Adopting a side hustle is becoming far more popular these days as the cost of living rises.
One national report commissioned by ING found that 48 per cent of Australians said they were planning to start a side hustle – and with more flexible working arrangements for permanent workers, turning your hobby into a potential money-spinner has never been easier. Here, three creative side hustlers share how they did it, and their advice for those contemplating a second job.
How to Juggle a Side Hustle While Working Full-time
Goldie & Bee, the brand that began as a ‘gift between lovers’, is now a bustling side hustle in Victoria run by Chryssie and Buzz Swarbrick. They produce beautiful house illustrations for a range of customers. This is what Chryssie attributes their success to.
“Goldie & Bee started when my husband gave me a drawing of our house on Mother’s Day, 2021. I knew other people would love it and I said we should do it as a little side project. We started randomly drawing houses in our neighbourhood and sharing them on our social media and from there, we opened up to commissioned pieces and grew the business.
“We both have day jobs: I run a café with my sister and do freelance writing, and Buzz is an app/web developer. Buzz took care of Goldie & Bee’s web set-up and I focused on digital marketing so, together, it was quite easy to get set up and gain a small but engaged following. The set-up costs were so minimal; it feels magical being able to take a pen and turn a simple piece of paper into a finished piece of art that generates a very decent side income.
“Our customers come from across Australia and internationally, mainly via social media or word of mouth. We’ve drawn the church a couple has gotten married in, childhood homes and family homes that are being sold as parents retire. Our drawings become a nostalgic keepsake. In a busy month we might do four to five pieces but if we don’t have capacity, we’ll take fewer commissions. The business is set up to be primarily via waitlist, and makes up about 10 per cent of our income.”
Hot Tip: “Start slow. You want to make sure it doesn’t become too overwhelming, particularly if you have other work going on. And be careful how much you invest into it.”
SEE ALSO: How to Build Perfect Money-Making Side Hustles
Make Your Side Hustle as Big or Small as You Like
After quitting teaching to become a full-time freelance writer, Carly Jacobs from Very Excellent Habits started using her spare time to crochet – and her side hustle Crochet Coach was born.
“I come from a family of knitters and could never quite get the hang of it, but I took a crochet class and it was instant love. This was in 2016, when online courses were becoming huge. I saw a gap in the market for a complete beginner course and got up and running with a WordPress site, Woocommerce, a blog and Instagram.
“I set up a professional little recording station to film all my content, did a lot of SEO research and looked on social media to monitor what was working. My business plan was initially subscription: a monthly pattern release, Facebook group and weekly lessons for $14.95 a month. I set my prices based on market research, experimented with packages and had monthly sales targets.
“I’ve had two kids since I launched and don’t have a lot of time for the hands-on approach, so Crochet Coach is now an evergreen product, costing $29.95 for all lessons and patterns, and I no longer offer the Facebook group or pattern releases. Still, it works beautifully, bringing in 15-20 per cent of my yearly income through course sales, affiliate links and sponsorships. I do have plans to reinvigorate it with an online video stitch dictionary and I’d never say never to having a monthly community model again; I do miss my ‘Crochettes’! I’m still in touch with most of them.”
Hot Tip: “My advice to other wannabe side hustlers is to go for it. What do you have to lose? I have no regrets about creating Crochet Coach; it was a fun thing to try, more successful than I ever imagined it would be and I can ramp it up again when I have the time.”
SEE ALSO: 7 Etsy Makers You Should Be Following
Say Yes to The Work on the Side, Ask Questions Later
Die-hard hat lover Natasha Jordan Bauer started her side hustle after doing a millinery course in 2013. She’s juggled hat-making with her day job for 10 years, and still adores it.
“My first hat order was a friend who spotted one of my social posts. I was quite nervous making his hat, but orders snowballed from there and my confidence grew. In those early days I had to work out how to juggle my advertising day job with hat orders. I work on hats at night and on weekends, and Spring Carnival is my busiest time, when I might do 15-20 hats a month.
“My hats are an investment. Most of my customers have a bit more disposable income and are willing to spend over $1000 for what is truly an art piece. When they see their hat and put it on for the first time, their face lights up. It just makes everything worth it.
“I recently changed my side hustle name to Ziggi Zuver; I wasn’t comfortable working under my own name and rebranding stoked the fire I had again. It’s also given me a chance to work more on my brand story – something I didn’t really do in the beginning as it all moved so fast. And, it has meant that I can branch out in my offerings.
“Hats can be seasonal and at a high price point, so I’m looking to do bags, perfume, sunglasses or even a clothing label, to give me other avenues of income. From all of that, I then realised I wanted to create a memorable brand with a gender-neutral name that rolled off the tongue and had a great play on words. Eventually I’d love to work on Ziggi Zuver full-time. That would be the dream.”
Hot Tip: “Say yes to everything and figure it out later. So much experience comes from trial and error and it’s easy to get stuck in your own head, but you have to keep moving and learning. A financial buffer can also make things easier.”
Try this…
- Vivitar 62” Tripod
- Samsung 24” FHD LED Monitor S31
- Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Manga Set 4 Pack
- Derwent Graphic Sketching Pencils Medium 12 Pack
- Derwent Academy A3 Sketching Paper Landscape 30 Sheets
- Reeves Newsprint Paper Pad 48gsm 50 Sheets A3
SEE ALSO: Ask the Expert: How to Start A Small Business
