Do people actually want what you are offering? Be honest, because that single question could be the difference between success and failure.
The gig economy has become a firm feature of the UK jobs market. Estimates put the number of gig workers in the UK at around 2.6 million between 2017 and 2018, with Deloitte predicting that by 2020, up to a third of the UK workforce would be operating in this way.
The simplest definition: gig workers are paid for individual pieces of work performed under short-term or freelance arrangements, rather than through permanent employment.
The common assumption is that gig work means driving for Uber or delivering for Deliveroo. The reality is considerably more varied.
Around 44% of gig workers hold a university degree. The largest single category, at 28%, is professional work: accounting, legal advice, consultancy. People of all generations are choosing this model, drawn by flexibility, control over their time, the ability to build an additional income source, or all three.
For many, the gig economy is not a stopgap. It is a deliberate step toward building multiple income streams and, over time, greater financial freedom.
For many, the gig economy is not a stopgap. It is a deliberate step toward building multiple income streams.
Many people have a genuine business idea and make the move into self-employment with real courage. The most common mistake, though, is focusing on what they are passionate about rather than what their customers need.
Passion is not irrelevant. It sustains you through the difficult stretches. But if the market does not share it, or more precisely, if the market does not need what you are offering, passion alone will not build a profitable business.
The businesses that tend to thrive in the gig economy have something in common: they solve real, recurring problems. Food, transport, utilities, professional services. Things people cannot easily go without.
Before committing time, energy or money to a side business, it is worth working through three questions:
If you are marketing something only you are passionate about, you are likely to lose money. Identify what others need and deliver value based on that.
I began my business as a side project while working full-time as a head teacher. Doing both simultaneously was demanding, but it gave me something invaluable: time to test the market without betting everything on the outcome.
That period of overlap, carrying both roles, allowed the business to grow at its own pace. When it had grown enough to stand on its own, leaving the teaching role became a genuine choice rather than a leap of faith.
The result was a better work-life balance, a business built on real demand and the foundation of multiple income streams that have continued to develop since.
Starting small, alongside what you already do, is not a lack of commitment. It is a sensible way to validate an idea before scaling it.
Before you build a website, design a logo or invest in stock, sit with this question honestly: do people really want what I am offering?
Not in theory. Not as a best guess. With genuine evidence, from conversations, from research, from early customers willing to pay.
That question, answered honestly, is the difference between a business that grows and one that quietly drains your time and savings.
Start with what the market needs. Build from there. The passion will carry you through the difficult stretches if the foundation is sound.
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