I make £1,000s & don’t pay a PENNY in rent after bad smell inspired my unusual side hustle… I even quit my full-time job

AN office worker is now making tens of thousands of pounds after a bad smell gave him an idea for an obscure side hustle.

Jonny Cottom quit his full-time job and left his London flat to move back home with his parents in St Helens, Merseyside, as he sunk his £15,000 savings and even his grandmother's inheritance into his idea.

The 30-year-old accountant spent months beavering away in his brother's old bedroom as his mum kept him nourished with crumpets.

A fledgling entrepreneur, he became very protective of his idea.

"Quite a common thing for early entrepreneurs is that you are very protective of your idea, and you're thinking this is an amazing idea, I can't tell anyone because they'll run away and steal it," he told The Sun.

"Really, I should have shared it way sooner."

Jonny's company Breakbottle sells insulated and sustainable water bottles which ‘break’ in the middle so they can be cleaned more hygienically.

It is now bringing in an estimated £70,000 a year.

'EUREKA MOMENT'

He said he had a "Eureka moment" after continuously having to wash his reusable water bottles due to the horrible bacteria smell that is difficult to clean.

"I was trying to go to work and was in a rush, but my bottle smelled from the night before," he said.

"I put some washing up liquid in the top, and then I was shaking it next to my head."

Jonny said this "bizarre cleaning ritual" made him wonder if there was potential for a new product.

The University of Manchester graduate began to develop his idea further over time in the evenings after long days in the office.

"I was doing a really busy job anyway and there were times I would do my job, have some food, put a few hours in on the side hustle, go to bed, start again," he said.

He was living with three friends from university in a flat share at the time.

"A lot of the time I was in my bedroom... it wasn’t massive, just enough room for a bed and a desk.

"Other times I'd be in the kitchen and that's the first my flatmates saw of it. Me with these weird little drawings.

"They'd be like 'what are you doing?'"

With time and resources often scarce, Jonny would budget aggressively, bulk cooking for the week so that he could often grab food on the go.

He eventually moved back home, where he initially continued working for the accountancy firm remotely while saving as much money as he could and putting his efforts into the venture.

The prospect of returning to St Helens was daunting, but it had plenty of unexpected perks.

He explained: "I did feel a bit strange. I absolutely love my mum and dad, I've got a great relationship with them but I didn’t necessarily want to live at home. It was a means to an end.

I was doing a really busy job anyway and there were times I would do my job, have some food, put a few hours in on the side hustle, go to bed, start again.

Jonny CottomFounder of Breakbottle

"The novelty wore off after a bit and I did just feel I need to get on with my life," he said laughing.

However, his parents were very excited and supportive in the eight months he was back living with them, partly during Covid lockdowns.

"My dad and his dad had their own food manufacturing business, making pies and sausages and stuff," explained Jonny.

"They both were really into it and asking lots of questions, enthused about how it all worked, especially digital marketing. It was nice to have people to bounce ideas off."

He went on to say: "I worked in my brother’s old bedroom because he wasn’t there. I was either downstairs in the kitchen or I was in the bedroom."

He said his mum, who is retired, ensured he was getting plenty to eat.

"It was a lot of crumpets. That part was quite nice," he said.

And she was good at letting him know he was working too much.

"She'd say 'come and relax for bit, just leave it for a while.'"

He continued: "Managing other people’s expectations is a big part of it because not everyone always understands. Weirdly when it’s your job and you’re working late people get it but when it’s your own thing."

Jonny also had to sacrifice his personal life too.

"There was one weekend where there was three events I should have been at," he recalled.