Live Stream: Follow your passions to hustle on the side

“In the 1920s, the newspapers used the word “hustle” to refer to some kind of scam. By the 1950s, they were using “side hustle” to refer to legitimate work, too. A side hustle is a little different than a second job. A second job is about necessity. While a side hustle can certainly bring in extra income, it’s a little more aspirational. Side hustle captures a certain kind of scrappy, entrepreneurial spirit,” says Okome.

After having interviewed more than 100 women of colour who started successful side hustles, Okome underlines the role of communities and the need to focus on specific target audience. “Nailah Ellis-Brown started Ellis Island Tea out of her trunk. Arsha Jones started her famous Capital City Co Mambo Sauce with one product and a PayPal link. All these women are running side hustles. What exactly does this tell us? First, that people are seeing opportunity within their communities. The goal here isn’t necessarily to be the next Coca-Cola or Google. Scale is great, but there’s also beauty in a successful business that’s built for a specific audience,” she says.

But, does this mean more than focussing on one’s passion? The answer is both yes and no. Okome says, “People are multipassionate. I want to stress that not every side hustle is started because someone hates their job. Many are started simply because people are interested in lots of different things.”

Then, there is the allure of being able to call the shots ourselves. According to Okome, people are increasingly interested in being their own boss and a side hustle is a great way to try out being our own boss and see if we have those skills before fully stepping out on our own. “Self-made millionaires tend to have one big trait in common: they make decisions, hold themselves accountable and push through in the face of challenges,” she says.

And for those who have not started hustling on the side yet or are afraid to take the plunge, Okome has a piece of advice: “Even if a side hustle doesn’t take off, it’s still an investment in yourself.”