Hustle Your Side Gig

It’s hard to make a living from just one thing. LAUREN FLESHMAN —champion middle-distance runner, cofounder of Picky Bars, coach, and mother of two—lets us in on how she juggles it all, while CHRIS GUILLEBEAU , creator of the Side Hustle School podcast series, weighs in on how you can, too.

- Kate Siber

LAUREN FLESHMAN AGONIZED as she was deciding whether to end her career as a professional distance runner—but not because she was nervous about money. While amassing an impressive array of podium finishes at national and international races, she was also cultivating a few passion projects on the margins. By 2016, when she retired from competing at 34, she had lined up enough work for a new career.

Fleshman had the advantage of a brand name, but she’s part of a growing trend in the American workforce. Nearly a third of U.S. workers now have side gigs, including 41 percent of those under 35, according to a 2017 survey commissioned by the online employment clearinghouse CareerBuilder. “The side hustle is the new job security,” writes author Chris Guillebeau (CG) inSide Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days. “More income means more options. More options mean more freedom.”