by Ayodotun Osunkojo

A befitting alias for this column would be ‘The Adventures of the Hustler’, because we all, one way or another, run a ‘PP’ (private practice) apart from our ‘main jobs’. That’s no news! The phenomenon of having a main job and a side hustle is a multifaceted one, especially in our environment. Some have succeeded in holding more than one job and others have failed woefully. Regardless of our different experiences, there will always be stories to share and lessons to learn. From my limited pre-research perspective, here are a few from a vast range of scenarios:

1. The Classic Case:

‘I work in a bank but I sell ties, cufflinks and other accessories. I can’t do this bank work forever o. My colleagues in the industry will form my customer base eventually.’

2. The Semi-classic Case:

‘I work in an advertising firm as an art director but I do jobs for my private clients, designing wedding IVs, bumper stickers, flyers and banners, in the evenings and on weekends’. I’m building my portfolio fast.’

3. The Classic-but-no-one-ever-admits-it Case:

‘I try to do my work. Sucking up to my boss, stepping on other’s toes, playing office politics and vying for that promotion is a full time job, but I’ve got to fight for  what I want’.

4. The Eclectic Case:

‘I run my own business(es), I sell car trackers, clothes, shoes and other accessories. I  also have some cars coming in, so if you’re interested, I can get you that Civic you want for a good price’.

5. The Classic Extra Case 1:

‘I am a politician, businessman and philanthropist, but shush, I’ve some Swiss accounts the world must not know of.’

6. The Classic Extra Case 2:

‘I work in a government ministry or agency – the passport office to be precise. I meet with all kinds of  people who need their passports to travel or to process one thing or the other. These guys are busy and desperate, I have what they want at my fingertips and they have what I want.  I sort them out on time, they give me my money. Time is money after all and man must chop na!’

The above list cannot be exhausted. The concept of the ‘main hustle-side hustle’ only reiterates the fact that man, like every other being, has a survival instinct and must express it. Our society and respective backgrounds further contribute to shaping that instinct.

We’ve been told emphatically (by numerous motivational speakers and teachers) that you can never get super-rich by being a well paid employee all your life. You’ve got to become an entrepreneur; live your dreams; start from where you are and build up to the top. In our society your dreams must straddle your respectable job – or the other way round –  or else you go hungry.

There are the rare cases of those who started out, turning their backs on what our society terms ‘real jobs’, and succeeded. We will talk about them too. Whatever the scenario is there are lessons to be learned and inspirations to bask in, because frankly, we all want to live our dream, don’t we?