Meet new Clever guest contributor Nailah Blades of Polka Dot Coaching. Nailah is a certified Life and Business Coach and for her first post she is kicking off a series on starting a side hustle.
You’re Clever. You’re a creative, independent thinker and probably entrepreneurially-inclined. You know what you want and how to get it – you’ve got it all together, right? But maybe lately you’ve been feeling that tiny tug. That nagging feeling that suggests there may be more out there – better ways to use your talents. Maybe lately, you’ve been thinking of dipping your toe into entrepreneurship.
The leap to entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be scary and abrupt. You can test the waters with a side hustle, build up your clientele and then make the leap into full-time entrepreneurship when you’re ready. Or you can use your side hustle to explore different aspects of yourself while continuing to maintain your full-time gig. The possibilities are endless.
Ready to launch a side hustle but not sure where to start? In the next few months, we’ll be discussing the 5 steps to get you started on your exciting side hustle adventure. In the first part of the series we’ll be talking about narrowing down your offer.
Decide on Your Hustle
I’m a firm believer that we all have unique talents and strengths to bring to the world. So why not get paid sharing what you know best? The key to developing a successful side hustle is that what you offer needs to fall squarely in the intersection of what you’re amazing at and what your target audience needs & is willing to pay for. You need both to succeed. Just because you’re great at something does not make it useful (I have yet to find someone to pay me for making snarky remarks to my TV while watching bad reality shows). On the flip side, just because someone is willing to pay you for a skill doesn’t necessarily mean it’s something you want to build an entire side hustle around.
I have a client who is a wine & travel enthusiast. Her day job is in event production so she knows her way around planning successful, fun events but she was eager to combine her amazing planning skills with her love & knowledge of wine. What my client realized is that while people love drinking wine in fabulous locales, they don’t have the patience or time to plan these fab events. Further, the average woman loves drinking wine but may feel intimidated by the complex ins & outs of different varietals. My client was able to create a side hustle that is smack dab in the intersection. She is great at planning events and is incredibly knowledgeable in all things wine & travel; her customers are willing to pay for her knowledge and for the convenience of her planning their wine events. Perfecto.
Here are a few questions to get your brain whirling in the right direction.
- What are you ah-mazing at! (Not good, not competent. Amazing.)
- What skills do you have that could make someone else’s life easier?
- What do you love doing?
Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Happy Hustling.
Thank you, Nailah! Tune in next Monday for the continuation of Starting a Successful Side Hustle: Determining Your Ideal Client.
