As often happens these days, side hustles are more enjoyable than classic 9-5 jobs. Or, they give more money for fewer hours. Whatever the reason, you may look at your side hustle and wonder if it can replace your career. Is it profitable enough? Are you ready for it? Is it a good risk or a bad risk? It’s all waiting for you below.

Practical signs your side hustle is ready for some main stage time

The actual side hustle that you have for our discussion today is irrelevant. This is all about understanding how strong and stable it is regarding its reliability in your daily income-related life!

1. You make enough to cover your monthly expenses comfortably: This is first on the list for a reason. Your monthly expenses are non-negotiable, so you must make at least enough to cover those. Ideally, you’ll also bring in 25% more, so you have a cushion. Stressing over money can quickly sour an otherwise exciting point in your life, so be mindful of this!
2. You’re turning away work because you don’t have time for it: As I mentioned in my blog post about how to handle a side hustle, you’ll have limited hours available to work on it. If you constantly turn away work because you can’t get it all done, this is a tangible sign that your side hustle is ready for an upgrade! Plus, it doubles as a sign that customers need and want you.
3. You love your side hustle enough to take on more of it: You should ensure that you generally like your side hustle since making it your career will mean that you’ll be essentially soaking yourself in it. If you hate your side hustle, consider starting another one that you can transition into a career.
4. You are looking for a change in job type: If you don’t want to leave your career or area of expertise, don’t force yourself to do so. But if you desperately want a change, transitioning from a side hustle to a career is a great way to help you make this important change.
5. The advantages outweigh the risks: There will always be a risk when you change from a regular stable career to a side hustle as your primary source of income. Make sure you take note of the pros and cons. If the pros greatly outweigh those cons, it’s a sign you’re ready to upgrade your side hustle!

Side hustles are meant to scale up or down as needed

Wherever you are on this list of signs for your side hustle, you’ll get a better feel for just how ready it is to take on a more primary role in your life. It’s exciting to think that something you started doing “just for fun” is stable enough to give you a career change. My journey as a freelance writer started as a side hustle while I was finishing school. Almost 9 years later, I’m still going at it, and it’s my official career!

What about you? Do you have a side hustle? Would you want it to grow to the point of replacing your career? Why or why not?

Also, a quick note. For those of you who remember that I am writing a book, it was published today! Writing The Starving Freelancer: How to shift from struggle to success has been quite the journey. I’m so excited to offer it as a freelancer guide for those looking for it. If you’re interested, check it out!

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