Creative Hustle

Fact file

Genevieve Rosen-Biller

Co-founder of online homewares start-up Bed Threads. Aged 29; lives in Bondi

Graduated as a journalist from Sydney’s UTS, later working for online publications. In her first year as a journalist she interviewed Brad Pitt and Kim Kardashian. Credits her focus on a healthy diet and being able to sleep well.

- Alan Deans

Side hustles have been around for about as long as the working week. For many people a second job is often the only way to pay the mortgage, afford a holiday or escape from the daily grind. The digital age opens an enormous choice to moonlighters, and they are grabbing the opportunity big time. The internet makes it easier to rent out a spare room, drive people around town or sell widgets. About one in four now work outside their regular jobs, according to a recent NBN report, which also found the aspiration to do so is big among those aged 20-38. Consulting firm Deloitte said in its latest Millennial Survey that half of respondents wanted to quit full-time employment and join the gig economy in the next two years.

Genevieve Rosen-Biller’s side hustle – selling linen sheets online – has grown rapidly since its launch two years ago. Her venture Bed Threads appeals to the millennial market but others also come for the low price point and quality. Sales grew by 325% in the year to February, she says, and continue to rise. The business stopped being a side hustle a while ago. It now provides full-time work for four people – Genevieve and her husband Alan, who has a background in logistics, a customer service manager and a content editor. There is also a part-time social media expert who handles the main Instagram and Pinterest sales channels.