The Hidden Cost of Side Hustles Nobody Talks About

Everyone says you need a side hustle — in Abuja, it’s practically law; one income isn’t enough, you need “streams,” you need a skill, you need something to post online to prove you’re not lazy — so you start one, with hope in your chest and pressure on your back, only to find out that some hustles don’t pay in money, they cost in silence, burnout, and bruised self-worth.

Not every side hustle is a success story — some are slow drains dressed like progress.

Ivie O.

🪫 The Silent Burnout Nobody Claps For

You probably started with excitement: packaging zobo, baking chinchin, reselling thrift, managing someone’s social media — or maybe even tutoring on weekends. The first few clients cheered you on. Your friends reposted. One customer even tipped you.

Then slowly... the calls slowed. The returns dropped. Someone didn’t pay. Someone ghosted. Someone asked for “urgent ₦2k” but never paid for their wig. And now, you’re up at 1:14 AM boiling water for deliveries you haven’t even been paid for.

Nobody talks about how tired you feel.
How guilty you feel resting.
How resentful you get when people say “you’re doing well” but you know you’re barely breaking even.

This is the burnout stage. But you smile through it — because "quitting" is failure, right?

💸 The Invisible Expenses That Steal Your Profits

Let’s say you’re a home cook selling stews. Your price is ₦3,000 per bowl.

But pause.

• Fuel: ₦1,300

• Ingredients (real pepper is not beans): ₦1,700

• Disposable bowls: ₦300

• Transport for delivery (split or full): ₦1,000

• Airtime to call and follow up: ₦200

• Your time: ?

By the time you’re done, you’ve maybe made ₦500 — and that’s if the client doesn’t cancel last minute.

Now do that three times in a weekend and tell me how long before your motivation dies.

Most side hustles aren’t bleeding because of lack of skill — they’re bleeding because of poor pricing, hidden costs, and the pressure to look “affordable.”

🧠 Hustle Is Not Therapy — It Won’t Fill the Void

A lot of us turn to side hustles not just for money, but to feel useful, to prove something, to feel seen. But when the hustle doesn’t perform, we feel like we’re the ones failing.

You start doubting yourself.

You wonder why others are “blowing” and you’re not.
You check your competitors and start copying.
You lose yourself in strategy videos and still end up confused.

It becomes a cycle of doing more, feeling less, and getting stuck in a place where your worth is tied to your hustle.

That’s when you need to pause. Not quit. Not abandon. Just pause — and ask yourself:

“Is this hustle serving me — or swallowing me?”

🧭 What Might Help

• Track every expense — even if it’s ₦100 change

• Set boundaries with time and clients

• Rest without guilt

• Raise your prices if you’re delivering value

• Let go of the hustle if it no longer aligns

The real win isn’t constant motion — it’s meaningful movement. Even a planted seed is still.

💬 Ever Hit a Breaking Point With Your Hustle?

We want to hear how you pulled back or pushed through.
Tag @abujamailonline or email editor@abujamail.com with #MoneyAndHustle