In 2023, greater than than 305,000 U.S. employees 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 necessary resolution: Go work for one more firm or construct a enterprise of his personal.
Goodfriend selected the latter. The entrepreneur had been operating his Ultimate Food Tours facet 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 facet hustle grew from $30,000 to $200,000 income a 12 months
As a weekend facet hustle to his 9-5 position, Final Meals Excursions earned about $30,000 a 12 months, Goodfriend informed Entrepreneur.
The “candy, candy irony,” in keeping with Goodfriend? He’d by no means got down to rework his ardour mission right into a enterprise; in truth, when folks first inspired him to promote his tour, he was postpone by the concept of building a website and advertising and marketing the service.
Nevertheless, as soon as Goodfriend dedicated to turning the side hustle right into a full-time enterprise, Final Meals Excursions tripled in dimension 12 months over 12 months — 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 12 months, Entrepreneur spoke with two different facet hustlers who constructed companies with vital income after shedding their jobs.
El Ghatit’s sentimental facet hustle earned $350,000 in 2023 and is on monitor for greater than $700,000 this 12 months
In 2006, Illinois resident Alaa El Ghatit was working in IT when he received the concept for his enterprise LifeOnRecord, a service that lets folks cellphone in tales, recollections and properly needs for somebody celebrating a birthday, marriage ceremony or one other special day.
Just a few 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 help his household, so he took a brand new job 9 months later and continued to work on LifeonRecord on the facet.
LifeOnRecord earned $100,000 at its peak as a facet hustle, El Ghatit informed Entrepreneur. El Ghatit left the company world behind to turn 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 facet hustle went from making $2,500 in month one to just about $3 million in annual income in 2024
Carlos Ugalde is yet one more entrepreneur whose layoff impressed side hustle development.
When Ugalde, who relies 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 will turn 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 advertisements 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, an almost 70% enhance over 2022.
“There is a flood of tales about people incomes astronomical sums from facet 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 highway to success is commonly rockier than it seems to be.
“Though there is a flood of tales about people incomes astronomical sums from side hustles, such cases are exceedingly uncommon,” El Ghatit admits. “Normally, progress is slower than anticipated, resembling a dance of ‘two steps ahead, one step again.'”
El Ghatit’s greatest recommendation? Be form to your self, concentrate on a principles-first enterprise (which requires endurance and time) and “leverage your day job for its meant function” — decreasing your monetary danger as you construct a enterprise that may final.
