Top 10 Over Hyped Side Hustles in India to Avoid

The gig economy in India is showing signs of fatigue, leading to a massive wave of over hyped side hustles that are now overcrowded, low-margin, and difficult to sustain. While early adopters made profits, new entrants often find themselves lost in a sea of competition, chasing trends without real long-term viability.

In this article, we highlight 10 of these exhausting trends and suggest practical alternatives that offer better chances of sustainable growth.

Are Side Hustles Losing Their Appeal?

The gig economy has unlocked countless opportunities for Indians to earn money, but the conformity effect has led many to chase trends without assessing their long-term viability. Inspired by the initial success of early adopters in new-age ventures, a lot of millennials are risking their time, money, and effort in the hopes of replicating that success. However, low-cost gig-based business ideas often saturate quickly, driven by low entry barriers, viral trends, and the hopes of easy profitability.

This oversupply intensifies competition, reduces margins, and leaves little room for new entrants to thrive unless they offer something truly innovative.

Here’s a look at ten such over hyped ventures, along with practical alternatives for even bigger probability of sustainable growth.

10. Fitness Influencers

Gyms are packed on January 1st more than any other day of the year, signaling the start of many New Year’s resolutions.

According to ‘India Watch statistics‘, India has around 70,000 registered gyms, which make up just 14% of the organized fitness market.

A few years ago, every health-conscious millennial jumped on the fitness influencer bandwagon, but that led to market oversaturation. Today, the fitness influencer space is so crowded that standing out has become incredibly challenging. Established platforms like Cult.fit, Cure.fit, Nike Training Club, and Snap Fitness dominate the market, making it difficult for independent fitness efforts to thrive.

In this competitive environment, earning potential often hinges on brand deals, which are scarce and highly competitive.

This has led to unethical practices, with some unregulated players resorting to selling potentially harmful protein slurries to make ends meet. These actions breed distrust in an industry that relies heavily on trust, ultimately driving genuine customers away.

The rise of over hyped gigs, if you’re a dedicated fitness professional passionate about the industry, we recommend creating a unique fitness program or opening a boutique fitness studio. By offering personalized services, you can stand out and attract clients who seek more than generic online options.

9. Virtual Tutoring in Common Subjects

Virtual tutoring was a booming trend in 2020, with COVID sparking a surge in online learning. However, the excitement around it has since faded, as free educational content flooded the internet, diminishing the need for paid tutoring in mainstream subjects.

Online tutors in the realm of over hyped gigs are struggling to stay competitive by cutting prices, which is affecting income stability. For instance, we’ve seen Excel training offered for as low as ₹99, turning what was once a promising business into a race to the bottom. Those charging higher rates often rely on obscure affiliations that fail to add real value or credibility.

If you’re still passionate about teaching and want to make an impact, consider specializing. Focus on niche subjects, advanced courses, or exotic languages, where personalized instruction remains in demand and harder to find for free.

8. Social Media Management for Small Businesses

In the past, small businesses often relied on digital PR experts to manage their online presence, allowing them to focus on their core niche. But times have changed. As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and now there are plenty of DIY tools available. Paid tools like Tailwind, Sprout Social, and Zoho, alongside free ones like Canva, Buffer, and Hootsuite, have made it easier for businesses to manage their digital presence in-house.

As a result, more small businesses are opting for user-friendly tools to handle social media, which has led to low retainers for millennials in the industry. Clients are offering fees that don’t reflect the time and effort required making social media management an over hyped gig.

If you’re not already recognized as a domain authority but still want to stay relevant in the field, consider expanding your offerings. Providing comprehensive digital marketing services, celebrity endorsements, including SEO and paid advertising, will help you deliver more value and stay competitive in the market.

7. Freelance Content Creation

Content creation has become a buzzword, with many hoping to turn personal hobbies and side gigs into profitable ventures. While some early entrants have cashed in big, newcomers often waste time chasing the dream of striking it rich.

AI tools are increasingly taking over content generation, reducing the need for basic creativity and freelance work. The surge in freelancers has also triggered a pricing race to the bottom. Need a website? Just ask around, and some technical kid will offer to do it for a small fee. Need ads? Kids are using free apps to design flyers for birthday parties.

If you’re already in the game, consider specializing in areas that require advanced creativity and critical thinking, like strategic content planning, heavy data scraping or complex storytelling, to stand out and stay relevant.

6. Personalized Merchandise Stores

The success of online personalized merchandise stores like Bewakoof.com, Vistaprint, and Oye Happy has inspired many millennials to jump into this business. However, the main challenge lies in the seasonal demand, with sales heavily influenced by trends and events. This can make revenue inconsistent throughout the year making it an over hyped gig.

After factoring in production, delivery, and marketing costs, profit margins can be slim. This is especially true if you’re relying on your own online store, assuming it’s popular enough to drive traffic. If you choose to list your products on large aggregators like Amazon or Flipkart, you’ll face additional costs such as referral fees (ranging from 2% to 25%), closing fees, shipping charges, and extras like storage, packaging, and customer service.

If you’re still passionate about this business, focus on creating merchandise that aligns with strong personal branding or community-driven initiatives. This approach can help build a loyal customer base and ensure more consistent sales.

5. Mobile Apps

When discussing over hyped gigs, the once red-hot mobile app business is hard to ignore.

The mobile app market is now facing major challenges due to oversaturation. As of December 2024, AppBrain reports that the Google Play Store hosts about 1.59 million apps, with around 1,000 new apps launching every day.

This influx makes it increasingly difficult for new, non-unique applications to gain any real traction. Developing a quality app requires a significant investment, typically between ₹5 to ₹10 lakhs, with no guarantee of returns.

In fact, Statista data shows that only 0.1% of apps have surpassed five million downloads, underscoring the fierce competition and high failure rates.

To stand out in this crowded market, it’s crucial to focus on building apps that solve specific, unmet problems or cater to niche markets, improving the chances of success in the realm of over hyped gigs.

4. Drop Shipping

The dominance of e-commerce giants like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho reveals the harsh truth behind dropshipping monopolies. India’s e-commerce market, valued at $38.5 billion in 2017, is set to skyrocket to $200 billion by 2026, growing at an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 51%.

While this might sound promising, with players like Printrove, IndiaMart, and vFulfill getting much of the attention, the real winners are often those selling resources and dreams to hopeful millennials.

While manufacturers profit from clearing out inventory, many dropshipping enthusiasts end up with unsold piles of random junk. Profit margins are typically slim—between 5% and 10%—due to cutthroat competition and market saturation.

The biggest hurdle in dropshipping, though, is quality control, making it an over hyped venture. Relying on third-party suppliers can lead to inconsistent product quality, leaving customers dissatisfied and risking reputational damage.

For those truly passionate about a product, a smarter move would be to focus on building a private label brand. This allows for better quality control, fosters customer trust, and positions your business for long-term success.

3. Conventional Blogging

Once upon a time, everyone dreamed of being a blogger to rack up social clout, kind of like how today, everyone’s either a content creator or, worse, an influencer. But you know what, times are changing fast!

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, blogging faces significant challenges making it an over hyped gig. Generative AI tools now provide precise and immediate information, diminishing the demand for traditional blogs.

Monetization has become increasingly difficult, with ad revenues declining as readers shift to AI-driven solutions. Compounding these challenges is the sheer volume of content; approximately 7.5 million blog posts are published daily, contributing to over 600 million blogs among 1.9 billion websites worldwide.

To stand out in this saturated environment, creators should focus on developing specialized content that incorporates personal insights or experiences—elements that AI cannot replicate. Moreover, offering consultancy services based on one’s expertise can provide alternative revenue streams beyond traditional ad monetization.

2. YouTube Content Creation

As of 2024, YouTube hosts an astounding 3.9 billion videos, including 826 million YouTube Shorts, with over 500 hours of content uploaded every minute. With a global population of around 8 billion, this amounts to roughly 3.75 minutes of video per person worldwide.

However, this flood of content has led to a decline in YouTube’s Cost Per Mille (CPM) rates—the amount advertisers pay for 1,000 ad impressions.

CPM rates vary significantly by region. For instance, in Australia, it stands at $36.21, while in Canada, it’s $29.15, and in the U.S., $32.75. Comparatively, India’s CPM is much lower, averaging just $0.70 (₹50 to ₹200 per 1,000 views), depending on the niche.

With over 476 million users in India, the platform has become oversaturated, making it an over hyped Indian gig which is challenging for new creators to gain visibility and achieve meaningful earnings through ads alone.

For creators passionate about their niche, YouTube should be best utilized as a supplementary platform, a space to demonstrate expertise in a specific field, such as specialized education or showcasing years of professional knowledge as social proof.

1. Cloud Kitchens

Food delivery platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, and EatSure have turned commercial cooking into a crowded space, attracting both amateurs and professionals. While street food remains popular in India, the cloud kitchen model faces significant challenges, including high setup costs (₹6-7 lakhs), food safety concerns, and strict licensing.

Small operators also face challenges in sourcing affordable ingredients and managing food waste, while delivery platforms take 10-30% in commissions, further reducing profits and making cloud kitchens one of the most over hyped gigs.

With net margins typically only 10-15%, cloud kitchens are an over hyped business. Although the entry cost is high, which discourages mad-rush, a better option for food enthusiasts might be starting a niche dine-in restaurant, offering a unique experience and reducing reliance on third parties.

Conclusion

The insights shared in this article are based on our personal observations and are not meant to discourage anyone. In today’s world, many sales tactics revolve around over-hyping a common problem and offering a quick solution. The truth is, when this approach is overused, it becomes a recurring theme that ties both success and failure together.

While the business ideas mentioned may seem enticing, they come with their own set of challenges that could hinder success. Take influencer marketing, for example, which once appeared to be a lucrative career. But as the market became flooded with influencers of all kinds, it’s become harder for newcomers to make their mark.

Aspiring millennials should step back, conduct thorough market research, and look past today’s trending fads. Real financial growth comes from identifying unique niches and innovating beyond the hype. Recognizing that chasing over hyped side hustles in extremely saturated markets rarely leads to lasting success is the first step toward true profitability.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Why are certain gigs becoming over hyped?

As trends saturate and competition grows, many low-cost gigs face oversupply, shrinking profit margins and making it harder for newcomers to succeed without innovation.

2. What’s the issue with fitness influencers?

The market for fitness influencers is overcrowded, with established platforms dominating, making it difficult for independent influencers to stand out or monetize effectively.

3. Why is virtual tutoring struggling?

The rise of free educational content has reduced demand for paid tutoring, leaving many tutors slashing prices, which impacts income stability and growth potential.

4. What makes drop shipping an over hyped gig?

Due to market saturation, slim profit margins, and quality control issues, drop shipping has become increasingly difficult to profit from, especially for newcomers without a unique product.

5. Are cloud kitchens still a good investment?

Cloud kitchens face high setup costs, food safety concerns, and slim profit margins, making it a challenging and over hyped business model for small-scale operators.