Young Asian Americans Find Side Hustles Alternative Paths to Success
By Kelli Luu | 03 Apr, 2025

Side hustles, initially for extra cash, often ignite unexpected entrepreneurial journeys, especially among young people and Asian Americans.

What starts as a fun way to earn extra cash can sometimes unleash hidden entrepreneurial energies.

Juggling work and a side hustle is no joke.  But that’s how 70% of America’s Gen-Zers and 52% of millennials augment their monthly income.  The vast majority of young Asian Americans face even more demands by adding classes to this balancing act.

For some a side hustle isn’t just about making ends meet.  It’s about building a legacy of one’s own and finding success outside the traditional workday. Whether it’s selling our own chili oil or building a graphic design service, side hustles give young entrepreneurs a way to find their true talents and maybe, just maybe, do their most impactful work.

In 2024 over 3 million Asian American-owned businesses were employing over 5.2 million.  That means one in four Asian American working adults run their own businesses.

Mariyam Karim is a 20-year-old American college student of Sri Lankan descent who embodies the ultimate balancing act of the young and ambitious — taking classes full time, serving at a sushi restaurant, and running her own fashion resale business. 

She sells everything from leather boots to graphic tees — fresh, fun, and affordable clothing her customers seek.  Her goal? To create a community where secondhand shopping is exciting and accessible, especially for students who spend hours studying on campus. 

Weekends you can find Maryam in her own booth at local flea markets, surrounded by handpicked pieces that she found herself.  During the week she sets up her pop-up shop on college campuses to let student fashionistas shop sustainably on student budgets. 

While Mariyam is still in the early stages of curating her brand, Vietnamese American sisters Vanessa and Kim Pham have proven that side hustles can lead to surprising success. 

During the 2020 pandemic the Pham sisters decided to whip out their aprons and tapped into their culinary heritage to launch Omsom, a food brand that offers a variety of Asian-flavored sauces and noodles. 

Vanessa and Kim Pham, owners of Omsom

A project that began as a way to get in touch with Vietnamese roots grew into a thriving business.  By 2023 Omsom’s revenues soared to $3.7 million.  In 2024 it was sold for $11.7 million.  That has now become just the first milestone for the Pham sisters’ entrepreneurial journey.

Chinese-Vietnamese American Cassey Ho is another young entrepreneur who managed to turn her college hustle into a valuable business.  The seeds of her success were planted in 2009 when Ho began posting Pilates workout videos on YouTube as a way to stay connected with her students after moving from Los Angeles to Boston. 

Fitness line Blogilates owner Cassey Ho

The consistency and drive with which she posted videos produced 100 million views on her channel in four years.  By 2021 Cassey Ho had a following that allowed her to launch a home fitness line called Blogilates carried at Target.  The line was valued at $2 million.

So whether you’ve just begun your side hustle or are deeply immersed in the effort, remember that hobbies can turn into brands and success sometimes follows surprising pathways!