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There have been many buzzphrases going around in certain “hustle culture” cliques, most often those of “building passive income,” starting to “run your own side hustle,” and “taking no days off.” Of course, there’s nothing wrong with working in your spare time and trying to gain some extra income, but just remember that doing so without a good work/life balance and a real understanding of the implications of whatever path you choose can be difficult.
For example, jumping online to write copy for a number of online clients sounds great, until you realize you haven’t stipulated the number of revisions they were permitted, and now they want you to rewrite the entire piece five times over.
As such, it’s always worth taking part in some preparation before finding the niche, or more than one niche, applicable to you. In this post, we’ll discuss four insights they don’t tell you about running an online side hustle.
You Still Need A (Smaller) Business Plan
It’s easy to think an online side hustle can be as free-form as you like, and in some cases using agencies or platforms to acquire talents can be relatively simple. But you will still need a business plan. For example – what volume can you put out in terms of content or satisfying clients? How will you communicate your unique selling value? How might you deal with customer complaints? How many graphic design revisions do you allow per order? With a simple, scaled-down guide to help you, you’ll start rolling the ball properly.
Curating Your Personal Brand Is Essential
An online side hustle is a good means of building a reputation you can level to your needs over time. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet or sell feet photos in your chosen niche, then you can begin to build your personal brand. That might involve curating a simple website through a template website builder, making a public-facing Instagram account so you can showcase the work you’re completing for clients and orders fulfilled, and opening an email for inquiries and commissions. Be steadfast, and network. It may help you avoid conventional client acquisition methods.
Properly Price & Gauge Your Work
No one will price your work for you, it’s also important not to undersell yourself. If you give a cut rate, people will have problems when you raise them as you grow. Remember you deserve to be fairly compensated even if you’re new, and it will allow you to develop a sense of confidence and being able to negotiate. It will make a big difference to your sense of productivity.
The Most Popular Platforms May Not Be The Best
Sure, platforms like Upwork and Fiverr may seem ideal for quick jobs, but working for an agency, pitching established companies articles, putting your work on online platforms or streaming your creative process can also give you the attention you’re looking for. It may take a little time, but it will help you avoid fighting for scraps on job provision platforms. There’s nothing wrong with those, but diversifying your strategy is always a good idea.
With this advice, you’re sure to run your online side hustle in the best possible light.
