The side hustle is no longer a taboo subject discussed in secrecy between junior-level employees and their closest confidant. And it’s not just for those portfolio career enthusiasts who tap into UpWork for short-term data entry work by day and shuffle passengers around town as Lyft drivers by night. 

Today, the side hustle is often considered a healthy endeavor for even the most senior employees―and for good reason. As seasoned professionals move up in their careers they are often pulled into new areas of responsibility, making it difficult to carve out time to focus on their true passions. Side hustles can provide a release for the overwhelmed, strengthen a personal brand, create opportunities to give back, develop incremental revenue streams, facilitate opportunities to learn something new, improve company reputation, and much more. 

Whatever the reason, more and more seasoned professionals are extending their work week, building side hustles, and putting the grind of their 9-5 behind them, if only for a few brief moments here and there. Here are seven unique examples of high profile professionals and their varied side hustles.

Scott Paul | CEO by Day | Tesla Ambassador by Night

When Mr. Paul isn’t acting as CEO of Wooly, the Founder of Tangible, or Partner at HyperActive Capital, he’s a self-promoting Tesla Ambassador. That’s right, he’s leveraging his love of Tesla to help connect skeptics to their cause, and perhaps, helping Utahns battle the dreaded inversion. 

While Mr. Paul’s relationship with Tesla may not be official by nature, he takes the role seriously enough to pick up strangers in his Tesla Model X so they can experience the thrill of Elon Musk’s brain child before purchasing a car sight-unseen. You can follow Mr. Paul’s Tesla journey, or schedule a pickup time here. 

Jason McGowan |  Software Guru by Day | Cookiemaker by Night

Some side hustles become full-time hustles. In the case of Jason McGowan, this transition happened virtually overnight. Coming from a long history of working in software for companies such as Ancestry and i.TV, Mr. McGowan and his cousin A/B tested their way into what they believed were the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet. 

But delicious warm cookies weren’t enough. Customers wanted them delivered to their door at all hours of the day and night. So Mr. McGowan spent time after work developing a mobile delivery app to ensure his customers could have his cookies anytime, anywhere. Two years later, Crumbl has over 20 locations spread across five states, proving baked goods can deliver.

Jeff Fuhriman | Marketing Consultant by Day | Barber by Night

Jeff Fuhriman comes with a tenured history, working in marketing and product for tech companies like Omniture, Adobe, and Pluralsight. He’s also spent the last decade serving as a consultant to businesses in need of marketing design and implementation. 

So when he and his now business partner started questioning the way salons and barbershops operated, they decided to improve the status quo. Dapper and Dash now brings the salon and barbershop directly to companies and their employees via a state of the art truck, operating on the backbone of innovative technology. 

Ryan Smith | CEO of Qualtrics by Day | Nonprofit Founder by Night

Earlier this year, Ryan Smith, cofounder and CEO of Qualtrics, sarcastically bragged about his latest #sidehustle, ‘Tacos de Ryan’ in this tweet. While these tacos may be in Beta, it’s highly unlikely this side hustle is intended to serve as a meaningful contributor to Mr. Smith’s net worth. 

He is, however, working to raise $50 million dollars in an effort to battle cancer―a disease that affects 1.6 million new Americans each year. His cancer-research-fundraising charity 5 For The Fight is a global campaign that aims to motivate everyone to donate $5 to cancer research. 

The cause is close to Mr. Smith, as his father was diagnosed with what they thought to be terminal cancer. Mr. Smith quit school to return home and build a business (Qualtrics) with his dad in an effort to spend more time together. They vowed that if their company ever made any money, they would make it their mission to support cancer research. 

Now, thanks to 5 For The Fight, and a partnership with the Utah Jazz, Mr. Smith and his dad (who successfully beat cancer) are fulfilling a promise they made more than 15 years ago, proving that some side hustles just matter more.

Dwayne Wade and Andre Igoudala | NBA Players by Day | Investors by Night  

Tech executives are not the only professionals dabbling in side hustles. NBA superstars Dwayne Wade and Andre Igoudala recently invested in Utah-based fashion footwear brand, Taft. 

The NBA players were fans of the up-and-coming footwear brand, so when there was an opportunity to contribute to a round of seed funding in 2018, they pounced on the opportunity. Mr. Igoudala turned to investing―and educating fellow athletes about investing―to take control of his fortune and avoid the storied riches-to-rags fate of stars like Gilbert Arenas, who went broke, despite earning more than $200 million throughout his basketball career. 

Mr. Arenas’ story proves that NBA careers don’t last forever, which is why Mr. Wade and Mr. Igoudala are hustling today to prepare for the uncertainties of tomorrow.

Brock Blake | Tech Founder by Day | Forbes Contributor by Night

After seeing how small businesses struggled to secure capital from US banks following the 2008 global financial crisis, Brock Blake founded Lendio in 2011. Since its inception, Lendio and Mr. Blake have raised more than $30 million in their effort to be the Kayak of small business loans.

In late 2012, Mr. Blake became a regular contributor to Forbes. While the majority of his published work is in support of Lendio, Mr. Blake has used this opportunity to build his personal brand and reputation on a national scale. His work covers entrepreneurship, leadership, politics, venture capital, and the important balance of work and personal life.  

Keep on hustling

No matter the reason. No matter the type. Side hustles have emerged from the shadows of business and are now a welcomed reality for anyone bold enough to make them so.