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

[Katee91]

I work a stressful but very (financially) rewarding job - comfortably 6 figures with generous bonuses. My DH out earns me and I know we are very fortunate in that respect.

I’m attempting to turn a hobby/passion into a small side business and have spoken to various friends about it.

More or less all of them have questioned why I need to do this as they don’t feel I need the money. That isn’t the motivating factor though, it’s for enjoyment and linked to my passion.

AIBU to feel a bit upset at their outlook with this? Even after I explain my reasons they still turn it back to money.

I don’t think it’s jealousy as my DH suggested, but I just feel a bit deflated and that my friends should be supporting me..

If you are worried about what your friends think, are you tough enough for your own business?

If you are expecting them to support this business venture/buy from you, then that's unreasonable.

Definitely this!

I'm guessing that they are finding it harder financially so where they'd probably be supportive of a hobby I'm guessing they're thinking 'have they not got enough' especially if they know your job is stressful. It might even be coming from a good place eg is she trying to burn herself out kind of thought.
Just a different perspective.
Good luck 👍

Ah Sod em! Do what makes you happy ,

Is it the sort of side hustle that is heavily marketed and people get bored of hearing about?

The OP has said she doesn't think her friends are jealous but feels deflated that they are questioning the wisdom of what she's hoping to do. Even if some of her friends are jealous, it would be very strange for all of them to be jealous. I have been supportive of my friend in a side project and it took so much out of him and ultimately failed. The next time he was talking about similar I was one of the "critical friends/voices of doom." He is very successful and wealthy. Has a housekeeper, nanny, personal trainer 4 x a week and a mon-fri chef. Do I envy the ease that wealth brings... yes! Am I jealous? No.

Hardly much?
Tell me you’re out of touch without telling me you’re out of touch!

What I would give to be on 6 figures and not worrying myself sick about getting through every single month.

Haha give her a break

Why do you care what they think? And why did you assume they want to know about your side hustle?

Unless it is making paint brushes with the hairs of a himalayan rat, then the odds are this hobby won't be particularly outing

Get in another "outing hobby" one

Yes, I write, and I know it's spectacularly unlikely to make me a profit. I'm planning to self-publish because mainstream publishing is like having a whole second job just to apply.

I'd like other people - however few - to read my books and enjoy them hopefully.

Some people don't get modest ambitions.

Sounds like your have far more interest in your friends’ lives than is healthy. I don’t think my examples were extreme. Just typical examples. It’s possible that that OP’s friends are very low income so anything more than 1 holiday a year seems excessive to them, but most average people are sensible enough to realise that outward appearances don’t necessarily equal real wealth.

oh shut up.

I think they were being sarcastic

god I hope so but this is the sort of comment that could genuinely appear on a post like this....

Why can’t you just enjoy the hobby? Why does it have the be a side hustle? Theres a trend of monetising hobbies just for the sake of it but it turns something you do in your down time for fun into more work. Even if you enjoy the hobby, having customers giving you grief, things going wrong etc for money you don’t need seems silly. Just enjoy doing the thing.

It was sarcasm. Stop taking everything on here literally.

Do it. My two daughters have cottage businesses and very green fingered. One started cosmetics , the other distills gin

I think, as some commenters have put, maybe they’re questioning why you wouldn’t just keep this hobby as a hobby, rather than making money out of it as you’ve said you don’t need the money so why start a small business.
obviously it’s hard to judge without knowing what it is.

money is particularly difficult at the moment - cost of living, higher tax, lots of redundancies so maybe they do feel a bit jealous of you and DH (although don’t want to feel jealous if that makes sense/)

I would ignore them and go ahead with it. But maybe don’t discuss money with them. Good luck,
hope it works!

I just had no idea how many niche, outing hobbies there could be until I started reading Mumsnet. I hope someone somewhere is keeping a list. Once the bairns are older I would love to look through and try something more exotic than swimming and winebook club.

Do you complain about how tired and stressed from working you are… then your friends probably think ‘why on earth is she setting up even more work’?

Be authentically yourself.

Not sure of the relevance of the american wellness influencer soundbite to the actual topic under discussion but ok!

Are you asking them to buy anything or support your business with time or whatever? That’s the only way I can see it’s any of their business.