$125,500 From Worksheets: A Side Hustle to Make Money Online

It started during naptime. A kindergarten teacher on maternity leave began making worksheets on her couch while her son slept. One year, that side hustle to make money online brought in $125,500, or just over $10,400 a month.

Her name is Becky Powell, a teacher in Beaverton, Oregon. She still teaches. And worksheets she made eight years ago still earn her thousands of dollars every year.

Here is how it worked, and what an Indian reader can actually copy from it.

Quick answer

• Powell sells literacy worksheets for young children on Teachers Pay Teachers, an Etsy-style marketplace for classroom material.
• Her store made $21,000 in its first year and $125,500 in a later year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
• She spends about 10 hours a week on it, and less when school gets busy.
• The lesson: one digital product, made once, can keep selling for years if it solves a real problem.

How a naptime idea became a six-figure side hustle

A friend suggested Powell use her son's naptime to make some extra money. She pointed her to Teachers Pay Teachers, where teachers buy and download ready-made worksheets, activities and lesson plans.

The start was slow. Within a couple of weeks, she was earning enough to cover small bills around the house. Her first win was her monthly car insurance bill, roughly $60.

After about four months, the income covered her and her husband's monthly student loan payments. That is when it stopped being pocket money.

Her store is called Sight Word Activities. It focuses on teaching young students to read common words. It now has 427 listings, from free downloads to a $30 bundle of 20 booklets.

The numbers behind the store

Here is what the sources report, side by side. Every figure is from CNBC Make It or The Economic Times.

Bar chart: $21,000 in the first year vs $125,500 in a later year

Source: CNBC Make It

A few more numbers stand out:

• $10,400 a month. That is the average behind the $125,500 year.
• 10 hours a week. That is her usual time on the business.
• $50,000 a year. That is roughly what her husband Jerome's separate store, Editable Activities, was bringing in. CNBC put it at $51,800 for the last year it reported.
• 80% of sales. That is what "premium sellers" keep after paying $59.95 a year. Free "basic sellers" keep 55%.

Her husband works full-time as a computer engineer. So this is a story of two people with full-time jobs running two online stores on the side.

Why it keeps paying: make once, sell many times

The key word here is passive. A worksheet is a file. Once it is listed, any teacher can buy and download it, again and again.

"I have worksheets that I created eight years ago that still yield thousands [of dollars] in passive income every year," Powell told CNBC Make It. "Even when I find myself not able to create ... the sales still come in."

That is very different from most side hustles, where you get paid only for the hours you put in. Freelancing, tuition and delivery work all stop paying the day you stop working.

But note the word "years". Her first months paid for a car insurance bill, not a holiday.

Her real edge: she knew her buyers

Powell's classroom was her research lab. She could see which ideas her students struggled with. She made worksheets to fix those gaps, tested them on her own kindergarteners, and then sold them to other teachers.

"I call my students my clients," she said.

Her husband added a second skill: search. He showed her how to study what people were searching for on the platform, so she could spot trending worksheets and use the right keywords in her listings.

His line, as she told CNBC, was simple: the best place to hide something is the third page of search results. If buyers cannot find your product, it does not exist.

When CNBC asked whether her side hustle could be copied, Powell said yes, especially if you have passion and you know the market well enough to see the gaps.

What Indians can copy from this side hustle to make money online

You do not need to be a teacher in Oregon. The pattern is what matters. Here is how it maps to India, as general ideas, not promises.

1. Start from a problem you see every day. Powell sold what her own students needed. A tuition teacher, a CA student, a nurse or a coder also sees the same questions again and again.
2. Make one useful digital product. A worksheet pack, a notes bundle, a template or a checklist. Test it on real people first, the way she tested on her class.
3. Pick a marketplace with buyers already on it. Powell did not build a website first. She went where teachers already shop.
4. Learn the search box. Titles, keywords and what is trending on the platform decide who finds you.
5. Give it time, and keep your job. She built this around full-time teaching, and scaled up mainly in the summer holidays.

If you sell to buyers abroad, your price will usually be in dollars. Check how the platform pays out to India and what fees it charges before you list anything.

Mistakes to avoid

• Expecting fast money. Her first income was enough for small bills. Big numbers came years later.
• Copying other people's material. Her products came from her own classroom. Selling someone else's content can get your store removed.
• Ignoring fees. On her platform, the free tier keeps 55% of sales and the paid tier keeps 80%. Always do the maths on your own platform.
• Paying to "unlock" a store. Any app or agent that asks you for money upfront to start earning is a red flag.

Tax note

Income from selling digital products is taxable in India. Foreign payouts also need proper records. This is information only, so check with a CA for your own case.

FAQs

How much did the teacher earn from her side hustle? Her store brought in $125,500 in one year, or just over $10,400 a month, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

How much time does she spend on it? About 10 hours a week on average. She scales back when teaching is hectic and works more during summer.

Does it cost money to start selling on Teachers Pay Teachers? There is a free tier where sellers keep 55% of sales. Premium sellers pay $59.95 a year to keep 80%.

Is this a good side hustle to make money online from India? The idea of selling a useful digital product can work anywhere, but results depend on your skill, your buyers and time. Check platform rules and payouts for India first.

What digital product could you make from what you already know? Tell us in the comments.

Results vary; nothing here is a promise of income. Earnings figures are as reported by the sources below.

Sources

• The Economic Times: A teacher's maternity leave side hustle made $125,500
• CNBC Make It: How my worksheet side hustle brings in passive income
• CNBC Make It: Oregon teacher with six-figure side hustle