In an era when many Americans work two jobs, some are making money from their hobbies, talents and joys.
According to a 2019 bankrate.com survey, nearly half of working Americans have more than one job. And while many moonlighters cashier at the grocery store or waitress part time to pay bills, a lucky few are able to choreograph a side hustle.
“If there’s something you like to do, put yourself out there,” said Amy Phillips, area controller for Sunrise Senior Living and a Pure Barre instructor.
Rather than a second job, side hustles are passions with a perk – getting a paycheck.
At the barre
During her day job, Phillips oversees the finances and accounts of 17 retirement home locations in New York. When she isn’t giving presentations or pitching her ideas up north at the corporate offices, she splits her time between her home office and her side hustle at Pure Barre. At the fitness club in Cary’s Crescent Commons, she directs low-impact, high-intensity workouts that engage the mind and strengthen the body.
Phillips also teaches Pure Barre classes at the Cary Crescent Commons location, a second job that grew out of her love for the fitness regimen.
Phillips began taking classes in 2013 at the Park West Village location. Another studio was opening up across town, and an instructor asked Phillips if she would be interested in trading her mat for a microphone.
“All of a sudden, I was going for an interview, and then I was starting to do it. I fell in love with it from the get-go,” she said about teaching.
While her jobs seem different at the surface, the skills she has learned from each one complements the other.
Amy Phillips began teaching in 2016 after being a client for three years. “It is that addictive high when you see people that are responding and are so thrilled and reaching their own fitness goals; you enjoy being part of that journey,” she says.
“I feel like having been a Pure Barre instructor for so long, it has given me more confidence speaking in front of people, which can always be a little bit intimidating,” Phillips said.
She admits that balancing her side hustle and her main job can be tough.
“I am somebody who likes to give 100% to everything I do, so there are some days where you feel like you are spread a little bit thin. You’re trying to re-energize yourself to leave work for the whole day and then work another three hours somewhere else,” Phillips said.
A labor of love
Rachel Latson, owner of La Botella candle company, found her side hustle as she was planning her do-it-yourself wedding.
Rachel Latson recently moved her business from her home to a shed in her backyard to increase her workspace.
“We’re not afraid to have two jobs at the same time – not necessarily because we need to, but because we want to,” she said.
Latson, who is also a full-time marketing strategist, started making candles in 2015, when she was working a few hours a week and wanted a hobby to fill her free time. In 2016, La Botella was open for business, with Latson selling her creations at pop-up markets. Two years later, she added candle-making classes to her business. She teaches at local shops and through SkillPop, which connects experts and students for classes on photography, social media, calligraphy and more.
“It’s a fun way for me to interact with more people, get to know people, and then also share something that I think is nice to be able to do on your own,” Latson said.
Latson says a perk of having her own business is being the boss. If she has a busy season with her full-time job, she knows she can cut back on her side hustle. When it’s a busy holiday season, she knows she can ramp up her production and get her candles out to customers.
Rachel Latson pours hot wax mixed with oils into waiting jars. Once the candles cool and harden, she cuts down the wick, and they are ready to sell.
“You can really do things at your own pace. There’s not really anyone that’s depending on me for this. It’s not my sole source of income,” Latson said. “The money that I do make doing this is helpful, but I am also trying really hard to put it back into the business and help it grow that way.”
To hang her candles, Latson uses string to create planters that are functional and stylish.
In the studio
Musician Jamey Meeker has been singing since he could talk, and at 25, he’s still belting it out. He started his band, Yugo, in 2017 with some friends at Appalachian State University in Boone.
The four members of Yugo moved to Nashville, Tenn., where Meeker worked on the band full time and waited tables to pay his bills. In 2018, Meeker moved back to North Carolina to pursue his musical talents — this time with new bandmates.
Jamey Meeker performs at a recent gig. “I’ve been singing since I was able to talk,” he says.
“It was something I realized that I wanted to really pursue seriously, versus just purely for enjoyment,” he said. “Obviously, it still has that foundation, but there’s a little bit more direction and vision behind it now.”
Yugo meets on the weekends to practice, with Meeker picking up a band member in Winston-Salem and traveling to Charlotte to meet the other two musicians.
“Time is definitely a big thing,” Meeker said.
He recently accepted a full-time job as a marketing director for RoleModel Software in Holly Springs, making Yugo his side hustle. His office job provides a steady income, easing the financial pressure on Meeker.
The current lineup of Yugo started working together in 2019. From left, the band members are Kelly Hollar, Austin Gray, Jamey Meeker and Daniel Kim.
“It’s given us the opportunity to have creativity, being free and fun, versus it needing to be your moneymaker,” he said. “We’re making music that we want to make, not just trying to make a profit on it.”
While singing in a band and marketing software may not seem similar, Meeker found a way to connect the two.
“For me it’s great, because marketing is the creative side of business,” he said. “It’s the same kind of positive promotion where I don’t stress about trying to make something look better than it is, but I am just trying to spread the word. It’s freeing, because I feel like I get to work with two things I really love.”
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