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Professional Adulting: Side Hustles

“If your salary is your only source of income, you are only one step away from poverty.”

This is more of a philosophy than a cold and hard fact, but what it tries to enforce is that savvy people will spend extra time they have outside of their core employment to make a living that meets their expectations. The recent pandemic and government’s back and forth has made people realize that the world is a cat, and their job and lifestyle is a ball of yarn being jostled back and forth between boom or bust, spending or saving, employment or unemployment. Two ways to help yourself feel more secure in these times are to have deep pockets and savings – which if you’re reading this article is most likely not in your wheelhouse – or to have a side-hustle that most likely doesn’t pay the bills, but is either a long-term play at something you love or can cover those weekend bar tabs and grocery runs.

Love It...

I’ve always had a proclivity towards intellectual comedy and comedic writing. Steve Martin’s slapstick comedy is equally as attractive, but being an introvert that has a face for radio made that industry a hard one to crack. The art of using nothing other than some etchings on a page to make someone smile, laugh, or most likely blow air loudly out of their nose is a hard task. Done right, it can be just as rewarding as a snorting crowd at the Laugh Factory. Other Adulting contributors found their passion to be marketing, videogames, tanning, music, fitness, art, drinking, shopping, construction, teaching, cooking, or playing with puppies. Your side hustle does not need to be lucrative at first, but spending time pursuing something that you are passionate about is never a waste of time. I’m sure if you asked DudePerfect, David Dobrik, Pokimane, Joe Rogan, Marc Benioff, LeLe Pons, or Daymon John they would tell you that they never imagined their side-hustles would become as large as they inevitably did. It is important to identify what it is that you enjoy first, and make it into a career second.

Stacy Can't You See

“Adulting…it’s not you it’s me…you’ve been so helpful and inspiring, but your ideas are just not realistic. I’m not good at anything and don’t have the time in a given day to start dancing or singing or expanding my Beanie Baby YouTube page. I’m sorry, but after reading this I’m just going to go back to watching the Umbrella Academy.” – Stacy Mútter

In reading this quote, can you see what Stacy missed? What would have been a great side hustle that combined what she enjoys and what other people may be interested in reading, buying, or watching? Our answer would have been…drum-roll please…Netflix! Stacy could write a short review of each Netflix special she watched, give them a rating out of 10, place the reviews on social media with some catchy grab images or videos and there she goes – side hustle. Her side hustle would help answer the question that is floated on Snapchat stories every other day – “Any recommendations on what to watch next?” Stacy clearly had the time, but it was the passion that was lacking for her Beanie Baby series. If you can find an idea that blends the two than you are more likely to make a step towards building your side-hustle. Most importantly in creating this side hustle, Stacy also does not have to buy large pieces of equipment, spend weeks learning a new language, or figure out how to code. These are all known as ‘barriers to entry’, meaning that Stacy did not have to spend excessive amounts of time or money that she did not have to pursue her side-hustle. These statements are all relative, but generally until you are ready to turn a side-hustle into a career we suggest finding ways to follow your passion without breaking the bank. There are many free or cheap ways to develop expertise or find an audience in this modern era. As a way to close out this short article we will leave you with a list of ideas that might inspire you to take that next step:


...Or List It

  • Website Design – Design is the structure, copy writing, and style If a site. Wix makes it so no coding is needed so don’t so worry about cracking upon that ‘html for Dummies’ book

  • Videogame Streaming – Find a game you love, develop a brand, and start filiming

  • Photography – Go on some trips or outings, take some creative photos, and utilize a free editing software like GIMP2.0.

  • Instagram Influencer – Find a niche that people enjoy, create interesting content, be consistent, and stick with it

  • Clothing Designer – Use free marketing platforms like Canta to design some logos, find your brand and audience, and order your first t-shirt.

  • Personal Trainer – If you’re into fitness, gauge whether some friends would be interested/know of anyone that could benefit from personalized workouts. Take one of the many certified professional exams out there and start with a small group.

  • Podcast – Talk about topics you are passionate about. Spotify has a free podcast which would be a great place to start

  • Alcohol Review – If you love drinking try making an Instagram page or website reviewing local brews or bars. People enjoy having a rating system so tier the beers or make an Instagram page ranking bars in the area, age demographics, and what is best/worst about each.

  • Shopping – Create a blog that goes over how you budget each week, what foods are best, any new deals/coupons, and where the best places to find each item.

If you have a passion and you are curious as to how you can turn this into a side-hustle, feel free to reach out here or message us on Instagram!

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