This 28-Year-Old Was Working as a Groundskeeper for SoFi Stadium When He Started a Side Hustle Averaging $6,500 a Month
The videos Jordan Achay shared with his friends inspired an exciting business.
Key Takeaways
- Achay began recording himself preparing the fields for NFL and college football games in 2021.
- The content, posted on TikTok, led to his new brand and sports surface business, J Sprays.
- Here’s how he ensures consistent growth and revenue for both sides of the business.
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Jordan Achay, 28, of Los Angeles, California. Achay, a former college baseball player and coach, used his full-time job as a groundskeeper for SoFi Stadium to help start J Sprays, the name of his sports surface business and handle on social media. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
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What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
I was a field manager for the LA Memorial Coliseum, home of the USC Trojans, as well as SoFi Stadium, which is home to the LA Chargers and LA Rams, when I started my brand/business, J Sprays.
When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
Late in 2021, I began recording the process of how we prepare the fields for NFL and college football games [on TikTok]. The videos consisted primarily of field painting, while also showcasing all of the other work that went into preparing and maintaining the fields for professional-level quality. I started by just sending the videos to my friends, who eventually encouraged me to begin posting them.
What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground? How much money/investment did it take to launch?
At the beginning of 2021, my business aspirations were to run youth baseball clinics and tournaments, but I pivoted to showcasing the effort it takes to create and maintain professional-level sports fields by the end of the year. There were no fixed costs to start J Sprays other than every free minute of time that I had. I was able to use my cellphone and the power of TikTok to get it off the ground. Once I built some traction through social media by showcasing the work at my full-time job, I began to get my own clients for the business. That was when growth began to spike.
If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach, what would it be, and how do you wish you’d done it differently?
It would be to properly plan my day-to-day responsibilities for my own business. I would have put more focus on building J Sprays as we know it rather than treating it as a side hustle. I was trying to build multiple businesses at the time while I also had a full-time job, and it was just too much for me.
When it comes to this specific business, what is something you’ve found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren’t?
One of the biggest challenges for me in this business was the adjustment from having every possible resource available while being an employee at the major stadiums, to figuring out everything on my own with limited resources for my own jobs. Creating a job time estimate is a challenge because a job that I expect to be completed in one day can turn into a three-day project depending on the situation.
Can you recall a specific instance when something went very wrong? How did you fix it?
Recently, on a job, we did not properly dilute the paint. This caused a blockage in our paint machines. Due to how rapidly paint dried in the machines, two of our three machines became clogged. That was a job that, once it was paid out, the money earned would be used to fix our machines.
How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? How much did the side hustle earn?
Three years into my side hustle turned business, I began to see consistent monthly revenue. It earned an average of $4,000 a month once the consistency began.
What does growth and revenue look like now?
Growth and revenue look like a couple of hundred new followers per platform a month, and a growing average of $6,500 a month at this point. I separate my business into two parts: content and physical jobs. When one grows, the other does as well.
Related: 8 Creative Side Hustles We Discovered in 2025 — Which One Can Make You Money in 2026?
How much time do you spend working on your business on a daily, weekly or monthly basis?
While it is on my mind every minute of the day, I try to dedicate a minimum of two hours per day, but sometimes it’s just any spare moment that I have. After my full-time job, I head home to plan for the next job, create content, do administrative work and anything else I have time for.
Balancing my time and schedule while also having a full-time job is the toughest challenge I currently have. When it comes time to physically work on a job, the scheduled days that are required to do that job are completely blocked off until the job is done. With there being multiple aspects to the business, I have to prioritize my responsibilities to the best of my ability. There are a lot of nights with minimal sleep for now.
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
Building it from the ground up and being able to run it the way I want. I’m able to showcase the work and the people that I believe deserve it, make a name for myself the way I want to and have some amazing opportunities in the process. It has provided a new type of independence in my life.
What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice?
For the longest time, I did not know what I wanted to do. I continued trying to build businesses until something worked. What has worked best for me was having requirements for what I worked on. Most importantly, I needed proof that I could make money from it, do it at a high level and find a motivation for doing it beyond monetary gain. Once you meet all of those requirements, stay consistent and try to find a purpose beyond those. That will help give you a sense of direction. It took me two years to figure out a true sense of purpose with the brand and business. Once I did, it became so much easier to prioritize my responsibilities, and my income became more consistent.
Key Takeaways
- Achay began recording himself preparing the fields for NFL and college football games in 2021.
- The content, posted on TikTok, led to his new brand and sports surface business, J Sprays.
- Here’s how he ensures consistent growth and revenue for both sides of the business.
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Jordan Achay, 28, of Los Angeles, California. Achay, a former college baseball player and coach, used his full-time job as a groundskeeper for SoFi Stadium to help start J Sprays, the name of his sports surface business and handle on social media. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Want to read more stories like this? Subscribe to Money Makers, our free newsletter packed with creative side hustle ideas and successful strategies. Sign up here.
