$17,000 in one market: 13 South Australian side hustlers earning bank
One week this tradie does 84 hours at BHP’s Olympic Dam mine, the next he’s home and building a family business. See how 13 side hustlers do it and how much they make.
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From banking $17,000 at a single market to creative solutions to keep up with rising mortgage repayments, South Australians are looking for ways to make an extra buck.
Many are turning to side hustles to make ends meets as bills and rates rise while those who have mastered the juggle along side a full time gig say the addition income stream buy them freedom.
Meet 13 people who are still on the grind way after they finish their 9-to-5 and find out how they do it.
Know someone with an impressive side hustle? Email kitty.barr@news.com.au
Jen Wheeler
Jewellery maker Jen Wheeler’s side-hustle earnt her $17,000 at a single market and banks tens of thousands of dollars in profit a year – enough to fund her IVF journey.
The 33-year-old manages properties full time and launched Forever Aesthetics handcrafting gold filled jewellery in 2019.
Mrs Wheeler’s goal was to create a high quality but affordable range and at a Christmas market last year she sold $17,000 worth of product.
“I was so overwhelmed, it was incredible. I was so tired but I would go home and make more, then be busy again the next day,” she said.
The extra income has made it possible for the Queenstown woman and her husband to try IVF.
“We’ve been trying for a baby for four years, and I lost a baby a couple of years ago. We’ve actually just done our first round of IVF this month,” she said.
It was at a 13 week scan two years ago that Mrs Wheeler received that heartbreaking news about their unborn son.
“They said ‘we are really sorry, there’s a major defect with the baby’,” she said,
“Part of the urethra hadn’t formed and the baby was unable to urinate … they were surprised that the baby was still alive.
“He was suffering and there was nothing that could be done, so I basically had to go in and terminate straight away, if I let it go another week I would have had to give birth, but this was hard enough.
“My life just went upside down that day.”
In the future Mrs Wheeler wants to turn her side-hustle into a full-time job and hopes one day to be designing pieces on maternity leave.
“My dream is to be at home with the kid and still be able to make jewellery from home in my studio,” she said.
Michelle Penna
It was the high pressure environment of being a preoperative nurse that made Michelle Penna start candle making business Within The Chaos.
“It felt like something I had control over, something that gave me joy, it was creating something beautiful … instead of thinking of the mental load of the work day it was something that kept me in the moment,” Mrs Penna said.
Now a nursing lecturer, the southern suburbs woman is still growing her side hustle and said the most popular scents were inspired and named after SA locations like Glenelg, Barossa Valley and Botanic Gardens.
“There was a gap in the market, so I started making candles which for me, reminded me of places I really loved around SA and people really responded to that,” she said.
“I started getting lots of requests and this became particularly important during Covid when people couldn’t go to those places, so it was like bringing their favourite places to their home.”
Initially, Mrs Penna’s goal was to make enough money to keep the hobby going, but now, she is looking to hire someone and makes a couple hundred extra dollars a month.
The income gives the mum-of-three the flexibility to spend more time with her kids but she said she wants to continue forging a career in nursing and teaching.
“I don’t know if I would like it as much if it was my sole source of income because that’s a lot of pressure and I think it might take the fun out of it,” she said.
“I’ve worked really hard to get where I am in academia as well and that’s a tough environment to work in, so I don’t want to put my eggs in one basket.”
Laura Wright
From a quaint stall out the front of her property a Finniss woman is battling rising electricity bills with homemade sourdough and fresh honey.
Laura Wright’s bill have gone up $4 a day but since opening roadside stall Kundopari in January the admin assistant has made an extra couple hundred a week.
“The bread pay helps us pay for our electricity at the very least, because that’s all gone up and it’s a scary thought,” Ms Wright said.
“We’ve even got solar but we get nothing back, especially during winter, it doesn’t even cover the daily running costs.”
Ms Wright often sells out of loaves and has a line of locals who pay using an honesty system waiting for her to stock up most weekends.
“The locals just like to rock up, you have to get in pretty early nowadays as I’m starting to sell out in the mornings, even before lunchtime,” she said.
Ms Wright spends 20 hours over the weekend and early hours in the morning making bread which sells for between $8 and $10.
“I start at 3.30am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Fridays I’m mixing the dough before I even go to work,” she said.
“It’s fun and it pays for itself.”
Alessandro Iannella
When not at his full-time state government job as an associate director in digital advisory, Alessandro Iannella in charge of marrying couples on the best day of their lives.
His marriage celebrant side gig is a labour of love for Mr Iannella, who said it brings him the most joy to see couples lock eyes for the first time down the aisle.
“I was about to go on parental leave with my wife and our second child and I was like, ‘I can do parental leave, look after two kids and do a cert four in celebrancy, why not’?” he said.
“That was seven years ago and I just really enjoyed it and kept on doing it.”
Mr Iannella treats his side hustle as more of a hobby than an income source.
“It’s always a great occasion and it keeps you creative. I also find it keeps you young as well as you’re always interacting with young people,” he said.
“I don’t really care about making money, I just do it for the experience and keeping my creative side.”
As his main job is quite demanding, Mr Iannella limits himself to one wedding a day.
“Because I’m in the corporate world with deadlines to work towards, you make a mistake and it’s not the end of the world,” he said.
“But you only get one shot at a ceremony, sometimes I feel like there’s a lot more pressure on nailing it and making sure everything runs smoothly because you can’t have a do over in a ceremony.”
Melissa Day
Full-time mum, nurse-in-training and photographer Melissa Day side-hustles to battle her $900 mortgage repayment rise.
Behind the camera the Hallett Cove mum-of-two can express her creative side and earn an extra $1500 a month.
“Part of the reason I’m still pushing photography is that our mortgage has gone up $900 a month,” Mrs Day said.
“It’s a lot of money, so you have to … but it's not all doom and gloom, it’s not the only reason why you do it, you have to have some sort of love and passion for what you do.
“It’s a bit of spending money or a top up of what things are doing seasonally, so whatever I can do on the side to help my family is a big benefit.”
Mrs Day’s husband Tim is a full-time photographer but wasn’t keen on the families and kids side of the industry, which is where she stepped in 2019.
Four days a week she nurses and trains in theatre to be a scrub scout but when she’s not in scrubs she’s capturing intimate moments between new parents and their newborns.
“It’s amazing, it’s stressful and there’s lots to learn and so many different personalities and egos and things to negotiate but it’s great. I love it and it’s super busy,” she said.
“You get to chat to families, learn their story and create memories for them that they get to keep forever.
“It’s nice to chat to people because obviously people having operations don’t talk back.”
Nicole Mitris
As a first time mum experiencing post-partum depression and seeking a creative outlet, Nicole Mitris started jewellery business, My Little Rays. Now it adds an extra $5000 to her pocket each year.
Mrs Mitris said she was struggling to find herself again with a six month old in 2021.
“You need your own time to do something and I found being creative with my earrings was so relaxing for me,” she said.
“Even though you’re a mum you still need to be yourself and I think I lost that for a little bit.
“I had my first baby during Covid and I was just stuck at home, and I got a bit of post-partum depression and the earrings were just that outlet to help me be me again.”
It all started on her dining room table and now Mrs Mitris wholesales her earrings to stockists across the country.
“My biggest market so far has been the Semaphore Street Fair, where I made $1,200,” she said.
Working in sales administration at a real estate company during the week, Mrs Mitris said her side hustle gives her spending money to treat herself and her children.
“I buy things for my kids, whenever I want to do some guilty spending, I can do it guilt-free … I would say it gives us an extra $5000 in our pocket a year,” she said.
Kristen Newlyn
As a schoolgirl Kristen Newlyn dreamt of running Big Day Out music festival, now she’s earnt over $80,000 organising events on the side.
A decade ago she launched K Marie Events and her success lead her employer – the Royal Flying Doctor Service – to create her current full-time event co-ordinator role.
“My boss explained to me that I need to treat my new role as though I am K Marie Events and I am contracted to the different departments in our organisation to run their events,” Ms Newlyn said.
“I wouldn’t be able to do what I do here (RFDS) without the experience I’ve gained from doing it all on my own outside of work.”
Ms Newlyn studied event management at TAFE but said she didn’t love the focus on corporate events.
“I found the biggest thing for me was to get out into the community and volunteer to find out which events worked for me,” she said.
“My parents used to own the lolly shop on Semaphore Rd, and through my connections through studying, living locally and being in the community, I got involved with the Semaphore Street Fair.”
From her street fair success, Ms Newlyn became the Semaphore Kite Festival event manager which she organises annually.
“It’s really my only event now because of my commitments, and there’s nothing like the Kite Festival,” she said.
“I do everything from travel arrangements, meals, sponsorships, booking toilets and bins, organising media attention, all our social media … I am it, I am everything.”
Dani Slocombe
Sculpting dogs helped Dani Slocombe’s get her hands on some of hardest to get tickets in Australian concert history.
She didn’t have to think twice about dropping $1500 to see Taylor Swift in Sydney.
It was a Facebook survey that told Mrs Slocombe her ideal hobby was sculpting, and the rest is history.
“I saw a YouTube video that showed me how to make a cartoon statue dog, but I really wanted to make my own dogs, so I just kept playing with it,” she said.
The full time executive administrator at Kennett Builders launched Fun Little Things on the side with people send in photos of their beloved pooches for her to create a clay keepsake.
It earns her bonus $5000 annually which she plans on using to follow her favourite band, Nothing But Thieves, around Australia next year.
“Whenever I see something coming up that I want to treat myself with I’ll push out a couple more sculptures,” she said.
“It got me to Taylor Swift, it gets me to Sydney once a year and it’s my little fun fund.”
The Klemzig woman’s work has become so popular she can’t keep up.
“With just the people who want their orders now, I’d be booked out for five years,” Mrs Slocombe said.
“I had to start a lottery system, where if you tell me you want an order, I put your order on a ticket and put it in a drawer. When I’m available, I pull a name out.”
Laura McCall
Turning pottery and art into side business has earnt Laura McCall $10,000 in the last 12 months.
The potter who also works in payroll three days a week, was inspired to give the craft a go after watching television The Great Pottery Throw Down in 2019.
“I thought the show was the coolest thing ever, and my wife even got me throwing lessons for my 30th birthday,” Ms McCall said.
“Then we were in lockdown, my wife was writing her thesis and was very busy, and I had nothing to do on weekends so I hired a pottery wheel and set up in my garage.”
The 34 year old threw all of her vases for her 2021 wedding in her garage-turned-pottery-studio in Richmond and then started making mugs, bowls, vases and dog bowls to sell at Adelaide markets.
“When I discovered pottery it just felt right and I was really excited about it. I could see that you can make money from it so I decided to pursue it,” she said.
Ms McCall sold an investment property to fund the business, which she has been chipping away at since December 2021.
“I dropped two days at my day job with the aim of growing pottery as a proper side hustle,” she said.
“I’ve made over $10,000 in my business over the last 12 months.”
Lee Schaffer
One week Lee Schaffer is a FIFO worker doing 84 hours and the next he’s building a family kite business.
The road preparation worker and his family went to the Semaphore Kite Festival in 2018 and came home having decided it was time for Adelaide to have a dedicated kite retailer. Now he has sold over 5000 kites.
“My missus and two kids come along every year and it’s just something that we all love,” Mr Schaffer said.
“To see the kids faces when they see big kites, and the 20,000 people that come to the kite festival just shows it’s a really good day out.”
Working seven days straight at Olympic Dam means Mr Schaffer can return home to Adelaide to run his colourful side hustle, Kites2KITES, away from the daily grind.
“The more kites we sell, the bigger we will be. We put all the money back into kites and the stock because one day I might have 100,000 kites sitting under my belt and I might be able to do it full-time,” he said.
Mr Schaffer said he got a lot of joy out of watching the business grow.
“We don’t do it for profit, we’ve got a business to run but we want to grow the business and in 5 or 10 years we can look at the profit and go you know what, all that hard work paid off,” he said.
Lily Davis
Struggling to afford a house with two wages and two kids, Lily Davis’ took up a side hustle Oscar & Harley.
The full-time mum and freelance events co-ordinator started making hot and cold packs for pain management after crippling back pain through pregnancy stopped her from working.
“I couldn’t really work because I was in a lot of pain, so I started making the packs for myself and then family, then their friends started asking for them and I realised there was a gap in the market,” she said.
Mrs Davis said the income from the vibrant and reliable wheat-free products varied by the season, but the extra money was helping the family save for a house, something they thought impossible.
“As a young family with two small children, in the climate we are in it just wasn’t enough to save for a house,” she said.
“So with this side hustle, the way it’s evolving it’s becoming more than just a hobby, it’s really helping us save for a house which wasn’t looking at all possible, but now it’s looking more achievable for us.”
The business is named after the Norwood mum’s two sons, who Mrs Davis said loved to help out at markets.
“One is a mess maker and one is what we call my lead sales consultant because he loves doing markets with me,” she said.
“I’m going to be really sad when he (Oscar) says no ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’, but he does a really good job and even takes over when I go to the toilet.”
Along with keeping her side hustle, Mrs Davis is constantly looking for freelance contracts.
“There’s no balancing whatsoever, I mainly get it all done on weekends, so I do markets and get my stockists all stocked up on weekends,” she said.
Lauren Khabbaz
Lauren Khabbaz ditched her day job for a side hustle turned full-time gig that could comfortly make her a six figure wage.
And now she’s pursuing a second.
Mrs Khabbaz was working full-time in finance and administration when she had trouble finding the perfect celebrant a decade ago.
“We had such a hard time finding a marriage celebrant who was fun, personal, inclusive, original and relaxed,” she said.
“I figured if it was so hard to find, why not become it? So I became a marriage celebrant.”
The mum did weddings on the side for a few years before taking it full-time and having mastered one side hustle is now also the owner of plus size fashion market, Double.
“It’s amazing to have a day job to provide stability and financial comfort while you pursue a side hustle, but the moment you think it’s ready, go for it. Ditch the day job and go wild,” she said.
“When I started my side gig as a celebrant, I was making around $500 a week extra. I would save it all and we’d spend it on a holiday each year.
“Now, if I worked every weekend, I could comfortable earn six figures. I’ve been lucky to grow my business and face increasing demand, so my pricing now reflects that.”
Sherridan Lawrence
When not at her day job as a social worker, Sherridan Lawrence earns $500 a week teaching horse riding lessons for disabled people as well as running a dog sitting business.
“My side hustles afford me a little bit more flexibility with being able to save up for vacations, a couple hundred dollars here and there for date nights or going to the movies,” Ms Lawrence said.
“It’s enough to have a few more little bits and bobs of enjoyment throughout my month.”
She offers group or private lessons for children and adults through Harmony Equine Therapy, her oldest client so far being 65.
“I have a young client, who is seven and autistic, who has been with me for a year now and she was hyperactive and didn’t know what to do with her own energy,” Ms Lawrence said.
“Through my sessions with her with the horse, she has learned to contain and control that energy and put it towards something more constructive.”
One of Ms Lawrence’s clients a man with an acquired brain injury attends her services so he can ride a horse like he used to when he was a boy.
“When he got up on my horse for the first time, the smile on his face made all of the effort worthwhile,” she said.
“We got him up riding in the sun for the first time in 30 years. I can’t replace the feeling of how rewarding it is.”
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