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

29 replies

itsallabitmuchx · 10/09/2025 14:41

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?

OP posts:

Barney16 · 10/04/2026 20:18

Tutoring. I did a lot when I was starting out. And some part time lecturing. Now, with a v persistent cc bill I'm thinking of starting a cleaning side hustle.

Usernamenotfound1 · 10/04/2026 20:23

Is it just me who hates the expression “side hustle”?

in my mind it’s someone pushy trying get some sort of business off the ground which takes quite a bit of time and effort- like pp said MLM’s are a classic example.

in the UK I’m not sure it’s enough reward to have a “side hustle” on top of a full time job. It’s not only the hours worked, it’s the accounting, tax returned etc as well.

i have had a couple of SE jobs and the return wasn’t great per hour, paperwork was a nightmare so I went back to paye. Stable, with set hours. I don’t feel that “hustle” that I have to work more hours and push my business to make more money. I have a better work life balance.

if O/T arises I will do that for some extra cash. But a “side hustle” is more trouble than it’s worth imo. Unless it’s a business idea that will make you a millionaire.

hopelessbusiness · 10/04/2026 20:29

A Mumsnet cliche but I've built up a little ironing round - there's still enough people out there who liked the 'ironed' look but CBA or don't have time to do it themselves!!

Usernamenotfound1 · 10/04/2026 20:29

BauhausOfEliott · 10/09/2025 15:19

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.

I know quite a few male athletes who do only fans to supplement their lottery funding. They make a good wedge as well from it. The more well known they are - Olympians- the more they make.

the gay male market is huge. They don’t even have to do explicit stuff- fit bodies in briefs or speedos sells well.

the women don’t as women in swimwear or underwear isn’t of interest. It needs to be explicit stuff to make money and that crosses the line where the powers that be can turn a blind eye.

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