Are Side Hustles Really About the Money?

Here's a question that's been gnawing at me: if side hustles are just about making extra money, why do so many people choose the hardest possible ways to earn it?

Think about it:

You could drive for Uber, pick up shifts at a retail shop, or freelance in the skill you already get paid for at your day job. Easy money, proven demand, minimal setup.

Instead, I watch my peers launch Etsy shops that take months to turn a profit, start newsletters that might never monetize (this one included), or offer services they've never sold before. They'll spend weekends learning new platforms, evenings pouring over website design, and spare moments responding to Instagram DMs about their "little side project."

If it's just about the cash, we're doing it all wrong.

But if you feel a pang of sorrow at the above statement, like I do, then I bet it’s not just about the extra income.

So what are we really buying when we build something on the side?

The Real Currency: Identity

I had a coffee date last autumn that still lives in my head rent-free:

I sat across from my dear friend Franckie, then seven months pregnant with a full-time job in tech sales that gave her decent benefits— including 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. On paper, she was set.

But when we talked about her return-to-work plans, she said something that stuck with me:

"It's so messed up to think that I have to go back to work in order to afford someone to care for my child while I'm at work."

When I asked if she had any other income streams, her whole energy shifted.

"I've always wondered about having a photography side hustle. I'm really good with the camera, and all of my relatives use photos I've taken as their LinkedIn headshots."

Notice what happened there? The side hustle wasn't necessarily about passion or entrepreneurial spirit, but about buying back time that the American corporate world wouldn't give her.

It was also about being recognized for a skill that made her feel differentiated and useful to people she cared about.

The Identity Split

Here's what I've noticed about almost everyone I know with a side hustle: they describe their day job with resignation and their side project with animation.

The corporate marketing manager who teaches yoga on weekends doesn't just want the extra $200/week. She wants to be seen as someone who helps people find peace, not someone who optimizes click-through rates.

The software engineer who makes jewelry isn't just trying to supplement his tech salary. He's creating beauty with his hands after spending 40 hours a week debugging code.

The recruiter who writes queer romance novellas isn't necessarily chasing bestseller-type of money. They’re exercising parts of their imagination that spreadsheets can't touch.

A side hustle becomes a place where we fulfill our career fantasies.

What We're Really Purchasing

When you strip away the "passive income" promises and "be your own boss" rhetoric, most side hustles are actually expensive ways to buy three things money can't directly purchase:

1. Autonomy: The ability to make decisions about your work without asking permission from someone who doesn't understand what you're trying to build.

2. Identity: Recognition for skills and interests that don't fit into your job description but feel central to who you are.

3. Time: Not just more time, but time that belongs to you— time when you're building something with your name on it, instead of building someone else's dream.

The American working world has almost convinced us that these things are luxuries, nice-to-haves. But really, they're psychological necessities that traditional employment stopped providing somewhere between the death of pensions and the rise of "we're like a family here" corporate culture.

The Hidden Economics of Meaning

The most telling thing about side hustle culture, to me, isn't how much money people make— it's how little money they're willing to accept for work that feels meaningful.

I've watched people leave corporate jobs that pay six figures to start coaching businesses that might never break even. I've seen highly skilled mid-level professionals take their feet off the gas in order to spend more time building a content channel for five followers (at the time, we all gotta start somewhere). 

From a purely economic standpoint, it makes no sense.

But from an identity standpoint, it's the most rational thing in the world.

When your day job pays well but doesn't pay attention to the parts of you that matter most, you'll find ways to pay yourself in recognition, creativity, and control, even if the math doesn't add up.

The Question We're All Avoiding

If side hustles aren't really about money, why do we keep talking about them like they are?

Maybe because "I started a side business" sounds more legitimate than "I needed a place where I felt like myself."

Maybe because "building multiple income streams" feels more strategic than "my day job is slowly killing my soul, and goddammit I just needed to be creative again."

Or maybe because admitting that we're willing to work twice as hard for half the money just to feel human at work reveals something uncomfortable about the work we're already doing.

What We're Actually Building

69.6% of Americans now have a side hustle, and I don't think it's because we've collectively decided we love working more hours.

I think we're collectively redesigning what work means because, to many of us, work stopped meaning anything.

Perhaps on some level we are pursuing side gigs for the extra income, but I strongly believe that there’s more to it than that.

I believe American side hustles have become the new conduits for full selves to exist in a professionally-palatable way.

What I’m still untangling (in order to be able to write about it here) is the firm belief that not every part of our identities need to (or should) be monetized! That’s for Part 2, I guess!

I'm curious: if your side hustle disappeared tomorrow but your day job salary doubled, would you take that trade? What does your answer tell you about what you're really building on the side?

This week, I’m highlighting an excellent question I received during my Glassdoor Hot Seat Q&A last week! 

Ah-ha. I've navigated this as a job seeker, myself, and I found that the real culture shows in how people answer specific Qs like: “What happens if someone makes a mistake?” or “When’s the last time someone got promoted?”

Think about real desires or deal-breakers in your job search, then craft a few specific interview questions around them. Some more examples that my clients have used successfully: "How often do fire drills come up? How does the team respond to them?" and "What does recognition look like besides promotions/raises?"

BTW: There’s a whole vault of smart questions to ask to help you clarify your career goals in Pivot With Purpose, below!

Love the newsletter but want more? Did you know I put together an entire course called Pivot with Purpose? Think of it like a supercharged version of all the best content from this newsletter, tailored to help you nail your career goals.