Some of the most successful brands in the world started off as nothing more than a simple idea. McDonalds' hope was to produce an affordable meal that would be fast to create. Nike was to manufacture a lighter, more comfortable running shoe. Apple? Well, we’ll find out about them a little later on…
The point is, these global brands have now become part of our everyday lives, and yet they started off from fairly humble beginnings.
So no matter what point you’re at in your business timeline, with the right business expertise, you can take your side hustle to the next level too!
Therefore, we encourage you to take inspiration from the following list of 5 world famous businesses that started life as a side hustle…
Ready to go from side hustle to main hustle? Let's go!
Founder: Levi Roots
The Story:
Lots of people presume that Levi Root’s fairytale story began when he appeared on Dragons Den, but in fact, he’d been selling his famous Reggae Reggae Sauce some 15 years prior at Notting Hill Carnival. According to sauces (sorry!) Reggae Reggae sauces goes back to when Levi was kid in the 1970s, and his grandmother taught him how to cook. For many years, Levi made the sauce in his own London kitchen, perfecting the perfect jerk chicken sauces that mixed the spiced flavours of his beloved Jamaica.
Then one day, a certain BBC2 television show changed Levi’s life forever…
Present Day:
After his appearance on Dragon’s Den, Levi struck a deal with business mogul Peter Jones, and in turn, his now-famous sauces began being stocked in Sainsbury’s within 6-weeks. As of 2022, Reggae Reggae sauce has a networth of £32.7 million.
Founder: Ben Francis
The Story:
Now, when we talk about UK side hustles, this one stands top and shoulders above the rest!
Most of us are in awe of Ben Francis and how a teenager from Worcestershire with no business connections or family inheritance is now a 70% stakeholder in a 1.3 billion global brand! Ben was just 19 years old when he used his earnings from Pizza Hut to purchase a sewing machine. Gymshark began after Ben struggled to find gym attire that wasn’t ill-fitting, and boy has he achieved his goal!
Present Day:
As mentioned, Gymshark is now a global superbrand worth 1.3 billion. Not bad for starting out in his parents garage!
Founder: Mike Kittredge
The Story:
This has got to be one of the most heartwarming origin stories out there! Yankee Candle began in 1969 when 16 year old founder, Michael Kittridge, used the wax melted from crayons to create the first ever Yankee Candle as a gift for his mother. Soon after that, neighbours started showing their interest in buying his scented creations, and so Mike started to design handcrafted candles in his parents kitchen. Not long after, his high school friends helped him set up shop, and the Yankee Candle company was born!
Present Day:
Sadly, Micael died in 2019 at the age of 67, but at his time of death, he was rumoured to be worth around $2 billion. Just think, it all started with one candle…
Founder: Sara Blakely
The Story:
The Spanx revolution started off one night in the late 1990s when founder, Sara Blakely was working as a door-to-door seller of fax machines. Whilst getting ready for a party, Sara soon discovered she didn’t have the correct undergarment that would provide her with an undetected/invisible underwear line underneath her white trousers. After that night, and after some research, she came to realise that the type of underagement she wanted simply didn’t exist in the market, and indeed, she realised the market was crying out for undergarments that offered different sized waistbands and much more.
Boom: Spanx was born!
Sara invested her life savings of $5000 on researching and producing the first Spanx hosiery products and began mail ordering from her own apartment at the age of 27.
Present Day:
As of 2022, Spanx is worth is estimated at 1.2 billion dollars.
Founder: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak.
The Story:
Possibly the most famous side hustle of them all, Steve Jobs was working nights at Atari, and Steve Wozniak was working as an engineer at HP. Between working their shifts, they started to build a computer in Steve Jobs’ parents garage in Los Altos, and indeed, in Steve Wozniak’s bedroom.
Present Day:
Aside from revolutionising how the world communicates, the two Steve’s side hustle hasn;t done too badly. As from September 2023, Apple is said to be worth $2962.
If nothing else, it’s an inspiration that the best entrepreneurs in the world started out selling their products in their bedrooms, or spare rooms or garages. When you consider the best sides hustles from home, you might contemplate starting a dog-walking service in your area, or a t-shirt printing business, or a car-washing business. All you need is that initial idea, the motivation to succeed and that first order/sale and who knows, maybe this time next year you'll be on this list!
Download Hikinjo today and start your side hustle adventure…
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