You spend hours sat at your desk dreaming of the day you can jack it all in to follow your creative dreams...
You have a job you love but it just doesn't tick all the boxes your multi-talented brain demands, leaving you feeling professionally unfulfilled...
Covid has destabilised your industry and you need a back-up plan...
Could the answer be a side hustle?
Having a 'side hustle' (or being a multi-hyphenate) is one of the defining features of 21st-century work. More and more of us are starting up secondary projects outside of our main jobs – whether that's freelancing, running a small business or developing a creative project. For some people it might be the first step to growing a hobby into their full-time job. It might be a fun way to keep their brain or creative muscles engaged outside of their main work. Or for others, it's a crucial source of additional income.
They're a great way to test the water in a new industry or role. Having a side hustle can be like dipping in your toe into an area that appeals to you, without wholeheartedly (and potentially riskily) taking the plunge – it's a way to test the viability of your dream. By starting small and minimising the risk to your livelihood, you can learn a lot about your ideas: e.g. gauge whether your business has legs (does anyone actually want your product?) or whether you actually enjoy working for yourself. But setting up a side project in an already busy life is no mean feat. So we chatted to several talented side hustlers to get the insiders' perspective and share their stories of challenges and rewards:
Maria Callaghan: I’ve been running my side hustle for the last few months, starting in March 2020. I help small businesses and side hustles with their Digital Marketing strategy, ensuring they are time-efficient and budget-friendly. I show people how to put their customer at the centre of their marketing and make sure they are showing up in the right places to attract their perfect customer. I’ve been doing this through coaching so far, but have some eBooks and workshops in the pipeline!
Sophie Winter: I don’t have just one formal side hustle: I juggle little bits of hustles which make me money. I take part in focus groups which are in person or online, where I can make between £50–150 a session depending on time and the task. I run a career blog which I’m currently rebranding – www.sophiewinter.co.uk – for other office workers and training accountants in their 20s such as myself, where I’ve made money by selling resources for £15/20 per person, so roughly make £50–60 a month from this. I was tutoring accounting for a bit and I still keep this up where I charge £20–40 per hour. The blog I’ve been doing on and off properly since March of this year. The accounting tutoring I’ve also been doing since earlier this year – I advertised myself as a tutor on Superprof and get students contacting me who wish me to help them with their studies.
Katy Davies: I run a graphic design and illustration business alongside my full-time job as a digital designer in-house for a company. I started my business during my uni days and have been doing it for around 5 years now! It's definitely been something I've focused on more during lockdown, even though I haven't actually been furloughed!
Samara recently took a course about starting a VA business. ‘I decided to have Pinterest marketing as a side hustle as I have been yielding very good results for myself. I now set up and maintain Pinterest accounts for clients on a monthly basis.’
Rachael Mole is the COO of The City Girl Network, a part-time role. 'It involves the running of the online magazine we have, volunteer management, in-house operations, organising and a lot of planning and strategy. I have been with The City Girl Network for 3 years but recently stepped up into this role. I was made redundant in June from my medical editing job, so had to think about how else to bring in income. Being able to dedicate more time to The City Girl Network has meant we are able to monetise it more effectively and dedicate time to working with companies on sponsorship and content advertising. I also run the blog Sick In The City, it’s newly launched and all about living in a city as a young and fun woman with a chronic illness – think accessibility, tips, insights and reviews for living your best chronic illness life. I started this while I have been furloughed over the past few months. Then there are also my proofreading and coaching services! I love writing and working with authors and wannabe authors! I have a proofreading service for novels, e-books, essays and any kind of long-form writing, and I have also branched out into coaching entrepreneurs on how to write their very own e-book, from planning, plotting, writing and motivation, to the best format for them to publish. By the time they are finished with me, they have a completed e-book ready to publish!’
Divya runs 'Super Moon London, an Etsy shop where I sell my handmade jewellery and hair accessories in bright and fun colours. I've been running it for just over 2 years, I started out while I was on maternity leave the first time around, working during nap times and I've grown it from there!'
Nicole Coltman’s side hustle ‘is an online interiors and gift store offering high quality products at affordable prices, giving my customers a personal shopping experience that you don't get at huge high street stores. I love getting to know my customers and chatting to them on social media.’
First tip, make sure it's something you really enjoy or feel passionately about – because after all, you're giving up your free time to do it. It shouldn't feel like a chore (at least not most of the time!). Digital marketing coach Maria hits the nail on the head: 'Make sure it’s something you love. Like really love. You’ll have to prioritise your side hustle over things you enjoy doing so it needs to be something you enjoy doing and are passionate about.'
Rachael has been making the most of lockdown: ‘My hobby during lockdown was building my blog, Sick In The City: for the moment this is a passion project on a subject I feel needs so much more insight and attention. But I would love to be able to monetise this and build it into a self-sufficient blog at the very least. I also love editing and proofreading! I have been a part of the writing and author world for over 9 years, I’ve written two novels and know how stressful writing your first book can be – even if it’s a 30K self-published non-fiction book about an area you’re an expert in. So working with aspiring writers is something I am also looking forward to being able to build as a side hustle.’
Essentially you're now working two (or more) jobs, so time management becomes a priority. Side hustlers maximise productivity by being clever with time – commutes, children's naps and even standing in a queue all become opportunities to get something ticked off that list.
Maria says, ‘I worked out where I spent my time and what I was wasting time on, and the first thing I did was reduce the time I spent mindlessly scrolling on social media (hard but so necessary!). I also multitask so I build my website whilst watching Catfish (completely addicted) and I listen to my podcasts while exercising so I still fit in the things I like to do. I try to be smart with my time, so I have a list of 5, 10 and 20 minute tasks that I can do standing in a queue, on my lunch break or in non-corona times on my commute to work!’
For full-time mum Samara, 'Organisation is key... having a side hustle means being organised and allocating time. So I wake up a little earlier and do a lot of my work when the kids are sleeping.' Divya started her shop whilst on maternity leave, and for her, it's about being clear where your priorities lie: 'I truly believe that we can find time to do anything we want to, it's just about setting your mind to it. If you have time to watch Netflix in the evenings you definitely have time to set up a side hustle!'
“If you have time to watch Netflix in the evenings you definitely have time to set up a side hustle!”
Planning (as always) is the key to managing multiple demands on your time; you can lay the groundwork for future success by investing time early on. Nicole is currently on furlough from her job in menswear merchandising: ‘Being on furlough has given me time to really focus on my business that I didn't have before. When I go back to work, I know it will be a juggle, however I feel like I've done all the long-term planning and lots of hard work already, so it will get easier. I have an hour-long train commute to work every day so I'll be using this time to work on my side hustle.’
Rachael advises, ‘There is a lot to be said for planning, make sure you do your research and take your time planning and getting your resources and strategy in place. It took me 3 months to launch my blog but now I am in a place where it will take me two hours a week to keep on top of it for the rest of the year.’
Similarly, Maria suggests ‘Plan ahead. Particularly with marketing, you can automate and batch your content, from social to blogs to email marketing, in order to free your time up. It’s a no-brainer when you’re already pushed for time!’
But what about work/life balance with so much going on?
“I often close my work computer and then hop straight on my laptop until late, which can be exhausting, but I love it.”
Maria says: ‘You don’t need to do everything at once. My website launches in August which will be 6 months after I started coaching small business owners. I find doing things little and often helps me to sustain my energy and build a sustainable business.’
Rachael learnt to manage this balance the hard way. ‘Until around February this year, I really wasn’t very good at pacing myself. I ended up having a big energy crash which coincided with the emotional stress of Covid-19. A few weeks later I was put on furlough. Taking a few weeks off completely and using that time to really focus on healing, making space for rest and prioritising my health has meant that coming back into the world of full-time hours (made up of all the side hustle projects I’m doing), I know when to step back and take a break.' Still, 'working from home means it’s hard to switch off, so I always make sure the weekends are work-free and as screen-free as possible.’
But it's ok if sometimes a work/work balance is right for you! Katy: ‘I often close my work computer and then hop straight on my laptop until late, which can be exhausting, but I love it. I tend to schedule out my evenings for small tasks throughout the week, otherwise I could end up working til the early hours (and I have!).’
Growing your side hustle into your full-time job isn't compulsory – far from it. Some side hustlers can't afford to lose the income or security of their main jobs; others don't want to give up the support and social side of working for an existing company. And if you've started a side hustle for a bit of extra stimulation or income, you might just find that once you go full-time you start dreaming up another side hustle...
Divya can’t wait to get there though: ‘I'd worked my way up to Super Moon London almost being my full time job just before my second maternity leave started and when that ended Covid-19 hit! It's back to being my side hustle again for now but I'm definitely working on getting it back up to being my main gig.’
On the other hand, Maria says she's ‘not in any rush. My aim is to grow my business slowly and sustainably over the next couple of years. Having a stable income is important to me, so my hope is to reduce my hours in my main job until I’m in a comfortable position to be able to run my side hustle full time.' Similarly, Katy: I would love to go full-time with my business! I have to-do lists the size of my arm and the thought of having a consistent schedule with it really appeals to me. Right now, I need the stability of a 'real' job, but one day the goal is to go it alone!’
“Sometimes I’ve had 3 jobs at once – it’s just how I roll. I need to have multiple things going on in my life.”
Nicole says not to overlook the benefits of company work: ‘I would love my side hustle to be my full-time job in the long term. That being said, I would like this to be within the next few years and not right now. I enjoy my full-time job working alongside other people every day. I feel like I am learning so much working and those skills could help me in my business going forwards.’ And for Samara it’s about finding the right time: ‘I would eventually like to earn a full-time income from my side hustle, but my children are young at the moment, so would like this to happen in a few years' time when they go to school.’
At the other end of the spectrum is multi-hyphenate Sophie: ‘I never see myself as being one of those individuals who becomes a full-time blogger. Even if my blog or side hustles made me money, I still would do my current job for a day or two a week but not full-time! I’m a social person, I’ve always had a job. Sometimes I’ve had 3 jobs at once – it’s just how I roll. I need to have multiple things going on in my life.’
Finally, we asked our side hustlers if they had any tips for people considering giving it a go…
Divya: ‘I have so many tips I'm not even sure where to start! I guess my main one would be there will always be a million reasons why you shouldn't do it, and there will never be a perfect time to start. So stop waiting and just get started. You'll learn so much along the way!’
Sophie: ‘1) Think what skills /type of person you are (i.e I’m quite opinionated and love writing so that drew me to get into blogging and do paid focus pressure group stuff ). 2) If there’s a side hustle you’re interested in reach out to people who are successful and ask for advice. 3) Keep researching. 4) Ask your friends if they can support you in any way.’
“Sometimes I stop myself from starting things as I’m worried about failing. However, if you never try you will never be successful!”
Katy: ‘My main tip is to not be too hard on yourself, it's easy to compare yourself with people that have invested for years into their business and who do it full-time. Your progress might be slower, but you'll get there in the end! 'Comparison kills creativity'.’
Rachael: ‘Do it! If you’re passionate about something, have the time to dedicate to it and the energy to see it succeed then go for it! There are so many ways to get started, and doing it in a way that you’ll be supported and motivated to succeed too. There are so many informative Instagram accounts, Facebook pages and groups- make sure you find the ones in your niche! Follow Pinterest boards that give you that boost of motivation and inspiration. Read books about others who have done what you want to do and learn from their mistakes, take their guidance and insight.’
Nicole: ‘I would say just go for it! And maybe talk to other girls within the same industry. (Friends are not always the best people to ask, remember they are not necessarily your target audience and mixed opinions on your side hustle can stop you from doing things.) Sometimes I stop myself from starting things as I'm worried about failing. However, if you never try you will never be successful!’
A huge thank you to the fabulous side hustlers who shared their thoughts and experiences for this post:
Maria Callaghan, @_maria_callaghan
Nicole Coltman, Nicki Knox Interiors, @nicolecoltman
Katy Davies, @katydaviesdesign
Samara of Gift Goonie, @gift_goonie
Rachael Mole, Sick in the City, @rachaelmole; The City Girl Network
Divya Thompson, Super Moon London, @supermoonlondon
Sophie Winter, @sophiewintsxoxo
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