Karen Newton, Business and Wealth Strategy - Deciphering The Economy

Side hustles used to be a bonus. A way to earn a little extra, pay off a bill, or save for something special. Not anymore. According to the Daily Mail, one in four people now has a side hustle , yet the average income works out to just £6.60 per hour  barely half of the national average wage of £12.21. And that statistic tells us everything we need to know about the state of the economy. People aren’t juggling two or three jobs because they want to.  They’re doing it because the cost of living has climbed faster than wages, inflation has eaten into savings, and financial stability feels further away than ever. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: The problem isn’t the side hustle. It’s the way the side hustle is built. Most people choose side hustles that: rely on trading time for money offer very little scalability depend entirely on personal output create more stress, not freedom Selling second-hand clothing, freelancing, content creation, bas...

 The optimism that surrounded last year’s general election is fading fast. Many of the business leaders who publicly backed Labour’s call for “change” are now grappling with the harsher reality of their decisions - rising costs, shrinking margins, and a fragile consumer base. According to the ONS (Office of National Statistics) , business insolvencies continue to climb, while new business formation has slowed sharply. Supermarkets are reporting profit margins as low as 3–4%, and even large service companies are cutting back investment to protect cash flow. The hope was that political stability would unlock growth. Instead, a disasterous fiscal policy, high borrowing costs, and wage inflation have combined to create a squeeze at every level of the economy.  For business owners, this translates to higher operating expenses.  For employees, it means fewer hours, frozen pay, and increasing job insecurity. With another budget on the horizon, few expect relief. The reality i...