For a growing number of South Africans, one income is no longer enough. Rising living costs and continued financial pressure are driving people to find new ways to supplement their earnings, and the side hustle has moved firmly into the mainstream. According to the Old Mutual Savings & Investment Monitor, 57% of South Africans now have a side hustle, rising to 73% among 18- to 29-year-olds. But not every side hustle begins with a business plan, or even the intention of becoming an entrepreneur. Sometimes, it starts with a tin of paint, a drill and an old piece of furniture.
When practical skills become earning opportunities
For women with a flair for DIY, decorating, restoring or making, practical and creative skills can offer an accessible way to tap into South Africa’s growing side-hustle economy. An unwanted piece of furniture can be restored and resold. Painting, decorating and woodworking skills can become paid services. Handmade homeware can find a ready market online. A talent for renovating or transforming spaces can open up new earning opportunities.
Digital platforms have lowered the barriers even further. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp allow women to showcase their work, find customers and begin taking orders without the expense of opening a physical shop or investing heavily upfront. It’s a form of entrepreneurship that doesn’t necessarily happen in offices or start-ups, but around kitchen tables, in garages and backyard workshops. And as the recently announced winners of the 2026 Brights Hardware Women in DIY Excellence Awards demonstrate, the opportunities that practical skills can create extend far beyond earning an additional income.
Three women, three different journeys
For Zama Gwamanda from Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, a passion for woodworking and furniture making has grown into a business. After leaving an unhealthy working environment, she channelled her creativity into designing and making furniture while encouraging other women to develop their own practical skills.
“This recognition means so much to me, especially as someone who is passionate about DIY, home improvement, and encouraging more women to pick up tools and confidently create beautiful things with their own hands,” says Zama.
For Cape Town’s Tassy B, DIY began as a creative outlet during a difficult period following the birth of her son. What started with small projects has since grown into TassyB Craft Circle, a community where women come together to explore their creativity and learn new skills.
“What started in a difficult season of my life as a way to heal and find myself again has grown into something I never imagined,” she says. “A reminder that something beautiful can grow from even our most challenging seasons.”
Meanwhile, Johannesburg’s Ndivhuwo Dlamini has turned her passion for affordable home improvement into a platform for education and empowerment. Through online tutorials, DIY masterclasses and brand collaborations, she helps others develop the confidence to tackle everything from furniture restoration to home repairs and renovations.
While their journeys are different, all three demonstrate how practical skills can create opportunities for independence, personal growth and entrepreneurship.
Giving women the confidence to keep building
For Orlando Luis, CEO of Brights Hardware, encouraging more women to develop practical skills and explore the opportunities those skills can create has long been important to the business. “We’ve seen first-hand how empowering it can be when women gain the confidence to pick up tools, learn new skills and realise what they’re capable of creating,” says Luis.
“For some women, DIY is about improving their own home or saving money. For others, those same skills can grow into a side hustle or even a business. What matters to us is creating an environment where women feel welcomed, supported and encouraged to keep learning and building.”
“These women are showing others what’s possible when they have the confidence to give something a go. We hope their stories encourage even more women to pick up a tool, try something new and discover where it might lead,” concludes Luis.
