I'm sure that it goes without saying that a side hustle is a way to make extra money outside of your regular job.
The term "side hustle" is familiar to many Nigerians, and I'm sure we can all relate. A typical Nigerian knows that having a side hustle is a prerequisite to navigating the harsh realities of the economy.
Dare I say that writing for most people on here is a side hustle sprinkled with a bit of passion, something to make extra income by the side? Lol.
Okay, so I remember a particular period during my youth service 1 year program. I was receiving allawee (monthly stipends from the federal government), with no addition by the state government depending on where you were posted to serve
I had stopped receiving allowances from home; I couldn't lie about buying handouts, paying departmental fees, or even the usual monthly feeding allowance. How's a baby girl supposed to survive in a strange land with no family and no supplementary source of income?
"Say no more. I'm sure my mother thought so, and then she loaded me with enough foodstuffs to last many months. It's true, there's food, but then, what about the other necessities? The necessities like transport fare, a little bit of addition to my wardrobe, hair, and other access? How can she not understand that the income from the government was too small?
"You should count yourself lucky that you are even getting stipends at all from the government. Young lady, you better cut your coat according to your clothes." My father, the no-nonsense disciplinarian, declared when I complained, and that was final.
I had to get along and manage somehow. I wasn't satisfied with my father's verdict, of course, and if he and my mother weren't going to supplement my appetite, I'd find an alternative way.
I began to watch YouTube videos for an extra source of income—a side hustle that could supplement the income I was entitled to by the government. Boom! I found it—the million-dollar idea. I watched videos of females making pink lip balm and cashing out on it. The best part? I could make it with as little as #500 and make a profit of about #6,000 if I'm able to convince people to buy.
I mentally made a list of my target customers (mainly corporations like me) and how I would convince them to buy.
The next day, I went into the market and bought the required ingredients: lemon, vaseline sugar, and a certain colorant, like the YouTube tutorial taught me.
I followed all the steps as directed, and I was confused about the outcome; it came out red.
I chalked it up to the impotency of the colorant; next time, I'll ensure I get one with better potency.
There is only one issue, though: how do I convince my customers to buy a red lip balm to make their lips pink? PiPinkaRip balms are generally pink; why should my own be different? It posed a challenge, but nothing spoils. O I gatz run am, pardon my language.
I was able to convince four people to buy at the next monthly clearance at the secretariat. It was harder than I thought, and the color didn't even help out. I managed to sell four pieces and convinced myself that Rome was not built in a day; every successful business owner has their own hard-starting success story.
The reviews from my clients were mad! believe me. Hold on, what sort of madness did you think I meant? The good mad? Nah! I mean mad, like mad, messed up mad. They all ended up with swollen red lips by the next morning. The useless balm couldn't even give a pink result to show something, at least for my efforts.
They all took pictures and sent them to me on WhatsApp, ranting and raving.
I shouldn't have exchanged contacts with them, but for the fact that I had delusions of grandeur that they would love the balm so much, they would become regular customers. I won't bore you with the drama that followed, but I tell you, it was mad—the bad kind of messy mad.
That was the one and only attempt I made at getting a side hustle; it was a colossal failure, and even though I wasn't supposed to find it funny, I did. The red lips were giving duck-mouth vibes, lol.
The only side hustle I do now is writing; it's my main hustle and my side hustle too. I'd rather stick to what I know. I do free-lance work now and often, and the best part? I don't need a capital, the capital is in my brain. One more thing, I'm never trusting a YouTube video again.