Being a parent teaches you how to pay attention to a number of things at once, like cooking a meal while watching the kids playing in the next room, for example. Or perhaps you want to supplement your main source of income with a side hustle. Being a parent also means your time is precious, and if you are thinking about adding a side hustle to your routine, you want it to be one that makes sense for you.
Consider Leveraging Your Routine
When it comes to deciding on what side hustle to go with, you should start paying close attention to what is already a part of your daily routine. Do you like trying out a variety of different baby foods? You could blog about some in-depth reviews for those brands. Are your kids all wrapped up in sports? Do some research on how to make that work for you.
Side hustles come in all shapes and sizes. This might seem daunting at first, but it is something you can use to your advantage. The point of a side hustle is to have a low-stress alternative to your standard income. By crossing off side jobs that would disrupt your routine too much, you can figure out which options are a better fit.
Make Mistakes Early and Cheap
Don’t be afraid to get a little creative and experimental when deciding on the right side hustle. The only way to really know what works best for you is to understand what doesn’t. Failure is inevitable in any business venture. Rather than avoiding failure outright, consider inviting it to show up as early as possible.
Try things you never would have imagined doing before, but make sure you don’t buy expensive equipment for any venture until you’re sure you want to pursue it. If you fail, you learn a lesson and don’t lose too much time or money. And you might just stumble on success seeing out those early failures. Either way, you win. It might sound counterintuitive, but a dose of failure early on can be the best thing for you.
Remember to Have Fun
You want something that makes at least some money but is also fun to do. Somewhere in between a job and a hobby is the sweet spot to aim for when it comes to your side hustle. The more fun it is for you, the easier it will be to set aside a few hours each week to work on it. For all you know, this fun side project you are thinking about starting now could grow to replace your day job. If you aren’t having much fun early on, you won’t like it any better as it grows. This is your time, your effort, your side hustle. Remember that.
It is entirely up to you to make ‘having fun’ be a requirement of your side hustle, and you owe it to yourself to make sure that box gets checked. You know what you enjoy. Be honest about how much you enjoy whatever you try early on.
Do Your Homework
Image via Flickr by woodleywonderworks
Side hustling has been around about as long as work. With the rise of the internet, it has become much more fashionable, and the variety of choices has increased tremendously. Learning about the different platforms and programs you can get involved with is part of the fun as well as part of the work.
As you research, you will learn more about what makes sense for you, what has worked for others, why people who don’t have a side hustle are so doubtful, and even the compelling truth about the Amway pyramid scheme myth. Doing your homework is an involved process, but there is nothing like the feeling of learning a fact you have researched yourself.
Creatively examine your life, don’t let fear of failure hold you back, have fun, and do your homework. Follow these tips, and you’ll find the right side hustle in no time.
