If you are opening up your laptop on Friday the 13th with the goal of starting a side hustle, you might be wondering if the universe is telling you to take the day off. Between dodging black cats and avoiding cracks in the pavement, British culture is packed with superstitions that tell us when to stay indoors and keep our wallets firmly shut.
But if you want to make some extra money, the best thing you can do is ignore the folklore when it comes to your own luck—and instead, figure out how to sell it to everyone else.
British myths, legends, and superstitions are actually a massive, untapped niche for online side hustles and local businesses. Whether you are looking to earn a bit of extra cash to help with the weekly shop or you want to start a creative project that brings in a few hundred quid a month, tapping into the UK’s love for the spooky and the superstitious is a highly practical way to do it.
The short answer: Absolutely not. The only real “bad luck” in making money is relying entirely on a single source of income and hoping for the best.
Friday the 13th is just a date on the calendar, but culturally, it is an absolute goldmine. People are fascinated by the macabre, the mysterious, and the old wives’ tales our grandparents used to tell us. While others are hiding under the duvet waiting for the 14th to roll around, you could be designing products, writing content, or launching services that cater directly to this massive audience.
There are no spells or lucky charms that will magically put fifty pounds in your bank account, but there is genuine market demand for superstition-themed content and products. Let’s look at how you can practically turn that demand into extra cash.
Classic British Superstitions You Can Turn Into Cash
If you are going to base a side hustle around folklore, you need to know the material. Here are a few prominent British superstitions that have highly marketable angles for creators, crafters, and writers.
The Notorious Friday the 13th
The fear of Friday the 13th (officially known as paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is a great word for a trivia night) is supposedly tied to everything from the Last Supper to the arrest of the Knights Templar. Today, it is a brilliant marketing hook. Anything spooky, alternative, or esoteric sells incredibly well around these dates, making it an excellent time to run sales, launch products, or publish themed content.
Magpies and The Rhyme of Joy
“One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy.” Almost everyone in the UK knows this rhyme, and many of us still blindly salute a lone magpie to ward off bad luck. Because this is such a universally recognised bit of British folklore, items featuring magpies—like greeting cards, enamel pins, or digital art prints—sell extremely well in the greeting card and gift niches.
Black Cats and Crossed Paths
In the US, a black cat crossing your path is considered bad luck. In the UK, it is traditionally seen as good luck. This split means you can design products or write articles that appeal to both sides of the coin. The “lucky black cat” is a classic British motif that works perfectly on everything from tote bags to wedding horseshoe gifts.
Spilled Salt and Wooden Tables
Throwing spilled salt over your left shoulder to blind the devil, or “touching wood” to prevent tempting fate, are everyday habits for plenty of Brits. These domestic superstitions offer incredibly fun angles for homeware side hustles, like woodworking, selling vintage salt cellars, or creating cheeky kitchen prints.
Practical Ways to Monetise Myths and Legends
Knowing the folklore is one thing, but how do you actually extract money from it? Let’s be realistic: you are probably not going to quit your day job in month one. However, with a few hours of graft on the weekends, all of the methods below can realistically generate a steady secondary income.
Start a Folklore-Themed Print-on-Demand Shop
If you have an eye for design, print-on-demand (POD) is one of the lowest-risk side hustles you can start. You create the designs, upload them to a platform like Printify or Printful, and connect those directly to an Etsy shop. When a customer buys your “Two for Joy” magpie mug, the POD company prints and posts it.
You don’t hold any inventory, so your upfront costs are incredibly low (usually just Etsy’s small listing fees, which are around 16p per item). Realistically, it takes a few months of consistently uploading good, tag-optimised designs to see regular sales. But once it gains traction, bringing in £100 to £300 a month in profit is a very achievable goal.
Launch Local Ghost Walks and Folklore Tours
If you live in a town or city with a bit of history, this is a brilliant weekend earner. Most UK towns have a local ghost story, a myth about a haunted pub, or tales of historical witches.
You do not need a degree in history to run a walking tour. You just need to be a good storyteller, do some reading at your local library, and plan a walking route that takes about an hour. You can list your tour on platforms like Airbnb Experiences or Eventbrite. If you charge £10 a ticket and take out a group of ten people on a Saturday evening, that is £100 for a few hours of your time.
Freelance Writing and Blogging in the Niche
If you prefer sitting at a computer over standing in a damp churchyard, writing about superstitions is a highly viable route. There is a whole ecosystem of magazines, websites, and newsletters dedicated to folklore, history, and the paranormal.
You can pitch articles to niche UK magazines (like Fortean Times or rural county lifestyle magazines), which typically pay anywhere from £50 to £150 for a well-researched feature. Alternatively, start a Substack newsletter dedicated to British myths. While building an audience takes time, charging a £5 monthly subscription for premium essays can eventually build into a nice recurring side income.
How to Launch Your Superstition Side Hustle Successfully
Starting any project can feel a bit overwhelming, so it is best to break it down into manageable steps. If you want to turn Friday the 13th from a day of bad luck into launch day, here is how you do it.
Step 1: Research Free Local Archives
Do not pay for expensive courses on folklore. Your local library and the internet are full of free resources. Search for public domain folk tales and out-of-copyright Victorian books on British superstitions. If you are creating physical products or artwork, look for public domain illustrations from the 1800s—you can legally use these to create vintage-style prints to sell online without paying a penny in copyright fees.
Step 2: Validate Your Idea Quickly
Do not spend a month building a massive website before you know if anyone actually wants what you are selling. If you want to run a walking tour, test the waters by posting in a local community Facebook group and offering a free or heavily discounted “trial run” to see if people show up. If you are selling digital prints, list just five or six on Etsy to test whether the keywords generate traffic. Test small, learn quickly, and adapt.
Step 3: Price for Profit, Not Just Sales
A common mistake when starting a side hustle is pricing too low to get that first bit of cash. If you are selling a print-on-demand t-shirt for £15, but it costs you £12 to print and ship, and Etsy takes a £2 cut, you are only making £1. That is not worth your time. Work out all your platform fees, production costs, and taxes upfront. Price your items or your time so that you are making a meaningful profit margin—aim for at least 30% to 40% profit on physical goods.
Common Mistakes to Avoid (The Real “Bad Luck” in Business)
Walking under a ladder will not bankrupt you, but making these common side-hustle mistakes definitely will. Be pragmatic and keep an eye out for these completely avoidable traps.
Chucking Money at Stock You Don’t Need
The absolute worst thing you can do when starting out is buying a massive bulk order of inventory. Do not order 500 superstition-themed enamel pins from overseas just because they are cheaper per unit. You might end up with 495 pins sitting in a cardboard box under your spare bed for the next five years. Always use print-on-demand or make items to order until you have concrete proof that the product sells consistently.
Ignoring Public Liability Insurance
If you decide to go the route of hosting ghost walks or local tours, you must not skip the admin. If someone trips over a poorly lit pavement outside a haunted pub while on your tour, you could be liable. Public Liability Insurance might sound boring and corporate, but it is essential. It usually only costs around £50 to £100 for the year for a small side hustle, and it will save you from a very real nightmare scenario.
Creating Generic, Lazy Content
If you want to make money online, you cannot just slap a generic clip-art black cat on a mug and expect it to sell. The market is competitive. The people making real money on Etsy or through writing are the ones who inject personality, specific historical details, and genuine care into their work. Tell a story in your product descriptions. Explain the history behind the superstition. Give people a reason to choose your item over a mass-produced one from a major retailer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really make money from a niche this specific?
Yes. Actually, being specific is the key to making money online as a beginner. If you sell “t-shirts”, you are competing with major global brands. If you sell “t-shirts featuring accurately researched 17th-century Cornish folklore”, you are competing with almost nobody, and the audience searching for that specific thing is much more likely to buy.
Do I need any special qualifications to lead tours?
Generally, no. You do not need a history degree or a formal guiding badge to run an independent local walking tour in most UK towns. However, you do need to ensure you have the appropriate public liability insurance, and it is always polite and professional to check with your local council to see if there are any specific bylaws regarding street trading or guided walks in your precise area.
How quickly will I see a profit?
Be wary of anyone who tells you that you will make thousands of pounds overnight. If you start an Etsy print-on-demand shop today, it might take four to six weeks to get your first organic sale. Freelance writing takes time to build a portfolio. However, in-person services like walking tours can turn a profit the very first week you run them. Expect a few months of slow, steady work before the income becomes somewhat reliable.
A Quick Summary
Friday the 13th is surrounded by superstitions designed to make us cautious, but when it comes to finding ways to earn extra money, playing it too safe is the only real bad luck.
British myths and folklore offer a fantastic, creative niche for anyone looking to build a side hustle. Whether you choose to design print-on-demand products featuring magpies and black cats, write engaging articles about local legends, or lead your own ghost walks through historic town centres, the demand is definitely there.
Remember to start small, keep your upfront costs as close to zero as possible, and focus on providing real value rather than looking for a get-rich-quick spell. If you put in the graft and treat it like a serious project rather than a hobby, you will soon find that you don’t need lucky charms to make a bit of extra quid—you just need a good plan.
FAQs
What is the origin of the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th?
The superstition surrounding Friday the 13th is thought to have originated from the combination of two separate superstitions: the fear of the number 13 and the belief that Friday is an unlucky day.
How often does Friday the 13th occur?
Friday the 13th occurs at least once every year, and can occur up to three times in a single year.
What are some common superstitions associated with Friday the 13th?
Common superstitions associated with Friday the 13th include avoiding certain activities such as travelling, starting new projects, or getting married. Some people also believe that it is unlucky to have 13 guests at a dinner table.
Are there any historical events that have contributed to the superstition of Friday the 13th?
One historical event that has contributed to the superstition of Friday the 13th is the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13th, 1307. This event has been linked to the negative connotations surrounding the date.
Do people in the UK take Friday the 13th superstitions seriously?
While some people in the UK may take Friday the 13th superstitions seriously, for many it is simply seen as a fun and light-hearted superstition. However, some people may still choose to avoid certain activities on this day.
