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I’ve had several side hustles over the years. You might think that is because none of them generated much money by themselves and therefore I needed more than one to make any real cash. The truth is, most of my side hustles have developed out of my personal interests and passions. Making money was just an extra bonus!
This led me to realize that following my passions and putting my efforts into a value-based side hustle could help me grow my retirement nest egg. I already have a job that I enjoy, but being able to make some extra money on the side while doing something fun is a great way to boost retirement savings!
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Value-Based Side Hustles Boost Retirement Savings
Now that I’m older and trying to catch-up retirement savings, I’ve taken the hobbies I’m passionate about and used them to generate creative opportunities to make and save more money.
I’ve written before about how the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement changed my strategy for catching up my retirement savings. One of the big lessons repeated on many FIRE blogs is that you don’t have to cut your lifestyle completely to become financially independent.
The idea is to spend based on your values. In other words cut ruthlessly anything you’ve been spending money on that you really don’t care about. Spend only on the things that are meaningful to you, and make your life better.
Even more than money, time is our most precious resource. I knew that if I was going to spend my time on an extra job or side business to help catch up retirement savings, it needed to be something that I valued. A value-based side hustle would have to be related to something that was important to me, and be something that I enjoyed doing.
A Few of My Value-Based Side Hustles
In the past, I’ve created a line of decorative ceramics that I sold at craft fairs, sold fine art prints, created an herbal newsletter, taught herb classes, and became a rep for an organic skincare company. All these endeavors were started as fun hobbies. I’ve also written a guest post over at Vital Dollar about my part-time side hustle as a speech therapy assistant.
However in this post, I’m going to highlight my longest running value-based side hustle.
Miessence – My Longest Running, Value-Based Side Hustle
Making money was not the first thing on my mind when I stumbled upon what turned out to be a multi-level marketing company, or MLM. Yes, I know. The dreaded MLM! People either love or hate MLMs, calling them pyramid schemes.
In case you were wondering, here’s the difference between an MLM and a pyramid scheme. No one should get involved in a company that pressures them to buy more products than they can use.
When I discovered the Miessence organic skincare line, I was just looking for a safe sunscreen to apply to my toddler’s skin. At the time, I wanted to protect her skin from sunburn without slathering her little body with artificial ingredients, petrochemicals and preservatives.
Miessence Matched My Values
Living a natural and organic lifestyle has always played a big role in our family. When I came across Organic & Natural Enterprise Group (ONE Group), the creators of Miessence organic products, I was blown away by the quality!
Due to my training as an aromatherapist and herbalist, I recognized the beneficial ingredients in the Miessence line. I purchased some products and could not get over how wonderful they were!
I especially loved the fact that the products are so pure they are certified to organic food grade standards – they are safe enough to eat!
Don’t do that, though, haha.
Finding certified organic skincare, bodycare, cosmetic and nutritional products within one company was convenient. I could get everything our family needed in one place!
My Favorite Miessence Products . . .
The products I love the best, and that my family has incorporated into our daily lives over the years include Sunflower Body Wash, Barrier Balm, Intensive Body Lotion, Protect B5 Hair Repair, soaps, deodorants, toothpastes, breath spray, and the superfoods.
There are so many great things to say about these products! The natural baking-soda based toothpastes are available in three flavors (mint, lemon, and anise). They are free of artificial colors and flavors, fluoride, aluminum and detergents.
The deodorants come in three scents: Ancient Spice (spicy/woodsy), Tahitian Breeze (floral), and unscented. The unscented variety features one made with making soda, and one without baking soda (the nutrient magnesium is used instead). These natural deodorants are also free of aluminum compounds.
I sell more deodorant than any other Miessence product!
Miessence Natural Deodorant
Barrier Balm
Affiliate link for Miessence Barrier Balm.
In-Liven Probiotic
Miessence superfoods feature five amazing products that are all raw, vegan and certified organic. My favorite is the certified organic probiotic supplement In-Liven, which comes as a loose powder for mixing into water, juice, smoothies or yogurt. I use the In-Liven probiotic supplement as a regular part of my diet.
In-Liven contains the complete Lactobacillus family – the friendly probiotic bacteria that live in our gut and keep us healthy.
Berry Radical Antioxidant
For a boost of nutrition and antioxidants, I also use Berry Radical, which is another powerful superfood supplement that comes in a powder form. It’s easy to add to smoothies, chia seed pudding, desserts, cookies and more. It makes a delicious hot chocolate or cold chocolate milk drink!
Miessence also has a complete line of organic skincare and bodycare products. The facial care blends made from plant-based ingredients have powerful rejuvenating effects on the skin. The products feel wonderful on my skin and smell fantastic!
Not Everyone Likes MLMs – Here’s Why I Stayed
One of the benefits of being involved in direct sales is that you get to set your own hours. I loved being able to be present for my daughter when she got home from school. There was something about the immediate reconnection right after school that just wouldn’t have been the same if we would have had to wait for me to get home from a job.
I think this is the attraction that draws a lot of moms into MLM or direct sales companies such as Avon and Tupperware.
Although our daughter is grown up now, I still appreciate the flexibility Miessence offers. In addition, I’ve benefited from the personal development, the friendships I’ve made, and a pretty cool discount on the products I use!
A Value-Based Side Hustle Allows for Creativity
There are as many ways to run a direct sales business as there are people who get involved in them. Most MLMs get a bad rap, but it doesn’t have to be a negative experience. Instead of focusing on recruiting other sales reps under me, I just use the products I love and share them naturally.
This is really the key to sustaining any involvement in an MLM, or direct sales company. Most people who join MLMs drop out of them. Either they didn’t like recruiting or didn’t like selling. The majority of people probably fall into this category.
I don’t actively recruit people because “recruitment” wasn’t a hobby I was interested in!
Instead, I use and share the awesome organic herbal products I love with people who express an interest because my hobby revolves around herbs & aromatherapy. I’ve maintained a healthy customer base over the years without turning anyone off.
Update
Interestingly, Miessence switched over from a classic MLM direct sales model to a hybrid affiliate sales model this year (2020 pivot). This works even better for me, because I don’t focus on recruiting. Instead, I share the products on my blog or social media and earn a commission whenever sales are made.
Just like any other affiliate product on my blog!
Spa Parties
When I started out with Miessence, I did a lot of home spa parties. I had the honor of being asked to speak at a company conference regarding my success with that strategy. ONE Group surprised me with an award for holding the most spa parties and for having the spa party with the highest sales that year!
Now I share the products online and in my day-to-day life, but only when it comes up. Mostly, I’d have to say I’m still with Miessence after 13 years because I love using the products. Making extra money to help catch-up my retirement savings has been a very nice bonus, too!
So, there you have it – I found something to get involved in that matched my values and it ended up helping me make some extra money to boost my retirement savings!
Try a Value-Based Side Hustle!
Are you late to the retirement savings game, too? Try a value-based side hustle and earn some extra cash to grow your nest egg! I’m not advocating that you join an MLM or other direct sales company. There are many ways to develop a value-based side hustle.
A value-based side hustle is going to look different for everyone, but the same concept applies. Do something you feel passionate about and see where it takes you.
What Are Your Hobbies?
Any hobby can be turned into a value-based side hustle to help you grow your savings. Here are a couple more ideas:
Beekeeping
The bees need all the help they can get! In return, they will gift you with delicious, sweet honey. Keeping bees and selling the honey can be a profitable value-based side hustle if gardening and nature are your passions!
Fishing
My brother loves fishing – he edits an outdoor newsletter and writes entertaining fishing articles, which he gets paid for. One of his friends has a boat and makes extra money as a fishing guide.
Need more ideas for turning a hobby you love into a money-making income stream to boost your retirement savings? Check out this popular post, which covers mushroom hunting for cash, growing specialty crops or flowers in your garden to sell, and other creative ideas:
10 Fun Hobbies to Make Money for Retirement
This was so interesting and inspiring Kathy! I love this concept of a value-based side hustle. You’ve opened my eyes to MLMs (which I always thought of, first and foremost, as pyramid-like recruitment schemes). Thanks for sharing your story!
Thanks so much, Chrissy!
Glad to get your feedback. I think direct sales & MLMs have a lot of potential upside, but I know not every opportunity is a good one. I hope you had a chance to check out my other post that explains the difference between direct sales, MLMs and pyramid schemes.
https://www.babyboomersupersaver.com/make-extra-cash-with-direct-sales-and-boost-retirement-savings/
Thanks for stopping by! I really appreciate your comments and support!
That was a great overview of the differences between direct sales, network marketing and pyramid schemes—thanks for sharing!
I do enjoy your content and think it fills a void in the FI blogosphere. There are very few Baby Boomers writing about FI. I’m happy to support you so you can grow your audience and be encouraged to keep blogging!
Aw, thanks Chrissy!
Thank you for sharing this. I am looking for other ways to expand my business.
Hi Tammy,
I’m so glad you found it helpful! Adding products from a direct sales company can easily be done around the other things you do, especially when they complement each other.
Thanks for visiting & commenting!
Great ideas!
Thank you, Chocoviv!
Glad you stopped by, thanks for reading & commenting!
This is so helpful! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 xx
Thank you, Sophie! So glad you enjoyed it and got something out of it ~ thanks for stopping by!
So interesting! I like the idea of a value based side hustle. It’s great that you found an mlm that you believe in!
Thanks, Robyn! I definitely found some products I love using! Hard to believe I’ve been using them for 13 years, lol.
Yes, I think if you’re going to spend your precious time on something, make sure you enjoy it! It’s so much better to get involved in things that you value, or that add value to your life.
Great insights into using a hobby as a way to earn extra income! I’m all for finding things that interest me and turning them into a side business. I think more people out there should be doing exactly what you’re doing!
Thank you, Michael! We often don’t think about how our hobbies can help us make extra money, but it can be a great way to find the money needed to invest for retirement. It’s never too late to catch-up retirement savings, and there are always creative ways to make a little extra money to do it!
Hi Kathy
I really like the ‘values-based’ slant on side hustle, rather than passions based which I think is a real distraction for most folk looking for the next career change or next side hustle.
Life is too short to be worried by ‘purpose’ or ‘passion’ when values are something that most of us have a handle on by the time we are in our fifties.
Such a great post for folk in our generation
Thankyou
Shaun
So happy to hear you say that, Shaun! It’s true that the advice to “follow your passion” can really stop people in their tracks. How do we know what we might be passionate about? We’ve got to try a few things first to even find out! It’s always better to try something that aligns with your values.
For someone in their 50’s who is trying to figure out how to catch-up retirement savings, doing a series of mini-experiments in line with values can be the perfect way to test which project might end up taking off.
I’m really bad at sales XD I did for a while set up a home preserves business, but the legalities and food hygiene certification was so difficult to manage out of a home environment that I decided it wasn’t worth it – especially as the market was oversaturated locally, and I wasn’t confident enough with selling at markets.
It did inspire me to recipe develop though, because there are no legalities or temperature checks on the fridge twice a day etc when you’re just making up recipes. One day I hope to be organised enough to sort out some recipe books to publish as well as having them up on my blog.
Absolutely perfect! I love it that you tried making & selling home preserves – it taught you that it wasn’t the right project, but helped you to discover a related project to pursue. Sounds like it still lines up with your values & interests. Thanks for stopping by, ThatAutisticFitChick!
Love the idea of a values-based side hustle, both because it promotes aligning with values, which is a great point to hammer home, and also because there is a nice efficiency in having multiple payoffs for one activity. The side hustle helps financially, helps emotionally/ spiritually (however you define that payoff to your values), helps creatively (if it’s a passion pursuit), and it could help on the relationships/ family front if it’s an activity you can all do together. That’s a win-win-win-win.
Beautifully said, Caroline! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
This is so helpful to read and seems so beneficial to you! I’d love to do something like this myself x
Thank you, Sophie! I’m so glad you found it to be helpful. Please come back & share your project with us!
Hi, Kathy!
I’m all about side hustles now, so your article totally got my attention.
The fact that you have more than one side hustle is not a sign that the other ones failed, like you said, and that’s important to remember. Sometimes I feel I need to stick to only one thing because if I do something else, I’ll be quitting.
Thanks for this blog post 🙂
EmJay, it’s totally OK to quit something that’s not working for you, or that doesn’t align with your values.
Trying many different side hustles can help us to find the ones that really do match our values & that work well to help us reach our financial goals.
Starting out with side hustles that match our values makes it easier or more fun to be involved in them, and ultimately more successful for catching-up retirement savings!
This was a very useful read. I’d love to try Beekeeping somewhere in the future. Work never feels like work when your heart is into it. Cool post!
Wouldn’t it be fun to try beekeeping, Je? I’d love to do that myself! Thanks for stopping by & sharing your thoughts!
These are great ideas and helpful tips! My friends’ mom turned her cookie-making skills into a side business and she is doing really well! It’s amazing how things we think of as “just hobbies” can actually end up helping us pay the bills or save for retirement!
Casey, that’s fantastic that your friend’s mom turned her creative baking talents into a money-maker! Yes, it’s a great way to help catch-up retirement savings!
Very interesting. I’ve never heard of this company before but I’ll have to check them out. Also, great ideas! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Glad you stopped by, Nyxie! Many different hobbies and passions can be turned into money-making side hustles to help increase savings.
Just stopped by and checked the blog, It is very informative with great ideas and tips which are helpful for me.
Thanks for sharing this excellent ❤️ knowledge.
Thanks, Jahngi! So glad you found the information helpful!
This is a very helpful article as it shows good money-saving/making values that will stay with you for life! Will definitely be taking notes and using this handy information in the future!
Thank you, Dannielle! I bet you could come up with a money-making idea that aligns with your love of concerts & live music events.
What an insightful post! I love the concept of a value-based side hustle. I hope to turn my passions into some sort of a side hustle too!
Aw, thank you, Mai! Starting with your passion project is a great idea for developing a side hustle!
Love your overall theory – that’s what i plan to do as well as I get a bit older! Life is too short not to enjoy it!! Love what you are doing!THanks for sharing!
The neat thing about a side hustle is that you can do as little or as much as you want, depending on what it is. I know people who love animals & they walk dogs when it’s convenient for them, using apps like Wag. Thanks so much for reading & commenting, Lisa Marie!
Yes! I love having an extra side hustle or two to help boost my savings. Great post!
Thanks, Charity! Glad you enjoyed it! Pleased to hear you’re growing your savings, keep at it!
I love that you take your interest and turn it into a business.
I believe everyone has a skill or talent they can use to benefit others and produce an income for themselves.
Multiple forms of income will set anyone well on their way to financial freedom. Much sooner than any single salary can.
Wish you more success in all your endeavors
Thank you, Kemi! Yes, I agree, we all have unique talents and skills that can be used to help others while creating an extra income stream to help us increase our savings. Having multiple income streams helps us reach our savings goals quicker, or makes it possible to catch up retirement savings after a late start. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so much for sharing this it was super informative! I work full time just now and have been thinking about setting up a small side business. I have never heard of this company but I will need to check them out!
Would love to have you check out Miessence, Sarah. But I could totally see a baking business in your future! The desserts you post on your blog are amazing!
I can’t say I’ve had any side jobs and can see the importance financially to some who need the extra income.
Not everyone needs a side job, Jodie. It can be a great way to diversify your income, have some extra fun money, or work on catching-up retirement savings, like me. Thanks for stopping by!
Your brothers fishing gig sounds pretty amazing! My dad and brothers would be all over that!
I’d eventually like to sell classes, digital products, and coaching off of my blog as a side hustle. Working on it!
Thanks, Clarissa! I love your idea of creating different ways to make money as a complement to your blog. The coaching, classes, and digital products would be a nice addition to what you do!
This is a really interesting idea, and I like the idea of something being value-based (always a good place to begin from)!
Thank you, Molly! You can go pretty far when you stick to your values, right?
Great post! This was super helpful, I hadn’t heard of MLMs before but maybe that’s something I’ll be looking into more now! Thanks for sharing your experience x
Glad you enjoyed the post, Ceri! Thanks for stopping by from ReadAndReviewIt! In my experience, the most successful side hustles are the ones that are meaningful to you.