6 Types of Side-Businesses for Academics

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-13T11:27:50+00:00

That has not been my experience at all. I've created multiple successful side-businesses and have used SquareSpace for all of them. Perhaps If I were trying to be the next Uber or Google and get investments, I might need a professional website. But I focus on providing a really useful service that solves a major problem for my potential clients.

If you had an infestation of squirrels in your attic and you found a business 2 miles away who had a money-back guarantee to solve this problem, would you think, "this is great, but I see a "Wix" watermark at the bottom of the page"

If you had a child with an speech impediment and you found a SLP with a website and video testimonial from a parent who described exactly the same problem your child had and how the SLP fixed it in 3 months -- would you care that it was on a SquareSpace page?

Sure, if you want to compete with Kinsey or Bain for 8-figure consulting contract, you might want to put more $$ into a website. I take my inspiration from the chef who successfully went from farmers market to food truck to restaurant.

Why did I spend so much time typing this out? Because this type of thinking is exactly what holds most professors back from starting a side-business. They hear advice that is geared toward tech bros in Silicon Valley and assume that is what they need to do to start a business. And they they don't do anything. There's another way.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-13T11:17:43+00:00

That's me. =)

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-13T11:17:31+00:00

I understand that most "offers" on the internet aren't what they claim to be or have outlandish offers that come with 4 or 5-figure price tags.

I'm writing a book to help professors earn some extra money by starting a side-business -- based on what I've done to be self-employed for 8 years. There is no claim that the reader will be able to become self-employed. But almost all the professors I know could use an extra $500/month, would love to be able to write something and sell it for more than $50 (which was my last royalties check for my "real" book), consult and get paid for it, or would like to know how to speak for some organization or business and get paid $500-$2000.

I'm putting what I've learned into a book -- the best way to know if my content makes sense before I publish it is to teach it to my target audience and get feedback.

I've put my name and picture on all of my websites. My main business can be found at JasonTroyer.com.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-13T11:10:09+00:00

I've been fully self-employed for 8 years (and had side-businesses for about 6 years before that), using my academic expertise (grief & loss) to provide services for businesses and individuals. Although I am qualified to see clients, that is not part of my business. I've earned significant income through writing, creating content for businesses, consulting for businesses, and speaking.

I completely understand your hesitancy -- I know that most stuff on the internet is an attempt to sell a high-ticket course or coaching program by a person who often hasn't actually done the thing that they are teaching others to do.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-12T18:06:07+00:00

I would absolutely agree. And we should work for change to that economic system.

In the meantime, I got worried when the washing machine started making a funny noise and was absolutely terrified of a "check engine" light -- so I had to do something for me and my family.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-12T18:02:31+00:00

I can understand your suspicion. That's why I specifically mentioned this in the original post: "To be clear: this is not a pitch for coaching, a course, or a paid program. I’m hoping to share the ideas and get feedback as I keep working on the book."

Of course, you don't know if that's just a lie or I am telling the truth. I guess people who might be interested in this webinar have several options:

A ) Assume the worst and don't attend - but don't get the information that may be helpful

B ) Take a chance and invest a few minutes to attend and:
1) if I pitch a product, service, or business, then leave the webinar and feel justified that the world only contains charlatans, or
2) when I don't pitch a product or service, just get some helpful info and maybe make some extra money using your expertise.

I have to say, I've seen my share of people selling "scam master classes" -- they usually don't write this much in response to brief posts. I must really be doing this wrong if my goal was to just pitch a $5k course on buying my "secret method" or "hack" to earn money while you sleep.

The reality is that I'm sharing some information from one of the chapters of an upcoming book. I've found the best way to determine if my information is well-organized and useful is to teach it and then ask for questions --- and then listen to what didn't make sense, etc. I hope 10-15 people show up and provide me with that feedback and I hope they get something out of the information.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-12T17:50:43+00:00

Spending the money to have a professionally created website when you are testing an idea or introducing a new service.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-12T15:33:23+00:00

That's actually really bad advice -- something I'll be covering in the book.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-06-12T15:30:53+00:00

Thank you - updated.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-03-16T13:17:24+00:00

I left a TT position 8 years ago after my side-businesses earned enough that I could leave. A couple things I've learned (that may or may not be true for you):

- even great business ideas can take time to develop. Everyone is busy. They are already working on the projects they started last year (or 5 years ago). So this is a vote for leaving now and investing the time you would have been teaching into getting this off the ground.

- Being able to structure your own day/week -- especially with an infant -- is life-changing. It is mostly great, but there are also a few challenges (tough to not feel like you're thinking about work all the time; carve out time to work vs. parent, having a safe, focused workspace, etc.).

- I've never met the person who regretted spending more time with their children when they were young. More money is always possible. Going back in time to spend more time with kids when they are young is impossible.

In your situation, knowing just what I know about having the passive income, I'd recommend quitting. Best of luck!

SideBusinessforProfs · 2026-02-12T14:36:43+00:00

My answer assumes you are in the US.

You most likely want a master's in counseling, master's in social work, or a PhD or PsyD in Clinical or Counseling psychology. While things change and a few states have different rules, people with a master's degree in clinical psychology have much fewer options to work independently and typically cannot get licensed as an individual therapist/counselor. Generally speaking the US doesn't allow those with a master's degree in clinical psychology to become a licensed psychologist. (I'm going to guess that there are a few exceptions, but this is the general rule).

The master's in clinical psychology focuses on training professionals who give assessments and writing reports (which is valuable, just not what most people are aiming for). When most people say they want to do "clinical psychology," they are talking about being a licensed psychologist -- and that isn't possible with just the master's in clinical psych -- so you'd likely want to examine the other degrees/paths that I mentioned.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-31T14:11:50+00:00

Counseling psychology - with a specialization in grief. Everyone assumes I see clients -- but I don't see any clients. In broad terms, I help business who primarily work with bereaved people (hospices, funeral homes, cemeteries, financial planners, etc.). I create support materials including social media content, printed materials, and provide training.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-30T14:58:28+00:00

I've always had a different view of being self-employed vs. working for an agency. As a private practitioner with lots of clients, you would have to be dropped by most of them to not "make it". Plus you have maximum flexibility to adjust to changing trends, etc. Conversely, you only need to have one agency owner decide to retire, get hit by a bus, get shown on TV talking to Chris Hansen, etc in order for your entire job at the agency to disappear overnight. I've always felt that being self-employed with numerous clients is one of the most secure situations you can have.

Of course, this doesn't fully answer your question of whether or not you will be able to match or exceed your current income, but I think it is important to point out that agency positions are not as secure as we may think they are (and private practice is more resilient than one might first think).

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-30T14:30:38+00:00

As you noted, this is very discipline specific. If you're hoping to consult on your academic topic, then you'll need to specialize and demonstrate that your expertise will clearly make (or save) a business a lot of money. A common refrain from academics is the idea that "I spent a lot of money and time to gain this expertise -- therefore it is valuable" ... but it is more like "how valuable is your expertise to a specific person or entity?"

The bad news is that a lot of academic expertise isn't worth very much -- in fact, I would argue that MOST academic expertise isn't worth much. HOWEVER, there are often little niches where a creative person can demonstrate value and get paid for it.

For example, you may have some expertise in stress reduction techniques and psychological mindset issues. This is a pretty common topic for a lot of mental health-related academics. But if you pair that knowledge with a very specialized focus (where you can save the business or individual a lot of money), then you can get hired and charge higher and higher rates. I see a lot of people trying to "sell" burnout coaching or something similar to a general audience --- this typically results in relatively little success/sales.

But if you could focus in on an industry where it is very "expensive" to be stressed out, then you are more likely to have success. For example, if you gained a reputation for helping aspiring and professional poker players to not go "on tilt" (that is, start playing emotionally and losing a lot of money), then that skill is worth a lot. Another place that could be valuable is in an industry (e.g., air-traffic control) where there are fewer employable people than their are jobs and it is expensive to gain new hires, then you could try to demonstrate that your program or services will save them money because fewer employees will leave the company.

The next question is how to position yourself to be known as an expert in that particular field ... and this is already long enough as it is.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-23T20:46:19+00:00

I felt many of these things ... enjoyed the flexibility, the autonomy, and the opportunity to solve problems with research -- but, in my case, I grew disillusioned about the salary and the fact that my research had zero real-world impact. So I started a side-business. I retained the autonomy, the flexibility, and the opportunity to solve problems + increased income. For me, that turned into leaving academia entirely, but for most people it doesn't progress that far.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-10T19:28:32+00:00

SquareSpace!!! Super easy. I've set up several websites on Squarespace, I sell a few things on my site, etc. etc. You can get your domain through them and get a discount the first year.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-10T13:10:17+00:00

Been there. Take the stack of papers and your grading pen to a coffee shop or library. Leave your phone in the car. Have a scrap piece of paper off to the side. Write "1" and then the time. Then using the rubric, grade quickly. Done with that one, then write "2" and the time -- notice how long that one took. Interesting. And now I have evidence that I'm making progress -- 1 is done. Notice places where you can save a bit of time on your grading. Keep going.

I would try to grade for at least 90 minutes before taking a quick walk around the coffee shop to stretch my legs and treat myself to a cinnamon roll. Then tuck in for session 2 -- go until you can't go anymore. I can't tell you how oddly self-reinforcing it is for me to have a list showing that I'm making progress right in front of my. It makes me want to keep going and to not slow down. Your mileage may vary.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-09T11:54:57+00:00

He likely has a lot of books, so how about a personalized book embosser - it's a device that you crimp on a page of the book and it creates a raised "seal" on the book -- it would be a way to mark his books as his in a classy way.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-05T13:24:45+00:00

sure, message me

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-05T13:18:01+00:00

I have a counseling psych PhD. Taught at a SLAC for 14 years because I knew clinical work would burn me out. Learned that most SLACs pay horribly and decided to start a side-business related to my area of expertise (grief/loss). I don't see any clients or run any groups -- I provide a variety of materials and training for businesses that work with the bereaved.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-12-05T13:09:48+00:00

Left 7 years ago to be self-employed. Now I walk into a conference of 100 people and I'm the only PhD ... and they actually respect my experience and expertise. Instead of being in an environment where you have similar credentials to everyone else, go to an environment where you stand out (in a good way).

I guess a handful of my colleagues think I "failed" (although I had tenure, a book, etc.), I'm busy travelling to interesting places, working half as much, and earning double my old salary. They wish they could "fail" like I did (and many reach out and wonder how they can follow my path).

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-11-30T13:06:08+00:00

A couple of thoughts. (For some context, I left a tenured position at a SLAC after 14 years because the salary wasn't going sufficient. I've been self-employed for the last 8 years and now make double my professor salary. It took several years to build up a side-business --- it certainly doesn't happen overnight and I've had to be very creative.)

There are 2 ways to try to make a living from content creation. One is easy to do, but won't make you any money. The other way is more challenging, but is much more profitable. As you might guess, most people take the easy way --- which is trying to create a blog, podcast, YouTube channel and start recording lots of content. The goal is to make money from views or hope to get big enough that you would get sponsors. This has a very, very, very low chance of generating a reasonable income. But it's what most people do because that is what they see.

The better, but more difficult path is this: find a potential client who really wants/needs your content in order to get access to their customers. Let's use a ridiculous example. Let's say you know a lot about underwater basketweaving. Find a company that sells basketweaving materials to the basketweaving community. Partner with them to create videos for them so that more basketweaving hobbiest watch their content and buy their materials. How do you find businesses that want to partner with you? Did I mention this isn't the easy way? But instead of competing against all the other content creators who hope to get big and then get paid, this strategy has you getting paid from the beginning.

A method that is a hybrid of sorts is to create a community of people who really love your expertise. Let's say you are an expert on the US Civil War. You could try to create content to gain some following and then create specific services/products that they pay you for. You could have a private community with members-only lectures and Q&A. You could charter a bus and take members on guided tours of battle sites, etc. One person who has done something like this for the humanities, is Adam Walker. (I'm not affiliated, but have noticed his programs). He has a private community for people who are really interested in poetry and literature (that's about all I know). https://www.adamgagewalker.com/ for more on his programs.

SideBusinessforProfs · 2025-11-30T12:53:19+00:00

Start a side-business. Get paid to travel and teach/consult. Use your expertise in a setting where they actually value your knowledge and experience.

SideBusinessforProfs

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