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 type of individuals. After he was laid off from his “dream job” as an augmented actuality producer on the tech big, he confronted an vital 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 yr
As a weekend facet hustle to his 9-5 function, Final Meals Excursions earned about $30,000 a yr, Goodfriend informed Entrepreneur.
The “candy, candy irony,” in accordance with Goodfriend? He’d by no means got down to remodel his ardour mission right into a enterprise; in actual fact, when individuals first inspired him to promote his tour, he was delay by the thought of building a website and advertising 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 best way 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 facet hustlers who constructed companies with important income after dropping their jobs.
El Ghatit’s sentimental facet hustle earned $350,000 in 2023 and is on monitor for greater than $700,000 this yr
In 2006, Illinois resident Alaa El Ghatit was working in IT when he received the thought for his enterprise LifeOnRecord, a service that lets individuals telephone in tales, recollections and effectively needs for somebody celebrating a birthday, wedding 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 one more entrepreneur whose layoff impressed side hustle progress.
When Ugalde, who is predicated in Las Vegas, Nevada, misplaced his job as a copywriter and touchdown web page designer at a Google advertising 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, related 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 nearly $3 million in income, an almost 70% improve 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 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 situations 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 finest recommendation? Be sort to your self, deal with a principles-first enterprise (which requires endurance and time) and “leverage your day job for its meant goal” — decreasing your monetary threat as you construct a enterprise that can final.
