The best side businesses

Getty ImagesEarlier this week I wrote about how to find the perfect part-time work to fit your life and I recommended considering something entrepreneurial rather than a job since it would provide more flexibility. And as if the blogosphere were listening, soon after that, I discovered this excellent post, 50 Side Businesses You Can Start on Your Own, by Trent Lamm, the author of 365 Ways to Live on the Cheap. (Actually, Lifehacker discovered it first.)

Clearly, Trent is a man who likes lists.

And I like this list for several reasons. Many of his ideas are the kinds of businesses that grow out of hobbies (e.g. antique refurbishment, auto detailing, cake decorating), and if you're working on a side business, you'll dedicate more time to it if it dovetails with your natural interests. Also, many of these ideas have low or no start-up costs, which makes them fairly low-risk. Finally, they are the kinds of businesses that can start out as experiments and expand into something bigger.

Check out the list for yourself. Do you have a successful side business that works well in your life, a side business that bloomed into a full-time career, or side business idea that Trent left out?