In today’s economy, relying solely on a 9-5 paycheck won’t cut you off – and that’s why we have side hustles!
Side hustles have become a popular route for those looking to boost their income while pursuing their interests outside of their regular jobs. In fact, you can transform your side hustle into a thriving business if you play your cards right.
In this week’s article, we’ll explore how to find your passion which you can turn into a side hustle, and what steps to take to start your side hustle from scratch.
Let’s get going.
Side Hustles Come From The Heart
A side hustle can only be sustainable if you’re genuinely passionate about it.
Take the time to explore your interests, hobbies, and skills. Reflect on what truly excites you and brings you joy. Whether it’s photography, writing, baking, or teaching, finding your passion is the first step towards turning it into a profitable venture. Your passion will fuel your motivation and drive you forward during challenging times.
If you feel you don’t have enough hobbies or don’t know where to start, here’s a small exercise for you:
Find any ONE thing you like. It could be math, a certain sport, or anything.
Try to make a list of reasons WHY you like that thing. It could be problem-solving, adrenaline, etc.
Search for interests that have the same common thing you like.
Example: If I’m passionate about football because of the unpredictable nature of the game, chances are I’ll like other high-intensity sports too (such as basketball).
Is Your Side Hustle Profitable?
While passion is important, it’s equally crucial to identify side hustles that have the potential to generate profit. Conduct thorough market research to assess the demand for your chosen field or industry. Look for gaps in the market that you can fill with your skills and expertise. Consider factors such as target audience, competition, pricing, and potential profitability.
A creative solution to this could be combining multiple passions at once to create something profitable.
Example: If you love teaching and doing karate, you can start a small training group for those who want to start learning karate 1-to-1. This way you can monetize your passions in the best and most unique way possible!
How Practical Is Your Side Hustle?
A side hustle is called a ‘side’ hustle for a reason. It’s supposed to be passive and somewhat easy-going – if it’s taking a lot of time and energy off your hands then there’s something wrong in the execution part.
So to make things practical, start by setting clear goals and objectives for your side hustle. Outline the steps you need to take to launch and establish your venture. Create a timeline and allocate dedicated time slots for working on your side hustle. Finally, break down your plan into smaller, actionable tasks so that it’s easy to implement as well.
And yes, remember to track your progress as time goes by. ✅
Balancing Your Side Hustle and Regular Job
Having a 9-5 itself is a challenging role, that’s why you need to be a master of your schedule to balance your job, side hustle, and of course your personal life all at the same time.
Realistically, you have only the weekend for yourself to grow and get some extra cash. A couple of hours every Saturday and Sunday would help to do the job for you. The idea of resting on the weekends is attractive to say the least, but if you want to grow your side hustle then you need to trade in some chunk of your time.
Pro-tip: If you find yourself struggling to manage your time, consider outsourcing some tasks or delegating responsibilities to others. This will free up more time for you to focus on the important aspects of your side hustle.
Marketing Your Side Hustle: How To Start Off?
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing your side hustle. It all depends on the nature of the work.
If it’s something around e-commerce or providing online services, then using social media channels and short-form content like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn is the best way to go.
If you’re targeting an audience that lives near your area, then doubling down on Facebook Ads and Word-of-mouth would be more effective than other strategies.
But if there’s one thing I would suggest you invest in is content creation. Whether you want to use your referral network, set up ads, or execute a proper social media marketing strategy, in all cases, you would need SOME sort of content to kickstart your work.
It doesn’t have to be that complicated either. Start by creating simple posters or videos of your side hustle and be as consistent as you can with it. Focus on the number of posts at the start, then care about quality later.
Always Hustle For Your Side Hustle
Starting and growing a side hustle is not without its challenges – it’s common to face issues like burnout after a while.
While it’s important you build an extra income stream for yourself, it’s equally as important to make it sustainable in the long run. Burnout isn’t caused by working too hard. It’s caused by working too hard WHILE compromising on your mental and physical well-being. So as long as you keep up with your sleep, nutrition, and fitness, you’ll be good!
Best of luck for your side-hustling journey!
