London has been named the side hustle capital of England

Experts at Ailsa analysed online search data to find out the average number of monthly searches for ‘How to Start a Side Hustle’, ‘How to Create a Side Hustle’, and 1719 related terms. 

They then worked out the total number per 10-thousand people in each area. 

The results revealed London as number one, with 49,330 average monthly searches per 10k people. 

Birmingham came second with 9,150, and Manchester third with 7,080. Leeds and Bristol rounded out the top five with 6,230 and 5,840 respectively. 

Meanwhile, Carlisle sat at the bottom of the table with just 370. Cambridge came second to last with 420, and then Ripon with 580. 

 Nationally, Northern Ireland led the way, with the highest number of average monthly searches per 10k with 54. 

Wales came second with 35, Scotland third with 29, and England last with just 22. 

Jamie Burns from Ailsa, who conducted the research, started a side hustle when he was a teenager. He tried his hand at everything from repairs to paper rounds, and while some have gone up in smoke, others have been really successful. He wants people to be careful when taking the leap from side hustle to full time entrepreneur. 

“A side hustle becomes a full business when you can clearly see the vision: you’ve assessed the market, understand the opportunity, and know you can deliver. Leaving a secure monthly wage is a big step, so you need confidence in what you’re building,” said Jamie. 

“When your side hustle is part-time, it’s just the ‘cream on the cake.’ But once you take it full time, it becomes the cake. That’s why proper market analysis is essential, knowing who your ideal customer is, where to find them, and how you’ll reach them. 

“You also need to map out your family’s cash flow so you know when money will start coming in and can reduce the stress of uncertain income. Businesses don’t take off overnight, and if you haven’t planned for the non-revenue period, the pressure can become overwhelming.”