HOW TO GET YOUR SIDE HUSTLE UP AND RUNNING

People have side hustles for different reasons and that’s totally fine. Just make sure to keep it legit. With a side hustle, the possibilities are endless. You have the opportunity to build something tangible; something that might grow into a profitable venture while you develop your skills and make some money. While you don’t have to start big, it’s important to kick the ball rolling by starting. This article will show you to how to birth your side hustle while still holding down your 9 to 5 gig. 1. It all starts with an idea- When I was in advertising as a copywriter, we would usually be asked “so what the big idea?” in developing communication strategies for our clients. To get your big idea, you must have developed hundreds of big ideas and narrow it down to 2 or 3 big ideas. It’s safe to say its the same thing in starting your side hustle. You will have tons of ideas. Brilliant ones actually but you will have to put it in perspective by writing it down to gain clarity. Write down ALL your ideas fearlessly. After writing it down, dissect each idea putting into consideration the target market, market viability, scalability amongst other things. 

2. What Do You Want To Achieve? Sit down and ask yourself what you really want to achieve. Financial freedom? Novelty? The next Amazon? You really have to think deeply and of a truth, this is no mean feat. This is because if you do an online search of your idea, you will thousands of similar ideas jumping at you. This is why you need to focus and make up your mind. Find your why and stick with it. Remember, its not the end of the road for your other ideas, but need to find you your “why” to move forward to the next stage.

3. Define Your Target Market- Who is your product or service designed for? You can’t speak to everybody. To find your target market, you need to do your homework. Finding your target market is simply narrowing down on your customer. Use the following information as a guide: Name Age Location Income Education Occupation Marital Status/ Number of Children Hobbies Media Preferences and Footprints Social Footprints Pro Tip: Use a real picture to describe your target personae to make it look real and add all the above elements to describe them.

4. Research your competitors- Start easy here so you don’t lose steam. Marketing is a combination of a series of activities and honestly, you can’t get it done in one day. Start with just one or two competitors and take note of the following; what do they specialise in? who are their customers and how do they communicate online and offline with them? Again, do your homework. What do their customers like? Since you have similar products or offer similar services, chances are your customers like the same thing.

5. Start. Yes. start. Just start. Don’t even bother to overthink because overthinking is crippling. Drop your perfectionist mentality and just start. Choose and register your business name. Don’t forget to check with the regulatory bodies of your country or state to know what is or not acceptable. If you need to get regulatory approvals, please do. It not only gives your product credibility, but it also makes you appear professional and attract the right customers to your business.  At this point, you may even need to offer your services or products free of charge. This way, you will also discover that you will get a better perspective on your business journey.

6. Leverage Social Media: One of the easiest ways to put your self out there is through social media. The world is a global village and you need a space to tell the world your story. Choose the best medium that resonates with your target audience to optimise engagement with your tribe. Let me add here that eventually you will have to put some effort into marketing, that is, building your brand. Your brand is more than just your logo or your brand colours. It is focusing on keeping your brand promise. Find your promise and work every day at delivering it. As the business grows, you will need a website to tell your brand stor.

7. Dedicate every day to your hustle: Your business is like a baby that needs to be nurtured and pampered to grow. This means showing up on the great days and the not so great days. Coming up with content and just keeping it at it every day.

8. Have fun. After all said and done, have fun. Remember what all work and no play turned Jack into- a dull boy.

Photo: Cristofer Jeschke via Unsplash

Hello! Thank you for reading! Omotayo Joseph-Ogiolu is a Digital Content Specialist and Human Resource Professional skilled at writing a wide range of assets including blogs, ebooks, landing pages, website content, business and creative content. You can reach me at [email protected]