Gone are the days of having one job. We live in an age of opportunity, and the side hustle is on the rise. This means you can still have a day job, whilst building your brand, business, or public profile after dark.

What’s your passion or big idea?

Maybe you make handbags, perhaps you print fabrics, or maybe you’re an amazing cook with an idea for a pop-up. Anything goes—the world of the side hustle is built around your passion and your big idea.

Find your why

The barriers to starting something for yourself are low. You don’t need tons of cash, contacts, or equipment to start a side hustle; however, you do need grit, determination, and discipline. Not everyone possesses these traits. You will also need to understand yourself and why you want to start a side hustle. Maybe it is to learn new skills, grow your confidence, or build an empire! You need to get to know yourself and what motivates you before you start.

Face your fears

A side hustle require courage, it means stopping the voices in your head that say “I can’t do this.” Also don’t worry what your mates will think, the anxiety of “what will they think of me” has killed many a dream even before the get-go. You are not that person. A side hustle is about doing something for you. It requires commitment, compromise, and facing your fears.

Ride the highs and lows

Building a brand, business, or public profile for yourself is exciting. Be ready for heart-pounding highs and crushing lows. Creating something for yourself, from your own sweat, creativity, and vision is the reward. So what are you waiting for?

Here are some top tips to help you on your way

1. Ace your day job: First things first: when you start a side hustle, it’s not a cue to down tools at work. You need to be awesome at work; your day job is what pays for your side hustle. Whether you are happy or miserable at work, reframe your mindset, look for ways to develop yourself, and learn things that can be useful to your side hustle.
2. Be disciplined: If you are serious about having a side hustle, you need to allocate time and space to let your ideas grow. In order to do this, you will need to find time from things you usually do. Now is a good time to say bye-bye to meeting up with people who drain you and, whilst you are at it, you may as well cancel your Netflix subscription (a box-set binge will set you back hours).
3. Don’t waste money: You may have lots of grand ideas at the start—maybe you are going to buy stock, manufacture things, and create a fancy website. This is the early delusion that everyone has when they first start a side hustle. The need for speed and spending cash to get there fast. Hold your horses—before you borrow a penny, get a plan in order. Do the things that cost you nothing first. You can build a social media presence, a profile, and web page from your phone using very little money. Remember, thrift is your friend.
4. Let go of being perfect: Are any of you perfectionists? Then listen closely, you are not going to deliver your side hustle perfectly. Now exhale. It’s true, side hustles are journeys, and you will make mistakes. Sometimes we do nothing in life because we are waiting for things to be “perfect” but perfect doesn’t exist. So stop being critical of yourself—the sooner you embrace your “flaws,” the sooner you will start to build your side hustle. There are days when you might think you are not good enough; however, to develop in life we need to get over the discomfort of that feeling, take the learning, and move on.
5. Make your side hustle about you: Every feel like you spend your life pleasing other people and not doing anything for yourself? Having a side hustle is the ultimate investment in yourself, in your learning and in your confidence. Sure, your mates or family may have opinions about your project or how you are approaching it; however, never lose sight that your side hustle is about you and making you happy. It is this satisfaction that will motivate you when things get tough, it is this satisfaction that keeps you going into the night when 2 hours will feel like 10 minutes because you are so into what you are doing. Find your flow and the rest will follow.
6. Talk to people: Meeting different people helps open your eyes to new ways of doing things. It is also a great way to test your ideas and get new perspectives. Maybe you always had the same group of friends, or you don’t know people that are different to you. Now is your chance to broaden your network. A side hustle is a perfect way to get out there and socialise, make new friends, find new contacts, and build relationships. It is not easy to do and maybe you feel shy or self-conscious; however, the more you get out there, the more confident you will feel.