Sit through any business seminar and someone will quote that stat about millionaires juggling seven income streams. Cute theory. Celebrities read that slide deck and laughed. Take Jimmy Buffett. He wasn’t just strumming about beach bums and lost shakers in the 1970s. He built Margaritaville into restaurants, hotels, blenders, beer and merch that printed money until his death in 2023 at age 76. The man turned a song into a $275 million machine. That’s not a side hustle. That’s a second career that bullied the first one. Some stars slap their name on a candle and call it a day. Others quietly build businesses that outperform their movies, albums or trophies. And if you had fame lying around, wouldn’t you try the same thing?
Nick Offerman loves wood
Nick Offerman may forever be linked to Ron Swanson, but his real-life side hustle would make even Pawnee’s grumpiest libertarian proud. Offerman runs the Offerman Woodshop, a fully operational workshop where you can actually buy handcrafted pieces online. “With Jesus and Harrison Ford, I’m one of the three big showbiz carpenters,” he joked on CBS Mornings. Long before Hollywood, Offerman launched his first shop in Illinois and leaned on his carpentry skills to survive while chasing acting gigs. “I built decks and cabins for people,” he said. “That allowed me to be my own boss.”
Carmen Electra sells stripper poles
Before slow-mo running down the beach in Baywatch, Carmen Electra was hustling on stage as a stripper in the early ‘90s. But while most people would have left that in the past, the actress has turned it into a business. Teaming up with PEEKABOO, she launched a line of signature stripper poles along with a series of fitness videos. The move was less about nostalgia and more about smart marketing. These days, she probably makes more money from selling the poles than acting.
Erykah Badu will deliver your baby
Neo-soul singer Erykah Badu has been in and out of delivery rooms for nearly two decades. Since at least 2011, Badu has worked as a certified doula, assisting in more than 40 births and proudly calling herself a “welcoming committee” for newborns. Badu’s clients have included stars like Summer Walker and Teyana Taylor, proving her influence stretches well beyond the stage.
Susan Sarandon sells ping pong tables
Thelma & Louise actress Susan Sarandon loves table tennis. So much so that she is the co-founder of SPiN, a chain of ping pong social clubs. She loves that the game cuts across age and gender. Under her watch, SPiN has expanded into several cities, and she’s even donated tables to schools. Turns out, Sarandon’s backhand is just as strong as her knack for picking smart projects. Need a ping pong table? Susan can hook you up.
Diane Keaton used Pinterest to inspire her books
Book Club actress Diane Keaton has never been shy about her love for design and books, but her latest confession will be pretty relatable to many: She’s addicted to Pinterest. Instead of just pinning away like the rest of us, however, Keaton actually used the platform to collaborate with architects and designers, transforming her own home into a project straight off the app. The result became her book The House That Pinterest Built, a glossy chronicle of the entire process.
Snoop Dogg makes a lot of green
Snoop Dogg’s side hustle probably wouldn’t surprise anyone. But beyond his own brand, he’s gone all-in with Casa Verde Capital, a venture firm that bankrolls the entire ecosystem. We’re talking marketing agencies, accounting services, and the kind of behind-the-scenes infrastructure that keeps the industry standing tall.
You might have eaten some of Tom Selleck’s avos
Tom Selleck, the mustached legend of Magnum, P.I., has been quietly living every millennial’s dream since the late 1980s. He owns an avocado farm in California. Long before Instagram toast was a thing, Selleck was harvesting the fruit on his sprawling property. Of course, farming isn’t always drama-free. He once landed in hot water (literally) over a dispute involving stolen water in drought-prone Southern California. The case was eventually settled outside of court, but it added an odd twist to his farming story. Still, Selleck’s decades-long avocado hustle proves he was way ahead of the brunch trend.
Black Widow sold popcorn
Scarlett Johansson may be one of Hollywood’s top-paid stars, but between 2016 and 2018 she traded blockbusters for… popcorn. In Paris’ Marais district, she opened Yummy Pop, a boutique snack shop decked out in a red-white-and-blue, barbershop-style theme. The concept was to elevate popcorn from bland to gourmet, offering flavors like cheddar, truffle parmesan, Canadian maple, and chocolate strawberry.
Dollywood is the new Disneyland
Dolly Parton isn’t just a country music legend with a $450 million fortune. She’s also the mastermind behind one of America’s most beloved theme parks. In 1986, she co-founded Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and today it ranks among the country’s top tourist destinations. Parton still owns a 50% stake in the park, valued at around $165 million, making it one of her most lucrative ventures outside music.
50 sold water
Back in 2004, 50 Cent made one of the smartest business moves in hip-hop history. Rather than settle for a flat endorsement fee with Vitamin Water, Curtis Jackson negotiated a 2.5% stake in the company and even introduced his own flavor, Formula 50. That decision paid off in spectacular fashion just three years later when Coca-Cola bought Vitamin Water’s parent company for $4.1 billion. Jackson reportedly pocketed between $100 and $150 million from the sale, proving that his real power move wasn’t behind the mic, but at the negotiating table. Few rappers ever turned hydration into generational wealth like this.
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