We asked our readers what their side hustles are. Whether it's a second company, a volunteer project, or delivering for Uber, why did you pick it and how do you balance the time?
Staying engaged
My side hustles have always been in civic engagement. I love to volunteer and spend time around economic development, which is a passion of mine. In particular, I've taken on the role of board chair with Memphis Tourism, which works to drive millions of visitors annually, creating billions of dollars in economic impact and supporting tens of thousands of jobs in our local leisure and hospitality sector. Thanks to COVID, I had the rare opportunity to serve an unprecedented three terms as chair.
The similarities and challenges between hospitality and benefits came to light for me during the pandemic. Both rely heavily on events to drive engagement, so both had the rug pulled out from under them. Watching the hospitality industry pivot to reach people in unique ways was a huge motivator for me, as our team was simultaneously building and launching The Granite List. I prioritize volunteering for the board because I know that I will be able to apply those lessons back into my "day job."
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Sally Pace, CEO, Connect Healthcare Collaboration
Pancakes and pushups
When I started in the business, my side hustle was out of necessity. I was living in NYC on $24K a year. After health insurance and expenses, I was bringing home around $150 a month and still had to come up with tax money as a 1099. I became certified as a personal trainer, working with 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. clients. I ran back and forth between the office and gym, changing out of my corporate clothes to train someone for a noon session. After starting my firm, I trained clients for a few more years. I still have friends and past clients who I stay in touch with.
My side hustles now look much different. In 2015, I began expert witnessing on medical malpractice, trip and fall, and workers' comp cases. This provides intimate working knowledge of health care, insurance, and laws in the 39 states where I work. It also lights up the strategic side of my brain.
When I lost my father, my husband and I bought a fully outfitted restaurant in my hometown as a way to give back to the community. It provides a steady revenue stream unrelated to insurance, ties into my hospitality degree, and allows me to have some fun. After my father passed, I also stepped into his shoes with our family farms. The farmland has been in my family for over 100 years and it's a way to stay tethered to my roots.
My most recent endeavor has been my book, "Pancakes for Roger: A Mentorship Guide to Slaying Dragons." This is a passion project and a tribute to my late father, Major General Roger E. Combs. It also allows me to allocate a portion of the proceeds to the University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic, which provides free legal services for veterans and their families navigating the VA claims and appeals process and more. We work in an incredible industry, and I feel that my success in this field will allow me to leave a legacy behind that I know my father would be proud of.
Susan L. Combs, president, Combs & Co.
Tech and tourism
My first one is my tech company, Bleu Leaf Technologies, which is more of a main than a side. It's the evolution of my benefits practice into a tech platform and is also a passion of mine in the DEI space. The other is real estate investing and development in tourist hot spots. I help others make money by investing in the portfolio of properties that we acquire to create passive revenue streams for investors. I enjoy helping people live easier and less financially stressed lives.
Felipe Barganier, CEO and president, GAB International LLC
Balancing act
I have had a side gig of teaching snowboarding for many years. It's a great way to meet business owners and spend time outdoors. I've been snowboarding since 1981, led the VIP Snowboard program for Vail Resorts, and have also been a private racing coach for aspiring Olympians. With the best skiing in the world outside my back door, I find a balance between work and play. And it has increased my business network substantially, as I usually teach the high rollers.
Brad O'Neill, president/managing partner, The ICHRA Shop
Working at scale
I have two side hustles:
1) Professional musician – I play solo and sit in with bands at venues across the Southeast
2) Social selling/GTM consulting – I teach benefits vendors to build personal brands on LinkedIn to increase visibility and sales. I work with early stage benefits startups to define a go-to market strategy.
Sims Tillirson, regional director, consultant relations, Alight Solutions
Wheeling and dealing
I run a car on Turo, and my wife and I are opening an Etsy shop! With Turo, people rent our car for road trips, while they are in town visiting, as a rental car while their car is in the shop, and all kinds of other things! We've had people rent our car for anywhere from one day to six weeks at a time.
Our Etsy shop will showcase my wife's art and designs on T-shirts, hats, hoodies, etc. While some products simply promote a cool design, others are faith-based and designed to spark conversation. Our plan is to donate a portion of our proceeds to organizations that fight human trafficking and work in the child fostering community.
Balancing everything isn't too bad. The car is easy to set up before it goes out to the next guest. The shop will be largely automated, so there won't be a lot of labor on our part once the designs and products are ready to sell.
Luke Davis, sales marketing manager, Texas Benefit Alliance, Inc.
Filling a gap
My side hustle was born out of what I believed was a gap in the current unbundled health plan landscape. To make things better, we often start by taking things apart and then putting them back together in a way that works more efficiently. But doing so can create friction.
BenEngage was founded to ease the friction and reduce the lift required from all involved by promoting a better member/employer experience and facilitating communication between the different plan components and the member. What started as a side-hustle is now a full-grown effort that involves many people I respect and admire.
Joel Daniels, chief advocate, Revolution Benefits Group
Sponging up opportunities
I have a number of side hustles:
1) "Tuesday Morning with Justin" podcast: Originally created as a platform to stay in front of business leaders. I've since learned that I love getting to "be a sponge" and pick up good habits from amazing people.
2) Masters in Healthcare Innovation: I love learning. I don't yet know what will come from my degree, but I'm confident a new door will open.
3) "Neighbor" storage: I got an ad on Instagram about a way to make money with extra space. Then it hit me: Why only let the big storage companies benefit from helping people with storage? Right now, I'm making $200 a month to store someone's car and tubs in my garage while they are working remotely in South America.
4) Clean water – In November, I coordinated people on six continents through the Tanzania Water Fund to do 100,000 pull-ups to raise awareness and then raised $100,000 so that we can provide about 20,000 people with access to clean water for the first time!
Justin Futrell, benefits advisor, TrueNorth Companies
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Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson is the editor-in-chief of BenefitsPRO Magazine and BenefitsPRO.com. He has covered the insurance industry for more than a decade, including stints at Retirement Advisor Magazine and ProducersWeb.
