Sidehustle Ecommerce has recently launched the app Sidehustle, a social marketplace where brands and individuals can buy, sell and rent items, and find and list jobs.

Founder David Gibson, a finance professional and director of several NZX-listed companies, created the app to lift up the next generation of entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses. He has also brought on musicians Six60 as partners and investors.

“One in three New Zealanders have a Sidehustle and this is a global trend that is growing quickly,” Gibson explains. “We’ve created this app to back big-dreaming Kiwis who want to develop their side hustles into their main hustles. We connect them with customers and job opportunities to help them grow their businesses – and their bank balances.”

On Sidehustle, each user has a personalised social feed displaying marketplace and job listings from individuals, groups, and businesses they ‘Track’. Users and groups can ‘Boost’ the listings to appear on their own feeds, and will receive a commission of each transaction that’s made through them. This innovative new feature creates a fair reward system for anyone who uses their own influence to help sell items.

“It’s unique because it’s a fair and transparent rewards system for influencers – anyone can be an influencer and the broader your network, the more money you’re going to earn.

“The big social networks have struggled with how influencers fit into their models because their clients are business and brands, not individual content creators. Rewarding influencers has been problematic and at times opaque, whereas ‘Boost’ is completely transparent and fair for everyone.”

For Gibson, Six60 are the ultimate partners because they’re one of the most inspiring examples of how hard work and determination can turn what was a side hustle into a full-time hustle.

Bandmember Matiu Walters says, “Six60 all started as a side hustle, which is why we strongly believe in this platform and its purpose, of supporting the next generation of hustlers coming through.”

“They’ve become not only investors but partners too and over the next few months, we will be rolling out some exciting initiatives and opportunities together on the app,” adds Gibson.

Targeting a generation who would prefer to be self-made over simply taking a job, the Sidehustle app couldn’t have come at a better time. Gibson says the goal is clear, to give young entrepreneurs a platform to build success.

“To do this, we want to create a significant e-commerce marketplace for general items, jobs, and services that is differentiated by its unique social architecture and purpose.

“Our audience is underpinned by the next generation of entrepreneurs who are using e-commerce as an enabler to build their own businesses and brand stories.”

The Sidehustle app is free to download and available now on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. The app uses stripe for secure payments and also offers a cash-only option.