Life is too short not to be doing the things you love, but imagine if your passions could help pay the bills too. Your day job may be just cutting it, but everyone knows a little extra in the bank can go a long way.
It comes as no shock that 70% of young Brits are embracing the world of the side hustle; pursuing a second job from your own home may be the game-changer you need that not only makes your pocket happy but also gives you the financial freedom you’ve always wanted.
The best part of pursuing a side hustle is that is can be entirely moulded around your lifestyle. Imagine doing something you love, where you choose your own hours, and you get paid – bonus! It gives you the flexibility of being your own boss, with all the perks, without the commitment of making it your full-time gig.
Pre-pandemic, the side hustle community was rocketing, having grown 32% in the past decade. Covid-19 dramatically shook up the British economy, with almost 10 million people on a furlough scheme by December 2020, and UK unemployment predicted to reach 2.6 million by the middle of 2021, leaving even more people turning to see what they can do from home to pass the time and make a bit of extra cash. It’s no surprise that Google Trends data shows that searches for the terms ‘productivity’ and ‘time-management hit a five-year high in 2020, with the number of searches for ‘how to make more money growing year-on-year.
Whether you’re saving up for a house, wanting to explore your creative side or acquire a new skill, the benefits of taking on a side hustle are immense.
Airbnb is the perfect example of a thriving platform, paving the way for businesses in the sharing economy. The idea of offering a room in your home to a stranger is not one we ever thought would make a dent in the holiday rental market, but their glaring success proved otherwise, providing thousands of homeowners with a sweet monthly bonus. Imagine if selling your favourite home-cooked dishes to your local community could do the same. After all, sharing is caring.
All About The Cooks has found the solution to starting your own side hustle, while also being a part of the home-cooking revolution, even for those who are unsure where to begin. Maybe you are not sure how to locate a customer base, advertise your food or ensure your kitchen is food hygiene safe.
Connecting talented home-cooks to busy customers, our easy-to-use online platform takes away all the stress in between, providing delicious, authentic meals to people all over Bristol.
Food is about bringing people together, which has become particularly important in the past year. So, whether you are a trained chef wanting to try out your own menu, or the holder of a secret family recipe you cannot wait to share, we are here to help. Have your meals paid for in advance, connect with new people all over the city and share your love for cooking, all while putting a smile on people’s faces, as many of our current cooks can testify.
Nikos is one of our city-centre cooks, specialising in Greek, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean delights. He works his passion for cooking around his day job as a duty manager in a hotel.
When asked what he thought the biggest benefits were from pursuing a side gig from the comfort of his own kitchen, he said ‘I get to do what I really love in my own free time, make a bit of money on the side and make other people happy with my food – I think that’s a triple win scenario!’.
His advice for anyone wanting to start their own side hustle is to ‘organise your free time correctly, start small and make sure you know your customers’. Most importantly, he says, ‘you have to enjoy yourself when cooking’. He admits that it can sometimes be a challenge, ‘but a happy customer is definitely a good pay off!’.
Nikos recommends his Spinach and Feta pie – ‘the epitome of perfection in simplicity!’. Check out Nikos’ page and his other mouth-watering dishes here.
Mrunal, based in Patchway, is another one of our cooks who dedicates her Fridays and Saturdays to sharing her take on Indian street food with the local community. She balances this with her primary job as an aerospace engineer during the week.
She found the biggest gain from pursuing her own side hustle through All About The Cooks was ‘meeting lots of like-minded people’. Also, she says, ’you get instant gratification, and the expressions on people’s faces are very rewarding’.
Her advice for prospective side hustlers is to ‘keep your food as authentic as possible’, and ‘do your research!’. She is thankful for our platform, saying ‘it’s good for cooks wanting to start their own business’.
Check out Mrunal’s ‘vibrant and yummy’ Mumbai-inspired dishes here.
If, like Nikos and Mrunal, you think you fancy yourself a little kitchen side hustle, start by reading more about how it all works today!
We’re very proud that founder of All About The Cooks, Claire Ladkin, has been shortlisted as a Community Food Champion at the BBC Food & Farming Awards!
Our Bristol-born online marketplace for home-cooks is growing – Nick Davies and Will Hamilton join our advisory board!
For Refugee Week 2023, we look at how we’re making it easier for talented cooks from refugee and migrant backgrounds to enter the food industry!
It’s International Women’s Day 2023! Meet a few of our many amazing female cooks!
Try making Mireya’s vegan feijoada recipe for Veganuary this year.
If you like cooking, we have a New Year’s resolution that you’ll love!