Side hustles for salespeople that use what you already do
The side work that pays soonest for a salesperson is usually selling, or teaching someone else to sell. Booking meetings, writing outreach, setting up a CRM and training a small team are all things small businesses need and rarely have in house. Freelance sales and commission-only side work can fit around a full-time quota if you pick clients carefully.
Before you start, check your employment agreement for non-compete, non-solicit and outside-work clauses, and never sell to your employer's customers or competitors on the side. Be careful with anything that asks you to pay first: the FTC says honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
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$104,920 a year
Median pay, technical and scientific sales reps, May 2025
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook$72,080 a year
Median pay, other wholesale and manufacturing reps, May 2025
BLS Occupational Outlook HandbookSide work that uses a sales background
Freelance appointment setting or fractional SDR
Book meetings for a founder or a small company that cannot justify a full-time SDR. You run the outreach a few hours a week and hand over qualified meetings. Suits SDRs and BDRs who already know how to build a list and write a sequence.
- What it takes
- Low. You may need your own tools for email and data, or the client provides them. Agree in writing whether you are paid per hour, per meeting or on commission.
- First step
- Write down three kinds of company outside your employer's market that you could book meetings for, and the offer you would pitch each one.
Sales training for small businesses
Teach owners and their first hires how to run a sales call, follow up and keep a simple pipeline. Many small businesses have nobody who has ever sold for a living. Suits reps who already onboard new hires or write the talk tracks their team uses.
- What it takes
- Almost nothing to start. A short workshop outline and one or two practice role plays make the offer concrete.
- First step
- Draft a 90 minute workshop outline on one topic, such as following up on quotes, and offer it to a local business group.
Referral partnerships
Agree a referral fee with a business whose customers you meet anyway, and send them introductions. It is the lowest-effort option here, and it only works with companies that do not compete with or sell to your employer's accounts.
- What it takes
- No startup cost. Get the fee and when it is paid in writing before you send the first introduction.
- First step
- List the vendors your prospects ask you to recommend, and ask one of them whether they run a referral program.
Writing sales emails and copy
Write cold email sequences, follow-up templates, sales pages and one-pagers for small companies. You know which lines get replies because you have sent thousands of emails. Suits reps who enjoy the writing part of outreach.
- What it takes
- A few samples. Rewrite two or three real sequences you have seen and show the before and after.
- First step
- Take a cold email you received this month and rewrite it the way you would send it, as your first portfolio piece.
Selling a product you believe in
Take on a commission-only line from a company whose product you would buy yourself, selling to buyers outside your day job's market. Check how and when commission is paid, and walk away from any program that charges you to join, asks you to buy inventory, or pays you mainly for recruiting other sellers.
- What it takes
- Should be close to zero. A required upfront fee or starter kit is a warning sign.
- First step
- Ask the company for its commission terms in writing and speak to two people who already sell for it.
CRM setup and cleanup consulting
Set up or clean up HubSpot, Salesforce or a simpler CRM for small teams: pipeline stages, fields, basic reports and a short handover. Many owners buy a CRM and never set it up. Suits reps who are the unofficial CRM fixer on their team.
- What it takes
- Time to learn the admin side of one CRM well. Free training from the vendor is usually enough to start.
- First step
- Write a one-page checklist of how you would set up a pipeline for a five-person sales team.
Sample conversation
How a conversation with Carmen starts
Carmen asks before she suggests. An illustrative example, not a real person.
I'm an AE and I want extra money without it turning into a second full-time job.
That is doable. Before anything else, does your offer letter or employee handbook say anything about outside work or non-solicit?
I think there's a non-solicit, but I haven't read it since I signed.
Read it this week, so we pick something that stays clear of your accounts. Meanwhile, which do you enjoy more: booking the meeting, or teaching someone else how to?
Work it out with Carmen, free
30 free minutes with Carmen and the team. No card needed.
Questions & answers
- What is the easiest side hustle for a salesperson?
- Referral partnerships and freelance appointment setting usually start fastest, because they use the work you already do every day. Training and CRM consulting take a little more preparation and can pay more per hour once you have one client.
- Can I do freelance sales while I have a full-time sales job?
- Often yes, but check your employment agreement for non-compete, non-solicit and outside-work clauses first. Stay away from your employer's customers, prospects and competitors, and keep side work off company time and equipment.
- Is commission-only side work worth it?
- It can be, if the product is one you trust, the terms are in writing and you are paid only for what you sell, with nothing earned for recruiting other sellers. Be wary of anything that asks you to pay to join. The FTC says honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job.
- How much can a salesperson make on the side?
- It varies too much to give an honest number. Price one offer, sell it to one client, and compare what it earns per hour with the hours it costs you.
More for sales reps
Start or grow a business
Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives
- Federal Trade Commission: Job Scams
Last checked September 29, 2026.