DAYTON — While selling NBA memorabilia is a side hustle, it doesn’t feel like one to Blumenstock. “It’s just a hobby and passion for me.”
Ted Rossman is a senior industry analyst with Bankrate. He said, “If you’re putting in all this extra time and energy, it’d be nice if you enjoyed it,”
Rossman thinks people who are already passionate about something have the best luck in turning a profit, but the most popular gigs he’s seen are. Online business, babysitting, landscaping, and home repair, which can bring in an average of an extra $500-$10,000 a month.
“The average American has about $6,000 in credit card debt. So, if you’re able to make $600 a month, well, in 10 months you could have that debt paid off,” Rossman said.
There is no set group of people who have a side gig. Data from Side Hustle Nation shows that 33% of participants have a yearly salary of $100,000 to $250,000 and work at their side hustles on an average of less than 5 hours a week.
Nick Loper, founder of Side Hustle Nation, said, “It’s not just, you know, low-income earners who are going after this stuff as people all through the economic spectrum.”
Loper’s organization also found that personal freedom, money to make ends meet, and extra income to save are just the top reasons for starting a side hustle, which two families understand.
Andy Stathopoulous has been cooking for decades. “I loved cooking with my dad and my papa,” he said. He continued “When my dad’s gone, it was just me, and then Chris.
He and his best friend Chris Conley decided to turn their love of cooking into a side hustle.
“People have been telling us why we should do this. We had to get our wives in on it, they were with it so we just ran with it,” Stathopoulous said.
After working as a teacher, driver, and at a service repair shop by day, they spend their weekends at Gridiron BBQ smoking up meats, macaroni and cheese and even Cheez-Its.
They recently started this side hustle after investing $30,000 into Gridiron and are booked for events through June.
“Our goal for the first year is to pay our bills,” Stathopoulous said.
They have big plans once they start turning a real profit.
Source: Side Hustle Success: Best ways to earn extra money
