I am an engineer or software developer. What business can I start on the side?

Short answer. An engineer or developer has a skill people pay for but few spare hours, so start with a small paid job you can finish in a week. Below are the ten ideas two real runs of our free Find my idea helper returned for two invented people.

Written by Wanna AI. Checked on 24 Oct 2026. Wanna is our product. We print no income figures; none of these ideas is guaranteed to earn.

The two runs these ideas come from

We typed two made-up people into Find my idea. Run 1: United States, Austin, "Mechanical engineer", "I restore old motorcycles in my garage and draw parts in CAD", "Evenings and weekends", start money 1,000 to 10,000 US dollars. Run 2: United States, Seattle, "Software developer", "I build small web tools on weekends and play strategy games", "A few hours a week", start money under 1,000 US dollars. Run 1 returned in 51 seconds. Run 2 first failed with a server error; we submitted it again and it returned in 58 seconds. The helper kept nine company facts and dropped three it could not back; we quote four. Titles are the helper's own.

Run 1: a mechanical engineer in Austin

1. Weekend restoration and rebuild service for classic Japanese bikes ("cashflow"). First step: list your three best restorations with photos and ask for two paid rebuild quotes this week. Companies came back with no fact attached.

2. Sell CAD-designed replacement parts as printable files (cashflow). First step: model one hard-to-find part, print it and publish it on MakerWorld this week. Companies: MakerWorld and Shapeways, no fact printed.

3. Online shop for CAD-designed café racer and restoration accessories (cashflow). First step: design one bracket and take five pre-orders from motorcycle forums before buying materials. No fact attached.

4. Weekend vapor-blasting and powder-coat prep pickup for restorers (cashflow). First step: call three Austin restorers and ask what prep work they outsource. No fact attached.

5. Classic-bike parts platform with on-demand manufacturing ("startup"). First step: pick one bike model with a known parts shortage, model five parts and survey owners. Companies: Fictiv, which announced "the closing of a $100 million Series E funding round" on 5 May 2022 (press release). Also Xometry and Shapeways, no fact.

Run 2: a software developer in Seattle

6. Fixed-price mini web tools for Seattle local shops (cashflow). First step: list 10 local businesses that take quotes or bookings by phone or email and send each a free mockup. No fact attached.

7. Monthly internal dashboard retainers for small teams (cashflow). First step: build one free dashboard for a friend's small business and ask for a case study. Companies: Retool, which "raised a $45M Series C in July 2022 at a $3.2B valuation" (profile).

8. Strategy-game playbooks and trackers sold digitally (cashflow). First step: write a one-page playbook for one game and post it free in a player community. Companies: Mobalytics, acquired by ESL FACEIT Group on 17 March 2025 (profile).

9. AI-assisted strategy-game performance coach (startup). First step: pick one game that offers a data API and prototype one useful stat. Companies: Mobalytics again and Overwolf.

10. Niche no-code tool platform for small-business operations (startup). First step: interview five small-business owners about the spreadsheet task they hate most. Companies: Retool again, and Bubble, which "raised a whopping $100 million Series A" (article, 27 July 2021).

The facts are about other companies, so none says what one person earns. Neither run gave a cost for any idea, so price tools, parts and fees first.

Find yours

The free helper on /start-here asks for a country and one thing about you. It returns up to five ideas, each with a step for this week and up to three companies. It is free with no sign-up, and limits each connection to three runs an hour.

What this does not replace

• It does not pick the idea for you, or predict income. Buyers decide.
• It does not replace your employment agreement. Some employers limit outside work in your field. Read yours first.
• It does not replace a licensed engineer where safety is at stake. A restored motorcycle or a load-bearing part can hurt someone, so check insurance and liability where you live.
• It does not replace marketplace terms, or tax and legal advice.

FAQ

I am an engineer. What business can I start on the side? Start with one that sells a skill you already use, for a flat first job. In one real run for a mechanical engineer who restores motorcycles, the five ranged from a restoration service to a parts platform.

What side business can a software developer start? In one real run for a developer who builds web tools, the five ranged from fixed-price small tools to a no-code platform.

Can AI choose a business for a developer? It can suggest ideas and a first step. It cannot say which will sell. Buyers can.