Blogger makes £200k a year from his side hustle and shows how he did it | Personal Finance | Finance

As side hustles become an increasingly popular way of making extra cash, entrepreneurs have shared how they turned their projects into six-figure earnings. 

Writer and YouTuber Tom Blake made a huge £214,000 last year thanks to his online business which he began as a second income source, reports The Daily Express US.

Tom founded This Online World, a blog that helps people manage their money, while at university but when it started it didn’t make him any money at all.

He explained: “I started my blog in January 2018 while I was still in college. At the time, I had read a lot of blogging income reports from more established bloggers making six figures per year from blogging.

“I had also read some income reports from smaller bloggers who were covering most of their bills with their blogs. So, I knew making money with a blog was possible, and my original goal was to start a website that could cover things like my groceries and some tuition.

READ MORE: Woman turns side hustle into full-time job making over £5,000 a month

“I never even thought of it as a business for the first two years, but more of a hobby where I could document the process of making money online and other side hustles.”

During his first two years of blogging, the entrepreneur wrote largely about general finance topics, as well as whatever interested him at the time.

However, he said what he was writing about was “clunky and not very user-friendly” so made the decision to focus on writing about side hustles and how to earn passive income.

Giving his site a full makeover, Mr Blake hired a designer and made the blog more user friendly.

His journey to making six figures didn’t come without difficulties however. The businessman said: “The main challenge I faced in scaling my blog was finding time to dedicate to the business. 

“My first two years of blogging took place during college, so I had classes and a part-time job to manage as well.

“Once I graduated college, I began working at a digital marketing agency and freelance writing on the side, so blogging time was also precious.”

Using his spare time at university, Mr Blake started several different side hustles and became an expert in the field.

His side projects were varied too, having started a Shopify dropshipping store that sold hunting gear and camo clothing and an Amazon website about headphones a few months before he began his blog.

Mr Blake said: “My advice to other people looking to manage their careers and side hustles at the same time is to create a routine that focuses on consistent, small wins.

“I think it can be overwhelming to run a business while holding down a full-time job. 

“But in my experience, consistently scheduling time to work on your business can yield results, even if it’s just a small amount of time.”