Side hustles... how accessible are they..really?

[itsallabitmuchx]

We are told all too often that in this difficult climate we're in, we need to have a side hustle to get by. I totally get it, and would love one...but.. how accessible are they, really?

Anyone have any success stories of a side hustle? I work FT in a stressful role and would love some extra £ each month.

Any thoughts?

I make grocery money by selling Kindle ebooks on Amazon.

Most of the “side hustle’s” you see online making the supposed big money are pyramid scheme/scams, things like digital marketing etc.

I have friends who have or previously had side hustles doing things like nails, eye lashes, selling bodyshop/perfume type things but they all either cost time or money to make more money and if you’re already working full time then anything that takes up more time aren’t really what you’re after.

As in, you write the books and self publish?

For me, a good side hustle would be doing something you're already good at to get money. Like if you're in finance, you could tutor students in finance or maths.

If you don't have any particular skills like that then Id aim for something like babysitting- if you have the time available.

I wouldn't want anything that would require an outlay of money before you've even started.

I wouldn’t call it a side hustle but I do private consultancy work on top of my FT job
Averages out at 0.5 to 1 day most weeks and brings in around an extra 10k per year after tax etc
I used to do bookkeeping and accounts for small firms when DC were younger as could only work PT

What skills do you have that people (other than an employer) would pay you for?

• So if you're a tradesperson, you'll be able to "homers" - but you'd know that already
• If you're an accountant or bookkeeper, you may find there's small businesses who'd pay you to do their books
• If you have experience doing nails/make-up you'll be able to make money doing that
• If you can play a musical instrument to a decent standard, you may be able to get some paying gigs (I do this)
• If you are a competent cyclist and physically fit, you can make money doing deliveries (I know someone who did this when made redundant, to make their redundancy last longer while looking for their next long-term job)

I don't have a side hustle so much as two full time jobs. I work in a supermarket and I write published novels for a publisher. Tbh, writing the books is more of a full time job and the retail work is because royalties can fluctuate so wildly (as @PurpleChrayn can probably testify!).

Like @JaceLancs said, are you able to do private consultancy related to your job role?

Both me and DH do this, and it brings in a very good side income.

I'm sorry if I'm being thick but what does this mean:

I write published novels for a publisher.

It means I am traditionally published and I have novels that are currently published (ie, I am not writing on spec or writing with novels that aren't already out). Lots of people write novels and are self published and others write novels for publishers but aren't (yet) published).

I hope it's clear now.

It really depends what the side hustle is, how much time you've got to spend on it, how effort you want to put in per £ you actually earn, what skills and talents you've got that you can make use of, etc.

I don't think many people make any reasonable amount of money from things like being an Avon / Body Shop / Tropic seller, and I think very few people really make enough money to count as a side hustle from things like selling crafts on Etsy or whatever, either, unless they are exceptionally talented. My brother works full time and makes a little bit of extra money from doing bits of creative woodwork here and there when people commission him, but a) he is extremely talented at wood-carving and has a vast array of tools and equipment, b) he has almost every evening and weekend to himself to do this, and c) the amount of time it takes him to make each piece means he probably doesn't even make minimum wage per hour on what he sells. The most he'd make from it in a month might be £150, and it's more likely to be £40-50 or nothing.

I also have a friend who makes adult content on OnlyFans to supplement various other things that he does. He already had a following on social media and therefore had a ready made audience for people, mostly women but also some men, who wanted to watch him do things on OnlyFans that he obviously can't do on TikTok or Instagram. As a side hustle, he makes more money from it than most people would because he already had an audience and also has the body and face of a typical male heartthrob/model type. It certainly wouldn't ever replace his other work though - it's just a bit of extra money for him.

When I was much younger, extremely skint and struggling to pay my rent on my salary at the time, the only ways I could top up my income in any meaningful way was by doing bar work in the evenings and taking on things like babysitting and dog-walking through word of mouth. These days I occasionally do the odd bit of copywriting for catalogues and websites in the evenings but only very rarely - I don't need to do it but it's nice to earn a bit extra occasionally.

My DH does this as well.

He spends a reasonable amount of time on marketing, which he tracks very carefully to see what works. It’s a lot of time when you add in the actual writing. But it’s about £500 profit a month.

@PurpleChrayn @ShesTheAlbatross
I’m really interested - what genre of books is it, and how much can you typically make on it per month (and how many actual buyers do you need for that?). (Just realised that ShestheAlbatross mentioned £500 per month, sorry!)
Thanks both :)

edited to add note re: monthly amount

‘Side hustles’ are completely accessible if you’re prepared to put in the effort, but it does take effort and that’s why it’s usually either connected to a hobby or someone’s existing job. Sometimes people have top up jobs like cleaning offices or schools in the morning or evening or a few shifts in a bar or restaurant.

I’ve tried a fair few in my time!

The ones that have made me the most money/I still do as it works

Consulting in my field (by far!)

Writing smut (very specific kink I like anyway) for a blog, which brings in £150 a month as I’m now a regular writer.

Kindle ebooks bring in £50 a month-ish. I’ve stopped writing them as personally I don’t think it was worth it.

Etsy: I made up some of those little boxes of mixed chocolates for Christmas one year, with the stuck on ‘Grandad this is what you mean to me’ type sheets, and made a killing one Christmas. Now it’s a bit oversaturated IMO, but very convenient that year!

I review products for various retailers, they send free stuff and after a set amount of time it’s mine to keep or sell if I want to. It’s quite a lot of work to write decent reviews, often with videos, and you need storage space for the items. Then listing each item individually, selling and posting them takes a fair amount of time, too, but it’s quite good that I know if I can find the time to list things I can make a fair bit of money. I end up donating quite a bit to charity, too, which is a nice bonus, but I do feel the guilt of over consumption at times.

The most satisfying side hustles are those that are cash in hand where you know every £ is going into your own pocket.

Yes how??

Another one who wants to know about kindle e books! Do you write non-fiction on subjects you know? Or fiction? I'd love to do this

I used to make cakes and had a business on the side when I was still working. Sadly, my body’s too fecked to do either now.

I'm a freelance writer for a trade publication on the side. I'm very experienced in the area which makes it a lot easier, no constant research!

Though I loathe and detest the phrase "side hustle ". Just makes me think of Pampered Chef reps nagging like mad to the extent that you avoid socialising with them because they constantly want to sell you something.

I have made good money for the last 5 or 6 years doing matched betting and casino offers. Its getting more difficult to maje profit from in it recent years though.

I do holiday cat feeding. I don’t do it for the money though; I just like cats. I see the cash is a nice perk. I’m pretty busy with it at peak times.

Side hustle = part time job. Usually done in addition to full time employment. Often for little reward.
HTH.

My partner is registered sole trader in addition to FT job and buys and sells second hand clothes on vinted and ebay. Usually sourced from charity shops and carboots.