5 Things To Do Before You Start Your Side Hustle

In 2010, I started a side project outside of work, because my job sucked my soul to the size of a raisin. My side project back then was a blog, back when blogging was still something you did purely for fun and only your mum read it. A few years later, I started earning extra income from it, and I started to realise that earning money on the side felt really good.

Fast-forward to now and so many of the skills I learned outside of my then-job (basic coding, analytics, pitching, design) are very relevant for my self-employed life, and there's no way I would have learned them at my 9-5.

There are so many stats out there to suggest that a side project is a good idea; GoDaddy research says a huge percentage of people with side projects earn an extra £500-£5,000 a year, which is obviously great. But it’s also important to realise that the benefits of a side project go way beyond the additional money — having creative side projects can also lead to mental self-care, making new friends and learning new skills. In a world where literally none of us can answer the question "Where do you see yourself in five years' time?", side projects can give us a new layer of confidence and direction.

However, the "side hustle", as no one likes to call it, can take a fair bit out of you. And so it's important to be prepared before you take the leap. Click through to see what you need to do before you strike out on your own.