Before We Called It a Side Hustle
Long before Uber, Etsy, and the phrase “side hustle,” people were looking for ways to make a little extra money. For some, that meant making moonshine.
It made sense, especially in rural areas. Farmers could take something they already had, like corn, turn it into something more valuable, and sell it for cash. Others made liquor because jobs were scarce, money was tight, or there was simply an opportunity sitting in front of them.
Nobody was updating their LinkedIn profile to announce a new venture.
They were making a few extra dollars.
From Corn to Cash
Moonshine has a colorful history, which sometimes overshadows the economics behind it. Making liquor could turn crops into a product that was easier to sell and transport. During Prohibition and in the years that followed, avoiding taxes added another financial incentive, although it also added the rather significant possibility of going to jail. For plenty of people, moonshine existed alongside everything else they did to make a living.
Junior Johnson is probably one of the best-known examples.
Johnson grew up on a North Carolina farm in a family with deep moonshining roots. He hauled illegal liquor in fast cars, developing a reputation for being pretty good behind the wheel. Eventually, those skills helped take him from running moonshine on back roads to racing professionally in NASCAR. That’s quite a career path.
Same Instinct. Different Century.
Most side hustles don’t end at Daytona. The basic idea, though, feels familiar. Use what you have. Develop a skill. Find somebody willing to pay for it. Make a little extra money.
Today it might be woodworking, photography, consulting, catering, driving for Uber, or selling something online. Sometimes the extra income is the whole point. Sometimes the side hustle grows into a business. Occasionally, as Junior Johnson discovered, it leads somewhere you never expected.
That’s one of the things I enjoy about moonshine history. Beneath the stories about revenuers, fast cars, hidden stills, and mason jars are people doing something entrepreneurs still do today. They saw an opportunity, and they acted on it.
A Familiar Idea
We have better terminology now. We talk about entrepreneurship, the gig economy, multiple streams of income, and side hustles. The instinct behind them has been around much longer.
Find something people want. Figure out how to provide it. Make it worth your while.
Moonshiners understood that a long time ago.
Call to Action
What’s the best side hustle you’ve ever had—or one you’ve always wanted to try? Let us know in the comments.
Enjoy business lessons from the history and craft of moonshining? Explore more posts in The Stillhouse Blog, listen to the Against the Grain Podcast, or learn more about my upcoming book, Against the Grain: Business Lessons from the Still.
