In 2023, greater than than 305,000 U.S. staff misplaced their jobs throughout a surge of mass layoffs that impacted the tech industry and past, CNBC Make It reported.
Meta worker Scott Goodfriend was a kind of folks. After he was laid off from his “dream job” as an augmented actuality producer on the tech big, he confronted an vital determination: Go work for an additional firm or construct a enterprise of his personal.
Goodfriend selected the latter. The entrepreneur had been working his Ultimate Food Tours aspect hustle out of New York Metropolis for years, with a spike in exercise after he reworked his providing and listed it on Airbnb experiences in 2021.
Goodfriend’s meals tour aspect hustle grew from $30,000 to $200,000 income a yr
As a weekend aspect hustle to his 9-5 position, Final Meals Excursions earned about $30,000 a yr, Goodfriend informed Entrepreneur.
The “candy, candy irony,” in response to Goodfriend? He’d by no means got down to remodel his ardour venture right into a enterprise; in truth, when folks first inspired him to promote his tour, he was delay by the thought of building a website and advertising and marketing the service.
Nonetheless, as soon as Goodfriend dedicated to turning the side hustle right into a full-time enterprise, Final Meals Excursions tripled in measurement yr over yr — all the way in which to about $200,000 annual income as of April 2024.
Goodfriend is not alone in his journey from layoff to side hustle success. Earlier this yr, Entrepreneur spoke with two different aspect hustlers who constructed companies with important income after dropping their jobs.
El Ghatit’s sentimental aspect hustle earned $350,000 in 2023 and is on observe for greater than $700,000 this yr
In 2006, Illinois resident Alaa El Ghatit was working in IT when he acquired the thought for his enterprise LifeOnRecord, a service that lets folks telephone in tales, reminiscences and effectively needs for somebody celebrating a birthday, marriage ceremony or one other special day.
A couple of months later, El Ghatit was laid off and targeted extra on his side hustle. Though some orders got here in, they weren’t sufficient to assist his household, so he took a brand new job 9 months later and continued to work on LifeonRecord on the aspect.
LifeOnRecord earned $100,000 at its peak as a aspect hustle, El Ghatit informed Entrepreneur. El Ghatit left the company world behind to develop into a full-time entrepreneur in 2022. In 2023, LifeOnRecord introduced in $350,000; as of February 2024, the enterprise was set to greater than double that income.
Associated: She Started a Side Hustle That Earned More Than $1 Million in Year 1: ‘Manifest Your Best Life’
Ugalde’s aspect hustle went from making $2,500 in month one to just about $3 million in annual income in 2024
Carlos Ugalde is one more entrepreneur whose layoff impressed side hustle development.
When Ugalde, who is predicated in Las Vegas, Nevada, misplaced his job as a copywriter and touchdown web page designer at a Google advertising and marketing firm in December 2018, he opted to start a side hustle that might develop into his print-on-demand attire model, House of Chingasos.
Ugalde opened a Shopify storefront, created about 10 fundamental designs, linked it to the print-on-demand platform Printful and began running adverts on Fb. The enterprise earned $2,500 within the first month, $11,000 within the second and $54,000 within the third, Ugalde informed Entrepreneur. In 2023, Home of Chingasos hit virtually $3 million in income, a virtually 70% enhance over 2022.
“There is a flood of tales about people incomes astronomical sums from aspect hustles.”
Building a side hustle right into a profitable enterprise can repay huge time — and supply monetary safety exterior of a 9-5 wage — however the street to success is usually rockier than it seems.
“Though there is a flood of tales about people incomes astronomical sums from side hustles, such cases are exceedingly uncommon,” El Ghatit admits. “Often, progress is slower than anticipated, resembling a dance of ‘two steps ahead, one step again.'”
El Ghatit’s greatest recommendation? Be variety to your self, deal with a principles-first enterprise (which requires endurance and time) and “leverage your day job for its supposed function” — lowering your monetary threat as you construct a enterprise that can final.
