Ah yes, the side hustle.
It's safe to say there are millions of people who are looking to diversify their streams of income right now.
For many Australians, side hustles are the perfect avenue to become preoccupied with your passion and earn money while doing it.
They can also be as time-consuming as they can be rewarding; as fulfilling as they can be draining.
Watch: Samantha Longmore shares her Lady Startup story of how she grew her successful business. Post continues below.
Here, we asked 15 women to tell us about their side hustle, how long they spend on it, and how much they earn from it. And don't worry – this is a multi-level marketing (MLM) free space.
Here's what the women said.
1. Jo, freelance copy writer.
I'm a freelance copy and content writer, juggling freelance life with a full-time job. I spend 10-15 hours per week on Hola Creative. I launched in May 2020, and my net income has been $4100.
Listen to Mamamia's Lady Startup podcast here. On this episode, Mia Freedman interviews Erica Bartle, who runs Outland Denim with her husband Jim. Post continues below.
2. Vanessa, hamper maker.
I work full time as an Operations Manager in retail and during the evenings and weekends I run a small business called UniQ Hampers. We sell online and offer a wide range of gift hampers for everyone and for all sorts of occasions – we even have a hamper for break-ups! Initially, I spent a lot of time on it, but now that all the hampers are created, I just come up with social media content, and posting out the hampers, so about two-three hours a night on average.
Money wise, it can be really hit and miss. We sometimes can make $1000 in a week and other times $0. Our average is probably about $200 – I know it isn’t a lot but every bit helps!
3. Nastasiya, bath products.
I am a full-time business manager in insurance brokerage. I also have a husband, two boys and a baby on the way shortly. I started Luxury Bath Co, 10 months ago. I am a founder, bookkeeper, marketer, sales person, 'warehouse' supervisor and a delivery man at times for my business.
Being a startup, there is a lot of admin and internal work to do. On average, I spend a solid 15 to 20 hours a week on my business.
At this point, I don't make a profit at all. It was a big capital investment and I am yet to see the returns, however it is generating a lot of interest.
4. Ruby Rose, jewellery designer.
My side hustle is making silver and gold jewellery under the name Serpent Rouge Jewellery.
My day job is in a café working 30 hours a week, which leaves me spending another 35 to 40 hours on my side hustle (about 25 hours on manufacturing and 15 on product photography, website and social media).
This has been my first month in business and I have turned over about $1,500 (which included two sales to people who aren't my friends or family!).
5. Samantha, Little House in the Valley.
I have a small business called Little House in the Valley where we make custom tile house numbers and signs for the home. It has been my little baby that I have been slowly working on around casual work and caring for my two growing boys.
I would say that I spend a few hours each day (often late at night) officially 'working' on my hustle and countless hours researching my love of design.
I make a few hundred dollars a month. Regardless of what I make, I receive so much more from being able to channel my creative energy into something worthwhile and good for my soul!
6. Josie, soap and bath products.
I work in IT as a DevOps Engineer, and started my side hustle making soap and bath products in January 2020. My business is Diamond Valley Handcrafted.
I spend 10-15 hours a week on it at the moment, and am not profitable at all. Selling mostly to friends and family via word of mouth, and am currently working on the marketing aspects to increase visibility to get more sales.
7. Kaysi, leather designer.
I make handmade leather goods over for my business, Bonnie and Hide. Every single item is made by me in my studio from scratch.
I have two babies under two so I try to get at least two days a week in the studio. Leather work is a pretty long process from start to finish so most items are one off or small batch.
I make about $1,000 a month at the moment.
8. Leanne, sustainable fabric.
I launched my own sustainable label, Acala Stem. Our fabric and products are made from the stem of a lotus flower. I was launching this new brand just before COVID, then the world changed and so we pivoted to launching our organic face masks.
I spend about two-thirds of my time on this. I’m a single mother already running my own branding design business with an established client-base, but I'm hoping Acala Stem can become my main business.
9. Ellie, period education.
My side hustle is The Better Period, a business I created to help women have a better period. I create content about reusable period products like menstrual cups and period underwear and also basic education about the menstrual cycle.
I do this mainly on my blog and Instagram. I work full time as a marketing and digital media coordinator so I spend whatever free time I can on it. Sometimes that’s one or two hours per day and a few hours over the weekend, other times I can go a whole week without working on it at all.
The income I make is passive, so when I write about a product, I’ll link to it and if someone makes a purchase via that link I receive a commission. At the moment I make around $500 a month, but aiming to grow that as my website traffic grows.
10. Geraldine, copywriting services.
I run a business providing PR+Comms, editing and copywriting services under my name, Geraldine Stallard.
I currently spend about 18 hours a week on it, in between taking care of a toddler in lockdown.
So far, it ranges from $1,000-$2,000 per project, but I also take on smaller projects. I'm at the stage where I'm giving a lot of free advice... Possibly too much, but I'd rather help than not!
11. Rennae, facial masks.
I started my side hustle which is Timeless Truth Luxury Sheet Masks in April 2020.
I own a Skin Clinic in Melbourne, which was shut because of the pandemic. I needed an outlet and I wanted to continue channelling my passion for skin. I needed a way to provide a “facial in a flat pack” to my clients who were missing their in-clinic skin treatments.
I spend about 30 hours a week on my side hustle, trying to grow it and get the name and product out there. I don’t turn a profit yet as everything I have made is currently going back into the business to purchase more stock!
Hopefully I will turn a profit by next year.
12. Sarah, earrings.
I run Gracefully Made Designs where I create intricate and highly detailed polymer clay earrings. I run this on the side as my other “job” as a full-time mum takes up most of my time. I tend to work at nighttime for around four to five hours when the kids have gone to bed and most weekends when my husband is home.
My business has really taken off over the last 12 months thanks to the exposure of the 'Buy From The Bush' campaign. This means that I’m working harder than ever as generally I’ll sell out of all available stock within 30 minutes of launching.
It’s certainly grown into a profitable business. Over the last 12 months my six week average has grown from around $2,000 to about $6,000.
13. Natalie, online directory.
My side hustle is an online directory: Her Tribe To Thrive. All companies listed are run by women, selling products and services designed for women. I’m trying to create my own ‘female circular economy’.
I am in the final stages of launching, so I’m currently spending three to four hours a day (I have two kids under three years old). However I’m hoping to get this down to one or two hours a day once I’m established. I also work full time but I'm currently on parental leave.
I am not earning anything right now, however I have over 40 companies listed (and growing) so within the next two to three months I hope to be earning between $500-$1,000 per month.
14. Laura, marketing.
My side hustle is 'Know Your Neighbour' a free marketing space for Australian Made brands. The idea is to focus on quality not quantity.
Currently I do not make any money from my hustling and spend hours and hours working. But I love what I do and hope that one day it might bring in a coin or two.
15. Supriya, handmade gifting paper.
For my day job, I am the Head of Digital at an events company in Sydney.
I started Loktaa – my side hustle – together with my sister, as a means to fundraise for Room to Read’s Literacy Program in Nepal. I am committed to donate 50 per cent of the profits to Room to Read. Loktaa is an online store selling eco-friendly traditional Nepalese handmade paper as gift wraps and bags.
Loktaa is also a creative outlet for me – a means to detox from my everyday job! Besides this, I am a mum of a four-year-old and a six-month-old.
Feature Image: Supplied.
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