I’m a yacht captain but the real money maker is my £100k-a-year side hustle – it was free to start up

MOST 42-year-olds wouldn’t dream of becoming an influencer. 

But that’s exactly what happened to Kelly Gordon after she joined Instagram in 2019 to keep in touch with her siblings. 

Now, she is a professional content creator with over 12,000 followers on the popular picture app. 

Kelly’s social media prowess helps her bank just under £100,000 a year on top of her Superyacht Captain salary. 

And yes, life on a superyacht is what she creates content about. 

Kelly is currently helming an “ultra high net worth” client’s 108-foot boat based in Palm Beach, Florida.

But alongside her day job, she posts videos about her day-to-day life - from travel and fishing to female leadership and mental health. 

This has helped her gain a loyal following and ultimately monetise her social media profiles. 

Her business, Captain Kelly J. Gordon, brought in just shy of £97,000 ($124,000) in revenue last year.

That money comes from ads, sponsorships, public speaking gigs and flogging merch.

Kelly spends around five hours per week on her side hustle, or gets stuck in whenever she’s not actively captaining.

“I’m hoping this will be my retirement job,” she told CNBC.

“Travelling around the world, showing up at events, inspiring people and continuing with my social media.”

And she assured that you don’t have to spend any money to get started with a social media side hustle - unless you have the means to invest a little. 

“I started off just posting myself, before I quickly laughed at myself and decided to hire some help,” Kelly explained.

“Let’s say you get to the point where you want to spend $100 (£77.89) a month on social media, and you think to yourself, ‘Well, I don’t have extra money to spend’.

“Yes, you do. 

“It could be not going to Starbucks every day, or not taking a Saturday shopping trip. 

“You might have the money in savings. 

“You have to realise that you can’t do everything.”

Kelly currently doesn't pay herself an income from her side hustle as she grows her profile, but hopes to in the next 12 months.

At present, she uses the earnings to pay videographers and editors, and to reinvest in the business itself.