Could a side hustle breathe new life into your career and provide an income boost?

I hadn't even heard the phrase 'side-hustle' until a few years ago, but after learning more about the subject it resonated with me and made a lot of sense.

As long as I can remember I have loved to create, to draw, paint, design, to use my skills for self fulfillment and to help others and receive recognition.

The birth of Sandlebridge

I find that walking or running frees the mind to think. When you've no other distractions or demands on your time you are free to think. And this is always where I get my best ideas.

Not far from where I lived in Cheshire is a quiet country lane called Sandlebridge Lane. It's a pretty quiet backwater and of course, this was my inspiration for the name and the side-hustle business.

Sandlebridge is the business vehicle where I can make decisions based purely on the project filling a need other than financial. Of course, I get paid for the work I do under the Sandlebridge name, but I look for projects that provide creative interest, a technical challenge that might stretch me and for a client whose business genuinely interests me and where I know I can add value.

It's a win-win

When I'm working on a side hustle project the clock isn' t ticking. I'm not logging my time or charging by the hour. The client gets my full attention and passion and together we create a piece of work or campaign that we are both delighted with.

Finally, having a side-hustle can be so much more than a second income stream, it can be an outlet for you to express yourself and add value in ways that you 'day job' doesn't allow. In my role at MD of Web Foundry Limited I'm involved in a wide range on activities that take me away from my first love - creating. I'm involved in HR, finance, project management, relationship management, strategy and so on.

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