SIDE HUSTLE CURIOUS?

Last Wednesday, I was having one of?those?days.

I just couldn’t find my flow.?I was irritable and unproductive.

So, I decided to change up my scenery:

• I went and did a reformer Pilates class.
• I turned a work call into an audio only walking meeting to take advantage of the fact Spring has *finally* sprung in NYC!
• I grabbed a salmon and avocado?sushi?roll and ate it on a park bench

It was glorious!?

A random 2 hour middle of the day work break to help me snap out of my funk. ??

It made me realize I should do this more often - Because it’s fun!?

And,?because I can.

One of the biggest upsides for me of running my own business means I am utterly and completely in charge of how I spend my time. It's FABULOUS (mostly...!)

Part of the reason I left my epic job in journalism 6 years ago was because:?

1. I didn’t want to be on call 24/7.
2. I didn’t want to be beholden to others deciding when I could take leave, if I was allowed to take a trip or attend a friend’s wedding.
3. I craved the flexibility to live and work wherever and whenever suits me and my family.

Has it been easy? No.

Has their been anxiety? Sadly, yes.

Has it been worth it? 100000% YES!

Since leaving jouranlism, I've found a community of folks who are totally on the same page. (Shout out to some of my fave side hustlers turned full time biz owners Christy Laurence Cori Sue Morris Dr Kate Adams Joy Fan )

And this week, it was a delight to share the zoom room with my friends from?Female StartUp Club?and?Cubicle to CEO. We had a frank conversation about how we each made the transition from our full time gig into our first side hustle.

We talked about:

• How to start one and make your first $1000. (That first baby step away from your corporate job towards starting that thing you've always dreamed of is the hardest, but the most crucial)
• How to know if you should quit your 9-5 (if ever)
• The importance of finding your support crew of like-minded folks also wanting to chart their own career course

The 3 key things I took from our conversation that you can apply literally today if you have an inkling of a business idea is to:

• TALK about your idea! Speak to whoever will listen about your idea - you never know how they may be able to help!

• ASK people to pay you! Let them know what you're offering/building and ask for that sale

• DON'T BE SHY about being on camera or being the face of your business or idea- start to talk about your idea on voice notes or by creating tiktoks (even if you save them as drafts and never post them!) Start somewhere and you'll grow in your confidence communicating the value and importance of your idea

Check out the full conversation here.

And make sure you follow Ellen Yin who is the highly impressive and brilliant podcaster from Cubicle to CEO? . (It's my most listened to podcast this week!)

Fellow Aussie Doone Roisin founded Female Startup Club and was super candid about her journey, be sure to follow her and add her podcast to your favorites.

And if you're not already following my biz PepTalkHer on linkedin - get involved, we'll always let you know about our free events and resources there ??

Got a side hustle idea? Lmk in the comments below or shoot me a DM, I'd love to cheer you on.

Meggie