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

On the face of it, their attitude doesn’t really make sense. Unless your commitment to the side hustle on top of your existing commitments means you will have little or no time to maintain friendships?

Is the side-hustle in some niche but competitive field and your entry into it would further over-saturate the market and make it harder for people who work in it to make a living? I might judge in that instance, since you apparently don’t need the money.

@Katee91 Just do what you want and stop asking your friends to validate you. They won't so just do it anyways. Its got nothing to do with money.

You mean by the one we have one side so the OP version of what is going on? sure I can see they may be rude, frustrated by the OP, annoyed and other things but casnt see whyat there is to be jealous about? again what the OP is doing works for them nbut not everyone wants to do what the OP is doing so again why are they appearing to be jealous?

Depends what you mean in terms of needing your friends being “supportive”

a friend of mine has made her hobby her business, and the expectation is that we (supportive friends) regularly purchase items

i find that a big ask tbh. And one I sometimes resent. If she were rich I’d really be even more like FFS 😂😂

I earn six figures, I also have a side business. As anyone who earns that kind of money knows, it takes an awful lot from you and it probably isn’t something you can or will want to do for ever. It’s about having a plan B you love. Well done you 💐

Is it because you were hoping for them to support you by buying your stuff? If so then I think it is relevant that you're a high earner. I'd be more likely to buy something from a friend who is struggling than one who is comfortable.

Is your new business part of an MLM?

Are they judging or just puzzled as to why you would want to? Maybe it's more that YOU feel i'ts a strange thing to be doing if you already have a high powered and stressful job? Whatever, you don't need their support, unless you are expecting them to fund it in some way (buy your services?).

They don’t sound like good friends OP.

DH and I are high earners and I have side hustle (that’s a passion), that has also made a fair chunk of money. All my friends have been nothing but happy and excited for me.

Agree. It makes no sense in the vast majority of cases where it’s suggested.

I am self employed with a life style business. I would be having conversations about have you thought that you are turning your hobby into work as that can take the fun out of it.

Because they actually sound very jealous?

Maybe you don’t have that much in common and your “friendship” has developed into petty sniping

Maybe they don’t like you that much

Maybe you don’t like them

Maybe they don’t think you are any good at the thing you are trying to monetise

Maybe the thing is an implausible side hustle

Maybe you are boring. Like many people I have a friend you runs and a colleague who cycles. I don’t encourage them for one second as it only opens the floodgates for more tales and stats and I’ve reached the very tip of my limit.

Edited to add

Maybe they fear being invited to part with their cash at an endless parade of “candle parties” or similar.

I do think the missing piece in a useful discussion here is the actual hobby.

I understand the reluctance to get into that but unless you're training squirrels for espionage or running a travelling circus of acrobatic lizards then it's not outing....

You’re not allowed to talk about money on Mumsnet unless it’s because you don’t have any.

I permanently fell out with a friend over the amount of holidays she did.
She told everyone it was jealously. In truth her passion for travel was one of the things that started our friendship. She’s always gone away.
What actually was annoying was she became embarrassed with her adventures and kept talking about how crap work was (she only worked very part time between travels) and her mental health. It was all a bit unnecessary and patronising given she had a great time, living exactly how she always envisioned life.

I feel Op might be similar. Just do the hobby Op.

🍿🥤

I'm retired from paid work and work for myself part time. My friend frequently expresses bewilderment at my choice. Not her business and I feel free to ignore her.

Unless your friends feel under pressure to support what you're doing financially it's not their business either.

Surely hobbies are there to fill your time with things you love.

What difference does it make if it’s tennis, which you pay for and enjoy, or a work hobby which you are paid to do!

I would ignore your friends, I think they’ve been clumsy in there opinions!!

Prove them wrong!!

If I had made those sort of comments to a friend about a side hustle it wouldn’t be through jealousy. It would be for one of two reasons:

Either I could see that this wouldn’t work as a business. Maybe she wasn’t skilled enough, there wasn’t a market, the craft took a long time for the sale price etc. Or I thought the only way it would work would be if friends and family supported it.

Or I thought it would make her life worse. Maybe she was already quite busy and stressed, didn’t have the time to do her craft now, regularly told me she was stressed etc.

Money wouldn’t really come into it, except in so far as I would be more tactful if the reason for trying a side husdlr was financial.

I've seen this happen to adult friends. Not me. One friend was doing very well. I was so happy for her. Our other friend was so jealous. Why not be supportive to a friend who's making positive choices.

It depends it could be that they are judging because you earn enough or they think you will be crazy to leave the high paying job eventually. Perhaps they would love your original job/pay. Or they think the side line isn’t a great idea because it is unlikely to take off. I know someone who makes jewellery which isn’t what I’d buy but she still does fetes etc. It obviously won’t make her rich. But the bigger question is why are you concerned with what they think? Also does being a high earner make you happy because maybe you need to be more honest with your friends about why you are starting it. As you said you are jealous of friend with hobby job.

I work with someone who has a side business and he’s always sloping off when the boss’s back’s turned to sort out jobs. It’s actually annoying.

But given your friends don’t work with you, then I can’t see why they’re bothered.

it’s likely jealousy.

I do something like that, I earn a lot but have a little side job, something that's really my passion. I don't need the money, but it is a proper job, the place where I do the hobby has other people doing the same and isn't set up to have one of us volunteering. Yes my main job is stressful, but the hobby job actually helps me to relax.
Your friends probably only work because of money and simply don't understand why anybody could do anything without getting paid for it.

I think they are jealous.