How to choose a side hustle that fits your life

Start with constraints

Write down the hours you can protect each week, the cash you can risk and anything your employment contract restricts. A four-hour reality is more useful than a twenty-hour fantasy.

• Available hours in a normal week
• Maximum test budget
• Skills you can already demonstrate
• People you can realistically reach

Score demand, fit and friction

Demand asks whether a recognisable group already pays to solve the problem. Fit asks whether you can credibly deliver. Friction covers equipment, regulation, travel and the time before the first sale.

• Can you name ten potential customers?
• Can you produce a sample within seven days?
• Can someone understand the offer in one sentence?

Choose a small first experiment

Do not launch a brand, five social accounts and a full product range. Offer one result to five relevant people. Your first goal is evidence: conversations, objections, a deposit or a clear reason to stop.