The benefits of having a side hustle
And no, not EVERYTHING has to be monetised
Hi, I’m Tineke, coach for women feeling stuck in their careers. I publish my newsletter here every Friday, focusing on ONE topic to do with your career, career change, happiness, women and work, creativity and books (I love books!).
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You *may* have heard me talking about an unfortunate character flaw of mine. Or a quirk.
The one where - as soon as I hear someone talk about what they do - I’m on it. I research it, I go down the rabbit hole, I dream a little, I can just SEE myself doing that *thing* too. I ALMOST go as far as signing myself up for the course, buy the equipment …. except I now know myself and stop before this goes too far. (I secretly think this is why I LOVE helping you change careers, because I’m there WITH you - investigating, testing, dreaming, talking to people, deciding, and then - crucially DOING it!)
Anyway, if you wanted to have an easy lesson in how to think up 50 alternative careers read one of my earlier newsletters here: The 50 careers I’ll never have. (I wonder what 50 careers YOU would come up with!)
The thing I wanted to talk to you about today however is this: side hustles.
Someone said it the other day to me. She said ‘in the last few (5? 10?) years there is such a pressure to monetise everything you do’.
It made me think. Because - yes - there is a lot of truth in that. There are whole industries built on people helping other people monetise their hobbies, their pastimes, that what they’re great at and enjoyed - but so far ‘failed’ to capitalise on.
I wrote a LinkedIn post once in which I outlined the difference between a job, a career, a vocation and a hobby. And I got told off in the comments, for focusing on the money side of things. ‘Can’t we just enjoy something without having to monetise it all the time?’, she said. ‘Can’t we just enjoy something without having to be GREAT at it? Just for the sheer FUN of it?’
Of course she was right. OF COURSE everyone should have something in their lives that they enjoy - not because they’re great at it, or because they make money from it - but because they have fun doing it, enjoy it.
But it also made me think about the benefits of having a side hustle.
The benefits of having a side hustle
Are you wondering if you should?
There are many reasons why you might be pondering this exact question. Should I?
You might have skills or strengths that you believe others could benefit from.
You might have identified a need for something that you haven’t been able to source from anywhere else.
You might be enormously curious to find out what it would be like to do …
You sometimes wonder if others would like to have the things you create
If any of these reasons are currently going through your head I would say ‘YES!’ to at least investigating the possibility of having a side hustle.
People make money from the most unexpected things. What’s more, there are people who are MULTI-MILLIONAIRES, by selling courses to people who do the most unexpected things as a side hustle, or as their main business.
There are people running successful podcasts about unsolved crimes, about dogs, about - well - ANYTHING. There are influencers, investors, crypto currency trades people, survey answerers, secret shoppers, things we NEVER heard of 20 years ago! But also people setting up online shops, artists, makers, writers, the list goes on!
The point I’m making is, if you have a niggling feeling that you *may* be able to start a side hustle, then you should at least investigate it!
Why?
Well, let’s get into it.
The benefits
Money
Of course there is the money. Wouldn’t it be nice if you were able to make some extra money on the side? Not put all your eggs in the one basket of your career?
It is important to consider what money you’d like to bring in. Is it just a bit of extra spending money? Are you looking at the money as an extra source of income to supplement your current income? Or are you looking to try out your business idea as a side hustle first, before you turn it into a ‘proper’ business?
Also, and this is not to be underestimated, money is a tricky subject. Because - and I can say this with confidence - there is nothing like making money through your own efforts alone. However, a realistic view of your side hustle is necessary, to avoid your side hustle becoming an expensive hobby.
People
There are people I would NEVER have met if I hadn’t set up my business. There are people I would never have SET OUT to meet without my business.
When you set up a business, no matter how small, you become (have to become) very intentional about meeting people.
Customers, obviously. But also suppliers, course leaders, peers and colleagues, experts and gurus.
It quite literally opens up your world, and teaches you so much about what others do and want.
Experience
This is for you, career changers. Because, have you ever wondered how you get experience in a field that looks interesting to you?
Yes, running a side hustle is one of the ways of ‘testing’ if that new field is for you. Try something small, see if you can make money from it, see if you LIKE it, then try to scale.
The experience you gain is priceless!
Not only will you get to test if the field is for you, if running a business is for you, but you also get testimonials, recommendations, and the ability to write this experience on your CV and a foot in the door of a new career path.
Running a business
There is nothing quite like it. Running a business was never something I expected to see myself doing.
But running a business, being the owner, coach, founder, chief marketing, book keeper, strategy owner and general dogsbody, is an experience I now know appeals to my multi-passionate soul, and would not have wanted to miss for the world!
Running a business is a challenge, a continuing exercise in creativity, strategy and resilience. It’s not for everyone. A side hustle is a great way of finding out if it’s for you.
Confidence
When you run a business, as a side hustle or otherwise, the buck stops with you. This means you make mistakes, that you brush yourself off and start again, that you have successes, that things work well, or don’t work so well.
And when you run it as a side hustle, the risk is relatively low, because you still have your day job that looks after the bills.
It means that you’re free to learn and grow. And most importantly, that you grow in confidence.
No longer is running a business something that ‘others’ do. No, YOU do this thing, and you’re making money from it!
You’re learning something new, and every time you successfully take your next step you grow in confidence.
Freedom
I can’t finish this newsletter before I say a little bit about this: freedom.
Because when you work in a job, in an organisation, in a culture, you’re bound by rules. Rules - spoken and unspoken - that determine what job you do and how to do it.
When you start a side hustle you get to set the rules, you get to decide where to take your business next. You get to decide how big you want to grow it, or how small, what you need to learn, where you’d like to go.
Running a side hustle, or a business, draws on your ideas and creativity, your sense of strategy, your business acumen, your willingness and ability to go out there to get customers.
EVERYTHING stops, and starts, with you.
And that, my friends is responsibility and freedom rolled into one.
So, what do you say, are you ready for side hustle of your own?
I’d love to hear ALL about it!
What side hustle have you got in mind? What side hustle experiences do YOU have?
Let me know in the comments, or hit REPLY to let me know!
Tineke X
P.S. Do YOU want to get started on changing YOUR career? I’ve got room for ONE client to start in my Career Freedom coaching programme in June.
P.S. Not quite sure if you’re ready for a career change? Why not check out my flexible coaching packages? Choose for 1, 2 or the intensive package of 4 coaching sessions a month, to get ready to change your career for the better and be HAPPY at work!
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Tineke Tammes is a Career & Creativity Coach and supports professional women in making successful transitions. Besides that she is also a lifelong feminist, part-time portrait artist, never-only-read-one-book-at-any-time reader, and obsessive doodler.
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