YOU CAN’T BUILD A LIFE—or an Economy—ON SIDE HUSTLES

I’ve been reselling used merchandise since 1979—long before eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or even the internet. I did it practically my entire working life, and it was a great way to make extra money.

But that’s the point: it was extra money.

In my day, we called it moonlighting. You had a regular job that gave you a foundation, and then you did something on the side to get ahead. Today, too many young people are trying to turn the moonlighting job into the foundation itself. I don’t believe a person—or an entire economy—can be built that way.

I understand the attraction. A gig may put more money in your pocket today than an entry-level job. When you’re young, that quick cash looks pretty good. But after you pay for gas, equipment, insurance, taxes, downtime, and your own benefits, you may not be doing as well as you think.

And where does it lead?

With most gig work, there’s no ladder. If you want to make more money, you have to work more hours. As your expenses rise, you have to run faster just to stay in the same place.

It becomes a hamster wheel. You may be working hard and bringing in money, but you’re not necessarily moving forward or building anything that will support you when you can no longer keep running.

I started my regular career at a very low salary. But I was inside an organization where I could learn, meet mentors, take on more responsibility, and work my way up. I eventually became a vice president. If I had looked only at that first paycheck, I might have walked away from the opportunity that changed my entire life.

That’s another thing young people may be missing: other people. A workplace puts you around experienced people who teach you, challenge you, see something in you, and sometimes take you under their wing. In gig work, you’re often alone, trying to figure out everything for yourself while rushing to finish one job and get to the next.

If the money stops the minute you stop working, you may not have built a business. You may have simply created a job for yourself—with no benefits, no paid time off, no retirement plan, and nobody else helping you move forward.

An economy needs real businesses, skilled workers, career paths, mentors, and people building things that last. It can’t survive forever on everyone delivering each other’s meals, driving each other around, and doing one small job after another.

Gig work helped me get ahead because I had a career underneath it.

A side hustle can help build your future. It should not be your entire future.