Before You Start A Side Job, You NEED This...

Before You Start A Side Job, You NEED This…

In January I realized that I’d been failing as a wife and mom. I realized that I had been missing out on opportunities to provide extra income for our one income family.

We had been struggling on one income but knew that it was best for our family if I didn’t need to work outside of the home. But I had overlooked many opportunities to work inside of the home!

I feel more than a little ashamed to say that I only started making money from side hustles in January. Since then, they have paid for groceries, car bills, and more for our family. I keep kicking myself for not having found these side jobs before when we were struggling a lot more than we are today.

You can’t change the past; you can only move forward!

More importantly, I know that I have something more important than just having a side job. I know what it takes to have a successful side job. Nothing is going to be a get-rich-quick scheme, but even a small side job can turn into a full-time job. But it won’t be overnight.

The most important thing when thinking about getting a side job is making sure that you are motivated enough to move forward, stick with it, and keep going when things get tough.

Finding the motivation to keep going is why I’m still here blogging now. The biggest part of my side hustle is now my blogging income, which is now very easily bringing in $1,200 a month (and more!) less than a year after making my first post. There is no one asking me to meet deadlines or make sure that I get a post out or to respond to emails… It’s all up to me.

If I feel sick one day or my computer goes down or I’m just feeling discouraged, there’s no one to pick up the slack for me or to remind me to keep going. I have to be motivated enough to keep going.

6 months into blogging, I hit a wall.

I was feeling discouraged that I wasn’t making the $20,000 a month that other bloggers were. I felt like I had great content, but felt like I was always hearing crickets. Then I remembered reading that most bloggers throw in the towel on their blog around 6 months.

I was inspired to beat this statistic and refused to quit. I kept going and, slowly but surely, I found my rhythm and found myself with more traffic than I thought possible in the first year. If I had quit, I never would’ve known that it is possible to make a living without getting a nine-to-five job.

The same thing can be said for an Etsy shop owner. No one is there to tell you to get your orders sent on time or to make more products to add to your store. You need to be able to push yourself to get it done and to keep going when you are feeling ready to quit.

I can list off all of my favorite side hustles, but none of them will work if you aren’t able to push yourself. Before you start a side hustle (whether it’s Etsy, secret shopping, a blog, or anything else), you must have the drive to do it.

How do you find the drive to keep going?

Find your “why.”

Why do you want a side job?

Is it:

so that you can stay home with your children?
to help contribute to your family’s income?
because you found yourself suddenly single and needing to support your family on your own (if this is the case, you need to check out Sarah Titus’ story)?
to prove that you can?
to work to get out of debt?
to help people?
to share your story?
to connect with others and build a community?

Write it down.

Write down why you’re starting your side job. Keep this in a safe place where you can find it when you’re feeling discouraged.

You can:

keep it in your wallet
keep it in a binder
make it your desktop background
hang it on the fridge
frame it and put it on your desk
hang it up like a picture

Whatever you do with your list, make sure to keep it where you won’t lose it. This will remind you what you’re working toward. If you’re ever feeling discouraged, remember to check your list, and keep going!

Choose who you talk to very carefully

Your biggest cheerleaders and your biggest critics will be those closest to you. Be careful whose opinions you listen to. I’m a people-pleaser by nature, so hearing someone say that they thought it was “cute” or even “dumb” to start a blog almost stopped me before I even started. But having people who believed in me (especially getting my husband’s support) really helps me to stay motivated and to get the momentum I needed to get going.

When you’re starting a new job, there will be people who are both very pro and con taking a step outside of the norm (even if it’s just starting an Etsy shop). Because some people can be louder than others with their naysaying, it’s best to choose who you talk to about your side job very carefully.

Don’t forget to find someone who is rooting for you, though! Finding someone who supports you is both a motivator and a source of comfort. If you know that someone is watching you and rooting for you, you’re going to find the motivation to push through the tough times and keep going when it’s tough. You’ll also find someone that can celebrate your big wins with you.

But again, choose these people wisely!

Before you start a side job, you need to have the drive to keep going.

No matter what your side job is or how serious it is or how lucrative it is, you need to have the drive in yourself to keep going when it gets tough. Hard truth: if you aren’t internally motivated, a side job probably isn’t for you. You need to be able to keep moving and working through the good and bad days. If you need someone other than you to give you tasks or keep you moving, then being your own boss in a side job is going to be a bad fit.

Even if it feels like you’re about to crack under the pressure, or it feels like you’re just not getting anywhere, I’m rooting for you!