Understanding the Side Hustle Mirage
In Kaduna, like many parts of Nigeria, the hustle culture is very real. People are juggling multiple side hustles alongside their 9-5 jobs or studies, hoping to improve their finances. But the truth? Many side hustles look busy on the surface but barely move the needle when it comes to profit. It’s a frustration many of us face, yet rarely talk about openly.
What’s Really Going On?
From selling suya by the roadside to small trading, tailoring, digital freelancing, or making quick crafts to sell on WhatsApp, plenty of hustlers appear to be “working hard.” But if you get closer, you’ll notice that despite the busy activity, the money isn’t consistent or enough to cover expenses or save. The hustle, in many cases, is just noise.
- Lack of clear profit focus: Many side hustlers focus on volume and effort rather than margin and cash flow. Just because you sell 10 packets of puff-puff a day doesn’t mean you’re making money if your cost per packet is almost the same as the sale price.
- Poor cost management: Some don’t track spending carefully, resulting in profits eaten up by hidden costs—transport, spoilage, packaging, or unplanned purchases.
- Time misallocation: Treating the hustle like a full-time job without a priority plan often leads to burnout with little financial return.
Realistic Scenarios from Kaduna Streets
Take for example Amina, a young graduate who runs a small hair extension business from her home in Ungwan Rimi. She spends nearly half her day sourcing quality hair stocks from shops in Kaduna central and Lagos online. Though she’s always busy chatting with customers and styling hair, her actual profit each week barely covers her travel expenses and some airtime. She hasn’t yet learned to price her styles based on her full cost and time spent.
Or consider Emeka, who runs a small roadside food stall near a busy market. He is relentless in preparing local snacks every day but works a very narrow profit margin to compete with cheaper vendors. His money is tied up in ingredients, and occasional losses come when he can’t sell all his stock before it spoils.
How to Turn Busy Hustles Into Profitable Ventures
- Track every naira coming in and going out: I know it sounds tedious, but knowing your true cost per sale makes all the difference.
- Focus on products or services with clear demand and margins: In Kaduna, things like personalized tailoring, event catering, or digital services (content writing, graphic design) often yield better returns than generic street sales if done right.
- Choose quality over quantity: It’s better to do fewer sales with decent profit than many sales with tiny margins.
- Set realistic, measurable goals for your side hustle: For example, aim to net ₦10,000 profit weekly rather than just “being busy.”
- Invest in growing skills: Learn pricing strategy, customer relationship management, and basic bookkeeping. Even local workshops or community centers sometimes offer tutorials.
Discipline & Mindset Matter
Side hustling is not just about moving fast or doing many things simultaneously. It requires discipline: knowing when to pause, evaluate, and pivot. Owners of busy but unprofitable hustles can often get trapped in a cycle of “working hard” but never breaking through. The real breakthrough comes when you work smart, focus on profit and sustainability, and keep learning.
Final Thoughts
To everyone juggling side hustles in Kaduna and beyond: busy does not equal successful. The key is to be disciplined, track finances religiously, and prioritize activities that add to your bottom line. It’s okay to try new things, but give yourself time to assess if the hustle is worth the hard work. Otherwise, you might just be chasing a mirage.
My questions for you are:
- What side hustle have you found looks busy but didn’t really add to your income?
- How do you manage your costs and profits to avoid burning out while staying financially viable?
- Do you believe hustling smarter with fewer but higher quality sales is the way forward, or is volume still king in our local market?