WWNO's Listening Post project asks questions about local news in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and reports back on the community's response. This week the Listening Post asks: what's your side hustle? What do you do to make extra cash?
This week we’re talking about side hustles. You know, Those odd jobs you do to make extra cash. Our topic idea came from one of our listeners, who texted us asking for a segment about wages in the city. So we asked people around New Orleans about the kinds of things they do to make ends meet.
If there’s one person in New Orleans who knows a little something about side hustles, it’s BurnellCotlon.
“Growing up we’d carry people’s bags back to their car, cutting grass, painting houses, it’s in my blood,” he says.
Cotlon just opened the Lower 9th Ward Market, a small grocery store on Caffin avenue. His store is a testament to the power of the side hustle here in New Orleans.
“This took four and a half years in the making, a lot of blood sweat and tears, we did a lot of side odds-and-ends jobs. roof work, plumbing work and every dime I made I put it right back into the store. No outside investors! Everything was done through us,” he says.
Cotlon isn't the only person in town with a strong side hustle game. We sent a text message asking New Orleanians what they do on the side to make extra cash and what they think the best side hustle in New Orleans is. Here are some of the responses we got:
"Tutoring is my side hustle most recently. But working at restaurants or doing valet have been my side hustles in the past." "All of my jobs are side jobs: service industry, cleaning, property management, babysitting, marathon photography. There's probably more." "I'm retired from government work. Have a part time job as a city prosecutor in a small Gulf Coast town and work for friends who own a shop in the Quarter. "Sell fresh veggies." "I work as an intern for free while finishing graduate school. My side hustle consists of bartending and babysitting." "My side hustle is editing audio for Laine k-l. It's rockin. I want to-- I miss radio work, like listening to other people tell stories, and I think the project is important." "I make t shirts for people." "I have a full time office job, but I mystery shop on the side. I go to movie theaters, restaurants, retail stores, etc., and review the services." "Kitchen beautician! Doing haircuts at my home" "Programming" "Bartending at parties." "Architectural design" "Dog walking" "Prostitution, sale of illegal drugs, Tupperware parties." "Listening post jingles...I have to because a mid career artist barely gets by living gig to gig in this ever more expensive economy."
The Listening Post can now receive picture texts. We asked you to send us your best side hustle picture. Here's what we got:
If you want to join the conversation by getting our Listening Post text messages, text the word "Hello" to 504-303-4348. You'll get a text and some questions every other week and you might just hear your contribution on the radio!
Every week we get some audio that we really like but can't quite fit into the segment. Here's one of our favorite clips about side hustles:
For the last word in our segment, we head back to the Lower 9th Ward. Arthur Johnson is the CEO of the Lower9thWard Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development. He says that odd job workers can provide an important service in low income communities.
“People are looking for someone who can maybe put up a ceiling fan but I can’t afford to hire a carpenter. In the lower nine and communities similar to that there’s always been someone willing to do this for a reasonable cost, it meets both purposes.”
Remember, if you want to join the conversation, text the word "Hello” to 504-303-4348. Or stop by our Listening Post recording device at Norman Mayer library in Gentilly. You can record your thoughts on our weekly topics and you might just hear your voice on the radio.
Hit us up! We'll see you at the Listening Post.
