--- title: "Side Hustle Ideas: Paid Calls in Your Spare Hours" url: https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/side-hustle/ language: en publisher: Premiums Only LLC (the company behind hello.fan and store.fan) updated: 2026-10-20 --- - [Home](https://thebestplatform.com/) - [Make money online](https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/) - Side hustle Side hustle # A side hustle that fits around your day job The hard part of a side hustle is rarely the idea. It's finding something that fits into tired evenings and free weekends without taking them over. Quick answerA good side hustle uses a skill you already have and fits the hours you actually have free. On hello.fan, which we make, you take paid live calls only during the working hours you set, at a per-minute price you choose, and keep up to 70% of what fans pay. There's nothing to make in advance, and earnings depend on your price and the calls you take. [Create your free page](https://hello.fan/login?creator=1&utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=kw-make-money-side-hustle&utm_content=body)[Earnings calculator](https://thebestplatform.com/hello-fan/creators/#calculator) **Only the hours you set** Working hours switch you online and offline automatically, so calls never spill into your day job. **Nothing to prepare** No stock, no recorded course and no client brief: you sell live conversation, one person at a time. **Short calls still count** Billing is per started 15 seconds, so a quick ten-minute question is worth taking. **Add products later** A store.fan shop can sell guides or coaching too, and a paid plan lifts your call share to 70%. ## What makes a good side hustle? Most side hustle ideas fail for the same reason: they need more time than you have. Before you pick one, check it against three questions. - **Does it use something you already know?** Learning a brand-new skill and selling it at the same time doubles the work. - **Can you stop and start?** A side hustle has to survive a busy month at your main job without collapsing. - **Who sets the price?** If an app sets your rate, your only lever is working longer. Live calls do well on all three. If you can teach a chord progression, review a cover letter, explain algebra or hold a friendly conversation in another language, that's already a service. You decide the price and the hours, and a quiet week costs you nothing but the time you set aside. Live calls aren't the only option, and further down we're clear about when something else fits better. For the wider picture, see our overview of how to [make money online](https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/). ## Why are paid calls one of the easier online side hustles to start? Many online side hustles involve building something first: a shop with stock, a channel with an audience big enough for ads, or a portfolio to win freelance clients. Paid calls skip most of that. Your page is the product, and the first call can happen as soon as someone wants to talk. On hello.fan you set a per-minute price for video, voice and chat, from 50 to 5,000 credits a minute, where 100 credits equal $1. Fans pay per started 15 seconds, only while you're both connected, and ringing is free for them. You keep 60% of what they pay, or 70% when your page links to a store.fan shop on a paid plan. Opening a creator page is free and has no monthly fee, so testing the idea costs you an evening, not money. Try a price, see who calls, and adjust. The [earnings calculator](https://thebestplatform.com/hello-fan/creators/#calculator) lets you play with prices and minutes before you start. ## How do you fit a side hustle around a full-time job? Set your working hours on hello.fan to match the time you really have, perhaps two weeknight evenings and a Saturday morning, and the platform switches you online and offline for you. Outside those hours, nobody can ring you live. A few habits help it stay a side hustle rather than a second job: - **Let regulars book.** Booked sessions inside your hours are paid up front, and weekly sessions repeat at the same time every week, so you know what's coming. - **Let fans follow you.** Fans who heart your page get an alert when you come online, so you don't need to announce every session. - **Keep offline messages short.** An Icebreaker is a one-line hello for 10 credits, and a Super Hello is a gift with a private note. Each gets one reply, which you can send when it suits you. Check your employment contract for rules on outside work before you start. If your free time is mostly spent on your phone, our guide to [making money from your phone](https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/from-your-phone/) covers that setup. ## When is a different side hustle a better fit? Paid calls aren't right for everyone, and it's better to know that before you spend your evenings on them. - **If you don't enjoy talking live,** selling products you make once fits better. A [store.fan](https://thebestplatform.com/store-fan/) shop can sell downloads, templates and courses from your link, starting on Free Plus at $0 a month, where store.fan keeps 30% of each sale. - **If you want physical, offline work,** local gig and delivery apps pay for tasks and trips, though the app usually sets the rate. - **If you have a craft skill like design or code,** freelance marketplaces suit longer projects better than live calls. You can also combine two of these. You might sell a practice plan on store.fan and offer live check-ins on hello.fan, and a store.fan shop on a paid plan that links to hello.fan raises your call share from 60% to 70%. Whatever mix you choose, nothing is guaranteed: what you earn depends on your price and the calls you take. Example: 3 evenings a week with 4 calls each, 10 minutes per call, at 100 credits a minute = 12 calls and 120 minutes = 12,000 credits = $120 paid by fans. You keep $72 at 60%, or $84 at 70% with a linked store.fan shop on a paid plan. That's an illustration, not a promise: what you earn depends on your price and the calls you take. ## Paid calls vs gig apps as a side hustle | hello.fan | Gig and delivery apps | **Who sets the rate** | You choose your per-minute price | Usually the app | **Where you work** | Anywhere with a phone or computer | Usually out and about locally | **When you work** | During the working hours you set | When you accept tasks or shifts | **What you sell** | Your knowledge and conversation | Your time and travel for tasks | **Start-up cost** | A free creator page, no monthly fee | Depends on the app; some need a vehicle | ## How to start - **Pick your skill.** Choose one thing people already ask you about, so there's nothing new to learn first. - **Block out your hours.** Open a free hello.fan creator page and set working hours that fit around your main job. - **Price, share, adjust.** Set per-minute prices, share your link, and revisit them after a few weeks of real calls. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best side hustle to start? The best side hustle uses a skill you already have and fits your free hours. Paid live calls on hello.fan suit people who enjoy talking and teaching; selling products on store.fan suits people who would rather make something once and sell it many times. ### How many hours a week does it take? As many as you choose. You set your working hours, and hello.fan only shows you online during them. You might start with a couple of evenings a week and adjust from there; what you earn depends on your price and the calls you take in that time. ### Do I need a following to start? It helps but isn't required. Fans can browse who is online on hello.fan and choose whom to call, so people can find you there. Sharing your link with people who already know you gives them an easy way to call you too. ### Is my phone number shared with callers? No. Your phone number stays private, nothing is recorded, and block and report are in every call. hello.fan is 18+ only with no adult content, ever, and creators can get a Verified badge after an ID check. ### Which online side hustles need no money up front? Paid calls on hello.fan start with a free page and no monthly fee, and store.fan's Free Plus plan is $0 a month, with store.fan keeping 30% of each sale. Survey and reward apps are also free to join, though they usually pay little for your time. Published by Premiums Only LLC, the company behind hello.fan and store.fan. We recommend our own platforms — and say when another kind of tool fits you better. [How we write](https://thebestplatform.com/about/). ### Get paid on hello.fan - Free page, no monthly fee - Your own price per minute - Keep up to 70% - Payouts via Stripe from $100 - Works from your phone [Create your free page](https://hello.fan/login?creator=1&utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=kw-make-money-side-hustle&utm_content=body) ### Related - [How to make money online, honestly](https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/) - [Make money from your phone with live calls](https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/from-your-phone/) - [Get paid to chat online, by the minute](https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/get-paid-to-chat/) - [Make money from home on your own schedule](https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/from-home/) Side hustle ## Your time, your price. Make a free hello.fan page in a minute or two and keep up to 70%. [Create your free page](https://hello.fan/login?creator=1&utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=kw-make-money-side-hustle&utm_content=body)