5 Business Ideas For Actors

Are you an actor looking to make a steady income on the side? 

I get it. I was an actor in New York City for over a decade and did the soul crushing day job thing . . . tried the part-time babysitter while also doing coat check or hostessing at night thing . . . 

It was EXHAUSTING. Which was fine in my 20s when I had the energy, but now way in hell would I be able to keep that up now in my mid-30s with a baby. 

They teach you in acting school that if you have a “fallback job” then you’ll fall back on it, so don’t find anything other than acting that could possibly fulfill you creatively or financially, right? I was taught to believe this for so long and I drank the kool-aid. 

But what if you could have total flexibility and control over your schedule? What if you had money coming in while you were asleep instead of trading your time for cash? What if you had the time and freedom to create your own work or audition for projects that you cared about? 

You totally CAN! It’s called being your own boss!

My only regret about becoming an entrepreneur is that I didn’t do it sooner, because my 20s would have been a heck of a lot less stressful if I didn’t have to bounce around from job to job trying to pay my rent. 

So if you’re an actor and want to start your own business, here are a few ideas to jumpstart your inspiration: 

1. Become an acting coach! Help other actors with their audition materials, host weekly zoom or in person classes, or work with teens who want to get into a BFA program. 
2. Start a dropshipping business where you sell products manufactured by a company (usually in China) to your list or followers. 
3. Get into MLM (multi level marketing) by selling Scout & Cellar Wine or Arbonne...whatever excites you! 
4. Host virtual or in-person trivia nights and charge a small cover fee! 
5. Offer your skills on sites like Gigsalad to host birthday parties or make an appearance as a celebrity impersonator! 

These are just a few ideas of businesses that actors could start using their inherent skills. 

Start thinking about the skills you have, the types of work you like to do, and who may need your special mesh of skills and expertise!