Friends judging my side business because I’m a high earner

As PP said, turning a hobby into a job or business is the best way to spoil it. Perhaps your friends are wondering why you want to turn your hobby into a side hustle (which is usually started to make more money) instead of just doing the hobby for enjoyment. Unless it’s something like a service that you can’t really do without charging

I don't know. I would find strange someone wanting to turn a hobby into a job when there is no financial need, I did with photography a few years ago and it is the best way to spoil a nice hobby. Maybe it is that? But do it if you want to, who cares what they think?
I think as your friend I would think that you are very money focused

I think we both know that’s a terrible comparison.

Perhaps your friends think you’re going to expect them to buy stuff from you. Perhaps you’re obsessing about your business idea and they’re bored of listening to you about it. Maybe you should just do it, not talk about it and leave your friends out of it completely. Do they need to know or be involved?

If you know what your values are and doing you side hustle would make you feel good, then ignore those comments from your friends. If it’s more about having a satisfying fun hobby, then do you need to make money with it? It is irrelevant how much you earn with your main job and no-one else’s business. Only you know why and how you want to do your hobby. Good luck!

Depends on the side hustle, I guess

If you were a runner offering coaching, I'd understand that you wanted to share the joy of running

If you were making cupcakes to sell, id wonder why you bother when it seems that for most people, it's a lot of effort for small reward

And if you're high earners I might think pity you're trying to make money out of your hobby, rather than volunteering your serviced somewhere

I imagine for a lot of people money would factor hugely into this decision to do a side hustle, so they probably just can't relate.
It's that simple. Don't overthink it.

What’s the side hustle OP???

I can comment on the OP going to the dentist does not mean I am jealous of it

If it’s a lovely hobby, why do you need to make money from it? Would that suddenly add pressure and change the whole nature of it, if it’s no longer just for fun anymore?

You sound to me like what we used to call a go getter i.e. someone focussed on the bigger picture in life with lots of energy and ideas. Don't let these dullards rain on your parade. Ask yourself when you get to retirement: Who was right? Me? Or, them? I still know people who are doing the same thing they did 50 years ago!!! Your life, your journey! Go get Girl!

It depends what your expectation is from the side hustle. If you want to keep it as a self-funding hobby, that's pretty straightforward. Did you imply that you expect more though? Are they concerned that you are going to burn out trying to get this business up and running so you can leave your job? Is that realistic?

I’m guessing your friends earn less than you and are probably miffed that you have the time or inclination to earn more money given most people are exhausted after doing a full week and then dealing with kids/house/family commitments. They perhaps envy your’easy’ life.

Commenting on the amount of holidays she’s taken.

OP just go for it. Doesn’t matter what your existing earnings are - if it’s something you want to do then go for it

People are going to judge whatever you do. I hope these friends are people who clap when you’re winning though - always watch for that.

Why are you trying to monetise it if not for the money? Can’t you just do the hobby?
As long as you aren’t expecting them to buy your products or services I wouldn’t worry. How interested are you in their hobbies?

Are you trying to sell things to your friends? If they are less well off than you, I can see why they might be a bit irked.

I understand that sentiment in general and I know I ended a friendship with a friend who did MLM and made passive aggressive digs about people (such as me presumably) not supporting her.

But in this case they could at the very least just stay quiet even if they don’t want to actively encourage OP.

Very selfish to actively discourage your friend from setting up a side gig “just in case” you’re asked to contribute.

How about you cross that hurdle when you come to it instead of assuming. If you are asked you can always decline. I had a friend who set up a travel related business. I travel a lot but What she was offering didn’t look good. I chose not to support it. But I wouldn’t have went out of my way to discourage her.

OP I think it sucks but don’t waste time being too bothered about it. I remember when I told my now former friend I was writing and she told me why I was still bothering with that as it wasn’t going anywhere. I was busy editing my work to apply for a writers development programme as I had a few weeks in between the end of one job and the start of another.

I got onto that programme and fast forward 1 year and I got a literary agent then another year and then I got a book deal with a big 5 publisher. I did and still do work a day job (as
many writers do!) so it’s not as if I was being reckless and leaving myself penniless to follow my dreams etc

In my friend’s case I suspect it wasn’t so much jealousy, it was just she was so limited in her thinking she couldn’t figure out why I’d keep spending my free time writing for years .

It was so narrow minded though because even if I hadn’t got the book deal - what harm was it going by spending some evenings and weekends writing? It said more about her than my capabilities though so I’m glad I ignored her.

I decided she wasn’t my type of person for that and other reasons. I have so many friends who encouraged me and asked how my writing was going and what my book was about etc BEFORE I got the book deal as they could see how much it joy it brought me.

She did the opposite, so while I didn’t internalise it or spend time being overly upset about it I just realised we had very different outlooks on life.

After 5 years of juggling both I am now getting ready to leave my FT job and work full time as an author and freelance writer.

This! As a person who is codependent and doesn’t have an abundance of money I’d be worried about being expected to buy stuff as buying anything these days means sacrificing something else as everything is so expensive.

Your friends might think why you do want to spend your free time effectively earning money when you don’t need it? I’m guessing the hobby is time intensive and maybe they think there are other things you could do with your time rather than make more money? I guess that’s what I’d be wondering but tbh good for you if you’re good at something, you enjoy it and you want to make some extra money with it, why not. I know someone who started out doing pottery and ended up making a side business out of it. She was well off anyway, didn’t need to but did it because it was her passion. I felt a little jealous she had that freedom to do that! Perhaps jealousy comes into play too.

Most people work because they need the money. They may just be questioning it because they know that you don't need extra money,vso why would you create more work/stress/hassle for yourself if you don't need to. Regardless, who cares. What level of support were you hoping from them?
On a serious note, consider expending some of your passion for this hobby on those who perhaps can't afford to take it up. You could offer children/adults sessions for free or at a very reduced rate. There are many DC who don't have opportunities to try clubs as they can be really expensive.

Honestly Op, I’m surprised you’re even bothered by it.

Do you always look for from approval from others?

How is your confidence and self esteem in general?

If it’s Only Fans, they may have a point.