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STARTING A SIDE HUSTLE: The best advice for growing your side gig into a 6-figure business, from entrepreneurs who have done it

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Anything can be turned into a side hustle. Rgstudio/Getty Images

  • You have a business idea, but it's hard to figure out where and how to start. 
  • Some of the most recognizable companies, like Apple, Twitter, and Facebook, started off as side projects and later became multimillion-dollar corporations. 
  • Business Insider regularly interviews experts who have turned their side hustles into 6-figure businesses and full-time jobs. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

You can turn your side hustle into a high-paying job. 

Whether you're starting a side hustle to pay off your student loans or to become your own boss, there are certain steps you can take to turn your business into a 6-figure career. In a Harvard Business School survey of 1,000 US adults, 54% of respondents said they were considering starting a gig.

Now might be a good time to grow a side hustle. If you find yourself with more time on your hands during the coronavirus pandemic, it could be a good time to start learning new skills that can help you start a successful business. 

Business Insider has compiled some of the best advice from entrepreneurs who were able to grow their side businesses successfully. 

Exploring a new business idea

The best side hustles: The 7 best side hustles to start that will earn you 6 figures or more, and how to get them off the ground quickly from experts who have done it

Leaving your full-time gig: I left my job at Amazon to turn my side hustle into a full-fledged agency, and I'm on track to make multiple 6 figures in my first year. Here are 7 key steps I took before clocking out for good.

Using a side hustle to pay off debt: A lawyer who paid off $215,000 in student loans in 4 years shares the exact budgeting strategy she used to track every dollar and become debt-free

Running a successful side business 

Business tools: 6 lesser-known but incredibly helpful tools for running a side business, according to entrepreneurs who make 5 to 6 figures a year on the side

Launching a business: Successful side hustlers reveal 4 key steps for getting a new business off the ground in 3 months or less for entrepreneurs who want to fast track a side gig into a full-time career 

Financial security: A bank account for your side hustle might seem like overkill, but it's a smart move you'll be glad you made

Growing your business: The 5 smartest things I did when I started my own company

Turning your side hustle into a full-time job

Questions to ask: The 5 most important questions entrepreneurs ask themselves before quitting their jobs and turning their side hustles into full-time careers

Quitting your full-time gig: I held on to my side hustle after I got a full-time job, and there are 5 things I wish I had known beforehand

Using third party platforms to kickstart your side hustle

Poshmark

How entrepreneurs use apps like Poshmark to turn side hustles selling clothes into full-time gigs earning 6 figures or more

OnlyFans

A day in the life of an OnlyFans creator who makes up to $100,000 a month off explicit content

How top influencers on OnlyFans are using social media to build massive followings and earn 6 figures on the 'paywall of porn'

Instagram

Instagram creators explain 5 tips for making stunning graphics to grow your following and engagement

College students are building side-hustles selling clothes on Instagram. Here's how one student earns an extra $1,000 a month and markets to her 36.6K followers.

How to write Instagram captions to generate sales, according to a marketer who built a 7-figure business less than 2 years after quitting her corporate job

eBay

The 4 key features every eBay listing needs to stand out from the competition and drive sales

Mercari

How to make thousands on the resale app Mercari, according to sellers and stylists who've successfully traded in their unwanted stuff for cash

Etsy

How to set up an Etsy store that instantly draws in customers and makes you big money, from people who did it

Depop

How to build a lucrative business on the popular clothing resale app Depop, according to young sellers making thousands a month

Amazon

The 6 key steps to launching a successful Amazon store, from people who did it from the comfort of their own homes

Newsletters

Newsletters are all the rage. We broke down the 5 best platforms to use whether you want to market your business, make sales, or engage with customers

4 secrets to a newsletter people will pay to read, from the cofounder of popular content platform Substack

Newsletters are booming. Investing in writers could be the future of the media business — and a low-cost win for companies like Substack.

Substack creators are making 6 figures off newsletters. Here's how they built their audiences from scratch.

Hustling from home during the pandemic

Online side gigs: 6 side hustles you can start online to make extra money from home, according to 2 freelancers who've made up to $15,000 a month

Recession proof side hustles: 16 recession-proof side hustles exploding in popularity since the start of the pandemic that you can do from home

Innovating from home: How 14 of America's best innovators are launching and growing businesses during the pandemic

Entrepreneurs who did it themselves

Freelance writer: 6 freelance writers reveal their secrets for turning a side hustle into a 6-figure career

Sneaker reseller: A sneaker reseller made over $20,000 by holding and selling 22 pairs of the same Air Jordan sneakers. He reveals the resale strategy that earned him 6 figures last year.

Insect breeder: Roaches, crickets, and superworms: How a 34-year-old capitalized on an SEO keyword to build a creepy-crawly $270,00-a-year side hustle

Copywriter: How to start a 6-figure side hustle as a copywriter, from a successful freelancer who made nearly $640,000 in a year

Relationship coach: Here's how a couple used their own relationship struggles to build a $2 million love-coaching side hustle that saved 10,000 marriages

Personal-finance coach: Here's how a lawyer launched a personal finance coaching side business that brings in $20,000 a year on top of her 6-figure salary

Fashion designer: How a 26-year-old entrepreneur turned his side hustle drawing anime into a successful e-commerce company that earns him $500,000 a year

Graphic designer: I made $100K within 10 months of quitting my job, and these are my 3 big takeaways for lasting success

Social-media influencer: A millennial who left her 6-figure job at Google to be a full-time social media influencer explains why she was willing to take the risk

Chef: 2 friends started a ramen-making Airbnb Experience in an apartment — now they bring in almost 6 figures a month. Here's how they scaled their side hustle into a full-time business.

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