From calendars to cakes, side hustles have the time to flourish
When the first lockdown started in March, leaving the nation with no plans and a lot of extra time on their hands, we all thought about it. Having been saved from the daily commute and afterwork drinks that we didn’t want to go to, how could we use all that precious new time?
Write a book, make face masks, set up an online tutoring business… the options were endless, we thought.
But some have made their new side hustle a reality, including Sophie Menon, 30, a PA from Berkshire. With friend Julie Mcallister, she created Fierce Femme – a clothing brand for “the bold and fearless”. A few months later, their creations were stocked in Desert Rose Boutique in the United Arab Emirates (Mcallister lives in Dubai), and have been shipped internationally.
“This was something we had always spoken about doing,” Menon says. “We decided there was no better time to pursue this.”
The two hope to dedicate more time to the brand as time progresses, with a view that it will become a full-time career for them both.
According to recent research by Superscript, the business insurance provider, three in 10 side hustles were started during the first lockdown, with half of respondents saying they wanted to earn more disposable income. Others said they wanted to do something they loved.
For Natasha Miles, a 30-year-old freelance fashion producer, that was baking – through which she decided to set up Lilacs Kitchen. Miles had always enjoyed making cakes, but never had the time to pursue it.
“You didn’t have enough time to even think when it wasn’t lockdown, let alone practise a side passion,” she adds. “That time enabled me to develop confidence in myself that this could be more than just a hobby.”
By the time the second lockdown came, Miles had undergone a food hygiene course, notified the local council and started accepting commissions. Most of all, she was glad to be able to “cheer up” friends and family who were feeling down – ONS figures found the number of people suffering from moderate to severe depression doubled during the first lockdown.
Unable to walk in fashion shows and with fewer shoots in his diary, model Jonathan Saxby, 40, decided to make his side project a somewhat lighter affair. He launched Jed Studio, a fashion photography company with his twin brother, Edward, and is now selling a festive calendar.
“Everything is so doom and gloom at the moment, and we decided to do this calendar to promote Christmas in a fun way,” he explains, adding that with any luck, by next year, things will be “more normal”.
“But I’m glad lockdown taught me to see what other skills I had, and how else I could hustle.”