Most people start searching for a side hustle because something in life forces their hand. Bills pile up. A new baby is on the way. A second or third job starts to feel impossible. That’s exactly where I was when I started trying to make money online—not because I wanted a flashy lifestyle, but because I needed a better way to make ends meet.
When my wife and I found out we were having twins, the pressure became real. I didn’t have the option to work more hours outside the house. I needed something flexible, something I could do after the kids went to bed, and something that didn’t rely on unstable platforms or viral luck. That’s when I stumbled into a side hustle that, surprisingly, still works today.
What makes this story different is that it didn’t start with ads, social media, or expensive software. It started with something almost anyone can get for free: a library card. In this post, I’m going to walk you through how I used free library tools to find real businesses with real problems—and how I turned that into a repeatable, platform-proof income stream that paid me anywhere from a few hundred dollars to as much as $2,500 per client.
This isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a practical breakdown of how to think differently about side hustles, how to spot opportunity where most people don’t look, and how to adapt a simple framework to your existing skills.
Why Most Side Hustles Fail (and Why I Avoid Platform-Based Income)
Before we get into the mechanics, it’s important to understand the philosophy behind this side hustle. I don’t believe in building income that depends entirely on platforms like YouTube AdSense, TikTok Shop, or any single social network. Those systems can change overnight. Accounts get demonetized. Algorithms shift. Income disappears.
That’s why I focus on what I call platform-proof income—ways to make money that don’t rely on views, followers, or trends. A strong side hustle should:
- Solve a real problem for real people
- Be independent of algorithm changes
- Work whether or not you post content
- Scale through systems, templates, or referrals
The side hustle you’re about to read about checks all of those boxes. It works because businesses will always need customers, visibility, and better systems. And as long as you can help with one of those problems, you can get paid.
The Unexpected Side Hustle Tool: Your Local Library
When most people think of the library, they think of books. What they don’t realize is that many libraries give you free access to powerful business databases—tools that marketers and corporations often pay thousands of dollars per year to use.
One of those tools is ReferenceUSA (now often branded as Data Axle, depending on the library). With a free library card, I gained access to a database of over 117 million businesses across the United States.
This changed everything.
Instead of guessing who might need help, scraping websites, or cold-calling blindly, I could search businesses by:
- Location (city, county, state)
- Industry (dentists, plumbers, accountants, etc.)
- Business size
- Number of employees
- Website status
- Contact information
In other words, I could see opportunity on demand.
How I First Used This Side Hustle Idea (and Why It Worked)
Originally, I didn’t even plan to turn this into a side hustle. I wanted to build a local directory for the city I lived in—Kenosha, Wisconsin. It’s a tourist stop between major destinations, and I thought a directory of restaurants, hotels, and attractions would be useful.
My first thought was to scrape websites or manually gather information. That would have taken forever. So I went to my local library and asked a simple question:
“Is there a way to get a list of businesses in my city?”
The librarian smiled and said, “I can do you one better.”
That’s when I learned about ReferenceUSA.
Within minutes, I had access to thousands of businesses in my local area. But the real insight came when I noticed something important: many of these businesses didn’t have websites—or had broken, outdated ones.
That’s when the side hustle clicked.
Spotting the Real Opportunity: Businesses with Problems
Most small businesses don’t wake up thinking about websites, automation, or CRMs. They’re busy running their business. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need those things.
Using the library database, I could:
- Filter businesses by industry (for example, dentists)
- See how many existed in one city
- Check which ones had websites
- Identify broken or outdated sites
In Kenosha alone, I found over 7,000 businesses. When I narrowed it down to dentists, there were around 185. Many of them either had no website or one that looked like it hadn’t been updated in years.
That’s where the opportunity lives.
A business with an ugly or broken website already understands the value of being online—but they’re not maintaining it. That makes them far easier to sell to than someone who has no online presence at all.
What I Actually Sold (and How I Charged Up to $2,500)
My initial offer was simple: a five-page WordPress website.
Nothing fancy.
- Home page
- About page
- Services page
- Contact page
- One additional custom page
At first, I undercharged. I sold these sites for about $300 just to build confidence and validate the idea. Over time, as I got better and realized the value I was providing, I raised my prices—eventually charging as much as $2,500 per website.
Why were businesses willing to pay that?
Because I wasn’t selling a website. I was selling more customers, credibility, and convenience.
Most business owners don’t care what technology you use. They don’t care if it’s WordPress, React, or something else. They care about results.
💡 Quick CTA
💡 Want to build platform-proof income without relying on algorithms or viral content?
👉 Join my free training where I break down simple, repeatable income systems that work even if social media disappears.
Using Templates to Work Faster (and Scale the Side Hustle)
One of the reasons this side hustle worked so well is that I didn’t start from scratch every time. Instead, I used WordPress themes as templates.
Sites like ThemeForest have industry-specific themes for:
- Dentists
- Plumbers
- Accountants
- Chiropractors
- Contractors
Once I picked a niche, I could reuse the same theme over and over—changing images, text, and colors to fit each business. That meant I could build a full site in just a few hours, often working late at night after the kids went to bed.
This is a critical lesson for anyone trying to make money online: templates equal leverage.
What If You Don’t Know How to Build Websites?
Here’s the part most people miss: you don’t have to do the work yourself.
If you can sell, you can run this side hustle.
I showed in the video how you can hire WordPress developers on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr for as little as $7–$20 per hour. You pay them to build the site, then charge the client $500–$2,500.
The difference is your profit.
Your real skill isn’t web design—it’s sales and problem-solving.
Turning One-Time Jobs into Recurring Income
The real power of this side hustle comes when you add recurring services. After building the site, I’d offer:
- Hosting
- Maintenance
- Updates
- Automation
- Chatbots
- CRM setup
Even a $50/month maintenance fee adds up quickly. Multiply that by 10–20 clients, and you’ve built a predictable income stream that doesn’t depend on posting content every day.
This is how you turn a side hustle into a real business.
Adapting This Side Hustle to Your Skill Set
The biggest mistake people make is thinking, “This only works if I build websites.”
That’s not true.
The real framework is simple:
- Use free or cheap tools to identify businesses
- Find a clear problem
- Offer a solution
- Charge based on value, not effort
You could adapt this to:
- Facebook ads management
- Chatbot setup
- CRM migration
- Local services (window washing, landscaping, etc.)
- Automation and AI tools
The library database just helps you find the opportunity faster.
Final Thoughts: Why This Side Hustle Still Works Today
This side hustle worked years ago. It works today. And it will continue to work as long as businesses exist.
The tools may change. The platforms may change. But the fundamentals don’t.
If you’re serious about finding a side hustle that doesn’t rely on luck, trends, or algorithms, start looking for problems instead of platforms. Start thinking in terms of value, not effort.
And most importantly—take action. Information doesn’t pay. Execution does.