How to Start a Successful Side Hustle (Even If You Don’t Know Where to Start)
- Adrianne Jerrett
- Aug 15, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 9, 2022
One of the most common questions I get is, “how do I start a side hustle?” My reply is typically, “What do you want to do? What interests you? There are nearly endless options.” Often they reply, “I have no idea.” So if you’re ready to start living the dream and rolling in the extra coin but have no idea how to make it, you’re not alone and in the right place.
By Adrianne Jerrett
Adrianne Jerrett is a yoga-loving self-awareness writer and the founder of Jerrett Digital, brand identity and design company that creates bold Showit websites for health and wellness professionals and ethical businesses.
She helps overwhelmed entrepreneurs shift to being aligned and confident experts, ready to grow their businesses online and boost their positive impact. Visit her website for a free brand colour design guide to start creating a strategic brand from the word go.
Working and Living The Dream
Remember that kid at school who wanted to be a fireman or biologist or was a born manager? They gleefully dreamed, played, chased the fire engines and butterflies, or organized the other kids in the schoolyard. Everyone knew, including them, precisely what they would do for a career when they grew up. Then one day, you find out they’re living the dream and doing exactly that. You’re happy for them but also a little jealous because you’re still flailing through life trying to figure out what to do.
That kid was me. No, not the one who had everything figured out. The one that changed their mind about what to do CONSTANTLY. As an adult, I’ve worked as a marine biologist, specifically an aquaculture technician or, in lamens terms, I grew baby fish, science writer, Pinterest manager, bath bomb seller, blogger, and finally, a website designer. Needless to say, my work story has been a bit all over the place.
In saying that, all of these (except the marine biologist) have two things in common, starting as a side hustle and ultimately being profitable endeavors. Some, like the bath bombs, didn’t quite make it past side hustle territory, but I learned something along the way. So, I’m happy to say I know a couple of things about starting a side business.
Why Should You Start Working on a Side Hustle
Before diving into how, it’s vital we start with why you should start working on a side hustle—knowing the why will help you figure out what you want to do and help you stay motivated. Here are three essential factors to consider when determining why you’re starting your side hustle.
1. Diversify Income
Diversifying income is probably the main reason most people start their side hustles, and after the last couple of years, we don’t need to go into depth about why this is important. However, at this point, this shouldn’t be your primary goal when getting started.
The reason is that all businesses have costs to get started. Granted, if you’re working solely online, costs will likely be lower than a product-based side hustle. However, there will still be a lot of time costs involved, and if you’re not receiving that monetary reward quickly enough, it can be easy to lose motivation and give up or keep at it but simply not enjoy the process.
It’s important to acknowledge that you will spend your spare time outside your normal working day on this. This may seem obvious, but it means you will be taking time away from other fulfilling activities like spending time with friends and family, travel, and other hobbies, so you want to be sure you’re receiving value from the time spent. After all, as you can see from my work story, your first side hustle isn’t guaranteed to be the final one that turns into your full-time business (if that’s the goal).
2. Increase Your Skills
Instead of focusing on money, think about the skills you are developing. These will be useful if you switch focus down the track. For example, my seemingly scattered online career taught me little pieces of the puzzle along the way. Ultimately, each step helped me realize my love of website design. Not only that, I now also have a solid understanding of writing copy, designing marketing material, and understanding how the algorithms work, which helps me in this role.
3. Find Passion
Some people are very clear on what their passions are. Others need a bit more time to figure them out. Either way, passion tends to build from practice and knowledge. The more you absorb yourself in a particular activity or topic, the more excited you become to learn and develop your skills. Then as you learn, you become increasingly fascinated by the nuances or complexity of it all.
How To Get Started With Your Side Hustle
It’s OK if you don’t know how to get started with your side hustle. Honestly, no one does at first. I’ve included some tips so that you can jump in and get some momentum happening today.
1. Be Curious
Curiosity is the best way to start something new. Forget what you think you know, pick something you find intriguing, and learn more about it. If you’re stuck for ideas, make a list. Brainstorm using the following prompts, select one or two ideas and start researching.
What do you love doing and want to do more of? Writing, photography, design, making doilies?
What are some things you’ve always wanted to learn about or would like to learn more about?
Is there something you have always found fascinating or mysterious but would love to know how to do?
A word of caution: This phase can be easy to get stuck in. We’ve all been down the weird internet rabbit holes for hours, right? This is also an excellent place to start developing some productivity skills. Set out your research with a specific question or focus, and when you begin to stray away from answering that, rein yourself back in to stay on track.
2. Get Started
I know we live in a diverse world with so many options, and it can be hard to choose, but start taking action now! Pick something, anything, and go with it. It is easy to get stuck in the curiosity research phase, but ultimately, the best way to learn is through experience.
Pro-tip; Finding a suitable course or book by someone who’s done it before can help keep you focused, answer your questions, and get actionable steps to turn this idea of having a side hustle into a reality.
3. Commit
It’s OK if this isn’t your forever job or side hustle, but be committed to learning about this and working on it right now. My favourite YouTuber and Podcaster, Nikki Lemo, has a great way of explaining her attitude towards her side hustles and how she has managed to build multiple income streams. She says that when she starts a new hobby, side hustle, or business, she focuses on it and acts like it will be her forever obsession until it’s not.
So commit, but be OK with pivoting when it’s right. One of the keys to success is being dedicated and showing up. Give yourself space to learn, grow and move but hold yourself accountable to a particular path; this is where your why comes into play again.
Side hustle journeys will look different for everyone. You will need to figure out your path for yourself by getting in tune with your intuition, regularly re-evaluating your goals, and being honest with yourself. When are you getting side-tracked vs. is it legitimately time to move on?
Anyone can start a successful side hustle, even if you have no idea where to start. The key is to remember why you are starting a side hustle and what you want to gain from it. Along the way, you will also discover that this is, in many respects, a personal development journey. Before you go today, remember that on this journey, don’t be overly judgemental, take one step at a time, have fun, challenge yourself, and know that everyone is just working it out as they go.
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