In this piece, our co-founder Beth Andlaw talks us through her journey of turning a side hustle into a full-time career. Alongside her husband Alex at FORM Brands Studio, she transitioned from working in big agencies to running her own business. It’s been a journey filled with learning, challenges and growth, and she shares the lessons learned along the way.
Beth and Alex Andlaw
From Passion to Profession
My partner and I came from different creative backgrounds—communications and design. During lockdown, while working from home, we realised something: brands were struggling to align their design with their messaging, and we had the skills to fix that. So, we started working together informally, and before we knew it, FORM Brands Studio was born.
A life-changing moment pushed us to take things seriously, and we had that ‘life is short’ realisation. That was the push we needed to make FORM our future.
Having worked in both large agencies and small studios, we knew what we wanted to carry forward and what we wanted to leave behind. Work with people who think differently from you; after all, you’re only the sum of the people around you.
Flexibility is also key. We’d experienced rigid agency life, and we knew people work best when they’re trusted to manage their own time.
Taking the Leap
There may never be the right time to take the leap and forge a career out of your passion or side hustle. My advice is to start small. We spent a couple of years freelancing and supporting each other’s clients before making FORM official. It gave us a feel for whether this was a real, viable business.
For us, the creation of FORM was driven by our lifestyle - expecting our first baby meant that we would need even more flexibility than ever. The transition from side idea to a fully fledged business was a scary moment, but once we had the website in place we just went for it!
Balancing a full-time job with a growing side business wasn’t easy. In the early days, we dedicated just one day a week to FORM, gradually increasing our time as demand grew. It felt like a natural progression rather than a sudden jump.
Getting Clients: The Secret to Our First Big Wins
One of the hardest parts of starting a business is finding those first clients. Networking, pitching and hoping for referrals can be exhausting and honestly, not very effective. The best decision we made to help this was bringing in a new business specialist. Having someone develop a strategy and connect us to potential clients changed everything.
Pricing was another challenge. A lot of creatives struggle with knowing their worth, and we were no exception. Look at industry benchmarks and work with an accountant to plan financially. Figure out what you need to earn, set your day rate accordingly, and don’t forget to factor in taxes and overheads.
What I Wish I Knew Before Going All In
Looking back, if I could change one thing, I would have asked for expert help much earlier. We tried to do everything—finance, marketing, new business, client work—all on our own, and it was burning us out. Learning to delegate and invest in support was a game-changer.
Oh, and imposter syndrome? It never really goes away. But as long as you’re enjoying the process most of the time, take a deep breath and keep going. Every day is a learning experience, and that’s part of the fun.
My Advice for Future Entrepreneurs
If I could give just one piece of advice, it would be this: learn how to run a business. Your creative skills will always be there, but understanding financial planning, operations and strategy will make all the difference.
If you’re wondering whether your side hustle could be something more, test it out. Start small, manage your time wisely, ask for help and keep learning. You never know—your passion project could turn into the best career move you’ve ever made.