6 Reasons to Leverage Your Day to Fuel Your Dream Job
Leverage Your Day Job to Fuel the Dream Job
"No one will take me seriously if I have a day job."
"I have to figure out how to monetize my creativity ASAP to do this full-time."
Guilty of ever saying or thinking either of these?
It took me a long time to embrace that it's OK to have a day job and slowly build your creative pursuits on the side.
This session is going to break down how to leverage your day job to fuel your dream job.
Note: Click the image to watch the replay. Continue below to read the blog.
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6 Benefits of a Day Job
There is ZERO shame in rocking a 9-5.
I know big-time creatives in the industry who crush shit on the side of their day jobs!
I personally built the entire early foundation of my current biz OUTSIDE my day job as a side hustle.
More on that timeline later…
First, let’s start by breaking down 6 powerful benefits a day job can provide you.
1. Cover your expenses—that safety net helps you bet on yourself.
The main benefit is clearly you don’t have to worry about where the next paycheck is coming from.
Consider your day job as the bank that can fund the dream.
2. Learn new skills on the company dime—AKA stealing from your day job.
In the past, I’ve leveraged trainings, travel + conferences, Adobe CC licenses, relationships, resources (like Skillshare), and so much more.
My current creative business leverages so many things I was able to learn/steal from all my past day jobs.
3. Explore your interests/passions—true success is getting paid to play.
Having a day job allows you to freely experiment and pinpoint your Sweet Spot (the overlap of your greatest strength + greatest passion).
Most people like to skip this step and go straight toward where the money is…yet either hate what they do or they’re not good enough to thrive in that field.
By focusing on the sweet spot, over time, you’ll start to be able to notice patterns on where demand and opportunities lay.
4. Take calculated/measured risks—because your steady income covers the bills.
When your living expenses are covered, you can leverage any extra income and/or time to pursue a “not-so-risky” bet on yourself.
Some ideas to consider:
Ordering your first prints.
Starting that podcast.
Building your own website.
Buying that iPad for your art.
Investing in that animation course, etc.
In this scenario, you’re not overextending yourself putting yourself in a bad position that affects your life/family.
5. Organically grow your side hustle—versus forcing it to explode overnight.
It’s unfair to put a world of pressure on yourself for your dream to manifest instantly.
I’m a big believer in starting small, slowly scaling, and building a proof of concept with social proof that what you’re doing is working.
Be patient and nurture something you love as it’ll typically evolve into something you never could’ve imagined
6. Maximize your limited time for better focus—optimize your bandwidth.
I like to shift the perspective of someone working a 9-5 to see that having less time to grind on your dream is actually a benefit—if you choose to make it that way.
It forces you to get more clear about what you want.
It forces you to be more intentional and not waste your finite time on shiny objects.
It forces you to do less, but better as I believe success lies in subtraction, not addition.
Self-Employment is Over-Glorified
Being self-employed is both great yet extremely over-glorified.
(TBH, most people AREN'T cut out for it.)
What you fail to see is the:
• Non-fun stuff like bookkeeping, taxes, admin work, etc.
• Weeks or months where you don’t make a dime.
• Seasons where you don't know where your next income is coming from.
Having a day job can be a beautiful thing!
It reduces the burden of feeling like you have to do your thing full-time in order to be taken seriously as a professional, thriving creative.
That’s how it was for me for my timeline of hobby > side hustle > to self-employment.
I spent 2010 - 2014 experimenting to find my creative pulse outside a day job.
I spent 2014 - 2019 turning my side hustle biz, Perspective-Collective LCC, from a hobby to a profitable side hustle outside a 9-5.
In late 2019, coaching started taking off shortly before being unexpectedly let go from my “safe” corporate cubicle gig.
In 2020, I took the leap into full-time coaching making my first 6-figures and doubling my previous salary of $61k.
As I’m writing this today, I’m on pace to lock in my 4th straight year of making 6-figures. 🤯
I wouldn't be where I am today had I not leveraged my past day jobs to fuel my dream job.
When I stopped comparing my creative path to someone else's…
I was able to slowly lay the foundation to successfully do shit on my own terms for the long term.
My goal is to share how I do this step-by-step with you on your own unique path.
Be a Respected, Creative Pro
You can still have a day job AND be a respected, creative professional.
This is why I preach and teach the philosophy of “Leverage your day job to fuel your dream job.”
If you’re looking for a little guidance on how to take yourself and your work to the next level…
I’d love to work with you in the upcoming 12-Week Coaching Session (learn more below 👇🏻).
JOIN THE 12-WEEK COACHING WAITLIST!
The 3-Month Side Hustler’s Coaching Program is meticulously designed to help you get serious about what you want while giving you the tools to get there.
Consider this a Creative Biz 101 Master’s Degree without the major price tag and debt that comes with a traditional education!
You'll get direct daily/weekly access to me within a personalized, yet intimate setting of 6 total hungry souls such as yourself.
Click the button to learn more and join the Waitlist!
