SIDE-HUSTLE: HOW TO MAINTAIN THEM

The following lessons are learned from a panel held on September 29 at the RBJ Women’s Leadership Summit featuring entrepreneurs: Jessica Lewis, Lauren Barley, Mackenzie Piccarreto, and moderator Ahlia Kitwana.

By: Ryan Risch

Over the last 15 years, side hustles have become a mainstay in American households which roughly 50% of full-time workers report having one. A side hustle, otherwise known as an extra job or occupation, provides additional income or professional growth to those whose needs are not met by their nine-to-five. On top of a 40-hour work week, side hustles can be arduous--even with proper management. Here are the top 3 lessons we learned: 

Establishing Boundaries

Engaging with a side hustle always means you are sharing time from your personal life. This requires some sacrifices to be made, and activities to be missed. It is important to take a mental step back and evaluate what can be missed, and what absolutely can’t. While it feels like shirking responsibilities to visit friends or watch your child’s dance recital will make your business fail; over-working drains your focus and will inevitably lead to burn out. If you find your plate is just too full to balance both, potential options could be hiring another employee, or outsourcing elements that are not feasible.

Surrounding Yourself With Expertise

A good entrepreneur knows how to build a network of buyers, while a great one knows how to build a network of knowledge. Building a business requires a wide skill set that nobody is just born with. While it takes time to expand your expertise, there are many people who have already developed these skills and would be a useful asset. The best way to find these connections is not to wait for them to fall into your lap, but to actively seek them out through professional organization memberships or asking your current connections.

Being Flexible

While you may have entered this side hustle with grand ideas of growth, side hustles may not always align with expectations. It is impossible to compare growth with what you see from others on social media. No business is built overnight, but rather through lengthy periods of observation, adjusting, and readjusting. Business goals sometimes have to change to match demands of the environment they are growing in. A successful side hustle maintains agility above all else to fit into your time and needs.