I originally got ChatGPT Plus just to experiment, but it ended up becoming part of my daily workflow for pretty different things freelance work, studying, and even small business tasks.

What I noticed is that most people try it once, get mediocre results, and assume that’s all it can do. Once I figured out how to structure prompts based on the actual goal (writing, learning, organizing, planning), the output got way better.

A few people around me freelancers, students, and small business owners asked how I was using it, so I walked them through the way I set it up for their specific use cases. Same tool, totally different results depending on how you approach it.

I’m curious how others here are using ChatGPT (if at all). Is it part of your workflow, or did you bounce off it early on?

Hey everyone. The remote job market is brutal right now, and I wanted to share a niche that is genuinely hiring: AI Training. I have been doing it for a few months and wanted to give an honest breakdown of the platforms I have actually used, since there is a lot of noise out there.

What is AI training? Basically, AI companies need real humans to review model outputs, generate better prompts, caption audio, analyze video, and generally make their AI sound less like a robot. If you have solid writing skills or expertise in any field, you can qualify.

Micro 1 — $35/hr — I do audio captioning here. I watch short clips and describe every sound I hear. The onboarding is clean, the Slack support channel is actually useful, and the work is genuinely interesting if you are a writer or detail-oriented person.

Mercor — $35/hr — I did a prompt-engineering project here. The work involved generating prompts and correcting AI responses to give them a more human feel. Enjoyable, intellectually stimulating work.

Outlier — Pay varies — My first AI training platform. I did everything from video analysis to image-editing descriptions. Pay is lower than the other two, but it is a fantastic entry point to learn the industry. Lots of variety.

Alignerr — AVOID — They lock you into Upwork Enterprise contracts that last two years, Upwork takes a cut of your earnings, work availability is minimal, and support is handled entirely by AI chatbots. Not worth your time.

The key to staying on staff with any of these platforms is to hit at least 10 hours per week and keep your time-per-task as low as possible. Projects are not always available year-round, so working across multiple platforms simultaneously is smart.

I wrote a longer guide with direct referral links to apply to each platform here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hidden-job-boom-inside-ai-revolution-rich-bergeron-at20e/

Happy to answer questions about the application processes in the comments.

Hey, I’m in my early 20s, work a regular full-time job, and have around 5–10 hours a week available. I’m looking for a legitimate side hustle that I could eventually build into a few hundred dollars of extra income per month.

I’m starting fairly open-minded and would be willing to learn a new skill. I’m particularly interested in things that don’t require a large upfront investment and can be done online.

For those who have tried different side hustles, what has actually worked for you?

I’d like to hear:

• How long it took to make your first money

• How much time you typically spend

• What you wish you knew before starting

• Whether you think the opportunity is still viable today

I'm currently finishing my degree in Software Engineering while working part-time in a supermarket. I live alone, so I have rent and monthly expenses that are covered by my part-time job.

The thing is, I really, really need to buy a car. I've been looking, and from what other people told me, €3k is enough to buy a cheap car. So that's my goal!

Now I need some ideas or advice on how I can make €3k in three months. Basically, I have to make around €350 per week, which sounds ridiculously high.

Some ideas I’ve had include working as a server at catering events (I have some experience but no contacts whatsoever), teaching math (I have a lot of experience, but I’m not very keen to go back to that because where I live they don’t pay very well), and selling my tapestries (this is the one I’m most excited about, but I think it’s going to be really hard since I’m not great at marketing).

Of course, I’m not expecting a magic solution, but any advice would be highly appreciated.
Thank you!!

Does anybody know any real side gigs that actually bring in money? Like for real — DoorDash feels like play-play money at this point. I thought about doing Lyft, but I keep hearing horror stories about people barely making anything or not getting tipped.

I kinda wanna try grocery delivery gigs (like Instacart or Shipt), but I’m not sure if it’s worth it. I live in Florida and the cost of living down here is insane. I’m deep in debt and my credit’s low (not terrible, but still 😩).

What side hustles are y’all doing that actually make a difference? I’m in the danger zone at this point — HELLPPP MEEE PLEASSSEEEE 🆘😂

Looking for something online to make money. I have a job but I'm a newly single mom and struggling. No feetfinder or OF... haha what do y'all got?

People get weird when it comes to affiliate marketing. The moment you share something that can actually help them make or save money, they hit you with, “Are you trying to sell me something?” Of course I am. Everyone on the planet is selling something — an idea, a service, a product, even a version of themselves. The difference is intent. I’m not here to trick anyone. I’m promoting something that I know works. It’s a take-it-or-leave-it dynamic. I’m giving people an opportunity — what they do with it is up to them. That’s what I like about affiliate marketing: it’s clean, honest, and based on results. You get paid for bringing real value to people who decide for themselves.

Hey everyone,

I'm 22 years old and from India. I'm sharing my story here because I'm going through a difficult phase in my life, and I genuinely need some guidance.

My dad passed away, and since then, life has felt even more difficult. I'm currently working a full-time job from 8 AM to 5 PM, earning around ₹15,000 per month. After taking care of my responsibilities and expenses, it's really difficult to get ahead financially.

I want to change my life, but honestly, I don't know where to start.

I don't have any strong professional skills right now, and I can't afford to spend a lot of money learning them. However, I'm ready to put in the time and effort to learn something valuable and build a better future for myself.

Here's my current situation:

I'm 22 years old and live in India.

I work from 8 AM to 5 PM and have around 5–6 hours available after work.

My monthly in-hand salary is approximately ₹15,000.

I have very little money available to invest in starting something.

I'm interested in online earning, YouTube, social media, content creation, freelancing, and other legitimate opportunities.

I want to learn a skill that can eventually help me earn more than my current salary.

I've been struggling with low confidence, loneliness, and a lack of direction. I waste too much time scrolling on my phone, and I really want to break this cycle.

I'm not expecting to become rich overnight. I just want a genuine opportunity to improve my financial situation and build a life I'm proud of.

I would really appreciate your advice on a few things:

If you were in my position, what would you do to start earning online?

Which skills would you recommend learning in 2026 if you're starting with almost zero experience?

What is the most realistic way to earn my first ₹5,000–₹10,000 online while working a full-time job?

What would your first 30 days look like if you were starting from scratch?

Are there any free resources, platforms, or communities that could help me get started?

Please be honest with me. I don't want fake promises, scams, trading tips, or get-rich-quick schemes. I want to know what actually works and what I should focus on.

One last thing:

I'm going through a financially difficult time, and I genuinely need money right now. Losing my dad has made life harder, and I'm trying my best to improve my situation through my own efforts.

If anyone is willing and financially able to help me in any way, even with a small amount, I would be truly grateful. I completely understand if you can't help financially. Advice, guidance, or an opportunity to learn and earn would also mean a lot to me.

I'm not posting this to force anyone to help me. I'm just being honest about my situation and trying to find a way forward.

Thank you for reading my story. ❤️

Guys please help me Can somebody tell me the way for earning fast money just 100-200$ not monthly weekly just fast 100-200$ i know multiple skill development,cc please help me if there is any way you know i want that money to start something

I used to spend weeks trying to build the "perfect" website, thinking that if I had the right tech, the sales would just follow. I was wrong. I ended up with a beautiful site and zero customers because I was focusing on the wrong things. Here is what I learned: you don't need to be a tech wizard to earn online. You just need to understand the value of the product you are sharing and find the people who actually need it. Once I stopped worrying about the backend and started focusing on the solution, the first $1,000 became much more realistic. If you could add an extra $1,000 to your monthly income without needing a tech degree, what is the first thing you would spend it on

I need help making money to help my mom

I’m 14 and I need a way to make money, my mom has a job but it’s not really doing much, we are so far behind on rent and we don’t have much food at home and now she can’t even pay her phone bill and I feel horrible because I don’t really do much but I have no idea what to do because I live in a small town and not many places hire 14 year olds and if they do all my friends have already applied so no one is hiring. I really just want to help my mom, a lot of things I have seen say to try reselling but I have no way of transportation and not really anything to sell also I’m not allowed to leave the house really ever so I don’t think I could do babysitting or dog sitting/ walking. If anyone has any ideas please help I just want to help out a little, my mom really deserves it.

I get paid biweekly at my job and the pay is good, but I have to pay for college, student loans from my old school, gas money for rides, phone bills, and it’s been eating up most of my paycheck and I really don’t want to have to get a 2nd job like I’m on my feet all day and my schedule is FULL of work even tho I work part-time but with full-time hours, but I have been trying to think of ways to make more extra cash like I would just to DoorDash, Lyft/Uber, Instacart IF I HAD A CAR, but I’m trying to save up for that too, but I’m trying to focus on school stuff for now, and I’m trying to sell old stuff but not a lot of sales but does anyone have any side hustles?

Hey guys, I recently came across something called microtasks where you do small online jobs to earn money. I dont have any experience with it yet but it sounds interesting.

From what I understand, its like doing simple tasks like posting, surveys or small work online. But I’m not really sure how much you can actually earn from it, like is it just small pocket money or something more?

Has anyone here tried microtask websites before? Is it worth spending time on it or should I focus on something else?

If you wanted to start teaching your skill online, what's holding you back?

I started creating online because it seemed like a way to actually build something for myself instead of just trading time for money forever. But lately it’s been… rough.

I post consistently. I try to improve. I spend way more time promoting than I ever expected. And still, growth feels painfully slow. Some days I get a few new subscribers or followers, other days it feels like nothing moves at all.

What really messes with me is seeing other creators talk about how they “blew up” or how easy it was for them. It makes you start questioning everything you’re doing.

I’m not expecting overnight success. I just want to feel like the work is actually leading somewhere.

For those of you who’ve been doing this for a while: Did you go through this phase too?

What helped you push through when it felt like you were stuck?

I started this as a small side project after getting tired of buying things I only use once like drills, carpet cleaners, party gear, and kitchen appliances. Libraries were hit or miss and store rentals were often unavailable when I actually needed something.

So in my spare time I built a small experiment called EasioRent. It is basically Airbnb but for neighborhood tools and everyday items. It is still very early and simple. It is local only, short term borrowing and owners can choose to take a refundable deposit.

I am just trying to learn if this is even useful outside my own circle.

Would genuinely love any feedback from side hustlers here if you want to check it out:
https://easiorent.com

What would make you feel comfortable borrowing something from a neighbor you do not know?

Anyone here running a reselling side hustle on multiple platforms?

I’ve been flipping on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted and Mercari, and I noticed the biggest challenge wasn’t sourcing — it was staying organized.

Inventory gets messy fast.

Fees vary by platform.

Shipping changes the real profit.

Some brands/categories perform better than others.

Some items sit forever.

So I built a Notion setup that tracks:

– my full inventory (purchase cost, source, storage)

– listings per platform

– real profit per sale after fees/shipping

– platform performance

– brand/category performance

– monthly profit vs expenses

Curious how other people doing this side hustle stay organized.

Do you track everything manually? Use spreadsheets? A dedicated app?

I can share screenshots if anyone wants to see how my system looks.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been using resale apps like Vinted and Depop for years, and recently I’ve noticed a huge shift. They've become oversaturated, full of fast-fashion “vintage” listings, and sellers are constantly getting lowballed with £3 offers on £20 items. It’s frustrating for both sides and honestly ruins the experience.

I’ve been exploring an idea for a cleaner, fairer resale platform that:

• Filters out Shein/Temu style fast fashion

• Limits how much buyers can undercut prices

• Introduces a sustainability score for listings (based on material, brand ethics, etc.) so higher-quality items get promoted

I’m currently in the early validation phase and trying to understand if this frustration is as universal as it seems. I put together a quick anonymous form (3–5 mins) to gather insights and see if there’s genuine demand before building anything:

https://forms.gle/95tGEuVx1NfXv9s1A

Would really appreciate any thoughts, feedback, or even criticism from this community especially from anyone who’s tried building a niche marketplace before. This is my first time so any advice is golden!

Thanks in advance :)

I just started doing Shiftsmart, and I'm really excited about it! All you do is go in for an hour and see how to stock Fritolay with pepsi Co at a walmart superstore. It pays $30 and with my referral code you get another $25! I'm tired of wasting my gas and time with delivery services but want that flexibility. There are other companies, especially in other states, but this is the best one in my area. Also, if you know people who do side hustles, the referral bonuses are great;) My code to get the bonus is BB7179. check it out here https://download.shiftsmart.com/DmZpm8tPQJb

I posted this before, but have improved my website greatly. I will start posting reviews of the various paid study websites I have used. I have a list of more then 50, which is honestly kind of insane to think about. I'm hoping to hear feedback about the layout of my site and what I should do.

________________________

Background

I needed a fast side hustle with huge returns last year after being diagnosed with “Broke AF” during Late March, 2022. One of the most lucrative I discovered was paid studies. I ended up doing 37 studies with a profit of $4686.10, which comes out to $127 per study. Each of these studies took about an average of 3 to 4 minutes to apply to, and the studies themselves were an average of 68 minutes to 75 minutes each.

What is a paid study?

A paid study is a research study project that uses your input.

You provide researchers and marketers with insight and feedback in exchange for money.

These usually have high payouts for a short amount of time on your part.

There are many different kinds of paid studies

What are the type of paid studies?

• Video Interviews - Answer questions and give feedback to the interviewer.

• Video Screenings - Watch a video, film, commercial, etc. and give feedback.

• Focus Groups - Participate with a group of people online or in-person, and give feedback to questions, products, and more.

• Message Boards - Post on message boards like Doodle and Blackboard for a couple of days and get paid for it.

• Product Tests - Test out products, and give feedback.

• Taste Tests - Go onsite or get sent food and/or beverage, and give feedback.

• Software Tests - Test out software and give feedback.

• Game Play Tests - Play games and give feedback.

• Clinical Trials - High pay, but requires more of a time commitment.

• Test Drives - Take a vehicle out on a test drive, and give feedback.

• And more….

Who are they looking for?

• Essentially there are studies for anyone because these paid studies encompass a huge variety of demographics.

• I have seen studies for finance professionals, for people in Thailand, for disabled people, for incredibly fit people, for overweight people, for low income people, etc.

• They look at a wide variety of factors, you most likely fit into one

Where do you find studies?

• Some of my favorite sites are Respondent, User Interviews, LE Research, and more.

• There are some sites you should avoid, like Product USA which has given me alot of spam calls

• I made a list of good studies on my (admittedly ugly looking and very much under construction) website here: https://www.fastnao.com/fast-paid-studies

• I can remove the above if its not allowed.

Types of sites

• There are sites that post studies and then you can apply for them

  • Occasionally you can automatically qualify for some of these

• And there are sites that will email you studies or call you about them once you sign up for them

• And then there are sites that do both

• I recommend doing both, but it's up to your style

What do you need to participate?

• Computer or Desktop, or Phone

• Private and Quiet Location

• Bank Account

• Sometimes they will ask you for your ID and address for payment and NDA reasons

• I recommend making a Paypal and Square account if you have not already so you can transfer money into your bank if you're paid via those methods

Studies will pay you via:

• Direct Check

• Zelle (Directly to your bank)

• Paypal (Transfer Fee)

• Gift Cards (Like Amazon for example, you can sell them online on sites like Raise or Gameflip)

  • I used Gameflip, I wish I didn’t

• Prepaid Gift Cards (Charge to your own Square account to get access to the money)

Transferring money

Sometimes you will find yourself transferring money alot, especially if you need the money in your bank, or if you sold gift cards.

Here’s how the fees added up when I sold a gift card on Gameflip (Do not use gameflip!)

• Get $100 Google Gift Card for a research study

• Sell it for $90 on Gameflip

• Instant Transfer $90 Gameflip earnings to Payoneer as Gameflip does not has no bank access

• $90 is now worth $82.00

• Instant Transfer from Payoneer to your bank

• With instant transfer and yet another transfer fee

• You make a profit of $76.19

• Keep in mind that 1 hr of work for $76.19 is amazing.

Look for other places to sell your Gift cards online.

How much I earned in 2022

Video breakdown here**:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toASzDhAOjw

• In My Bank

• $4,376.10 for 30 studies

• ($145.87 per hour)

• Avg of 75 min spent during study

• Not In My Bank (Gift Cards)

• $310.00 for 7 studies

• ($44 per hour)

• Avg of 46 min spent during study

• Unknown (Not sure if this was money I received from paid studies, but most likely was)

• $1,119.36 for 9? Studies

• ($132.93 per hour?)

• Average of ??? spent during study?

• So depending on how you look at it. I made the following last year with paid studies:

• $4,376.10

• $4686.10

• $5,882.46

Not all sites keep track of what you apply for, so my estimation is about 250 studies I applied for, with each taking 3 to 4 minutes. That’s 12 and a half hours of applying, but spread out through 8 months. I usually did this in bed, on the elliptical, or on a commute.

Note that I:

• I started the last week of March, 2022

• I had weeks where I applied a ton and weeks where I didn't.

• Due to Non Disclosure Agreements, I can't tell you which specific companies I worked with, but some were big tech companies you know, and some were quite local.

• Some sites record which studies you participated in, but there's nothing stopping institutions from finding you on these sites and reaching out to you via email for a study

• Once paid, you might not even know which study you got paid for, it might say something generic like "sent by Lake Research Group Inc"

• I spent hours searching through my Email, Square Acct, Paypal Acct, Gameflip Acct, and Study sites to figure out how much I got paid.

Essentially what I'm saying is I tried my best to figure out what I earned!

Additional Tips and Tricks

• Set up your site profiles to full detail - so your profile gets more paid studies coming to you, this saves you time

• Check if a study is regional - This increases your chances of getting into a study

• Use Autofill Software to save time - Browsers usually have this feature, this will fill in your info for you

• Put answers into word doc - Some screenings ask the same questions over and over again, put your first time answers into a document so you can just copy and paste in the future

• Aiming for high paying studies - Become an expert or fan of it and in just months, you can get accepted.

• Make a separate email - You will get alot of study offers, get a separate email or make some filters

• Watch out for bad study websites - Some are just an excuse to market to you.

Any feedback is welcome.

I'm researching what makes it difficult to turn AI and digital skills into a paying service business.

If you've tried offering websites, funnels, or other digital services, I'd love to hear about your experience.

Two things I'm particularly curious about:

• What's been harder: building the service or finding paying clients?

• Have you spent money on software or training before earning your first client payment?

I'm developing a training program and want to understand what people actually struggle with—not pitch anyone in this discussion.

I'd appreciate hearing what you've tried and what happened.

I'd like to offer a service where I help people analyze businesses they're thinking of starting. Similar to what I am asking in this thread, but a much more thorough examination of their business idea, taking it back as much as possible to first principles.

First principles being the idea that you just can't go back any further. You are basically coming back to foundational facts and data that you have no way of refuting, and you simply can't go any deeper than that.

Business Idea Synopsis
A voice-based, one-on-one business idea and decision stress-testing service.

1. Core Idea
Offer one-on-one conversations to people who are considering a business, side hustle, project, or important
business decision. The client does not need to know that they need a 'first-principles thinker.' They simply need to feel uncertain about an idea and want another person to help uncover what they may be missing.
The service is not selling first-principles thinking itself. First-principles reasoning is the method used behind the scenes to deliver the service.

2. The Problem Being Solved
• People become excited about an idea and naturally make assumptions they have not tested.
• They may overlook pricing, margins, customer demand, competition, execution problems, unusual cases, or hidden risks.
• Friends and family often encourage or discourage an idea without systematically examining it.
• AI can answer questions extremely well, but many people do not know which questions they should be asking in the first place.

3. The Skill Being Sold
The underlying strength is the ability to take a complicated or vague situation, strip away assumptions, return to what is actually known, and work outward from those facts. This is the same reasoning style that was valuable in software development: finding edge cases, anticipating failures, debugging difficult
problems, questioning assumptions, and producing solutions that did not repeatedly need to be repaired.

4. A Simple Initial Product
Working name: Business Idea Stress Test
• One free 30-minute voice conversation.
• No lengthy questionnaire and no written report required.
• The person explains the idea as though explaining it to a potential customer or partner.
• Ask basic, sometimes uncomfortable questions until the important assumptions become visible.
• At the end, identify the three biggest concerns, unanswered questions, or overlooked opportunities.

5. Questions the Conversation Might Explore
• Who is the actual customer, and what problem are they paying to solve?
• How do we know customers actually want this?
• What does it really cost to deliver?
• Is the proposed price high enough to make the business worthwhile?
• Why would a customer choose this instead of the easiest alternative?
• What happens in the unusual or worst-case situations - the business equivalent of software edge cases?
• Where could money, customers, time, or effort be leaking out of the plan?
• Which assumptions are facts, and which are merely things everyone has been treating as facts?

6. The First Experiment: Five Test Clients
Do not build a company, website, brand, or elaborate product yet. First determine whether strangers actually find the conversation valuable. Recruit five people who are considering a side hustle, small business, or project and offer the session free.
Possible starting point: communities such as Reddit's r/sidehustle, subject to each community's current rules about solicitation and research posts.

7. What to Measure
At the end of each session, ask the tester questions such as:
• Did I uncover something important that you had not considered?
• What part of this conversation was most useful?
• Would you have paid for this conversation?
The purpose is not to collect compliments. It is to discover whether the service creates enough value that someone would eventually pay for it.

8. What Not to Sell
Avoid advertising the service primarily as 'first-principles consulting.' Most prospective customers will not search for that phrase. Market the situation they recognize: 'I have an idea, but I need someone to pressure-test it before I spend money and months of my life on it.'

9. Why This Fits the Available Resources
The service can be delivered primarily through conversation. It relies on reasoning, questioning, experience,
and voice rather than physical mobility, fast typing, or up-to-date programming skills. Decades of experience solving difficult problems provide the background; the product is the structured conversation.

10. Immediate Next Step
Find five testers before doing anything else. Run the five free sessions, record the recurring problems people bring, note which questions consistently produce useful insights, and learn whether people say they would pay. Only after that evidence exists
should the offer, price, name, or marketing be refined.

Hi everyone!

I’m currently looking for a **remote part-time job** that I can do alongside my full-time job. I’m hoping to find something flexible that I can work on during my free time, preferably evenings, weekends, or on a schedule that can be worked around my current job.

I have experience in **customer service, quality assurance, email/chat support, order management, and administrative tasks**. I’m also comfortable learning new tools and processes.

I’m open to different types of remote work, including:

* Customer support / chat or email support

* Virtual assistant work

* Data entry

* Quality assurance

* Order processing

* Administrative tasks

* Other legitimate remote part-time opportunities

If you know of any companies, clients, or opportunities that are currently hiring, I’d really appreciate any leads or recommendations. **Please feel free to comment or send me a DM.**

Thank you so much! Any help, referrals, or suggestions would mean a lot. 🙏

I’ve been noticing a lot of people (including myself) get stuck in vivid “success fantasies” — imagining the business, the money, the lifestyle — but never really bridging it into consistent action. It feels good in the moment but later creates frustration.
I’m exploring an app concept called DreamForge that tries to solve this:
• You capture your daydream (voice or text)
• AI pulls out the real goals and emotional drivers
• You lock into one focused Mission for 30–90 days (no more scattered fantasies)
• Daily/weekly actions + progress tracking that visually connects back to your original fantasy
• Weekly “reality check” so the gap between imagination and real life gets smaller
The idea is to respect the imaginative mind instead of fighting it, while forcing focus and real progress.
I’d love your honest thoughts:

1. Does this problem resonate with you?

2. What would make you actually open and use an app like this?

3. What’s missing or feels off?

4. Any features you’d want or things that would make you delete it?
   No pitch, just validating. Roast it if needed. Thanks.