How to Make Real Money Off Your Side Hustle
Thinking that you'd like to grow your side gig into a full-time job? If you think your side gig has real potential to become a viable business, these three tips from Linda Wellbrock, CEO and founder of networking organization Leading Women Entrepreneurs (LWE), will get you started.
1. Set a Goal
Are you building your business because you want to help others? Or because you want independence or a flexible lifestyle? "Answering those questions will help you stay on course," says Wellbrock. Give some thought to your overall mission and write it down. When you’re in the weeds of growing your side gig and you feel like you’re losing focus (and you will!), come back to that touchstone statement.
2. Network locally
Especially if you live in a small town, it's important to build an alliance with other small-business owners. Start or join a Facebook group for small business owners, or initiate a regular meetup at your local library to celebrate successes and discuss ways to overcome challenges.
3. Share Your Backstory
Don't be shy about revealing the reason you started your business. Amy Genzlinger of Fort Myers, FL, got the idea for her business after she lost her ability to speak due to routine surgery. During her long convalescence, she began making collages out of inspiring phrases and images cut from magazines as a way to process her feelings of loss and frustration. Her therapeutic crafting led to her founding Art From the Heart, an in-home crafting party business whose customers include people who have difficulty communicating, like those with Alzheimer’s or autism. Says Wellbrock, "A compelling 'why' sets you apart and creates a point of connection with your customers."
Amy was the 2019 winner of the Leading Women Socialpreneur Award, presented by Woman’s Day and LWE. The yearly award goes to a woman entrepreneur whose business has a socially conscious angle and who advocates for women. The winner receives a feature story in Woman’s Day, a brand marketing consultation with MSI Media Group, and free membership to LWE.
Interested? Budding socialpreneurs can apply to live-pitch their business to a panel of Woman’s Day and LWE representatives at the LWE Force for Change Conference on November 14, 2019 in Newark, NJ. Register here or email info@lweworld.com.
You Might Also Like
