Side hustles are booming, and women are stealing a lead. What began as a way to earn a little extra has become an exciting shift in how we work, earn and define success.
There are now over 460,000 side hustles in the UK, contributing an estimated £70 billion a year to our economy. And with women driving much of this growth (14% have a side hustle versus 11% of men), the opportunity is huge – to increase female entrepreneurship and the visibility of women as business leaders, which in turn helps to narrow the stubborn gender pay gap.
What’s driving female side hustlers?
For many people, side hustles begin as a response to rising costs, with more than half (56%) citing a need to earn more money. But financial necessity is only part of the picture. For some, the goal is longer-term: building savings, future security, and a sense of financial independence.
Others are driven by personal motivations: freedom from a way of working that no longer fits, the chance to awaken an entrepreneurial streak, or to build something that better reflects their passions and values.
Side hustles can also be a way to flex creative muscle or develop new skills beyond the confines of a day job. And, interestingly, women are more often led by passion, with 27% (versus 19% of men) saying their side hustle began as a hobby they hoped to turn into something meaningful. Many see their projects as a route to greater flexibility, reflecting a desire for balance and control at work. No surprise then that working mothers are leading the charge, running more than one fifth (21%) of all side hustles.
Powerful micro-enterprises in their own right, side hustles can also be the launchpad for something far greater. As three of this year’s TIDE everywoman Entrepreneur Awards finalists show so brilliantly, a tiny spark can ignite extraordinary success.
Reclaiming purpose; finding balance through a side hustle
After 13 years as a secondary school maths teacher, Emma Harper’s mental health had been worn down by the pressures of the system. While eight weeks pregnant she lost her mum. Everything became too much, and she knew she needed an escape. “I started a side hustle in tutoring to buy myself time – a way to work less and survive,” she says. “I never imagined it would become my freedom, and more importantly reignite my passion for teaching, which made the day job much easier to sustain.”
By 2023, she was running a thriving tuition business alongside her part-time teaching role, but a panic attack at school made her realise it was time to go all in. “Within a year of leaving the classroom, I tripled our revenue,” she says. Core Plus Tuition now supports more than 70 students with a team of 17 tutors across multiple subjects. The move also allowed her to rewrite her identity: “For years, I’d say, ‘I’m a teacher.’ Now I say, ‘I’m a wife and mum first, then a CEO.’”
How a side hustle kickstarted a stronger second act
For Melissa Neill, her midlife reinvention began with a pair of pink dumbbells in her living room. In her late forties, newly divorced with young children, in debt and struggling to find her place again, she started weight training – first as a hobby, then as a lifeline. Competing in bodybuilding shows gave her back a sense of control and pride. What began as a blog and a few YouTube videos filmed at home before starting her day job in corporate PR soon became something bigger. “I thought, if no one’s talking to women over 40 about real fitness, I will,” she says.
She launched Body By Bikini in 2020, creating online fitness and nutrition programmes designed to help midlife women feel strong and confident again. “It started as a gut feeling,” she says. “I knew there was a gap, and I wanted to fill it.” She soon realised the more energy she gave her side hustle, the faster it grew. And when she started thinking big, her ambitions, global client base and revenues soared.
The side hustle that turned sisterhood into success
Toco Swim began as a way for sisters Olivia Bishop and Charlotte Li to reconnect with their Trinidadian roots and the bold, confident swimwear they’d grown up with. Both were working long hours as auditors in London when they realised how little of that colour and vibrancy existed in the UK market. “We could never find high-quality, beautiful swimwear that felt inclusive,” says Olivia. “So we decided to design it ourselves.”
Despite having no experience in the field, they spent evenings and weekends researching fabrics and suppliers, teaching themselves everything from design to logistics. “Auditing had made me risk-averse, so I needed to know the business was viable before I could take the leap,” says Olivia. For three years they didn’t take a penny from the business, investing all the profits back into steering Toco from side hustle to a sought-after swimwear brand with a global following.
Avoiding the pitfalls: 8 things our founders learned the hard way
Despite women driving much of the side-hustle boom, men are still more likely to earn higher side incomes, with 24% making over £500 a month compared with just 17% of women. It is a reminder that gendered dynamics persist even in “extra work”, shaped by factors like time availability, caring responsibilities, and access to networks.
1. Don’t underestimate your worth
Melissa Neill admits her early goal was simply to “make enough to cover the bills”. When a business coach challenged that thinking she realised she had been capping her own potential. Her revenues soared once she adopted an “unlimited goals” mindset. “You can do more than replace your salary,” she says.
2. Recognise bias – and protect your time
The gender gap in side-hustle earnings isn’t about ability. “In the early days, we earned less than our partners, which meant childcare often fell to us,” says Olivia Bishop of Toco Swim. “If we’d had full capacity to work, we might have scaled faster.” She adds, “There’s a continued expectation that, because we work for ourselves, we have more flexibility with our time when the kids are off school.” Her experience highlights the quiet inequities that still shape women’s working lives, and the importance of giving your business the same legitimacy as any other job, protecting your time as firmly as any employed hours.
3. Take a leap even if you don’t ‘feel’ ready
Emma Harper says her biggest regret is “not doing it sooner” – a sentiment shared by our other founders. Each found that when they redirected their full energy into their side hustle, growth accelerated. The lesson: your business can’t fly if you keep one foot in the safety zone.
4. Be upfront about your side hustle
Olivia Bishop learned that keeping a venture quiet can backfire. When her employer discovered Toco Swim through a Daily Mail article about the ‘high-flying accountant sisters’ whose bikinis were selling out, it was awkward at first but soon seen as an asset. Her advice: check your contract, have the conversation early, and position your side hustle as a win-win.
5. Don’t try to do it all yourself
Melissa nearly drowned doing everything alone. Hiring a virtual assistant changed her life and business. Even a few hours of support, or using AI tools, can free up energy for strategy and creativity.
6. Protect your wellbeing as fiercely as your bottom line
Side hustles demand stamina. Emma started hers as a lifeline during PTSD recovery but found balance only when she began setting boundaries. “You can work more hours and still feel better,” she says, “if it’s work that’s yours to control.” Sustainable success depends on protecting your energy as carefully as your profits.
7. Keep learning, keep connecting
All three founders built their businesses by teaching themselves – from marketing to finance and manufacturing. Olivia says community and curiosity are her greatest assets: “You don’t have to know everything. You just have to keep asking questions.”
Join us at the Tide everywoman Entrepreneur Awards on 2 December at The Londoner and be part of a community that celebrates, supports and uplifts female founders. Book your table now and connect with the women shaping the future of entrepreneurship.