You’ve heard of them, you read about them, it is sometimes what our what our parents used to call “second job”. The term side hustle is much more appealing, to me though, because it doesn’t always have to feel like a “JOB”.
I like to call myself the Queen of side hustles. Since University, I have always had two “jobs”, now what we know as one primary and one side hustle. In college, serving/bartending was my full time “job”, selling shoes (and maybe buying most of them myself) at Nine West, was my “side hustle”. A - because I love shoes, and B - because this is when I learned about Commission. Yeeha. So, for me at that time in my life, working in a place where I earned tips, and another place where I earned commission, the hustle in me was ignited. In my brain, this world has so much money in it - why can’t I break off a few pieces. Not just a piece, a few pieces please.
Flash forward 11 years, and I still have two+ “jobs”. Even more now, TBH. I work in investment banking and with a startup full time, I manage Airbnbs (sometimes too many), put on workshops for women, run online Masterclasses, and have started this site. How many jobs is that exactly? I don’t know, because this is my point when I say I don’t love the connotation that comes with the word “job”. Separately, they would all be someone’s solo “job”, but combined, they make up my life of work. Just like my finances, my “job” is diversified, and this is the way I like it. Perhaps when I have kiddos, or start to settle down, my work life will look different, but for now - the side hustle life and many “jobs” is fun for me.
So, why exactly do side hustles turn me on?
Flexibility, freedom, fun, challenging. All of the above. The side hustles give me extra income that allows me to travel more, have what I need and extra things I want. The side hustles provide my creative brain (which isn’t much TBH) the platform to be expressive in a personal way that is outside of my daily business. Any side hustle I’ve created has been fun, in one way or another - and the extra income they bring allows for more fun. That’s a win-win in my brain. Lastly, I love the challenge of having a side hustle. Of all the hours in the day, outside of just 9-5, what else can I accomplish, what else can I do? How else can I grow? Professional and personal growth is immensely important to me, and funny enough, the side hustles challenge my growth constantly.
Am I taking on too much?
Yes, probably. Well yes, definitely. BUT - I am okay with that. This is MY personal choice, at this time in my life. As I said, things may change as I grow older, but right now - my full plate is fine with me. When it does get overwhelming, which yes, definitely happens, I bring myself back down to Earth. I remind myself WHY I have these projects, what they allow in my life, and bring to my life, and I tell myself to chill the F out. Relax. I like to bring myself down and remind myself that this is all my choice, there is nobody forcing this life on me, it is my own, so I make my choices and roll with them. If it becomes too much, re-evaluate. It really is as simple as that.
Side hustle suggestions? Where to begin?
I have tons. Side hustles to me, are not the same as “jobs”. If you sell old clothing and furniture for extra income, I wouldn’t call that a side hustle. The side hustles I love, are the ones that come from things YOU love. IE: I enjoy talking to people and women about financial health. So, side hustle exists to do that and inspire. My girlfriend enjoys doing makeup, so side hustle is to make women look beautiful on nights/weekends for events. You love photography, so side hustle is taking headshots outside your regular hours.
These kinds of things, the passion projects, are the ones that will actually succeed. Why? Because they are things you ALREADY enjoy doing, without the bells and whistles. A woman at one of my workshops is now moving into Nutrition, but has a degree in Graphic Design. She said to me, that she always felt bad doing the graphic work, because she felt it was taking away from her current passion and project with Nutrition. After the workshop, she said she changed her way of thinking. And the graphic design can be a SUPPLEMENT to her path with Nutrition, rather than a distraction. The extra income from graphic design, can push her #1 passion project even further forward. Now, that’s the attitude I’m talking about. It all comes full circle.
Are you ready to get started with a side hustle? Ask yourself what you enjoy doing. What makes you tick? Cooking? Start a cooking channel, blog, vlog, host classes in person. Working out? Start getting licensing needed to teach classes on the side, or share your routines with people.
Seriously, there are SO many ways out there to “earn” and “attract” more income, have a little fun, meet people, GROW, and increase your bottom line. You just have to tap into yourself and figure out where your strengths are.
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