracted during the first week of the year, momentum was hard to come by. The early months were slow, frustrating, and unfocused.
Eventually, I found my rhythm again. By the end of the year, I earned $12,405.11 in side hustle income. That’s a solid number, but it also came with mixed feelings. In 2018, I earned $13,927.27, so 2019 represented a decline of a little over $1,500.
On paper, that looks like a step backward. In reality, it highlighted exactly where my weaknesses were.
A few things held income back in 2019. eBay had several slow months, and my blog traffic dropped significantly compared to the year before. With less traffic came less ad revenue and fewer affiliate opportunities. Even so, I wasn’t worried. I could see what was working, what wasn’t, and where adjustments needed to be made.
If you’re new to side hustling, this post shows one stage of my journey, but I’ve since shared updated side hustle ideas that still work today.
Before breaking down the full year, here’s a look at the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter 2019 Income
In the fourth quarter of 2019, I earned $3,413.37. Compared to the same period in 2018, these numbers were an improvement and gave me momentum heading into the new year.
eBay: $1,748.95
Sponsored posts: $447.08
Other selling platforms: $421.71
Uber Eats / DoorDash: $301.60
Ads: $158.02
Merch by Amazon / Teespring: $141.25
Other: $109.76
Affiliate income: $85.00
2019 Side Hustle Income Report Breakdown
For the full year, my side hustle income totaled $12,405.11. While that was lower than the year before, there were several bright spots worth highlighting.
eBay – $6,668.70
eBay was my top income source in 2019, which wasn’t surprising. I put more focus into it, and the results followed. In 2018, I made about $4,800 from eBay. In 2019, that number jumped by nearly $1,800.
The increase came from experience and experimentation. I expanded the types of items I sold and became more efficient with listings. eBay continued to prove that consistent effort pays off, even when other income streams slow down.
Sponsored Content – $1,531.41
Sponsored content dropped compared to 2018. I turned down more offers than usual and didn’t pursue them as aggressively. While that limited income in the short term, it helped maintain trust with my audience. My hope was that better-fitting opportunities would follow.
Other Selling Platforms – $1,243.46
Selling on platforms beyond eBay continued to be a steady contributor. Cross-posting items to places like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Bonanza, and OfferUp increased exposure and helped move inventory faster. This category grew by nearly $200 compared to the previous year.
Uber Eats / DoorDash – $1,094.49
This was a new income stream for me in 2019. During the summer months, I started delivering for Uber Eats and DoorDash. It was straightforward, flexible money. As the weather cooled and daylight hours shortened, I slowed down, but it remained a reliable option when I needed quick cash.
Miscellaneous Income – $981.81
This category included course sales, Rakuten earnings, and a handful of smaller income streams. While it wasn’t refined yet, it showed potential. My goal moving forward was to turn some of these smaller streams into categories of their own.
Advertising – $544.92
Ad income declined in 2019 due to lower site traffic. That drop made it clear how dependent ad revenue is on consistent readership. It also reinforced the importance of diversifying traffic and strengthening content promotion.
Merch by Amazon / Teespring – $207.09
2019 marked the first year my t-shirt sales crossed the $200 mark. In previous years, I hadn’t even reached $100. Testing new designs and promoting more consistently helped push this income stream forward. While still small, it showed real growth.
Affiliate Income – $133.23
Affiliate income was my weakest area in 2019. Late in the year, a friend pointed out that I didn’t have enough content focused on affiliate offers. Looking back, they were right. I had prioritized eBay and merchandise and neglected this stream entirely.
That realization gave me a clear goal going into the next year: rebuild my affiliate strategy with intention instead of treating it as an afterthought.
Total Side Hustle Income for 2019: $12,405.11
After growing steadily in my 2016 income breakdown and 2017 side hustle income report, 2019 forced me to slow down and reassess.
2019 taught me a lot. It showed me which side hustles were dependable, which ones needed more attention, and where I had taken my foot off the gas. While the total was lower than the year before, the clarity I gained was valuable.
If I planned to reach my long-term goal of $20,000 in side hustle income, adjustments were necessary, and I was ready to make them.
Reaching higher side hustle income goals eventually changes how you think about six figures and long-term growth.
This was a snapshot of what was working for me at the time. The tactics have changed, but the principles haven’t.
Jason Butler is the owner of My Money Chronicles, a website where he discusses personal finance, side hustles, travel, and more. Jason is from Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Savannah State University with his BA in Marketing. Jason has been featured in Forbes, Discover, and Investopedia.
