Proposing is supposed to be the easy part, and it's the part people panic about. A New York ad-tech director plans and stages surprise proposals on the side, with typical months around $9,000 and a best month past $20,000. The fee pays the florist and photographer; the videos bring the next client.

Dollhouse builders are picky, loyal and badly served online. A Pennsylvania marketer built a store that sells only dollhouse parts, and a wholesaler ships every order, so she never touches a box. It grew from $4,000 a month in sales to five-figure months on a few hours a week.

Gift buyers search Etsy for things like "speech therapist gift," and most of what comes up is generic. A former college administrator in Florida designs joke mugs and candles for specific jobs, lets a printing company make and ship each one, and sold more than $560,000 in about two years. She started with under $40