Perfect Your Side Hustle

January 28, 2020

You wake up every morning, get dressed, caffeinate, feed yourself, and get to work - throughout this Groundhogs Day process you find yourself thinking about that passion project or small online business you wish you could dive deeper into. Don’t sell yourself short, just because you have a solid current job does not mean you should give up on your side hustle dreams. The side hustle is important to keep you creative, fulfilled, and maybe even add a few coins to your purse. 

From an HR perspective it is best to keep your side hustle and day-to-day job separate. You can’t build something on the side if you don’t have the means to do so, so don’t get fired! Instead, set up time outside of work each week to focus solely on your side gig. Treat it like it is your actual job and nurture it as you would your primary career during those hours. Build a timeline to keep yourself on track - deadlines and sticking to them is important, especially when you’re the one in charge.

If you’re looking for a simple way to supplement your income, there are tons of avenues for that. 

1. Driving - can you do it? Make some money then! Sign up with a ride share or delivery service.

2. Become a notary - certification usually costs $100 or less and then you’re your own boss and can charge a fee for notarizations. 

3. Grammar Guru? There are a number of websites that you can sign up with and bid on offered jobs or they will come to you off of your listed experience and/or portfolio.

4. Coaching - if athletics is your jam, certain school systems are always looking for coaches to work with their kids after school or on weekends. 

5. If you’re good with numbers you can become a virtual bookkeeper and help out start ups and small businesses for upwards of $60/hour.

6. With an HR background you can offer your talent by way of resume and cover letter editing. For those looking to land that dream job, having the perfect resume is a must. Keep track of the stats - the percentage of how many people are hired after working with you will go far when creating and requesting rates.

Which leads us to those looking to get into a side hustle - make sure you are prepared when applying for freelance or contract work. Package yourself well! Always apply with a well-edited cover letter, resume, including a punchy blurb about yourself and your background, as well as your rates. If you are just starting out, make sure your requested rates match that level of expertise. Take risks as well - perhaps your background is non-traditional for a certain role but pull out and play up what makes you the non-traditional but ideal candidate. Perhaps you have traveled extensively and may not have an agent background but your boots-on-the-ground knowledge would make you a great travel coordinator. Don’t shy away from a side gig because you didn’t go to school for it, everything can be learned on line these days. Be proactive and educate yourself to open up your playing field.

If your side hustle is already well-formed, here a few ways to nurture it and keep it enjoyable, because it should be enjoyed! 

1. Don’t overspend on your side hustle. It should not be an excuse to buy more things nor should it make you feel like, if only you had this, you would be successful. Make sure you have enough customers or clients before you start spending on non-existent ones.

2. Your side hustle schedule should be just as non-negotiable as your current job. It should also be enough time to actually get stuff done. Don’t schedule only 2-3 hours if you know yourself and know that you need an additional hour to settle in, clear your mind, and truly focus.

3. Don’t sweat the non-revenue generating stuff. A bit of admin, a solid business plan, and a spreadsheet here and there will be useful but don’t get sidetracked by all of that. Do the actual work which will actually get you paid.

4. Planning is helpful, but doing is key. If you find yourself stuck after laying out your side hustle plans, then just start doing. Be active in your side hustle and react to those actions taken afterward.

5. This project should be your “me” time. You may not be at a spa or with your therapist, but when you see your side hustle as time taken to focus on yourself it will become exponentially easier to follow through.

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