4 minute read
SIDE HUSTLE PERFECT OR POISON?
By Martha Chapman
IT’S NO SECRET THAT THOUSANDS OF FIREFIGHTERS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE SIDE HUSTLES: PART TIME JOBS THEY DO DURING THEIR TIME OFF.
While many side hustles entail working for someone else – bartending is one popular choice – the concept of a side hustle clearly brings out the entrepreneur in many firefighters. Some options are connected to firefighting (safety consultant or fire-proofing expert), but many are in a completely different world. You can find firefighters working in landscaping, car detailing, fitness training, dogwalking, or setting up bouncy castles for kids’ birthday parties.
And like civilians who pivoted during the pandemic, many see a side hustle as a wonderful opportunity to pursue an interest or passion while reaping extra cash. For many, it makes perfect sense but for others, the answer to a fulfilled life is not a side hustle that can be seen as robbing them of their well-deserved time off. We’re looking at both sides of the coin to help you make up your mind: is a side hustle perfect or poison?
EVERYDAY I'M HUSTLIN'
One firefighter who has found tremendous satisfaction – and significant additional income
from his side hustle – is Luke Schneider, a firefighter with 12 years under his belt and founder and CEO of Fire Department Coffee. What started as a simple love of coffee (aided by a barista wife who trained him in the ins and outs of coffee tasting) has turned into a sizeable business that ships up to 20,000 orders per day – that’s six million pounds of coffee a year - from a 36,000 square food facility in Rockford, Ill.
“Firefighters drink a lot of coffee, and I wanted to do something I’d love and that connected with that career. Working a 24-on-48-off schedule gave me the time to investigate that. We started as an e-commerce company five years ago, flying by the seat of our pants in an 800 square foot location with a five kilo roaster. Very quickly it turned into a 24/7 operation where we even had people overnighting in sleeping bags. I’d go off shift, roast coffee and fulfill orders.”
Fire Department Coffee now has a team of 25 including active and retired firefighters. The chief operating officer is a full-time firefighter and the chief roaster is a retired fire captain. “I love being part of a team and growing a company,” says Schneider. “I really feel there is no barrier to how far you can go.”
The company has even expanded into “merch,” with an array of branded items such as coffee mugs, T-shirts and keyrings.
Schneider says he is also very proud that, while Fire Department Coffee focuses on high quality coffee, it has a charitable foundation and directs 10 percent of net proceeds to sick and injured firefighters.
Thanks - but no thanks
For our “thanks - but no thanks” angle, we spoke with a veteran fire captain who has experienced both sides of the fence.
He spent virtually all of his 20s preparing and hoping to get into the fire service, taking up scuba diving, learning electronics, volunteer firefighting, even joining the navy. His last gig before finally being accepted was fire alarm inspector, servicing large commercial entities such as schools and government buildings. A perfect side hustle, but not, he says, for him.
“The thinking was that you should focus on your firefighting career for the first few years, then look at options for a part time job to add to the mix. So I did that. I installed roofs and planted trees, but those jobs felt like work and frankly they didn’t pay well enough to make it worth it.
“What other career offers you generous time off and good money as well? I really believe that if you can’t make it on $100,000 a year you won’t make it on $120,000. And to earn that extra $20,000 you have to make so many sacrifices. Why not use your time off to enjoy your kids and your hobbies? In my view, any firefighter in North America is paid more than enough to get by.”
He’s clearly thoughtful about money. His wife was a stay-at-home mom when the kids were small, so his salary had to stretch even further. “But we always made it work, even on one salary. We have a modest home, buy second-hand cars, and I’m pretty handy around the house.” He’ll use his time off to shop around for new equipment or gear and doesn’t mind driving a good distance to collect them – because he has the time.
He has used time off for family vacations by camper and houseboat and he’s had motorcycle vacations to Utah and Colorado. He says he’d rather spend a day golfing with friends than roofing a house for an hourly wage. “And I don’t even golf!”
He isn’t totally anti-side hustle, saying if it’s something that’s a hobby or passion, and if it’s something you love as much as firefighting, then that changes the conversation.
It’s easier to adjust your lifestyle to enjoy your time on earth, which a firefighting career allows. “NO ONE’S EPITAPH READS ‘I WISH I HAD SPENT MORE TIME AT WORK.’ NO ONE.”
