Side-hustle hero: could you turn your passion into passive income?

Convinced you need a big social media following, a business background or thousands of pounds to start a side hustle? Steph Ward is here to challenge that idea.

The 33-year-old entrepreneur from Lincolnshire runs the Evergreen Academy, a business that helps people turn their hobbies, interests and everyday know-how into passive income. Her message is simple: you already have something of value. You just need to package it in the right way to start making money.

Knowledge is power (and cash)

At the heart of Steph’s work is the idea of a ‘knowledge gap’ – the space between what you know and what someone else wants to learn.

“Everybody’s got knowledge, and when you realise you can leverage the gap between what you know and what somebody else wants to know, that's when you can create something that will sell.”

Steph helps people turn their passions into online content that others want to buy. And she insists you don’t need a professional qualification or a corporate career to succeed.

“You could just teach somebody how to bake cakes. If they don't know and you do, that's a knowledge gap that you can make money from.

“The most successful people monetise their passions.”

Steph‘s programme centres around a self-paced online course with workbooks and videos. There’s also the option of adding group coaching, which involves guidance from Steph, as well as experts in areas such as IT, advertising and marketing. She also offers one-to-one coaching, as well as a condensed version of the full course at a significantly lower price.

Making money without spending

A big concern for many people thinking about a side hustle is start-up costs. Steph is keen to stress that creating digital products doesn’t have to be expensive.

“You don't need to shell out a lot of money.”

Her programme focuses on creating simple, evergreen digital assets like videos and PDFs without splashing the cash.

“I wanted it to be very budget-friendly, so I teach people how they can create their course from their phone. All they need is their phone.”

Steph deliberately avoids recommending costly software or complicated tech.

“I didn't want people to pay for the programme and then find they can't afford to actually create a course.”

The goal is to make something that can be sold over and over again.

“If you put the time and the energy into creating it, you can build something that will then give you recurring income without you having to be present. It’s the old ‘make money while you sleep’ dream, which everyone wants to achieve.”

Passive income – too good to be true?

Steph understands why people are sceptical about passive income.

“I think there's a bit of a taboo around passive income because there are a lot of scams out there. If it sounds too good to be true, in my experience, it is.”

That’s why her focus is firmly on practical action, not hype.

“I didn’t want my programme to give all the wow and not the how.”

And she urges people to be wary of handing over large sums of money to people promising to share the secret to passive income.

“Before you know it, you've spent more money than you're ever going to get back. That's just ridiculous.”

Do people really pay for this stuff?

When you can find the answer to practically any question you care to ask online for free, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask whether people will really be prepared to pay for your knowledge.

Steph insists they will, if your prices are reasonable.

“You don't have to be selling your course or digital assets for hundreds of pounds.

“You could sell a recipe book for £7 or something, and people will buy that.”

In fact, she believes people tend to place more value on content they’ve paid for.

“Even if somebody's paid just £7 for something, they're more inclined to actually use it.

“That’s where the evergreen element comes in. You do it once, and then it's there to keep selling.”

Your customers are hiding in plain sight

So where are the people prepared to hand over cold, hard cash in exchange for your knowledge? Steph says if what you’ve got to sell relates to a hobby or passion, your customers are probably hiding in plain sight.

“The chances are you’ll already know lots of potential customers.”

She suggests friends, local groups and online communities as a good place to start.

Being creative about how you position yourself is also key to success, according to Steph.

She says your unique personality will often be what draws customers in.

Evidencing your passion can also add authority to your brand. Something as simple as a photo with a celebrity from your field of expertise can work wonders, Steph insists.

“People see a picture of you with Mary Berry, and they think you must be the best cakemaker in the world.”

I wanted my freedom

Although Steph now runs her own business, she didn’t always plan to.

After having her son, she briefly returned to a marketing role but quickly realised it wasn’t what she wanted.

“I just thought, you know what, I don't want to be working for somebody else anymore. I want my freedom.”

She launched Evergreen Academy in September, after months of building the course, and saw early success.

“When I launched, I made £7,000 in the first 14 days.”

Today, she works four days a week and keeps her coaching commitment to around an hour a week.

“I'm not tied to my desk for 50 hours a week, not at all. It's a choice.”

Enough to go round

Steph is keen to share the wealth.

“I want people to make money from this. That is the whole purpose. I want people to succeed.”

She believes side hustles can help people achieve that elusive work-life balance we hear so much about.

“I don’t like the idea of people feeling stuck with a life they’re not happy with. There is a way out.”

Steph wants others to find the flexibility and freedom she says she has gained through the Evergreen Academy.

“I believe that there is room at the top for everybody. The online training industry, even in the UK alone, is worth £4bn a year. I think there's enough to go around.”