Side hustles can bring in hundreds or more per month, but it’s a juggling act, say full-time workers with part-time gigs

For Jamie Pestrack, it was a pair of shoes, created for a friend’s bat mitzvah in 2017, that launched her business.

The tricked-out sneakers were a hit, and suddenly more people wanted Pestrack to help them create custom, personalized items. “I got very busy with more orders fairly quickly,” said Pestrack, of Upper Dublin, who is also a full-time preschool teacher, wife, and mother of three sons.

Now her company, J is for Jamie, sells custom bedazzled or hand-painted sneakers as well as wooden letters and signs for children’s bedrooms, party favors, and bar and bat mitzvah guest sign-in boards. She fulfills up to 18 orders in her busiest months, with each order taking several hours to create, not including the time that goes into bookkeeping, scheduling, purchasing supplies, and marketing.

Managing her work, family, and side business is a juggling act.

Pestrack is not alone. More than a third of U.S. adults (36%) admit they have a side hustle, according to a recent Bankrate survey. The same survey found that side hustlers’ earnings are on the upswing — $891 per month on average in 2024, up from $810 in 2023.

“The fact that side hustles have been growing significantly indicates that the job market isn’t as good as we think it is,” Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate told The Inquirer.

He explained that the rising cost of living is leading many to take on a second job just to make ends meet.

“A shadow job market has developed,” Rossman continued. “The unemployment rate is quite low, but one job isn’t enough for many people anymore largely because wages haven’t kept pace with inflation.”

Like Pestrack, Ashley Heyes and Cecilee Tornetta have channeled their creativity into a moneymaking venture.

Heyes, of Plymouth Meeting, and Tornetta, of Norristown, own a side business called Jawny Kash, which makes custom attire and Philly sports attire. They typically fulfill between 50 and 100 items per month, Tornetta said, not including boutique contracts and sales at events.

In their full-time day jobs, Heyes designs scavenger hunts for a corporate team-building company, and Tornetta is a director of operations for a facility maintenance and construction firm.

Heyes, Jawny Kash’s CEO, is involved in every sale from start to finish, and sews and handmakes customized pieces. Tornetta, the chief operating officer, manages client communications, social media, marketing and events, among other responsibilities.

Heyes said the side business is a labor of love. “The ideas, our creative meetings beyond the clothes, talking to clients about custom orders and making their ideas come to life, and let’s not forget how much I love Philly.”

The benefits of the side business go beyond monetary rewards, Tornetta said.

“I wouldn’t say this side hustle is completely money driven, although we all love to make money and to have a successful life and business,” explained Tornetta. “The advantages of doing both for me I think is the reward or starting something with a friend, that is becoming something.”

Despite those advantages, building a side hustle while working full time is a challenge with just 24 hours in a day.

“I often find myself working all the time, and although I enjoy both my career and my side hustle, I do sometimes find myself struggling to find a work-life balance,” said Pestrack, of J is for Jamie.

Tornetta, too, said the greatest challenge of running Jawny Kash while working full time is managing time.

“We wish we had more time in a day to create, balance tasks, interact with cool people, and be present at the events we are invited to attend,” Heyes said.

Creating a strong partnership with each other, and networking with others in the creative community, have helped Tornetta and Hayes grow their business, Tornetta said.

“Philly has a way of coming together to support one another in their art, which is in my opinion, one of the best parts,” she said. “Creating a product that you love keeps you moving and brings people together in love and unity. You can’t beat that.”

The side hustle has also acted as a springboard for her empowerment both as a small-business co-owner and a full-time professional, she shared.

“I find myself navigating through conversations easier and just becoming more confident as a woman in two very men-dominated worlds,” Tornetta said. “Having a reach in the community has been amazing; connecting with organizations to help others is one of our main goals with Jawny Kash.”

Jessica Ivey, of Philadelphia, a full-time graphic designer for an apparel and hard-goods supplier in Bucks County, said her side business, jess ivey art, has helped her further her career rather than compete with it. Together, she said, the two lines of work “make me more mentally and creatively stimulated.”

In her side gig, she provides graphic and print design, portrait and event photography, illustration, and general design consulting services, she said. It helps her pay the bills and maintain up-to-date art equipment, including cameras.

“Doing both a creative 9-5 and freelance art for so much of my time makes me feel fulfilled, like I am doing what I know I need to do,” Ivey said. “The creativity and other tools I learn from my 9-5 I apply to my freelance work to make that work better, and vice versa.”

Among those who operate a side business, 37% say the extra income funds discretionary spending or covers regular living expenses like rent, food, and the like, Bankrate found. Only 31% bank their gig earnings, Bankrate found, and 20% use the money to pay down debt.

Overall, about 32% of those with a second gig say they believe they need to rely on a side hustle to make ends meet, the survey found. But these respondents didn’t want to quit their full-time jobs: The research states that just 16% want their side hustle to develop into their main source of income.

Rossman recommends thinking through what you’re willing to put in — including how much time, effort, and materials — and what you’re looking at getting out of a side hustle before going all in.

Tornetta, with Jawny Kash, also said patience is a virtue.

“Execute when you feel it and do not rush anything,” she cautions. “Stay focused and keep your vision … slow and steady wins the race.”

Ivey cautioned against taking on a side gig that is not fulfilling or rewarding. Also, she said, “know your worth, especially financially.”

“This life is short, and you deserve to feel fulfilled, so spend time doing things you actually like,” Ivey said.

With the time it takes, said Pestrack, of J is for Jaime, the passion is a requirement. “When you are working almost around the clock, you have to love it.”