The Side Hustle
The term “side hustle” has been a buzzword for the past few years now, with all manner of experts weighing in on how best to approach starting your own but let me tell you something, you probably already have one, and you don’t even know it.
A side hustle by definition and, in its simplest form, is a kind of job you take on outside your ordinary, nine to five gig. You can start a side hustle in absolutely anything, and the only thing stopping you is time, and the limit of what you can do is guided only by your creativity.
Before we even think about starting a side hustle, we need to talk time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, right? It’s the one thing that stands true whatever the world throws at us, and to be successful, whatever your side hustle is, you’ve got to use what free time you have wisely. It’s paramount.
I have always had a side hustle, and even now, I am in a busy fulltime role; I still have a couple that I love and work on daily. Having an interest and something I can build outside of my day job is super important to me, and it’s not just about making money (but that is a nice bonus), its about having a hobby, something I am proud of and something that is 100% mine.
I am in charge of every aspect, from the digital marketing strategy to the finances, the web design, to the hours I want to work on it. In essence, you are a mini business owner and the skills you learn from having a side hustle will serve you well whether it’s as you climb the career ladder or use your side hustle to make money and with that, I wanted to share my top five tips on juggling your work with building a side hustle.
- Use your time wisely. If your intent with your side hustle is to one day monetise and be your full-time gig, you have to put the hours in and do this; you have to have a long look at where you spend your time devoting some of that to your side hustle. For me, I use the 1.5 hours I commuted into London each day and then three or so hours each weekend. That’s over 21 hours a week which is a big chunk of time. Be time savvy, and you will be amazed at what you can fit into your day.
- Don’t be afraid to fail if you try something and it doesn’t work; pivot on to something else and don’t waste any more time and energy. Just stop and switch focus. You have NOTHING to prove to anyone but yourself. I feel a lot of people don’t want others to think they failed. I can tell you now; no one wants that for you; everyone wants you to be successful, and if anyone ever took joy in seeing you fail, why would you care what they think anyway?! This is your life, your side hustle, your path – worry about what you think and only you and be innovative. If something isn’t working – swivel the idea, trying different approaches or, pivot to another idea entirely.
- Ask for help. If you don’t have a lot of experience in what you want your side hustle to be, ask for help. Instagram, Clubhouse, family, friends, other experts – the number of resources available to you right now is endless. If you don’t’ ask, you will never know, and the ability to access experts via Clubhouse and other associated social media right now is unparalleled to anything I have seen. Step up and ask your question to who you deem an expert. What have you got to lose?
- Be honest with your job. If you are working full time and this is something you are working on in your spare time, many organisations have strict rules on what you can and can’t do outside of work that could be deemed a breach of contract. I always check-in with any boss from the beginning on what I am doing to ensure no objections. If there is an issue with what you are doing, then talk it through and see if you can compromise.
- Finally, the most important is that you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to. Think of what you want to do and do it today! Take one step RIGHT NOW towards something you have been thinking of doing for a while, and I promise you will never look back.