How a stay-at-home dad turned his passion for pickleball into 'a game changer' side hustle

• Amid pickleball's popularity, stay-at-home dad Antoine Echavidre started teaching lessons in late 2023.
• He made around $1,600 last year from this side hustle and several thousand so far this year.
• Bankrate's Ted Rossman said part-time or gig work can help build both skills and relationships.

Stay-at-home parent Antoine Echavidre's day can include waking up his two children, preparing breakfast and dinner, doing school drop-off and pickup, and ending the day with bedtime stories.

But outside these and other tasks, Echavidre, 45, spends time playing pickleball in California. Recently, he has also been teaching what the Sports & Fitness Industry Association said is America's fastest-growing sport.

Echavidre said he quickly learned the sport and found a passion for it after he started playing during the pandemic.

"People were so happy to teach me the basics," he told Business Insider.

That community feeling inspired Echavidre also to teach people this increasingly popular sport.

In late 2023, Echavidre started teaching pickleball through TeachMe.To, a platform for finding someone who teaches or for people to sign up to give lessons for pickleball and other activities. Echavidre said he usually teaches one or two lessons on the days he does this side hustle; he said lessons are usually an hour but could be an hour and a half.

"It's a good balance now for me," Echavidre said, as he has a little more time for other things now that his children are getting older.

Other stay-at-home parents could find it helpful to pick up work on the side. Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst for Bankrate, said part-time or gig work can help with building relationships and skills, which can also be helpful if stay-at-home parents want to later transition to the paid workforce full-time.

"I think it can be a near-term income source, but can also broaden your skills and contacts for the longer term," Rossman said as well as helping to boost retirement savings or pay down credit card debt.

Echavidre made around $1,600 last year from his work through TeachMe.To and several thousand dollars so far this year.

"It's a game changer," Echavidre said, adding he doesn't have to ask his wife for money and can be "completely independent." One way the earnings have helped was with a trip to Japan he took with his son.

Making some money while taking on school pickups and other stay-at-home parent responsibilities

Stay-at-home parents may seek out flexible work that's compatible with the hard job of raising kids.

"Maybe you can do it before your kids get up or after they're asleep or during naptime or sometimes even with the kids in the background," Rossman said.

But it can be tough to determine what to try.

"You may not find the perfect thing right off the bat, but it's a process," Rossman said. "The more people you can meet or projects you can do or lines you can add to your résumé, I think that's all additive."

Echavidre recommends other stay-at-home parents try to earn money through something they are passionate about if they have time. He said, "it's not a huge investment" in terms of time.

From dancing to cooking, Echavidre sees any activity you're passionate about could be good to try as a side gig.

"You don't really feel like you are working," he said.

Social media could be one way to find a side gig. Echavidre said he filled out an online form after seeing an ad on social media. In addition to reaching out to friends or friends of friends, Rossman said you can turn to previous work contacts.

"Even if you kind of get your foot in the door with more of a short-term project or something like that, more on a freelance or consulting basis, that can bring in some income but also freshen up your résumé and contacts," Rossman said.

Rossman warns people to look out for potential scams, such as remote work opportunities. Rossman said while there are legit work-from-home jobs, "sometimes there are bad actors out there that prey on" people searching for this work. Rossman said to look out for work where you have to make a purchase, but also, outside of potential scams, look out for work that needs a lot of overhead.

"I think walking before you run on some of this is important because if you get in over your head — you don't want this to end up costing you money," Rossman said.

From the office to the pickleball court

Echavidre said he was a successful salesman for a vehicle company in France but moved to the US in 2016 for his wife's career. He said he did some work while trying to find his way of balancing work and family life, but he has primarily been a stay-at-home parent since a few years before the pandemic.

He doesn't plan to work a 9-to-5 or office job partly because he doesn't think he would be happy with this type of work and balance anymore. He said he's happier now offering pickleball lessons.

In addition to a few hours on Sundays, Echavidre offers pickleball lessons during the week. He said people can't book him once he's busy with his children. So far in 2024, he has done over 80 lessons.

If you are looking to pick up side work, Echavidre said to look out for what's in demand.

"I teach pickleball because there's a huge demand in where I live," he said. "A lot of people are playing, try to play, or need to get better."

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association's Topline Participation Report showed US participation in this sport climbed by 51.8% from 2022 to 2023. A lot of participation in this sport was considered casual, but overall there were around 13.6 million pickleball participants last year, according to the report's breakdown of participation in the US.

Echavidre said he's gotten a lot of clients who are new to pickleball. He said he especially finds older and retired people are playing pickleball.

Are you a stay-at-home parent who has made money with a side hustle? Reach out to this reporter to share at mhoff@businessinsider.com.