Meet the side hustlers redefining the nine-to-five

Meet the side hustlers redefining the workplace nine-to-five | Soho House

To celebrate the launch of Soho Works’ off-peak membership in the UK, five members tell us how they tapped into this new golden age of entrepreneurialism

Wednesday 9 November 2022   By George Serventi   Photos by Ollie Trenchard

Thinking about starting a side hustle? You won’t be alone: 43% of Gen Zs, and 33% of millennials are reported to have one, proving that – along with the jaded quiet-quitters of late – Henry Ford (and Dolly Parton’s) traditional nine-to-five working day is as outdated a model as Mr Ford’s very own Model T, especially for the current generation of digital natives. 

It’s great news, then, that Soho Works has now extended its hours to provide further support for members who are plotting a venture of their own alongside their day jobs. To mark the launch of our new off-peak membership programme – which offers later opening hours and weekend access – we sat down with enterprising members to hear how they’ve grown their networks, learnt new skills and built the businesses they hope will airlift them out of the conventional world of work. 

Meet the side hustlers redefining the workplace nine-to-five | Soho House

Reuben Selby, fashion designer and founder of creative platform Contact.xyz

Soho Works member 
@contact.creatives

What inspired your side hustle?
‘I founded Contact because I had no initial connection to the creative industries. I'm from West Sussex and my parents aren't from a creative background. I always knew I wanted to be either a fashion designer or an architect, so I did a lot of interning when I first moved to London – which was a struggle, financially. Around that time, I met a lot of other creatives with the same struggles and began to realise how broken the industry was. I just saw a really big problem that needed to be solved around creatives being able to be discovered, and leveraging the way they negotiate with brands and others vetting those jobs.’

How did you manage to juggle your side hustle with your day job?
‘It was really about putting a lot of hours in, outside of my actual nine-to-five, which was tough. But I was also in a role that really allowed me to develop my skills and build a lot of confidence in myself before I set out on my own.’

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting their own business?
‘The advice I would’ve given myself at the start would have been to find people to co-found with. Being a solo founder helped me move really fast in the initial stages, but now, at four years in, I need other people to lean on. And that's hard to find because there’s nobody else in the business that has the same sense of ownership as you.’

Meet the side hustlers redefining the workplace nine-to-five | Soho House

Stacey Wood, founder of fashion brand King & Tuckfield 

Soho House member
@kingandtuckfield

What inspired your side hustle? 
‘I used to work for a pretty big distribution company and was feeling like it was all about money, money, money. I wanted something that was more honest and a little truer than all these big brands. All our pieces are designed to be cherished and handed down through generations.’

How did you juggle your side hustle with your day job in the early days?
‘The thing I found really hard was making sure my bosses didn't think I was putting my own business ahead of my work for them. As soon as I got home from the office, I would start work again. I must’ve only slept two to four hours a night for about two and a half years. Since leaving my full-time job to focus on King & Tuckfield, I’ve had a baby. Now we have to try and get everything we can done in two days, as we can’t get childcare for any longer. The other days we work nights when she’s asleep, but she doesn't sleep so it’s really every couple of hours. It’s basically like going back to the beginning when we were working and sleeping for two to four hours a night.’

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting their own business?
‘No one ever tells you how hard it is. And it is the hardest thing you can ever do, but I also think it’s the best thing that I've ever done. There’s so much pressure because you’re working a full-time job at someone else’s business while building your own, but I do feel like everyone’s just got to take that jump and have that faith within themselves.’

Meet the side hustlers redefining the workplace nine-to-five | Soho House

Niko Dafkos and Paul Firmin, founders of homeware and lifestyle brand Earl of East

Soho House members
@earlofeast

What inspired your side hustle?
Firmin: ‘We always talked non-stop about what our business would be; when we started selling on a market stall, the conversations in our community and neighbourhood became a huge source of inspiration.’

Dafkos: ‘I think travel was also a major influence for us. In the years prior to the business when we were first together, we would come back from trips with little objects and artefacts we liked. And that was really how Earl of East first started: we have all these things and we love them – how do we share them with others?’

How did you manage that juggle between your side hustle and day jobs?
Dafkos: ‘Having a day job and doing a passion project on the side can make you feel like a superhuman. That’s what I always focused on.’

Firmin: ‘Having a side hustle made me better at my day job because I had to fit in a lot of other things if we wanted to grow. It made me a lot more effective at work because I still needed to do a good job and perform. Both of us were always really transparent to the companies we worked for and we were lucky to be in places that really supported that. We try and support that with all of the individuals within our own business now, too.’

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting their own business?
Dafkos: ‘Stick to your guns. Don't compare yourself to others; just believe in what you’re doing.’

Firmin: ‘Say yes to everything, be willing to learn and don’t expect things to be perfect from the word go; I don't think anyone holds you to that other than yourself.’ 

Meet the side hustlers redefining the workplace nine-to-five | Soho House

Felicia Pennant, features editor at MATCHESFASHION and founder of publication, SEASON Zine

Soho Friends member
@season_zine

What inspired your side hustle?
‘I started SEASON Zine in 2015 because I realised we were missing a platform dedicated to the intersection between football and fashion. Back then – as a Black woman in the football space, studying at Central Saint Martins and writing my thesis on football – I’d found there wasn‘t much representation or anywhere telling our stories in a creative and dynamic way.’

How do you juggle your side hustle with your day job?
‘The biggest challenge has been coordinating my team, because if you are out of action during normal work hours, it means you have to get creative with your time management. A lot happens before work, after work or on weekends, which means we have to be discerning about what we decide to cover.’

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting their own business?
‘Know your USP. Test out your theory, test your project and get the feedback. There is space for a lot of things, but you want to make sure you can stand out and communicate your message to the people you really want to.’

Meet the side hustlers redefining the workplace nine-to-five | Soho House

Roya Farrokhian, senior account director at Condé Nast and co-founder of supper club, Wine Dine & Line 

Soho House member
@winedineandline

What inspired your side hustle?
‘I started Wine, Dine & Line with two friends, Phoebe and Alex, during lockdown 3.0. We were very bored at home, missing going out with friends and being creative, so we decided that when lockdown was over, we would host an evening in my home that would encapsulate all the things we love doing – and that we were missing. We’re now at a place where it’s outgrown the space of my small house, so instead we hire a special venue nearby that can welcome up to 20 guests.’

How do you juggle your side hustle with your day job?
‘During the day my focus is 100% on my day job, but then my spare time is my passion project. I love doing it, so for me it really doesn’t feel like extra work.’

What advice would you give to someone looking for new direction?
‘Just go for it. And if it doesn't work out, it doesn’t work out; you haven't lost anything.’

Soho Works’ off-peak membership gives you access to all UK sites 5pm to 10pm weekdays and 11am to 6pm weekends. Click here to find out more.

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