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66% of Brits start side hustles for extra income, survey by Adobe Express reveals

66% of people start a side hustle to generate extra income, while 31% are motivated by the desire to pursue a passion, new survey reveals.

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66% of Brits start side hustles for extra income, survey by Adobe Express reveals
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Adobe Express conducted a survey which revealed that 66% of people start a side hustle to generate extra income, while 31% are motivated by the desire to pursue a passion.

The survey examined the motivations, challenges, and successes of both aspiring and current side hustle owners, providing insights into this growing trend.

The findings showed that 21% of respondents looking to start a side hustle are interested in entering the creative arts industry, while 19% are drawn to retail and e-commerce.

Hospitality and events attracted only 6% of aspiring side hustlers, and finance and consulting appealed to just 5%.

For 22% of respondents, the flexibility that a side hustle offers was an important motivator.

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The survey revealed that 36% of aspiring entrepreneurs are worried about time management, and 32% are concerned about balancing a side hustle alongside a full-time job.

Financial risks were another worry, with 20% of participants expressing fear of financial failure.

While many participants said they would consider turning their side hustle into a full-time business, most noted that this would depend on its success.

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The survey highlighted the challenges faced by current side hustle owners also with 39% find balancing their side hustle with their primary job to be the biggest difficulty, followed by 27% who struggle with administrative tasks and paperwork.

The majority of side hustle owners—72%—dedicate up to 10 hours a week to their ventures, while 18% spend 20 hours or more.

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Financially, 73% earn up to £500 per month from their side hustles, and 20% report earning over £1,000.

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The success factors for side hustles were also explored with social media marketing cited by 35% of respondents as a key factor in helping their side hustles grow.

Networking with other entrepreneurs was also highlighted by 23% of participants, while 13% noted the usefulness of business tools such as software and apps.

The survey also showed that challenges vary by industry.

In the creative arts and design sector, 30% of respondents pointed to time management and administrative tasks as major hurdles, while 36% in the finance sector identified marketing and promotion as their biggest challenge.

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The survey also revealed variations in profitability across industries.

Information technology emerged as the most profitable side hustle sector, with 24% of respondents earning over £1,000 per month.

This was followed by engineering and manufacturing, where 20% of participants reported similar earnings, and science and pharmaceuticals at 14%.

In contrast, education was the least lucrative industry, with 54% of respondents earning less than £100 per month.

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