{"id":27259,"date":"2025-12-11T13:35:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T13:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/?p=27259"},"modified":"2026-03-10T11:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T11:21:08","slug":"how-to-start-a-side-hustle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle","title":{"rendered":"How to start\u00a0a side\u00a0hustle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png\" alt=\"Using our guide means you're not completely alone when starting your side hustle\" class=\"wp-image-27257\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:300px;height:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png 600w, https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit-300x150.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>In this guide:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-side-hustle\">What&#8217;s a side hustle?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#why-start-side-hustle\">Why start a side hustle?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#what-type-side-hustle\">What type of side hustle should you do?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#planning-ahead\">How to plan ahead<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#growing-side-hustle\">Tips for growing your side hustle<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#risks-side-hustle\">The risks of running a side hustle<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#paying-tax-side-hustle\">How to pay tax<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#hmrc-online-selling\">HMRC&#8217;s rules for online selling<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#insurance-for-side-hustles\">Getting the right insurance<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The rise of the&nbsp;UK\u2019s&nbsp;gig economy means&nbsp;more&nbsp;people&nbsp;are&nbsp;starting&nbsp;a side hustle.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/uk\/business-banking\/side-hustle-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Over a third (39%)&nbsp;of Brits are&nbsp;now&nbsp;thought to&nbsp;have&nbsp;one<\/a>,&nbsp;topping up their income by&nbsp;just under a grand (\u00a3914) a month&nbsp;on average.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And no wonder&nbsp;when the benefits are obvious:&nbsp;more&nbsp;money, more flexibility, more freedom to do things your way&#8230;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, as with\u00a0anything else,\u00a0it\u00a0shouldn\u2019t\u00a0be\u00a0rushed\u00a0into.\u00a0Starting\u00a0a side hustle\u00a0takes\u00a0time,\u00a0planning, and a bit of realism.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you,&nbsp;we\u2019ll&nbsp;take you&nbsp;through&nbsp;the basics of&nbsp;what\u2019s&nbsp;involved&nbsp;\u2013 from&nbsp;simple&nbsp;steps&nbsp;to get you started, to your legal and tax obligations, and what insurance&nbsp;you&nbsp;might&nbsp;need.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-side-hustle\">What&#8217;s a side&nbsp;hustle?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A side&nbsp;hustle&nbsp;(or side&nbsp;gig)&nbsp;is&nbsp;any&nbsp;activity&nbsp;where you&nbsp;make&nbsp;an income on top of&nbsp;your&nbsp;main&nbsp;job&nbsp;or occupation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes side hustles different&nbsp;from&nbsp;a hobby (where you do something that interests you but&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;benefit financially from)&nbsp;or&nbsp;volunteering (offering&nbsp;up&nbsp;your&nbsp;time or&nbsp;services without a fee).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while&nbsp;having one&nbsp;can&nbsp;lead&nbsp;to&nbsp;freelancing&nbsp;or&nbsp;running a small business, it&nbsp;doesn\u2019t&nbsp;have to.&nbsp;How much time, money, and attention you devote to growing your side hustle is entirely up to you \u2013 and that&#8217;s the beauty of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-start-side-hustle\">Being your own boss&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone\u2019s motivations&nbsp;and goals&nbsp;are different. But&nbsp;the desire to supplement&nbsp;an&nbsp;income&nbsp;is&nbsp;why&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/money\/side-hustles-money-online-freelance-youtube-b2816331.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">61%&nbsp;of people&nbsp;start&nbsp;a side hustle<\/a>&nbsp;in the first&nbsp;place.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;naturally curious or entrepreneurial, a&nbsp;side hustle&nbsp;can be&nbsp;a&nbsp;fantastic opportunity.&nbsp;It&#8217;s a great way to monetise a hobby, develop your skills, and challenge yourself in a new way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting a side hustle can even widen your career perspectives and lead to you setting up your own business. Depending on your ambitions and how things go, you might end up reducing your hours at work. Or even leaving your day job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-type-side-hustle\">What type of side&nbsp;hustle should I do?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From&nbsp;selling&nbsp;online&nbsp;and tutoring,&nbsp;to delivery work and dog walking, there are lots of&nbsp;different types&nbsp;of side&nbsp;hustles, and&nbsp;lots of&nbsp;different ways&nbsp;to get&nbsp;started.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Love all things social media and fancy trying your hand at content creation? Maybe you&#8217;ve decided to pivot from your day job in IT to offer consultancy services to a few private clients? Or want to use your admin skills to set yourself up as a virtual assistant&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, there are plenty of platforms that&#8217;ll allow you to quickly and easily sell goods or services \u2013 from online marketplaces like Etsy and eBay to pet sitting and house sitting apps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"878\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-blog-Graphic-1-canva_istock-edit-878x1024.png\" alt=\"A tree with different icons sitting on its branches represents the question, &quot;What type of side hustle should I do&quot;?\" class=\"wp-image-27256\" style=\"width:473px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-blog-Graphic-1-canva_istock-edit-878x1024.png 878w, https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-blog-Graphic-1-canva_istock-edit-129x150.png 129w, https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-blog-Graphic-1-canva_istock-edit-768x896.png 768w, https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-blog-Graphic-1-canva_istock-edit.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 878px) 100vw, 878px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spoilt for choice?&nbsp;Before you choose&nbsp;which&nbsp;path&nbsp;to&nbsp;go down,&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;worth thinking about:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Your skills and experience&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013&nbsp;what&nbsp;special&nbsp;knowledge,&nbsp;skills&nbsp;or training&nbsp;do&nbsp;you&nbsp;have?&nbsp;Is there anything you can do&nbsp;differently&nbsp;that&nbsp;might&nbsp;give you an edge over&nbsp;your&nbsp;competitors?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Training and development&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013&nbsp;how much time, realistically,&nbsp;do you want to spend&nbsp;learning new skills and&nbsp;growing&nbsp;your side&nbsp;hustle?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time demands\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0what happens if you get\u00a0an\u00a0ad hoc request\u00a0or need to do something\u00a0urgently?\u00a0Can you\u00a0dedicate evenings\u00a0or\u00a0even\u00a0weekends\u00a0to\u00a0nurturing your side\u00a0hustle?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seasonality<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;Is your side&nbsp;hustle likely to be seasonal or&nbsp;a&nbsp;year-round&nbsp;thing?&nbsp;Will you be able to&nbsp;meet any&nbsp;sudden surges in demand?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The bigger picture&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013&nbsp;Where do you see your side hustle going? Is it something you&#8217;d like to do casually and ad hoc, or are you ambitious about scaling it up?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"planning-ahead\">How to plan&nbsp;ahead&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ever heard the phrase,&nbsp;\u201cLook before you leap\u201d?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once&nbsp;you\u2019ve&nbsp;decided on your side&nbsp;hustle,&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;time&nbsp;to&nbsp;give yourself the best start possible and&nbsp;lay down some important groundwork:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Know&nbsp;what\u2019s&nbsp;involved&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>listening to podcasts and&nbsp;browsing business&nbsp;forums&nbsp;is&nbsp;a good way&nbsp;to&nbsp;pick up tips and&nbsp;get an&nbsp;idea&nbsp;of the highs and lows&nbsp;involved.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Check out the competition&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>a quick google search should be enough to tell you who you&#8217;ll be up against. Is there a gap in the market you could fill?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Estimate your costs\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>how much money\u00a0will you need\u00a0to invest in your side\u00a0hustle? Can\u00a0you work from home to minimise your overheads,\u00a0or will you need to rent a\u00a0space\u00a0to work from? Are there any extra costs involved e.g. equipment, tools, stock, fuel, platform fees, insurance, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/write-business-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Write a business plan<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013&nbsp;think about practical steps,&nbsp;your&nbsp;goals&nbsp;and&nbsp;objectives,&nbsp;what support&nbsp;you\u2019ll&nbsp;need, and how you&nbsp;want&nbsp;to grow. Putting&nbsp;everything&nbsp;down&nbsp;on paper&nbsp;can&nbsp;help you&nbsp;clarify your ideas&nbsp;and&nbsp;smooth out&nbsp;any bumps in the road.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sole trader or limited company?&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>whichever&nbsp;structure&nbsp;you choose&nbsp;will&nbsp;likely&nbsp;affect&nbsp;how you&nbsp;operate. Be&nbsp;sure to check out the&nbsp;government\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/set-up-business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">business set-up guide<\/a>&nbsp;so you know&nbsp;your obligations are likely to be.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"878\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-Graphic-2-canva-878x1024.png\" alt=\"Here's how to plan ahead and give your side hustle the best possible start\" class=\"wp-image-27255\" style=\"width:473px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-Graphic-2-canva-878x1024.png 878w, https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-Graphic-2-canva-129x150.png 129w, https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-Graphic-2-canva-768x896.png 768w, https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Side-hustle-Graphic-2-canva.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 878px) 100vw, 878px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"growing-side-hustle\">Top tips for&nbsp;growing&nbsp;your&nbsp;side&nbsp;hustle&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now&nbsp;you\u2019ve&nbsp;got your side hustle off the ground,&nbsp;you\u2019ll&nbsp;need to spend some time&nbsp;and energy&nbsp;pushing it forward.&nbsp;Here are some common-sense tips to help you&nbsp;stay&nbsp;proactive:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Market yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is easier&nbsp;if&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;going down the digital platform route&nbsp;where you&nbsp;already have a captive audience. And&nbsp;slightly&nbsp;trickier&nbsp;if&nbsp;you&nbsp;have&nbsp;to&nbsp;be your own personal marketing guru&#8230;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think&nbsp;about who your audience is,&nbsp;what&nbsp;their struggles and challenges are, what&nbsp;they&nbsp;expect from you,&nbsp;and how&nbsp;to&nbsp;reach&nbsp;them \u2013&nbsp;whether&nbsp;through social media, online advertising or&nbsp;good old-fashioned&nbsp;leafleting and&nbsp;flyering.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make&nbsp;sure&nbsp;you&nbsp;communicate&nbsp;what you offer clearly.&nbsp;And remember,&nbsp;the best way to promote yourself is to&nbsp;offer a&nbsp;consistently&nbsp;good service&#8230;you\u2019ll&nbsp;be rewarded with repeat customers, positive reviews, and word-of-mouth recommendations.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Be time smart<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Make the most&nbsp;of the time you&nbsp;have to&nbsp;work on&nbsp;your side business&nbsp;by factoring when&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;a) most productive, and b) have space to focus.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doing too many things&nbsp;at once&nbsp;or leaving tasks until the last minute can lead to mistakes that&nbsp;cost you your reputation.&nbsp;So, unless&nbsp;there\u2019s&nbsp;something urgent you need to deal with,&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;best to&nbsp;carve out time&nbsp;for your side hustle&nbsp;away from&nbsp;your&nbsp;other responsibilities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If staying on top of multiple to-do lists isn&#8217;t for you, task management platforms like <a href=\"https:\/\/asana.com\/?noredirect=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Asana<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notion.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Notion<\/a> can help you set goals and organise your time more effectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Be flexible<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your&nbsp;side hustle&nbsp;ever leaves you feeling&nbsp;stretched or stagnant, think about&nbsp;switching it up a gear by&nbsp;expanding what you do. That could mean offering new products, services,&nbsp;starting a social media campaign&nbsp;or investing in&nbsp;some&nbsp;extra&nbsp;help&nbsp;or&nbsp;training.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember,&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;your own boss&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;and&nbsp;making mistakes is OK so long as you learn from them.&nbsp;Try something different and move on.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Invest in networking and partnerships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Working alone can feel lonely at times. Talking to other side hustlers via a business forum or at events can be&nbsp;a good way&nbsp;to brainstorm ideas, seek advice, form collaborations, or simply blow off some steam.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"risks-side-hustle\">Is running a side hustle risky?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Running&nbsp;your own side hustle can be buzz when&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;going well. However,&nbsp;working on your own&nbsp;can also leave you stretched for time and struggling to deal with unexpected situations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s&nbsp;a heads-up on what to&nbsp;watch&nbsp;out for:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Beware the burnout&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013&nbsp;juggling extra work on top of&nbsp;regular&nbsp;employment can be&nbsp;tricky&nbsp;\u2013 especially when&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;pressed for time or&nbsp;low on energy. Make sure to book in some time for other hobbies and self-care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scams<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 unfortunately, fraudulent side hustle platforms exist&nbsp;in their&nbsp;droves.&nbsp;They&nbsp;may&nbsp;offer the promise of&nbsp;earning&nbsp;a quick buck but really,&nbsp;they\u2019re&nbsp;just&nbsp;there to&nbsp;steal your&nbsp;personal&nbsp;info&#8230;as a rule,&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;trust any&nbsp;platform that demands&nbsp;up-front fees,&nbsp;check the terms of any contracts&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;offered, and do&nbsp;your research&nbsp;before you agree to part with your details.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Conflict of interest&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013&nbsp;there needs to be a clear dividing line between&nbsp;your job and your side hustle.&nbsp;Working on&nbsp;one when you should be doing the other,&nbsp;using&nbsp;your employer\u2019s&nbsp;ideas&nbsp;or spilling&nbsp;trade&nbsp;secrets can&nbsp;lead to&nbsp;things souring&nbsp;between you and your employer. And&nbsp;end&nbsp;with&nbsp;legal action.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Breach of contract<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;common courtesy to let your employer know if&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;earning&nbsp;extra income through a side hustle. However, it may be a contractual obligation too&#8230;check&nbsp;the terms of your employment contract before starting anything.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Financial risks&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013&nbsp;if&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;bringing in an&nbsp;outside&nbsp;investor or&nbsp;arranging&nbsp;a loan to get your side hustle off the ground,&nbsp;you&nbsp;should&nbsp;be&nbsp;confident&nbsp;of&nbsp;getting a&nbsp;return&nbsp;on your investment. If you don&#8217;t know, don&#8217;t overpromise. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tax implications&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2013&nbsp;you\u2019ll&nbsp;likely&nbsp;have&nbsp;to pay tax on&nbsp;the&nbsp;money you make&nbsp;from&nbsp;your side hustle.&nbsp;And especially if your total income, including your main job,&nbsp;exceeds the&nbsp;basic personal allowance for all UK taxpayers (\u00a312,570).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"paying-tax-side-hustle\">Understanding tax<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>HMRC uses various third-party data sources to&nbsp;identify&nbsp;where tax might not have been paid.&nbsp;So&nbsp;be warned: as&nbsp;your side hustle grows, you could end up thrust into the spotlight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re trading and making more than \u00a31,000, you&#8217;ll need to register with HMRC as being self-employed. You&#8217;ll then have to file a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/browse\/tax\/self-assessment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Self&nbsp;Assessment&nbsp;tax return<\/a> for that tax year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HMRC classes your income as any money&nbsp;that\u2019s&nbsp;paid to you, whether that\u2019s cash in hand or through a bank transfer&nbsp;or digital platform. You should also keep track of any&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/expenses-if-youre-self-employed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expenses&nbsp;that&nbsp;may be deducted&nbsp;from your tax bill<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Staying on top of your tax affairs is important. Failing to tell HMRC about your side hustle when you need to could result in an unexpected tax bill or penalties against you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our top tip is to use a spreadsheet or an accounting software programme like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xero.com\/uk\/try-now\/accounting\/accounting-software\/?utm_source=MICROSOFT&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=UK+-+NB+-+LF+-+SMB+-+Competitor&amp;utm_content=Akaunting&amp;utm_term=akaunting+bookkeeping+software&amp;ds_kid=2419557990664&amp;gclid=7281471068b512b6f09f2e36be1a0342&amp;gclsrc=3p.ds&amp;msclkid=7281471068b512b6f09f2e36be1a0342\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Xero<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/quickbooks.intuit.com\/uk\/login\/?msockid=1fb6fa99fbfd69ad2d90eb5bfffd6f06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">QuickBooks<\/a> to make sure you always pay on time. Having a separate business bank account for your side hustle can also make it easier to calculate your income and expenses.  &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hmrc-online-selling\">UK rules for online selling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Selling&nbsp;vintage&nbsp;or refurbished items online is the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/uk\/business-banking\/side-hustle-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">most popular type of side-hustle<\/a>. With little more needed to get started than a laptop or phone&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you&#8217;re planning on selling goods or services through a digital platform, including any e-commerce websites, online marketplaces or apps, you should be aware of <a href=\"https:\/\/taxhelpforhustles.campaign.gov.uk\/buying-or-making-things-to-sell-and-online-selling-tax-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HMRC\u2019s&nbsp;tax rules&nbsp;for online sellers<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From&nbsp;January 2024,&nbsp;each&nbsp;platform you sign up will require&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/selling-goods-or-services-on-a-digital-platform#information-you-must-give\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">certain information<\/a>&nbsp;from you. Typically,&nbsp;your name, address, and&nbsp;National Insurance number&nbsp;(or company registration if&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;a business entity).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Provided you\u2019ve&nbsp;meet certain criteria,&nbsp;they\u2019ll&nbsp;then&nbsp;be&nbsp;legally&nbsp;obliged to&nbsp;report&nbsp;your details&nbsp;to HMRC:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you make more than 30 sales in a year,&nbsp;<em>and\/or<\/em>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>you make&nbsp;over&nbsp;\u00a31,700 for those sales.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon after, you&nbsp;should&nbsp;receive&nbsp;a statement from them&nbsp;that&nbsp;clearly shows your&nbsp;trading income&nbsp;(minus any fees,&nbsp;commission&nbsp;or&nbsp;deductible&nbsp;taxes).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After that, the usual tax rules&nbsp;for side-hustles&nbsp;will&nbsp;apply&nbsp;but&nbsp;only&nbsp;if your income&nbsp;is more than&nbsp;the&nbsp;\u00a31,000 trading allowance.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that selling your own clothes or other items isn&#8217;t taxable if you&#8217;re selling them for less than you originally paid (as you&#8217;re not making a profit). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, if you sell any single item for more than \u00a36,000, you may need to pay&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/capital-gains-tax\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Capital Gains Tax<\/a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To find out more, read&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/selling-goods-or-services-on-a-digital-platform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HMRC\u2019s guidance for&nbsp;selling goods or services in the UK<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"insurance-for-side-hustles\">Do you need&nbsp;insurance&nbsp;to run a side&nbsp;hustle?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most likely, yes. For all the reasons\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0already talked about\u00a0under\u00a0\u2018risks\u2019.\u00a0And the fact that you don&#8217;t want a small mishap or mistake to turn into a big &#8220;oh no!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Running a business on the side\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0mean\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0any\u00a0less likely to deal with potentially expensive or time-consuming problems. If anything,\u00a0you\u00a0may need a\u00a0helping hand from someone who knows what pitfalls you may encounter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legal and financial assistance provided by a business insurance policy provides vital peace of mind. If there&#8217;s an accident or if something goes wrong and it leads to a claim against you, it&#8217;ll support you by covering your legal fees and compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take&nbsp;in&nbsp;these situations, for example:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/public-liability-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Public liability&nbsp;(PL) insurance<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 this covers you if a member of the public is injured or their property is&nbsp;damaged,&nbsp;and&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;deemed&nbsp;to be your fault.&nbsp;Think accidents like&nbsp;slips, trips, spills, or even&nbsp;resulting from&nbsp;the products you sell&#8230;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/professional-indemnity-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Professional indemnity&nbsp;(PI) insurance<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;this is for&nbsp;if someone&nbsp;takes issue&nbsp;with&nbsp;the service you provide.&nbsp;It covers&nbsp;accusations of negligence,&nbsp;breaches of confidentiality, dishonesty, libel, slander, and more.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/business-contents-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stock&nbsp;and contents&nbsp;insurance<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;pays&nbsp;to repair or replace broken,&nbsp;damaged&nbsp;or stolen items&nbsp;you use for&nbsp;your&nbsp;side-hustle.&nbsp;Especially as&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;unlikely your&nbsp;home insurance will cover&nbsp;your&nbsp;business stuff.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/portable-equipment-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Portable equipment insurance<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 covers any equipment you take&nbsp;out and about&nbsp;with you.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/cyber-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cyber insurance<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;helps you get back on your feet if&nbsp;a cyber-attack&nbsp;or data breach holds your&nbsp;data to ransom or means&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;unable to get online&nbsp;and work.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make your hustle hassle-free<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u00a0specialise in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/self-employed-insurance\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/self-employed-insurance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">business insurance\u00a0all kinds of self-employed people<\/a> \u2013 from online retailers and tutors\u00a0to virtual assistants and freelance consultants of all stripes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To see if we can help\u00a0you with your insurance,\u00a0try picking\u00a0out\u00a0your side hustle\u00a0out\u00a0from the list of occupations\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/occupations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on our website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or just pick up the phone\u00a0to call one of our friendly experts\u00a0and\u00a0ask. Our number is\u00a0<strong>0345 222 5391.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Images created using assets from iStock.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this guide: The rise of the&nbsp;UK\u2019s&nbsp;gig economy means&nbsp;more&nbsp;people&nbsp;are&nbsp;starting&nbsp;a side hustle.&nbsp;Over a third (39%)&nbsp;of Brits are&nbsp;now&nbsp;thought to&nbsp;have&nbsp;one,&nbsp;topping up their income by&nbsp;just under a grand (\u00a3914) a month&nbsp;on average.&nbsp;&nbsp; And no wonder&nbsp;when the benefits are obvious:&nbsp;more&nbsp;money, more flexibility, more freedom to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[290,132],"tags":[310,314,237,189,143,140],"class_list":["post-27259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-self-employed-and-freelance-advice","category-small-business-advice","tag-business-advice","tag-business-guides","tag-freelancers","tag-online-retailers","tag-rules-and-regulations","tag-running-a-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>How to start a side hustle: a complete guide<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3? More freedom? More flexibility? Sounds good! But is starting a side hustle right for you? Our guide can help you decide...\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to start a side hustle: a complete guide\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3? More freedom? More flexibility? Sounds good! But is starting a side hustle right for you? Our guide can help you decide...\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PolicyBee news and risk advice\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-11T13:35:41+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-10T11:21:08+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alexandra Williams\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PolicyBee\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PolicyBee\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alexandra Williams\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alexandra Williams\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9724de2ae82620a7e676af2668c960a0\"},\"headline\":\"How to start\u00a0a side\u00a0hustle\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-11T13:35:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-10T11:21:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle\"},\"wordCount\":2916,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png\",\"keywords\":[\"business advice\",\"business guides\",\"freelancers\",\"online retailers\",\"rules and regulations\",\"running a business\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Self-employed &amp; freelance advice\",\"Small business advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle\",\"name\":\"How to start a side hustle: a complete guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-11T13:35:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-10T11:21:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9724de2ae82620a7e676af2668c960a0\"},\"description\":\"More \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3? More freedom? More flexibility? Sounds good! But is starting a side hustle right for you? Our guide can help you decide...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"Using our guide means you're not alone when starting your side hustle\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to start\u00a0a side\u00a0hustle\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PolicyBee news and risk advice\",\"description\":\"Articles and information on professional indemnity insurance, small business news and risk management\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.policybee.co.uk\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9724de2ae82620a7e676af2668c960a0\",\"name\":\"Alexandra Williams\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3b0eaa7b26b964656e704113f072baed4b8281ebd63fa4f7924b0c96f3af817?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3b0eaa7b26b964656e704113f072baed4b8281ebd63fa4f7924b0c96f3af817?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3b0eaa7b26b964656e704113f072baed4b8281ebd63fa4f7924b0c96f3af817?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Alexandra Williams\"}}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to start a side hustle: a complete guide","description":"More \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3? More freedom? More flexibility? Sounds good! But is starting a side hustle right for you? Our guide can help you decide...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to start a side hustle: a complete guide","og_description":"More \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3? More freedom? More flexibility? Sounds good! But is starting a side hustle right for you? Our guide can help you decide...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle","og_site_name":"PolicyBee news and risk advice","article_published_time":"2025-12-11T13:35:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-10T11:21:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Alexandra Williams","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@PolicyBee","twitter_site":"@PolicyBee","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alexandra Williams","Estimated reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle"},"author":{"name":"Alexandra Williams","@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9724de2ae82620a7e676af2668c960a0"},"headline":"How to start\u00a0a side\u00a0hustle","datePublished":"2025-12-11T13:35:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-10T11:21:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle"},"wordCount":2916,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png","keywords":["business advice","business guides","freelancers","online retailers","rules and regulations","running a business"],"articleSection":["Self-employed &amp; freelance advice","Small business advice"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle","url":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle","name":"How to start a side hustle: a complete guide","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png","datePublished":"2025-12-11T13:35:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-10T11:21:08+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9724de2ae82620a7e676af2668c960a0"},"description":"More \u00a3\u00a3\u00a3? More freedom? More flexibility? Sounds good! But is starting a side hustle right for you? Our guide can help you decide...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/side-hustle-blog-istock-edit.png","width":600,"height":300,"caption":"Using our guide means you're not alone when starting your side hustle"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-start-a-side-hustle#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to start\u00a0a side\u00a0hustle"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"PolicyBee news and risk advice","description":"Articles and information on professional indemnity insurance, small business news and risk management","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9724de2ae82620a7e676af2668c960a0","name":"Alexandra Williams","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3b0eaa7b26b964656e704113f072baed4b8281ebd63fa4f7924b0c96f3af817?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3b0eaa7b26b964656e704113f072baed4b8281ebd63fa4f7924b0c96f3af817?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3b0eaa7b26b964656e704113f072baed4b8281ebd63fa4f7924b0c96f3af817?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Alexandra Williams"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27259"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27533,"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27259\/revisions\/27533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}