The side hustle has taken centre stage lately, and there’s one group of people who know how to make a side hustle sing: mamas. But how do you take your side hustle from side piece to star of the show? Let’s find out.
By Natalie Bascur
While it’s normal to countdown to the weekend and prefer to be at the beach on a beautiful day than in an office, if you find yourself dreading each day and existing on autopilot, isn’t it time to make a change?
Is there a gap at your workplace that you have your eyes on, or do you want to make changes to your current role to be more flexible with your family (working three days in the office and two from home)? If so, make time to sit down with your boss and talk it through.
Lady, if you’re keen bean to take the plunge and go out on your own, you need to ask yourself these questions honestly…
- Do I need routine in my life and am I prepared to give that up for now in order to achieve my dream job?
- Am I ready to make less income to start with, while working longer hours until I reach my goal?
- Can I cut back on extra expenses, or will my partner be able to support me more in the short term?
- Do I have the energy to really dedicate to this, whether that be emailing possible contacts, going to events or doing some free or low paid work as a test to start with?
- Am I sick of going through the motions day to day and need to change?
- Am I ready for a challenge?
“IF THE ONLY WAY TO GET YOUR DREAM JOB IS TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS FROM SCRATCH, THEN DO IT!”
HOW TO GET STARTED
1. DO YOUR RESEARCH
If your dream gig doesn’t exist where you are, you need to ask yourself if you think your talents are being used optimally each day and if changing roles will fix this. Do you need to do further study to achieve the role you want? If you do, find online classes you can do while still working in your existing role.
If you want to go out on your own and freelance, for example as a graphic designer, make sure you have a website set up with your portfolio, an Instagram page and business cards. Put the word out to family and friends that you are available – word of mouth is a cheap way of getting clients in the early days and it’s much easier to secure regular clients if you have fresh work to showcase your talents.
2. BACK YOURSELF
If your ideal role is quite creative and time consuming, such as writing a novel or creating your own range of fragrances, you need to be very strict with your time management. That might mean making your existing role part time until you can rely on income from your new venture.
If the only way to get your dream job is to start your own business from scratch, then do it! There will never be an ideal time (like there is never an ideal time to have kids!) often we just have to take a leap of faith and back ourselves.
3. CONNECT
Join Facebook groups and connect with people who are in a similar field to pick their brain about what challenges they faced when starting out. And to keep your outgoings as minimal as possible until you start making money (it can take some time to really see a profit) explore collaboration opportunities on Instagram or via blogs – just make sure it will actually benefit you with followers who are relevant to what you are doing.
4. SAY YOUR GOALS OUT LOUD
Write your goals down and say them out loud to your family and friends – they will hold you accountable and give you the commitment to keep pushing through the hard times early on. You can do it mama!
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