Gran who started side hustle as 'bit of fun' now makes £4,500 a year

28 February 2024 , 10:04

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Grandmother of four Helen is already set to make £4,500 this year but she is optimistic she will be able to make even more (Image: Supplied)

One grandmother has turned her creative hobby into a side hustle which makes her £4,500 a year - and she expects to make even more this year.

Helen Ashton, 60, from Leicester turned her lifelong passion for art and painting into a business five years ago. Her business creates bespoke staircase murals and ceramics such as garden pots and kitchen counters The grandmother of four said it all began after she was asked to paint a mural on the staircase in the Lancaster pub where she used to work.

Simply through word of mouth, Helen was asked to do more and her business, called Something Completely Different, (SCD) With Love, began. Helen, told The Mirror: "I began painting staircases five years ago for a bit of fun and to earn a bit of extra money. I used to get maybe one job a year through word-of-mouth and it was more of a hobby. But when I learned how to use social media to promote myself it turned into something more serious."

The amount Helen can make over the year does vary, however, on average she makes around £1,500 per staircase and in her best year she made £4,500. However, it does come with some upfront costs though. Helen says it normally costs her around £300 to £400 to create each piece, which includes costs of the plywood, varnish and paint.

Helen paints a wide range of designs on the stairs she does and includes themes and quotes

Helen says her staircase mural at the The Brown Horse pub in Winster is her favourite piece

Helen also spends a lot of time on her creations and has to juggle it with her full time job at an online outdoor clothing company. Usually, it takes her around three weeks to complete but this can be shorter or longer depending on the job. Over the last few years, Helen has usually picked up around three jobs a year.

'I started my business with £50 at uni - now it's a multi-million pound empire'

However, she is optimistic that she may make more this year due to upping her social media game. She said: "I’ve been able to build my audience on social media to promote my work across Instagram and Facebook, reaching so many more people than just word of mouth alone."

Helen frequently posts sneak peeks and updates across both platforms alongside a range of hashtags. Last month, Helen started a staircase which she described in a Facebook post as "truly inspirational" which she loved working on. She added: "I love doing all the staircases but I painted one for the Brown Horse at Winster which I was really proud of. I came up with my own design of a horse to match the pub's name and they were absolutely delighted with the finished product."

Helen says utilising social media has really helped her grow her side hustle (Supplied)

Helen urged other older side hustlers to work on their digital skills as it has really helped her business. She said: "A little bit of knowledge goes a long way. I’ve been able to take something I love and turn it into a side hustle that makes me a bit of cash to treat the grandkids”.

Research from BT Group found that tech-savvy over-65s are making an average of £650 a year through selling "traditional" skills such as baking, knitting, and sewing, online. However, younger people with these skills have been found to make on average around £1,100 a year. BT's research says that this is due to being digitally resourceful.

Despite nearly half of over-65s striving to improve their digital skills, BT Group’s research shows almost a third (27%) are not confident with tech and over half (57%) feel like technology is passing them by. Victoria Johnson, social impact director at BT Group explained that it was great to see people launch side hustles later in life however older Brits appeared to be on the back foot when building them due to not being as digitally savvy.

To help, BT Group alongside the charity AbilityNet has launched learning programmes which aim to teach and offer guidance to older Brits looking to enhance their digital know-how. This includes a free online webinar on February 28 at 1pm. Victoria that the digital skills taught will help older Brits convert their "years of experience into successful online businesses.” Those wanting to sign up for the webinar can do so for free here.

In the UK, you can earn £1,000 in additional income each tax year alongside your regular job - this is known as your Trading Allowance. If you make more than this, then you will need to register yourself as self-employed and pay tax on these earnings.

Ruby Flanagan