The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE rising cost of living is pushing more Bahamians to juggle multiple jobs and build side businesses simply to survive, with workers and business leaders warning that a traditional nine-to-five income is increasingly no longer enough.

For some, side hustles have evolved into full-time businesses. For others, they remain a financial lifeline used to cover bills, support families and stay afloat between paycheques.

Kendenique Deleveaux, owner of the communications and project management agency Mommy Hustle, said she launched her business out of necessity after losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and struggling to find new employment despite holding multiple degrees and having years of professional experience.

“A one income isn't going to work in this community,” Mrs Deleveaux said. “I think that a lot of things that we do are born out of survival.”

“This was this was birthed out of necessity, this was birthed out of survival. This was birthed out of a need for me to make sure that I eat.”

Mrs Deleveaux said employers repeatedly told her she was overqualified, leaving her to consider whether she should remove some of her qualifications from her résumé. She discussed the dilemma with her late mother, but her parents encouraged her not to diminish her accomplishments, even if doing so made it harder to secure work.“There were so many people that closed the door in my face that did not give me an opportunit,” she said yesterday. “There were females in very, very high position, and they could have picked up the phone with one call and said, ‘Give her this job, give her the next job,’ but nobody did.”

Mrs Deleveaux said her circumstances changed when a current Member of Parliament gave her an opportunity to work as a consultant. She stressed that she did not have a friendship with the MP but was nevertheless given a chance.

She now works as a consultant with the Ministry of Labour and Public Service, hosts Kenny’s Korner on radio and works as a communications strategist.

She has also promoted Mommy Hustle while hosting events and taking on other projects, creating several streams of income that she said have been essential to providing a better life for her family.

Mrs Deleveaux said many Bahamians are forced towards entrepreneurship because hiring practices are often unfair and favour personal connections over qualifications.

“You have some people sitting in position because of who they are and who they know,” she said. “You can literally run circles around them, but they didn't give you the opportunity.”

“It's not it's not a fair practice, but it's something that happens on a daily basis.”

She said the experience is particularly demoralising for Bahamians who study abroad and return home intending to contribute, only to find themselves unable to secure employment because they lack the right connections.

Mrs Deleveaux said employed and unemployed women contact her daily through social media seeking advice on starting businesses because they cannot survive from one paycheque to the next.

She said the number of women pursuing entrepreneurship simply to pay bills and support their families has increased.

“People just trying to make sure that they keep their head above water, and they want to do it the legitimate way,” she said.

Asked whether the government was doing enough to help people struggling financially, Mrs Deleveaux said opportunities were available through the government, but people must take the initiative to find and pursue them.

Clement McKinney, owner of Ambition Mobile Barbering, also transformed a side hustle into a full-time livelihood after concluding that his banking job had limited his financial and professional growth.

Mr McKinney worked in banking for eight years while cutting hair on the side. He developed an interest in barbering in high school and later became certified through the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute.

He initially saw barbering as a practical skill he could use to cut the hair of relatives and friends, but it gradually developed into a business.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr McKinney left banking to pursue mobile barbering full time after realising the business was earning more than his regular job.

“Being mobile, I guess you know providing that convenience and seeing that people actually was buying the service that I was selling at the time,” he said. “I doubled what I made.”

“While I was sitting at the bank, I felt that I was capped. I couldn't move. I wanted to transition, you know, into different areas. So my frustration grew, and I took a leap of faith on myself.”

Ambition Mobile Barbering has now operated for eight years.

Mr McKinney encouraged Bahamians to identify passions they could develop into businesses rather than pursuing side hustles solely for money.

However, he said the rising cost of living has also prompted him to explore additional income streams.

Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation chairman Don Williams said yesterday that higher living costs and the pursuit of a better quality of life are driving more Bahamians into side businesses.

Mr Williams said the Chamber has seen an increasing number of people convert side hustles into full-time enterprises, helping to fill gaps across several industries.

He said a conventional nine-to-five job is increasingly insufficient for many workers, while others are pursuing entrepreneurship because they want futures that do not depend on an employer.

“We found that this current generation, they want to be more independent,” Mr Williams said. “They want to enjoy a lot more free time, they want to have the flexibility, the additional disposable income, and they want to not have to report into to a boss.”

“While we may call them the microwave generation, it is their level of rebellion that is driving forces like AI is driving the level of productivity that's needed.”

Mr Williams said younger Bahamians have greater opportunities to become entrepreneurs and many are capitalising on them.

Although numerous people continue operating side businesses while holding full-time jobs, he said many ultimately hope to leave traditional employment and work for themselves.