PP 142: 5 Killer Tips for Managing & Maximizing Your Creative Side Hustle
Back in May, I had the chance to jump on an episode of The Happy Ever Crafter TV with the calligraphy queen, Becca Courtice.
I came prepared with some notes to help her niche calligraphy and lettering audience to get the most out of their side hustles.
What kind of a jerk would I be if I didn't go more in-depth and share it with you?
Regardless if you do calligraphy, lettering, knitting, underwater basket weaving, etc., there is something in this episode that can help you take your side hustle to the next level.
Today, I'm giving you 5 Killer Tips for Managing Your Side Hustle to Maximize Results. Prepare to take some notes!
Hopefully, there's a missing piece here that gets you one step closer to putting your peculiar yet promising puzzle together.
1. Have a Plan & Show Up with Intention
How comfortably can you answer the following questions with conviction?
What do you want to accomplish in life and why?
Who do you want to become and why?
Who do you want to serve/make an impact on and why?
Figuring out the answers requires a lot of time, soul searching, and uncomfortable dialogue in your head.
Once you're able to tap into that vision, reverse engineer that dream so you can pinpoint the steps you need to take.
From here, you're able to layout short-term and long-term S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound) goals that align with the vision.
A goal without a plan is just a wish, so knowing what you want and developing a gameplan are crucial.
When you know what you want and have outlined your steps, there's less room for guessing on what you should be working on each day.
Having a plan makes it much easier to attack the top task that moves you closer to your goal each day.
Note: If you lack a plan or system for making time to work on your side hustle, you're going to love next week's part 3 episode. I'm giving you 6 Ways to Carve Out Time to Grind & Execute Outside Your Day Job.
2. Be Consistent
My favorite quote about consistency comes from Sean McCabe (Seanwes).
[perfectpullquote align="full" bordertop="false" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]"Nobody notices announcements, people notice consistency."[/perfectpullquote]
It's time for a hard dose of reality and some tough love.
There's no way you should be complaining about the promise of your side hustle when you've only:
been doing it for a few weeks to a few months
invested an hour or two a week
posted a few times on social media here and there and told a few friends
People won't notice shit until you consistently stay in front of them and make it crystal clear what you're doing.
You have to remind people that you exist, and you do this with—you guessed it—a plan.
One of the best ways to do this is to lock down a systemic routine of when you'll create and when you'll post.
Frequency
I recommend sharing AT LEAST once a week, as we tend to be creatures of weekly cycles (e.g. weekly episodes of our favorite TV shows or Monday Night Football).
Daily output is going to get your faster results, of course. This isn't realistic for many people and can easily lead to burnout.
Weekly is a manageable output that anyone can figure out. Start with something small and add more to your plate as you build it into your routine.
Duration
If this is something you're good at and it lights you up, I feel a minimum of six months of pursuing it with maximum effort is the least you can do. I'd highly recommend pushing it easily to 1-2 years if it's bringing you any of the 9 benefits I mentioned in last week's episode.
It took me in the 1-2 year range to really start finding my footing. Currently, my fifth year is when I'm really finding my stride.
It. Takes. Time.
It's not always about reaching the most people in the beginning, but the right people slowly over the years.
3. Be Persistent
I wanted this one to rhyme with Be Consistent because I like to have a good time and unwind with a rhyme outside design.
News Flash: it's not easy pursuing something that's important to you—it's a straight-up rollercoaster ride, as you're being tested at every turn.
You're going to experience plenty of shitty moments along your creative grind. There will be plenty of people that will attempt to rain on your parade. You gotta keep pushing to bathe in those sunny days when you've tapped into your creatively-fulfilled zone.
I don't' have enough fingers or toes to count how many battles of self-doubt, depressed funks, haters, financial emergencies, etc. I've faced when pursuing my side hustle. I do know that every shit storm I've weathered has made me stronger.
Every time you get knocked down, it's your responsibility to get back up and keep swinging. It's called responsibility because you have the ability to respond.
Each time you get back up, you're adding a new bruise or scar that you can add to the "hard lessons learned jar" and use it as fuel.
As cliche as it sounds...if it was easy, everyone would do it.
It's not easy, but gritting it out because it's important to you will always be worth it.
Don't find yourself on your death bed wondering, "What would life look like had I gotten back up to fight another day?"
4. Stop Trying to Be Pizza
What fun would this be if I didn't include something pizza-related?
My life motto has become, "You can't make everyone happy, you're not pizza."
It's my filter that I run everything through when I show up each day.
It's insanely hard to gain traction when you feel you have to reach every human in every pocket of the planet when you hit publish.
The harder you try to reach the masses, the harder it is to land on that one soul who needs what you have to offer.
Attempting to please everyone usually means you're riding the fence and playing it safe. You're scared to have a strong opinion, as it could drive someone away.
James Victore on episode 117 would call this being "Oatmeal." Don't be Oatmeal.
All it takes is one person at a time to attract that like-minded tribe of freaks who vibe to your flavor of weird.
Instead of going for width, go for depth.
Embrace who you are, share what's true to yourself, and keep the perfect person in mind when you hit publish (even if it's yourself).
More importantly, disregard the thoughts and opinions of the haters. What you put into the world wasn't meant for them anyways.
5. Find Your Secret Sauce
What's the secret sauce, and how do you make it?
The starting base to your secret sauce: find the overlap of your greatest strength and greatest passion. This is called your sweet spot, and it's something I learned from Ken Coleman of The Entreleadership Podcast.
You're going to have a hard time finding success with your side hustle if it's:
something you're good at but don't enjoy
something you love doing, but you suck ass at it doing
The quick way to go about this is to make two-circle Venn Diagram.
Strengths
On the left, list your strengths.
These could be things you can naturally thrive in that others find difficult.
It could be skills you've acquired for hours you've spent learning a trade or craft.
Taking a StrengthsFinder2.0 test can help you peel back another layer and reveal some deeper answers.
Passions
On the right, list your passions—the things that light you up and leave you feeling fulfilled.
These are the things you zone out and lose track of time doing.
It could be the thing that keeps you up at night because your mind is bursting with ideas.
At the same time, it could be the thing that gets you jazzed to get out of bed each day.
Bonus Points: ask friends and family to list out what they feel your greatest strengths and passions are so you can locate patterns.
Secret Ingredient #3
It takes some time and a lot of experimentation to find your secret sauce, but once you do, you can add in the third and final ingredient.
That third ingredient is your market. I'm talking about your target audience or perfect follower that your sweet spot provides value or a solution to.
Now that's a whole other can of worms, but hopefully, it has you thinking of the value you bring to the table with your secret sauce.
Note: I highly recommend Seth Godin's book, This is Marketing to go deeper on this topic. Get his audiobook for FREE here.
Putting it All Together
It's easier said than done, but implementing these tips into your side hustle is no doubt going to help you maximize your efforts and see results.
Yes, everything starts with a plan. However, practicing self-discipline, having some grit, and understanding the value you provide is crucial for taking your side hustle to the next level.
That's all apart of the process, but the energy and effort is worth it once you find your stride.
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CREDITS
Music - Blookah
Executive Assistant - Paige Garland
Photo & Video Specialist - Colton Bachar
Social Media Coordinator - Hannah Schick
Animation Specialist - Greg D'Amico