One of the best decisions I’ve made in my career is to start a side business. It’s been incredibly rewarding and could someday become a full-time business. If you, too, are looking to start a side hustle, it’s important to weigh your options and choose the one that makes the most sense for you. To make sure you develop a successful side hustle, I’ll offer some questions to ask yourself before you start a new side venture.
Come up with a solid business plan
If you’re establishing a side business and don’t yet have a business plan, you need to do it right now. Your side business’s road map is essentially a business strategy. Without a strategy, success is unlikely. Remember that a business plan does not necessarily need to be 100 pages long. Your original business plan should be flexible and could change drastically. You can begin to notice other issues when you put your thoughts on paper and as your gig takes off.
Learn to network
Attend networking events, workshops, seminars, or forums to network with possible mentors, partners, and like-minded individuals. Create a solid support system and a professional network. It’s not what you know, but who you know, as the saying goes. You need to network with other business owners and entrepreneurs since businesses are about people. You may learn a lot from people who are already managing their small enterprises, both from the things they did well and also from the mistakes they made.
Plan your schedule well
When developing a side hustle, a realistic schedule is essential. It will be challenging to find time for your new side gig without a regular timetable. As a first step, figure out how much time you can dedicate to your side business. You must take into account your day’s work in addition to your other obligations, such as taking care of your family, pets, home, and, most importantly, your wellness and fitness routines, such as cooking for yourself or exercising.
Determine what will be effective for you. For instance, you might realize that you can only devote time to your side business on the weekends or in the evenings. You could also choose to make use of your extra time by waking up earlier each day. You have to make time for your business.
Don’t blow your budget
Some side hustles require you to have a bit of money to get started, such as when I bought my Cricut, but make sure you don’t waste it all. I
Another costly aspect of having a physical product shop is shipping. It took me time to figure out shipping costs. Find ways to save on shipping, especially if you are selling on a global marketplace like Etsy. One shipping option is UPS international shipping with Unishippers.
Figure out what is absolutely necessary to invest in and what can wait.
You want to try and get the best prices for things while still having good quality. Once things start selling, you can use some of the money you bring in to upgrade or expand.
Related post:
Why I Bought a Glowforge for My Business
Shhh Meeting in Progress! Do Not Disturb Sign
This “Shhh meeting in progress! Do not disturb.” sign lets you ask roommates, friends or family to keep it down as you are on a work call or video meeting. The text can be customized.
This sign makes a great gift for someone with a new remote job.
Includes twine for hanging.
To customize:
Choose Custom option
Type in text as you would like it to appear.
Please note that wood pieces have minor differences and no two pieces are alike. Want a bigger size? Message me!
Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.