A friend of mine has a side hustle that, on the surface, sounds almost too simple to be lucrative. He builds IKEA furniture for people. When he first told me about it, I was skeptical. But recently he mentioned that he’s officially cleared over $78,000 in profit from it in just under three years, all done on weekends and some weekday evenings. That got my attention, so I asked him to break down the numbers and strategy for me. It's one of the most straightforward and effective businesses I've ever seen.
It all started when he was helping his sister move. After a full day of hauling boxes, they were left with a living room full of unopened IKEA boxes. She was completely drained and offered him cash to just build everything so she could have a functional apartment. He built her bed frame, a dresser, and a big shelving unit, and she paid him a few hundred dollars for his time. A lightbulb went off. He realized that for every person like his sister, there were probably thousands more in the same situation: physically and mentally exhausted from moving, with enough disposable income to gladly pay someone to handle the final, tedious step.
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The core of his success isn't just offering the service, but in how he structured it. He doesn't charge by the hour. He told me that's a mistake because it creates uncertainty for the customer and punishes him for being fast and efficient. Instead, he charges a flat rate per item. This is his biggest advantage. Customers know the exact cost upfront, and he's incentivized to get the job done correctly and quickly.
His pricing is based on the complexity and average build time of each specific IKEA product. He has a written price list for the most common items. For example:
- Kallax Shelving Units: $40 for a 2x2, $75 for a 4x4.
- Malm Dressers: $90 for the 3-drawer, $125 for the 6-drawer.
- Hemnes Bed Frame: $150 (any size, as they are similar in complexity).
- Pax Wardrobe Systems: These are the big money makers. A simple single wardrobe might be $200, but complex, multi-unit systems with custom interiors can go for $500 or more.
He explained that his average job nets him around $220. This usually involves assembling 2-3 pieces of furniture for one client. He typically stacks 2 to 3 of these jobs on a Saturday and another 1 or 2 on a Sunday. Let’s look at the math for a typical weekend. If he completes four jobs at an average of $220 each, that’s $880 for the weekend. If he does that three weekends a month, that's $2,640. Multiply that by 12 months, and you get $31,680 a year. He's been doing this for just under three years, taking some time off here and there, which is how he’s cleared the $78,000 mark.
The initial investment was minimal. He spent about $300 on a professional-grade toolkit. His most critical tool is a cordless power drill with a full set of hex bits. This single tool allows him to complete jobs in a fraction of the time it would take an average person using the included IKEA allen key. His efficiency is his edge. A 6-drawer Malm dresser that might take a novice three frustrating hours to build, he can complete in about 75 minutes. This speed allows him to fit more jobs into a single day, dramatically increasing his earning potential.
His marketing has been almost entirely organic. A crucial part of his strategy is that he doesn't limit himself to just one town, which was my first question. He operates across a wider metropolitan area, covering a handful of surrounding suburbs. This is key because it gives him a much larger, constantly refreshing pool of potential clients. While the demand in a single town might dry up quickly, in a larger metro area with a population of a few hundred thousand, there is a steady stream of people moving every single week. This means he never has to travel far out of his way, but his market is large enough that he never runs out of work.
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He started by posting in the Facebook groups for several of these local towns and suburbs, as well as on the Nextdoor app. The key was his call to action: "Send me the product name or a picture of the box for a free, no-obligation quote." He landed his first few jobs, did them perfectly, and then asked those happy customers to leave a review on his Facebook page.
The real growth came from word-of-mouth, specifically within large apartment complexes spread across these different neighborhoods. He’d get a job with one tenant who was moving in, and they would tell their friends or new neighbors. He is now the go-to guy for three major apartment buildings in his area, with building managers occasionally passing his number along to new residents.
What makes this side hustle so brilliant is its predictability and low overhead. He has almost zero recurring costs outside of gas. The demand is constant, and by servicing a wider area, he’s ensured that it’s sustainable. He solved a common, persistent problem and quantified the value of his solution with a simple, transparent pricing model. It’s not a revolutionary idea, but it’s a masterclass in execution.
