Nurse Side Hustle: From £3,500 in Debt to a £200K-a-Year Property Business

Kateryna Shabatina left Ukraine at 19 with €350 in her pocket and no plan B. Years later she arrived in the UK £3,500 in debt. Today she is still a full-time intensive care nurse, and her nurse side hustle is a VAT-registered property business that turns over more than £200,000 a year.

Here’s what her story shows about the size of your dreams, building something alongside a demanding job, and why feeling like you don’t fit might be the best sign of all.

No Plan B

Kateryna grew up in Ukraine, where the biggest dream around her was a good job and a rented flat. At 19 she decided to leave for Italy.

“My mom managed to borrow 350 euros, which was huge sum at that moment.”

She sold her laptop to pay for the ticket. There was no back-up plan.

“It was my plan A, and it would work.”

In Italy she started again from nothing, went to university and trained as a nurse.

Starting Again in the UK, £3,500 in Debt

When she moved to the UK in 2020, she didn’t arrive with savings.

“I came in this country in 2020… And with, uh, minus 3,500 in that point, which I borrowed from my friend.”

She knew a salary alone wouldn’t get her the life she wanted fast enough.

“I realized that I don’t want to slave myself for work and make money, and then just, you know, buy bit by bit of my dream life. I want something quicker.”

Building a Nurse Side Hustle in Property

Kateryna joined the Samuel Leeds property academy and started in serviced accommodation. Now, on top of her own home, she has five more properties. She explains how the “fast pound” from serviced accommodation feeds the “slow pound” of long-term property, and why reputation matters:

“Usually you work for the reputation in the beginning and then reputation works for you.”

And she still works full-time in intensive care. Her team is what makes that possible.

“Having a good team helped me to keep my current job, being full-time, which means that I don’t live from money which my company does.”

Comfortable or Great?

For Kateryna, problems in business are a sign she’s growing, and comfort is the real danger.

“Do you want to be comfortable, or you, do you want to be great?”

You Are Not the Problem

The part of our conversation that stayed with me most was about not fitting in.

“Institutions do not want leaders.”

If you’ve always felt too proactive, too ambitious or too much for the place you’re in, her message is simple: you are not the problem, the place is wrong. And as she put it, “being really free takes courage.”

Key Lessons From Kateryna’s Story

• The size of your dreams is set by the world you grew up in, until you decide to change it.
• You can start a side hustle from a negative balance. What matters is the plan you commit to.
• A good team lets you build a business without giving up the job you love.
• Comfort is a choice, and so is greatness.
• If you feel you don’t fit, you may simply be in the wrong place.
• The right people around you decide how far you go.

Ready to Change the Size of Your Dreams?

Kateryna changed her life by changing what she believed was possible. That shift is exactly what we work on in Reprogram Your Mind, my community on Skool, with the tools and people to help you design a bigger life.

Watch Kateryna’s full episode above, follow her on Instagram, and read how a teacher became a property investor alongside her job.