My Friend Failed at Her Side Hustle for This Reason

A few years back, a friend of mine needed money and decided to go the side hustle route. She wanted to earn enough to pay off her credit cards and save for a vacation. 

She landed on a gig she thought would be simple and flexible -- driving for a ride-hailing service. That way, she could set her own hours and work when it was convenient for her. 

It was a good idea in theory. But it backfired on her for one big reason.

When you fail to find the time to do your side hustle

Some side hustles require you to report to work on a preset schedule. When you drive for a ride-hailing company, you get a lot more flexibility, which can be a good thing. But in my friend's case, it wound up being a bad thing.

My friend thought she could juggle a full-time job with a side hustle, all the while maintaining her home, caring for her kids, cooking, and running errands. The main reason she failed at her side hustle was that she barely managed to find the time to do it.

There were some weeks, she said, when she was convinced she'd end up spending eight to 10 hours on the road shuttling passengers around. Only somehow, the hours got away from her, so she wound up working her side gig for more like two hours instead.

Now, one thing my friend has going for her is her bubbly personality. It's something that's been an advantage in job interviews in the past, and she was convinced it would lead to generous tips from her passengers. That largely didn't happen, though. So all told, between struggling to carve out the time for her side job and earning minimal tips, her gig wound up being nothing more than a giant fail.

An important lesson learned

As of last year, a good 40% of Americans had a side hustle, according to Zapier, so if you're thinking of getting one, you're clearly in good company. But if time management isn't your strong suit, then you may want to steer clear of a gig that gives you too much independence and leeway.

My friend realized that if she was going to work a side hustle, she needed a gig with defined hours. So she decided to start working two night shifts a week at a local bar in town. That setup wound up being better for her because she knew to block off the time on her calendar in advance. And in that environment, her outgoing personality did result in generous tips -- and more take-home pay. 

A side hustle could really help you work toward your financial goals, whether they entail buying a home, saving for retirement, or socking money away for new electronics. But it's important to find the right gig for your personality. And if you're worried about your ability to manage your time well, then you may want to stick to a gig that gives you less leeway to blow it off on a whim.