Is a Side Hustle Right for You?
There are so many reasons to start a side hustle. You may be in a job that you don't love or that you’re not passionate about. Maybe you’re a stay-at-home mom who is looking for something for yourself. You may have a skill that you’re not currently optimizing, but want to. Maybe you find yourself with some extra time and want to fill it with something really gratifying (and lucrative). Or, you may just want to be your own boss and leave a legacy behind - a legacy that involves something other than what you’re currently doing.
Do any of those sound like you?
If so, you're not alone. The problem is that so many of us feel like starting a business is actually the path for someone else. Someone who knows how it all works. Someone with business acumen and a business background.
But, it’s not. Starting a business as a side hustle is for anyone with an idea and an interest in making a bit more money.
So you're ready to start a side hustle
Let’s say you’ve ticked off those boxes above: You have a good reason for starting a side hustle AND you know this is for you. The next roadblock to getting started is often the limiting belief that you can’t start your business unless you’re ready to go all-in.
Have you heard that before? That you need to go all-in in order to start a successful business? I’ve heard experts say that we need the fear of failing, the anxiety of having no back-up plan, and at least 40 hours a week of free time to start a truly successful business. In fact, this was a plot line in Friends loooong ago. (Now I’m dating myself!) Chandler and Joey told Rachel that she had to have “the fear” in order to get a job that she liked, so she quit her job at Central Perk. Then she couldn’t find a job. Then, she couldn’t pay her rent. Then, she was really, really mad at Chandler and Joey. Do you remember this? No? Only me? (hah!)
And while I do believe that this can be true for some of us who need to be all-in or we’re not in at all, that mentality does a disservice to those of us who are not in a position to go all-in from the get-go. Let’s face it, so many of us have a lot of other things that take up our time and energy.
You may need to keep your 9-5 because you’re a single parent or your partner doesn’t make enough on his/her own to keep you afloat while you get the business up-and-running. It could be that you have a family and insufficient funds or babysitters to watch the kids while you’re working on your business. Or it may even be emotional realities that prevent you from ditching your 9-5 to put all your eggs in a single, new basket. I 100% get that. It’s daunting.
Your Side Hustle Should Work for You
Don’t listen to the naysayers who think that you have to go all-in to start a business. I mean, who knows how many amazing business ideas have never been birthed because someone was told that if they can’t go all in, their business will never be successful?
I’m here to tell you that it’s a myth! You do not have to go all-in, friend. In fact, can I tell you a little secret? When I first launched Grid + Glam, it was a side hustle. I don’t think I’ve ever shared that publicly before. I still kept my other job in finance well into being a profitable business. I’d take on in-person clients for Grid + Glam, but only 3 hours at a time and only a couple days a week. Three years later I have an extremely profitable business, with multiple revenue streams and multiple team members, and it brings me and my clients so much joy every single day! And, I quit that other job so that I could go all-in. But not until it made sense for me and my family. 
Not to mention, there are times when starting a side hustle is the only option that makes sense. I know so many entrepreneurs who keep their 9-5 forever. Yes, that’s right! You could still work your regular job AND take on a side hustle all your own, with no plans to ever quit your 9-5. Of course, this is trickier if you have children or other obligations outside of your job. But, if you’re someone who enjoys their regular job and feels like there’s more you could be doing (and more money you could be making), a side hustle that utilizes your passion and skill may be the perfect thing for you right now.
Because it’s true: You can have a fulfilling and profitable business, even if you just work on it a couple days/week. It’s incredibly empowering to have something for yourself - a sort of passion project - without the pressure of having to employ people and work all the time. And it can grow into something more amazing than you ever could have imagined...IF (and only if) you want it to.
Now, if you’re thinking, “Yes! A side hustle would be so amazing for me right now! But what do I do?” Here are a few ideas to get you brainstorming.
Side Hustle Ideas:
- Fitness Coach: If you have a unique approach to fitness, you could guide others toward healthier habits, too!
- Sports Coach: Maybe you played a sport growing up and would like to start teaching lessons on the weekends or in the evenings to kids or even other adults.
- Tutor: maybe you love a specific subject (math, science, reading, music) and are good with kids!
- Special Skills Teacher: Do you know how to sew or garden or paint? Any of those skills could be taught to others online or in-person.
- Professional Organizer: If you can create order out of chaos and know just what to do when you see a messy space, consider becoming a professional organizer, like me! (More on this type of small business later!)
5 Resources to Start Your Side Hustle:
Do you think starting a side hustle is for you? If the answer is (even a little bit) yes, I want to give you a head start. Even before you file as an LLC or create a business bank account, look into these 5 free resources.
The resources above are so valuable to assist you in the day-to-day management of your small business. If you use them from the get-go (read: now!), you will have the first part of a solid foundation upon which to build a lasting and profitable business.
Wait? The first part? What’s the second part? The second part to building a solid foundation and starting your business out the right way is to invest in the fundamental components from day one that will make your business scalable if and when you’re ready.
What are those fundamental components? Here are a few of them:
Does that feel like a lot? Do you see that list and think, “I don’t even know the first thing about how to get any of those things done,” you’re not alone. The world is full of information about starting a business, and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed! But I can’t even begin to tell you how my life has changed by having a business that positively impacts thousands of lives every single day.
Starting an Organizing Business
While we’re on the subject, tell me, have you thought about starting an organizing business as your side hustle? I’m guessing the answer might be yes. If you scroll Instagram looking at organized spaces and think to yourself, “I could totally do that,” chances are you probably can. Want to be sure? Take the ‘Are You Ready to Start a Professional Organizing Business’ Quiz to find out now.
If you’re thinking about becoming a professional organizer but you don’t know how to do, well, any of those items I listed above, join me in my Organizers Foundations course. It teaches you everything you need to start an organizing business with the right foundation (all those essential business fundamentals I referenced above), and cuts out all of the fluff.
Not only does it teach you all of these fundamentals that you may not have known otherwise, it also gives you access to me. If you join Organizers Foundations, you have me on your side. Any major decision to make, any step you need to complete, I’ll be there to help you. Let that silence the little voice in your head that says you can’t do this. You can. And I can help.
Here’s to living our passion daily! Now go launch that side hustle today!
