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From Empty Driveways to $925/Month: What This Couple's Side Hustle Can Teach You About Passive Income
If you've ever looked at your unused driveway, garage, or side yard and thought "there has to be a way to make money off this," you're not alone — and one Oregon couple is proving that the instinct is right.
Nick and Shannan Copland didn't start with 13 properties and a coaching business. They started small, renting out parts of their own home and reinvesting the profits. Today, one of their quietest income streams brings in $925 a month just from listing driveways, empty lots, and fenced yards on parking rental apps. Renters book monthly, payments are automatic, and the Coplands spend almost no time managing it.
"Once listed, renters book monthly, and we receive automatic payments — no showings, no maintenance, and minimal communication," Nick explained in a recent Business Insider interview.
The Honest Truth About Passive Income
Here's the paradox nobody talks about enough: truly passive income usually requires assets you already own. The U.S. Census Bureau defines passive income as earnings from dividends, interest, or rental properties — and statistically, it skews heavily toward higher-income households. Only about 20% of American households earn any passive income at all, averaging around $4,200 a year.
That said, the Coplands' story is instructive precisely because they didn't start with deep pockets. They started with what they had — a spare room, an empty driveway, a willingness to stay consistent — and built from there.
Where to Start If You're Starting From Scratch
You don't need to own a portfolio of properties to begin. Some accessible entry points include renting out a parking space or spare room, affiliate marketing, selling digital products like photography or design templates, or packaging your expertise into an online course.
The parking space angle is particularly interesting for city dwellers. Urban renters and homeowners alike can list underused spaces on apps and start generating income with minimal overhead. The trade-offs are real — income isn't guaranteed, and local laws around subleasing vary — but the barrier to entry is low enough to be worth exploring.
The broader mindset shift the Coplands describe is perhaps the most transferable lesson: start treating underused assets, even small ones, as potential income streams. That perspective, more than any specific strategy, is what turns a driveway into $925 a month.