What having a side-hustle taught me

As many of you already know, I’m not your typical 09:00 to 17:00 type of girl when it comes to careers. I am spending that amount of time in a corporation, while the remaining hours of my day are spent working on my project, this blog! Today I’m here to share with you my side-hustle tips and how I manage to run my business while working full time.

You may be wondering what a side-hustle is. Well, it’s usually an activity that is uncorrelated to your full-time job, explaining the side part of the word. More than that, it’s a subject of passion and a subject of potential income. That being said, money is not the ultimate goal here. It’s rather something that correlates to everyone’s dream: to make a living by doing the things you love. Hustling is only fitting for something that could be your full-time job someday.

Over the span of a couple of years, I have made lots of mistakes by not believing in my dream. I gave up on it, I disregarded it and I was hard on myself. I do regret those things today, but it was a learning process that I could not have gained otherwise.

So without further ado, here’s what I have to say to all of you going through the same process:

Work hard // Being ambitious and strong are two of the most important things when it comes to a side-hustle. You will fail, you will find closed doors and countless misfortunes. The important thing though, is to never give up! I learned that the hard way, since I was way too hard on myself and could not accept failure.  Remember, failure always comes to those who try. So, work hard for what you want and learn from your mistakes. 

Be organized // I cannot stress this enough! When trying to accommodate a full-time job and a side-hustle, being organized is top priority! Since I spend a good amount of time at my office and need to concentrate on the matters at hand there, I cannot work simultaneously on the blog. The solution to that: scheduled posts! In order to have scheduled posts though, I have to work a lot during the night and in the weekends. If you’re familiar with blogging, you would know that it takes a lot of time to imagine the concept, style the outfits, shoot and process the pictures, draft the post and then making sure that it’s on time on all the social media platforms. It’s a harsh workflow and managing your time to fit all is crucial! (Have a daily planner if you’re a beginner, it helps a lot!)

Technology // No matter if your side-hustle is online based or not, technology helps you in lots of ways and can get you one step closer to your goal! As mentioned above, using technology can also help you save precious time and effort! If you’re a blogger, get yourself a good camera, a powerful computer and let’s not forget, a fast internet connection! And speaking about internet, never disregard social media! The most significant benefit for a blogger is good engagement on social media platforms and it can direct new audiences to your blog faster than you think!

Income // Having a steady income is crucial. While you get that from your day job, it’s always important to know that you can also count on your side-hustle for a profit. Find ways in which you can generate an income from your passion but don’t get rolled up in that idea. Of course the goal is to make a living out of it, but don’t let money drive you. If you truly want to be successful at what you do, learn to be driven by passion. When succumbing to “easy money”, you may end up saying yes to something that does not represent you or does not fit your aesthetic. Learn to say no, and focus on the things that truly make you proud of your work.

Thankful // Never take anything for granted. Having accomplished anything with a side-hustle is truly a thing to be grateful and thankful for. Not only to yourself and your hard work, but also to the people that have helped you. The content of Looktheotherway.co would not be possible without my boyfriend Andrei, who shoots all the amazing editorials for the blog, the brands that believed in me and without all of you, my readers! So thank you, to all of you!

Maybe we’ll talk again about this subject in a year’s time and hopefully we’ll all have news to share about our dream and how it evolved. Good luck on your journey!

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