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'Hustling Since Middle School': She Started a Side Hustle on Facebook Marketplace — Then a 'Game-Changer' Grew It to $25,000 a Month Leena Pettigrew's "entrepreneurial spirit" inspired her to build a business with earnings that outpaced her full-time income.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

Key Takeaways

  • Pettigrew turned her passion into a side hustle in 2022 — and the business has been growing ever since.
  • See how Pettigrew took revenue from $4,000 a month in the early days to up to $25,000 monthly today.

It's the era of the side hustle, and if you've ever considered starting one to earn some extra cash outside of your 9-5, you're in good company. These days, more than one-third of U.S. adults have side hustles, and their supplemental gigs make an average of $891 a month, according to recent research from Bankrate. Of course, the most successful side hustlers see much higher earnings, especially when they start a business that brings in nearly as much as — or significantly more than — their full-time sources of income.

Leena Pettigrew, a 44-year-old former database analyst from Houston, Texas, is one of them. Learn how Pettigrew transformed her side hustle into a lucrative full-time business, here.

Related: 'Gig Labor Is Here to Stay' — But Side Hustles Might Look Different in 2025. Here's What to Expect, According to an Expert.

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