Side hustles have become a popular way for people to monetise on their hobbies and passions. But how exactly do you start a side hustle? What things are there to consider? And how can you grow this project into a success story?
Here, TechRound explore advice from those experienced in the side hustle scene, including…
- Emily Tyson – Mindset & Side Business Coach
- Mark Walters – Owner of Marks Get Set
- Sajan Devshi – Founder at Learndojo.org
- Ben Walker – CEO of Transcription Outsourcing
- Meera Watts – Founder of Siddhi Yoga
- Erin Parnell – Founder of Eternally Cherished
- Will Webster – Co-Founder of interlude
- Caitlin Rozario – Co-Founder of interlude
- Bertan Baytekin – Co-Founder of AppJobs
- Anastasia Hill – Communications and Brand Strategist at Hill and Co Communications
- Camilla Carrapatoso – Co-Founder of BETA100
- Tomek Młodzki – CEO at PhotoAiD
- Karen Lucia – Health & Movement Coach and EFT Practitioner
- Maria Andoniou – Digital Marketing Executive
- Peter Meyer – Actor, Director, Producer, Writer and Expert on Film & Conservation
- Brian David Crane – Founder at Spread Great Ideas
- Steven Miller – CMO of SKILLR
- Maciek Kubiak – Head of People at PhotoAiD
- Steve Witt – Co-Founder of The Travel Franchise
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Emily Tyson
Business: Mindset & Side Business Coach
Website: https://www.emily-tyson.com/
“My advice to getting started with a side hustle is to define your ‘why’. Get clear on why you are building your side hustle. It can be for a number of reasons; a creative outlet, to make more money, or to move away to your full-time job. Once you’re clear on this, it influences every decision you make, and will keep you motivated to move forwards.”
“My approach to building a side hustle is in an anti-hustle way. The coaching business I run now, started as a side hustle. At the time, I was working in an extremely fast-paced environment, with long hours and little time to breathe, let alone start a business. I set the intention early on to grow my side hustle in a way that felt good for me.”
“To me, running a business in an anti-hustle way means making it work for you in all aspects of building a business. It’s finding ways to utilise your time and energy in a way that feels good, it’s using marketing techniques that fill you with joy, and it’s taking time to work on your mindset.”
“When you’re juggling full-time work with a side hustle, and your other life commitments, it can be challenging. Time management is extremely important. I recommend spending 10 minutes on a Friday or Sunday evening planning the week ahead. You can do this by blocking time in your calendar to work on your business, along with your other weekly commitments. This will ensure you have a healthy work life balance, and nothing gets left behind.”
“Reminder: you’re juggling a lot, and small steps are better than no steps. If you only have 30 minutes a week to spend on your business, it’s better than nothing.”
Mark Walters
Company: Marks Get Set
Website: https://marksgetset.com/
Starting a side hustle can be a great way to generate some extra income and gain some valuable business experience. However, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Mark Walters, owner of Marks Get Set business consultancy runs through some top tips to get you started:
Follow your passion – “There is no point in starting a side hustle if you’re not passionate about it. Do your research – make sure you know everything there is to know about your industry and what the competition is doing.”
Create a business plan – “This will help you to stay on track and make sure you’re making the most of your time.”
Nail down your marketing strategy – “If you’re looking to start a side hustle, it’s important to have a clear marketing strategy in place. This means knowing who your target market is, what needs and wants they have, and how you can reach them. You may also need to consider what differentiates your product or service from others in the marketplace.”
Ways to Generate leads for your side hustle – “Learn who your customers are going to be by developing a customer persona, that way you can talk to them on the right platform and in the right way on topics that will start to build a community for your business.”
Know your business expenses – “Some expenses come with running a side hustle. You need to know what they are and how to figure them out to be sure you can make your side hustle profitable. There is an initial investment, which includes start-up costs, as well as materials for the product or services being sold.”
Track your progress and growth – “Make sure you track your side hustle’s progress and growth by setting measurable goals. This can help you determine when your side hustle becomes profitable and starts growing.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Sajan Devshi
Company: Learndojo.org
Website: https://learndojo.org/
“The most important step in starting your side hustle is identifying a problem that needs solving or an area where demand could exist for a specific niche that is underserved. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big problem or obvious niche; it can be what I call a ‘micro-niche’. An example of a micro-niche might be instead of selling all types of stationary, you might focus simply on customised pens that can be given as a gift. If this doesn’t exist, you could effectively create this niche and become a market leader as sometimes the best markets to be in are the ones you create.”
“Think adult colouring books – this wasn’t a thing until it became popularised and then everyone was into it and a new market was created. It’s a case of sometimes trying to create something with a specific lens on it without reinventing the wheel.”
“You can identify demand based on what people search for using Googles keyword planner tool. This will break down what people are searching for and you can identify a niche that is underserved. Google Trends can also be used for the same to see where demand is growing.”
“If you need suppliers, the best place is always China and they all hang out in one place: Alibaba: https://www.alibaba.com/. They are incredibly flexible and adaptable to customisations and it’s a case of reaching out to them for custom work, most can do it.”
“Lastly one of the most overlooked elements is learning the principles of digital marketing and selling online. You can’t just build a website and expect sales, a lot goes into the background of making a store succeed online.”
Ben Walker
Company: Transcription Outsourcing
Website: https://www.transcriptionoutsourcing.net/
“We get a ton of people applying for side hustle jobs with us. Most of them have no idea though that we take their initial application and scrutinise it thoroughly.”
“We are a transcription services company and we guarantee 99% accuracy, so when we get applications that have misspellings and poor grammar we eliminate them from consideration immediately. My point is, when you fill out an application to start your side hustle with a company make sure you check for spelling and grammatical errors before submitting your application.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Meera Watts
Company: Siddhi Yoga
Website: https://www.siddhiyoga.com/
“I suggest keeping your side hustle related more to your hobby. Chances are that your full-time job might already be taking most of your time. And if your side hustle is also related to that field, you might start to lose interest or burn out fast. A side hustle should be more like having a good time in something you love and getting paid for it.”
“In today’s generation, people are getting paid for everything. No matter if a small business or helping out someone, there’s a job for every hobby of yours. And you just need to find it. When you take a side hustle that matches your hobby, even if it’s a long day at work, you’ll find doing the side hustle easier. As it won’t bore you or won’t put you under more stress. Rather, it will work as a stress buster to challenge your creative side.”
“For this, first, you need to analyse what you are most passionate about. No matter how weird it is, it’s fine. Make sure you actually are passionate about it and you can work on it no matter how tired you are. When you find it, start exploring companies that work under the same niche. Apply what you find the best and have patience.”
Erin Parnell
Company: Eternally Cherished
Website: https://www.eternallycherished.co.uk/
“The advice I would give anyone starting a side hustle would be to find something that they are passionate about because they will need to rely on that passion when times are hard. “
“Starting a business is not easy and at times can be all-consuming, it is in these times that the passion to keep striving forward, to keep ongoing. If you have passion for what you do then it doesn’t feel like work. I adore my business and even on the darkest of days, my passion keeps me going.”
“I love making these incredibly special items and creating special one-off pieces, at some point I lost the heart of my business and when covid hit, times got hard and I realised I needed to just get back to what I loved doing and 4 years later I am still going strong.”
“Find your passion, find your tribe and you will love doing your side-hustle.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Will Webster
Company: interlude
Website: https://interlude.digital/
“Try to start your business with someone else that you trust and respect – even with a co-founder it’s been really tough, so it must be really difficult to go it alone. If that’s not possible, join networking groups to meet like minded people.”
“Time management is really important. Learn how to manage your time as effectively as possible as you’re going to be really up against it. Give yourself a clear break between finishing your day job and starting work on your hustle. That could be a walk, yoga class, cooking dinner – anything to break up your day and keep the lines clear.”
Caitlin Rozario
Company: interlude
Website: https://interlude.digital/
“Make sure that you’re truly passionate about the problem you’re solving. things will get really tough, and motivation will sometimes desert you, so you need to really believe that your solution is really going to help to solve the problem.”
“Proper self care is absolutely vital. Working two jobs (sometimes more for some people) is incredibly taxing on the brain and surprisingly, the body. I’m about to go part time and one thing I will be doing is making Sundays a sacred no-laptops day. If you can’t do a whole day yet – I get it, time is money – carve out some time every week that is yours to enjoy, be it a Friday night for a nice dinner or going out, or a lazy Saturday morning.”
“Most importantly, don’t lose yourself. It’s a truth that we have to acknowledge that most small businesses fail – you need to make sure that you have something outside of your side hustle and outside of your day job that makes you happy and fulfills you.”
“Finally, enjoy this process – it’s very hard work but it’s incredibly exciting, creative and rewarding. Don’t let it pass you by!”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Bertan Baytekin
Company: AppJobs
Website: https://www.appjobs.com/
“When looking at a side hustle it’s important to pick something aligned with both your skills and your personal situation. Your side hustle needs to fit around your life, otherwise it won’t work.”
“I think it’s also important to pick something you enjoy. After all, we want to find fulfilment and pleasure in what we do.”
“I think one of the biggest challenges with starting a side hustle can be knowing where to begin. Whether it’s a side hustle walking dogs, renting out a space on Airbnb, offering professional services on websites such as Fiverr, or providing a courier service, sometimes the most difficult part is actually getting started.”
“When we began building AppJobs in 2017 we wanted to help workers not only find jobs in the gig economy, but also work better through multi-apping. Now, we have a comprehensive guide to lots of flexible work providers and have connected over half a million job seekers with apps and services like Uber, Doordash, Upwork, Lime and many more.”
“This way, people can pick up gigs as and when they want, meaning they can work and make money to fit around their lives.”
“My main piece of advice is to sign up with multiple services to optimise earnings by comparing them regularly. There is no one-size-fits-all approach but there are plenty of options to choose from.”
“It’s also possible with appjobs.work to aggregate earnings and work data and understand net earnings when multi-apping, allowing you to set targets and earn rewards for reaching them.”
Anastasia Hill
Company: Hill and Co Communications
“Starting a side hustle is simple, however you must practice your craft to attract clients. My overnight side hustle success took 1 month and 2 weeks before landing my first client.”
“The story started when I fell in love with TikTok consumer products. I decided to take a course, and started practicing with complimentary case studies. I did this and got my first beauty client all the way in Australia. I owe my success to being obsessed with the algorithm, trends, and incorporated that into my videos to amp up my media buying.”
“Side hustles become simple when you realise you have the tools in front of you. I often find inspiration in my own home, make videos, and send them to the brands I want to work with.”
“My recommendation with side hustles is to just start and make connections via social media. Write about your work on LinkedIn to attract high paying clients and put yourself out there.”
More from Guides
- Apps To Help Employers Invest In Employee Health
- How Entrepreneurs Can Reduce Employee Turnover
- Expert Comment: What Startup Sectors Are Investors Most Interested In This Financial Year?
- Top 10 Dating Apps In 2024
- 10 Countries Driving Renewable Energy Innovation
- Alternative Encyclopaedias For Wikipedia
- Can A VPN Help You Get A Glastonbury Ticket?
- 10 UK Early Stage Investors For Your Startup
Camilla Carrapatoso
Company: BETA100
Website: https://www.beta100.co/
“The term side hustle has been thrown around in popular culture over the past several years and we’ve heard a variety of examples of what side hustles can be – with options ranging from professional photography to driving for a ride-share app, to name a few. But I’d like to turn the tables and look at it from a different angle.”
“What if starting a side hustle looked like investing time and skills in exchange for equity in a company? Think about it – taking a step back from the 9-5 and working on a project to help build an app, create a community, or help bring a new product to market. It gives people an opportunity to be a part of building something bigger and have a stake in the end product or service or even the future of the company! This is where we at BETA100 aim to make a difference.”
“As the future of work evolves post-pandemic, it’s time to turn the side-hustle on its head – and give people a new way to think about and start their own side-hustles.”
Tomek Młodzki
Company: PhotoAiD
Website: https://photoaid.com/
“My best advice for starting a side hustle is to give it your best and not your regular work. People usually have a hard time finding the resources to work on a side business because they have their expenses, have to pay bills, and have their regular job on top of that. After working for a long time, it is hard to stay focused and work without rest. This is why many people end up doing nothing because of fatigue, and business ideas never get implemented.”
“My suggestion is to work on a project before going to work. It’s a reasonably simple swap, but it can yield excellent results because you’re putting most of your resources into a non-mandatory idea, and you’ll have to get yourself together for your regular work anyway.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Karen Lucia
Business: Health & Movement Coach and EFT Practitioner
Website: https://www.karenlucia.com/
“Working on a side hustle will always take up more of your time than you anticipate, so I feel that you must make sure you throw yourself into something you have a passion for or that at least gets you excited. That excitement will rub off on potential customers and help to improve making real connections.”
“Organising your available time is key, and you might want to research and invest in people that are experts in important aspects of the particular project that you are not. This will allow you more freedom to stay creative and efficient when working on your hustle, which will keep motivation high and productivity consistent.”
“In a nutshell: genuine passion and excitement will attract people to what you have to offer, collaboration with the right experts will help you to get there as efficiently as possible, and making your own experience fun is paramount!”
Maria Andoniou
Business: Digital Marketing Executive
Website: https://www.teddybcandles.com/
“If you want to start a side hustle all you have to do is START. Start finding your passion, start finding your niche, start finding how you can make this possible and start devoting at least an hour per day to your passion. For me, I started by buying a candle kit, then I started giving away my first candles to friends and family and asking for feedback, I started researching other businesses I really liked and after a few months, I started my own business. The secret is to start.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Peter Meyer
Business: Actor, Director, Producer, Writer and Expert on Film & Conservation
Website: https://www.themeyerstudios.com/
“Like any business, you need to know your market and do your research. Creating a side hustle can be anything whether big or small but a few things to me that are key:”
1) Location: “In marketing, this is key and doesn’t have to be physical but even where to market. But in my case, with a physical photography studio, it needs to be easily accessible.”
2) Funding: “You need some funds. It takes money to make money”
3) Calculated risk: “Don’t waste money on small things, focus on the big picture. Always spend £1 with the aim to get £10 back. A pretty desk and nice pens don’t mean business is coming in. Get the business then get the things you want!”
4) Marketing: “This is so key and my number one – whether social media or other platforms you need to market smart and affordably. Make it sexy, you need to attract your audience so make the content look good.”
5) Preparation: “Research your market, research your competition, do your homework and have a PLAN A, B, C & D (Especially with today’s economic Climate).”
Brian David Crane
Company: Spread Great Ideas
Website: https://spreadgreatideas.org/
“The key to starting a successful side hustle is to choose something that you’re skilled at, but also feel passionately about. What makes you unique and what do you feel strongly about. For me, I knew I was good at growing digital brands and I feel strongly about personal sovereignty and individual rights, so I decided to combine those two things and start a side project which invested in and advised growing e-commerce brands that promoted personal sovereignty and individual rights.”
“For a side hustle to be successful in the long run I feel that you need to choose something that you enjoy to a certain degree, otherwise you’re likely to lose interest or give up before finding success. When you’re starting to explore what your side project could be you should write down your interests, hobbies, and skills. It also helps to brainstorm niches that align with your interests that you could target, and to research what others are doing in the space that interests you and how you could set yourself apart from them.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Steven Miller
Company: SKILLR
Website: https://www.skillr.com/
“Everyone is looking to make some extra money on the side these days but figuring out what that job should be can be difficult. My advice is to think about what you’re good at, what people come to you for advice or help with and start making money with it.”
“Odds are if the people you know see you as an expert in that area and are looking for someone to help them, others will too. That’s one of the reasons we made SKILLR (skillr.com) a community of experts, so ordinary people who have great knowledge and passion for certain topics can share that expertise at a time and place that’s convenient for them and most importantly, get paid for it!”
Maciek Kubiak
Company: PhotoAiD
Website: https://photoaid.com/
Research, Outreach, Network: “Starting a side hustle can be a great way to make extra money, but it’s important to do your research and choose the right opportunity for you. There are many ways to get started, but the most important thing is to find something you’re passionate about and that you can see yourself doing long-term.”
“Once you’ve found your niche, it’s time to start outreaching and building your brand. You can start by creating a website or blog and writing helpful content that will attract an audience. Social media is also a great way to promote your side hustle and reach new audiences. Be sure to use hashtags and tag relevant people or businesses in your posts so that they can help share your content. Finally, don’t forget networking. This is how you find the kind of passionate and talented people that may have the ability to inspire you or give you a hand in particular issues. In fact, I think it’s crucial to network these days.”
Steve Witt
Company: The Travel Franchise
Website: https://www.the-travel-franchise.com/
“We have helped nearly a thousand people, many with little or no experience in the travel industry, train as fully qualified travel consultants in just a few weeks. A significant proportion of these highly successful businesses start out as side hustles – and so we know a thing or two about what makes a good one.”
“The key to a successful side hustle is choosing one you’re passionate about. The first question to ask yourself is ‘why do you want to start one?’ Is it to build extra income around a main job or busy family life? Is it to fulfil a passion or creative desire? Are you not ready to retire just yet? That helps set out your business priorities and enables you to focus on what’s important to you.”
“Secondly, side hustles are often low-cost, low-risk options that allow you to test the waters of the business before you fully commit. They are the ultimate litmus test for entrepreneurs. We find that once business booms and people start seeing the money flying in, many of them quit their jobs and work full-time. The majority of our travel consultants start as a side hustle alongside an existing career or business, and slowly build their business to the point where they are able to commit full-time and fully enjoy the lifestyle. We have many travel consultants who started this way and are now making hundreds of pounds per year from their travel business.”
“A great way to fast-track your way to side-hustle success is to buy into a franchise. These are ready-made businesses that you can buy off-the-shelf and start earning pretty much immediately. Some franchises, such as ours, start at just £3k. This provides you with a ready to go home-based business, complete with training, a personalised website and access to hundreds of suppliers, many not available to the public. You finish training one day and start earning the next. Plus, with a good franchise, you are given a business, marketing and customer service template for success. You simply follow the steps set out for you. The Office of National Statistics show that only 42% of businesses survive the first five years, compared to 82% of franchises. Franchises are a tried and tested recipe to success and an excellent way to start a side bustle business.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
