I’m always banging on about side hustles and what a great way they are to make extra money. But I’ve become so used to the term “hustling” that I just kind of assume that everyone else knows what I’m talking about. But, recently, somebody asked me “What is a hustler?”, and it got me thinking. Just because hustling has become a huge part of my life, doesn’t mean that everyone around me automatically gets what I’m talking about. So, I thought I’d take some time to figure out what a hustler actually is!

What is a hustler?

In my eyes, someone who hustles is somebody who does things in their spare time to make some extra money. Different hustlers do different hustles on the side (aptly named “Side Hustles”), but the end goal is the same – to make extra money in their spare time.

When I actually looked up the term though, I found some strange results!

This is the result I found when I searched Google!

I think from now on I need to be a little more careful when I talk about being a hustler!

The Urban Dictionary has similar results:

I thought I’d finally found what I was looking for in the Collins Online Dictionary (let’s ignore definition number 2), but then I spotted the “dishonest or illegal methods” and realised I’m still barking up the wrong tree:

What is a hustler? – My interpretation

In my opinion, and in the opinion of others I mix with in the side hustling world, a hustler is somebody who pushes themselves to make more money on top of their job. A hustler is driven to bring in extra money and always stays one step ahead of the crowd, focusing on high paying hustles rather than faffing about with things like MLM (let’s not go there).

A hustler will be driven by something specific, but each will have their own motives for wanting to make extra money:

Hustling might be their sole source of income
Hustling might be used to pay off debts
Hustling might be used to pay for holidays
Hustling is a way of building up savings or an emergency fund.

For a serious hustler, side hustles are a way of life, they’re not something they dip in and out of. Serious hustlers will spend hours every day on the hustle, and they will be constantly adapting what they do and looking for new hustles to add to their repertoire.

Have you got what it takes to be a hustler?

You might be wondering whether you’re cut out for a life of hustling. It really depends on how driven you are. I know that many people do the odd side hustle in their spare time and this is great!

You don’t need to go all out hustle mad in order to make side hustles a big part of your life. Perhaps you already do side hustles such as Matched Betting, blogging or mystery shopping.

If you’re feeling as though you want to delve a little deeper into side hustles and step it up a notch, then it’d be a great idea to join our 30 day side hustle challenge below. Even if you’re already hustling, you might find out about something you’ve not tried before which could make a huge difference to your hustling income.

Throwing yourself into a side hustle is a great way to make extra money, and something I talk about regularly here. I think everyone should have at least one side hustle.

What is a hustler? Hustler typical characteristics.

In order to be a real hustler, you need to have a few characteristics:

Determination – you’re not going to give up at the first hurdle
Refuse to accept that you can’t change your own life
Work smart rather than work hard – a true hustler won’t flog themselves to death over lots of 2p surveys.
Hustling is high up on your list of priorities
Dedicated hustling time

So, when I talk about being a hustler, rest assured that I’m not talking about dodgy dealings or illicit goings on. I’m talking about those people who have an in-built determination to better their lives by making more money. Hustlers are savvy, intelligent, creative people who are determined to make a difference to their own future. If that was the dictionary definition I’d found, I don’t think I’d mind being referred to as a hustler, would you?