Side hustles.
Lots of us have ‘em.
Whether they’re passion projects or hobbies, these days having a little somethin’ somethin’ outside of your 9-5 is pretty common.
Here are three reasons why people create side gigs:
1. To pay off debt faster or build up their savings.
2. To receive something they’re missing in their full time job.
3. To live their passion.
Today I’m going to show you 3 steps to break free from working for someone else so you can BYOB. Be Your Own Boss. (That’s what BYOB means, right?)
(Let’s just sit here for a few moments… no reason at all...)
Wait, what were we talking about?
Something about work…
*shakes head*
Ah yes, being your own boss.
So before we dig into how you can turn your side hustle into a full-fledged biz, let’s talk about what they are first.
A side hustle is simply a way to make an extra few bucks.
Maybe it’s something you’re really good at but it’s not what you do day-in and day-out.
Like photography.
I know lots of people who aren’t full-time photographers but who make extra income doing it on the weekends or special events.
Maybe you’re actually looking for a way to make some extra cash… so you can save up for a house or pay down debt. Or you just want to have a little more financial breathing room and independence.
I’ve seen lots of people get in on side gigs for this reason.
Network marketing is a perfect place for that. Many people join the ranks as a network marketer because they’re passionate consumers of the product.
Like me, for example. I fell in love with essential oils over a decade ago and when I learned I could actually make money selling something I was personally obsessed with… well it was a no-brainer.
I’ve also seen people get into the side hustle game because their full-time job doesn’t offer them something they’re craving.
I’ve got a friend who works 50-hour weeks in an admin role at a university and she’s now getting into content marketing. She’s a super creative writer who doesn’t get to use any of that talent in her job.
Not only does she get to make a little extra cashola by writing copy, she gets a chance to flex that creative muscle -- which feels super good!
Another reason people turn to side hustles is to live their passion.
This one is actually my fav because it’s closest to my heart.
I truly believe in the saying: “If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.”
One of my good friends, Amanda, has been obsessed with dogs since she was a kid.
She grew up and did the responsible thing -- got a reliable, steady job. She didn’t love it. She didn’t hate it. It was… fine.
But she spent every off-work moment being with dogs.
Training them. Boarding them. Coming up with healthy recipes for them.
I bet you can see where this story is going…
Amanda now has a dog business that started by local word of mouth and has expanded online.
And that “it’s just fine” job?
A thing of the past.
She’s turned her passion into a side hustle that led her to becoming her own boss.
My friend, this can be you.
It. Can. Be. You.
3 Steps to Break Out and Be Your Own Boss
Step 1: Believe it.
Whoa, bet you didn’t think I was gonna hit ya with a mindset hack, did ya?
But it literally is the ONE THING that absolutely must happen for you to become independent.
You can have 100 people tell you you’re great at something, but if you don’t believe it yourself, nothing’s gonna happen with it.
Amanda, my dog-loving friend I was telling you about? It took her FIVE YEARS to accept that this could be a real business.
She was making consistent money… loving her work… and still working at that dang corporate job 8 hours a day.
Because she dismissed her own talent and business acumen.
I get it… going out on your own? It’s scary AF.
Even when you hate your 9-5, it feels safe. You feel safe in your misery, LOL.
Why are we like this?!
I’m no psychologist, but I think it all comes down to that nasty little 4-letter word…
FEAR.
(It’s 4 letters for a reason, if ya ask me.)
And girlfriend, that’s no way to live.
If you truly want to break free and be your own boss, you’re gotta truly believe it.
Here are a few coaching questions to get you working on that mindset shift:
1. What’s stopping you from making your dream a reality?
2. What is one action step toward this dream or to overcome the obstacle holding you back?
3. When you achieve your dream, what would it feel like?
These are great journaling exercises, too.
Your imagination is super powerful. If you can see it, you can do it. So to kickstart your mindset shift, you gotta dig into what’s holding you back from doing it right this very minute.
Here’s what I’ll tell ya…
I know what you’re going to say. 90% of what’s holding you back isn’t unique to you.
- You’re going to say time.
- You’re going to say money.
- You’re going to bring up your life circumstances.
- You’re going to be worried about security.
- You’re going to doubt your talent and whether anyone will buy into what you want to do.
Do you feel seen?
As someone who did this years ago, what I’ll tell ya is that these concerns won’t go away. Pretty much ever.
The key is to start taking little baby steps toward your dream. I’m not saying to chuck it all and light a match on your way out…
(Though some days that might feel good…)
I’m saying you’ve gotta start thinking that you can do this, before you even take a real step to making it happen for real.
Step 2: Make a plan.
Here’s where you start writing down action steps and ideas.
This step usually feels overwhelming to start… but it also feels good.
There’s magic in putting pen to paper… or notes into phones, LOL.
Having focus helps your mind turn that imagination into a plan.
Our brains love organization. Connecting neurons is totally their jam.
So write down all your thoughts, ideas, and potential action steps down as a place to start.
The trick here is not worry about the HOW just yet. You aren’t responsible for the order of these things happening. Know that you can do that later. You’re free from self-editing at this stage.
So once you have your thoughts down on paper, it’s time to start working on a plan. And it can be a little plan. A baby plan, even.
Since we’ve been talking about Amanda, I’ll tell you what she did.
So, she’s in that category where she was doing all the dog things for fun. Because she was passionate about it.
And once she realized she actually wanted to do this full time, she started taking little steps to get her work out into the world.
Amanda didn’t quit her job… she just did these things on weekends or after hours.
First, she started making batches of the dog treats she’d been giving as holiday gifts and telling her friends she was now selling them for $10.
She did not expect anyone to buy. But she put on her big girl pants and dropped the word.
She got 15 orders in one week.
Looking at her list, Amanda saw “create website” and with a little coaching from me (I mean, she needed it, LOL), she put up a simple website in less than a week and created an Instagram account.
Her dog treats were not only loved by dogs, she packaged them super cute so they photographed well.
Again, she told her friends and within a month, people were buying online without her having to reach out as much anymore.
Amanda had a taste of success. Of what her life could be if she made this be a real thing.
In looking at her list, she noticed her husband had written “farmers market” on the action list.
“There’s no way,” she thought. “My friends and family buying my dog stuff, ok. But real humans??”
(PS: When she said this to me, I laughed out loud. Apparently real humans = anyone outside of her inner circle. They’re clearly more discerning, LOL).
But I told her, “OMG yes! This is a fantastic idea! Let’s make a list.”
And we created a little action plan for the farmers market.
This involved researching how to be a vendor at her local farmers market, doing a little recon by going on Saturdays and seeing what other vendors had set up (plus, getting tasty kombucha on tap, mmmm), and then writing down what she’d need to have inside her booth.
Here’s what I’ll tell ya…
Breaking down big dreams and goals into micro-plans is what makes them actually come to life. Commit to doing one thing at a time… with the big picture in mind… so you don’t fall back into that space of fear and overwhelm.
Step 3: Make it happen.
Ok, so this is a broad statement.
But you’ve gotta take the leap… or sometimes you’ll be forced off the ledge.
Fun fact… there was a huge spike in new businesses formed in the second half of 2020.
Hmm, wonder why… LOL
I’ll tell ya why. All those “reasons” that were holding people back in Step 1 suddenly changed.
When millions of people lost their jobs, they didn’t have that net underneath them anymore. The crutch they used as their excuse to stay small got kicked away. And sometimes that’s what you need to make it all happen.
Here’s how I knew it was time to go out on my own:
I was actually mad my job was getting in the way of my side hustle.
At my job, my earning potential was capped.
But with my essential oil side hustle, it wasn’t… if I had more time to work on it.
Making the decision to quit my job to focus on my essential oil biz was pretty hard.
But I consoled myself by saying I could always go out and get another job if my side hustle tanked. Yet, it didn’t.
I’m sure you’re dying to know how Amanda did at the farmers market.
Well, the first week, it sucked. (According to her.)
In her mind, she would have instant success like she did with her friends and family.
And when she didn’t make her money back on day 1, she was ready to throw in the towel.
Sometimes that early taste of success tricks us into believing it’ll all come that easy.
Her husband reminded her that this was an investment in her biz. It was gonna take time for people to find her and spread the word.
In the interest of time, I’ll drop the quick highlights of what happened next:
- By week 6, Amanda was starting to see consistent traction with her farmers market time. She was getting repeat customers.
- Online sales began going up. Word was spreading and people began ordering her doggie treats on the internet -- she discovered people were gifting her treats.
- She began creating gift bundles online, where customers could customize what went into the boxes from a selection of options.
- Her holiday sales hit $50,000 with her gift bundles… and she was finally freaking ready to quit her job.
In addition to her pre-baked dog treats, Amanda’s working on a healthy doggie recipe book to sell online.
She creates custom meal plans (at $250 a pop) for dog parents who want specific things for their dogs, like weight loss, weight gain, more energy, soothe stomach issues…
And she’s just now starting work on a course about meal planning for dogs and families -- because many of the ingredients in her dog recipes are healthy options for the whole family.
So she’s showing people how the whole fam (because dogs are fam) can meal prep together using the same ingredients but with different preparations.
Basically, she’s starting to build a little doggie wellness empire.
And if she was still working 40+ hours a week? There’s no way she could be doing this.
So if you have a side hustle and dream of being your own boss, now you know the 3 steps to make it happen:
Step 1: Believe it.
Step 2: Make a plan.
Step 3: Make it happen.
And if you’re still sitting there like, ok great… but HOW? Can you, like, just SHOW ME?
Then the answer is… YES.
If you want to ditch your 9-5 and become your own boss, then you’re going to want to attend my upcoming free masterclass.
It’s all about the basic building blocks for expanding your side hustle through online marketing.
3 Keys For Biz Success
4 time slots available the week of April 12
In this free, online masterclass you'll learn how to:
- Generate fresh leads on the regular (without a ton of effort).
- Keep your leads warm (and primed to buy!) with this specific email strategy.
- Create a revenue stream for your biz that isn’t dependent on you.
Plus…. The crazy simple trick to automate 95% of this marketing strategy – so you can set it up once and let the system do all the heavy lifting! Talk about a time and money saver!
I’d love for you to come to this free masterclass.
It’s only an hour long and you’ll walk away with loads of actionable tips for breaking free to become your own boss.
I hope you join me the week of April 12th… and I’ll see ya online.
XO,
Hayley