"Her path toward building a profitable side hustle began a couple of years ago when she was laid off from her job. She tried self-employment, but it didn't suit her, so she eventually found another corporate job. During her time away from the corporate world she fell behind on her retirement savings goals. So, when her Instagram page gained an additional 100,000 followers in the last four months, she knew she "had to take advantage of the opportunity ... to work with brands.""
"more Americans may decide to pick up a side hustle to make some extra cash. While 35% of respondents in the Bankrate survey said they use the extra income to pay for living expenses - and 29% believe they'll always need a side hustle to make ends meet - 41% said they use the extra cash for discretionary purchases. Meanwhile, only 28% said they allocate some of their side hustle earnings to savings."
Taylor Hayes runs the imperfecttaylor blog and social channels while keeping a full-time corporate job, growing Instagram to 141,000 followers and TikTok to 49,400. After a layoff and a brief self-employment attempt she returned to corporate work and used follower growth to pursue brand deals. She dedicates portions of side-hustle income to manager fees (10–15%), taxes (30%), retirement savings (20%), and high-yield savings (35–40%) for goals like a wedding and home. Bankrate data show 27% of Americans had side jobs in June 2025, with many using extra income for living expenses or discretionary purchases rather than savings.
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