I'm more successful and I work less because my side hustle made $114,000 a year.

Carter Osborne was torn for two months about leaving his full-time job to focus on his tutoring side hustle.

He worked both jobs simultaneously for five years, but in August 2023, he was promoted to director at his public relations firm, which increased his responsibilities. At the same time, his side hustle of editing high school seniors' college admissions essays grew large enough that he was working 70 hours per week, he says.

Last year, Osborne made more than $114,000 from his side gig, which effectively doubled his salary. However, by November, he was searching for a new full-time job as he realized none of the options he found had the "deep, passionate, resonate feeling that education has."

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One of his tutoring students was admitted to his top choice school, Pitzer College, a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Osborne was ecstatic and spent several minutes pacing around his living room, sending congratulatory texts to the student.

Osborne has decided to make tutoring his full-time job after leaving the PR firm in January. With more availability, he has been able to take on more clients, and currently has 24 on his roster, despite it being a slow season for college admission tutoring. Last year, he had only nine clients.

Osborne states that he has experienced greater success and a deeper appreciation for his craft.

Transitioning a side hustle into a full-time business

In 2017, as a graduate student, Osborne began his side hustle with the goal of earning some extra money. He had a mentor who had helped him with his school application four years prior and referred him some clients.

The business experienced rapid growth, primarily through word of mouth, as Osborne shared in August.

He is currently working three hours per week, researching essay trends, admissions stats, and developing new tutoring services. By the end of the summer, he could increase his work hours to at least 40 per week and potentially more in the fall.

Due to high demand, Osborne had to turn away clients last year, despite working with 52 of them. The number of college applicants has increased, and students are facing more difficulties with their essays post-Covid than before.

Applying to college can be an "extraordinary workload" even for the most well-equipped applicants, says Osborne. He wrote five or six essays when he applied in 2013, but now many students are required to write upwards of 20 essays, he adds.

If demand increases sufficiently, Osborne may consider hiring an additional tutor, either a part-time contractor or someone else, to assist with the workload, he states. Additionally, he could broaden his business's offerings to include services for a variety of students, including those applying to transfer, graduate school, middle school, and high school.

Navigating financial unknowns

Since the majority of his business' revenue is generated in the second half of each year, Osborne is unsure how to accurately forecast a full year's earnings.

He calculated his next six months of household expenses before leaving his full-time job and found enough savings to cover it, including mortgage, business insurance, and average weekly spending.

Osborne is utilizing his offseason free time to exercise more, walk his dog, and visit his parents more frequently. He feels less stressed about taking his side hustle full time because he has the freedom to disconnect.

"Last year, I had the funds for vacation and travel, but lacked the time to take advantage of it," says Osborne. "However, being able to manage the expansion of my business has been liberating for me."

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