Starting a side hustle can take a long time if you don't have a dedicated side hustle plan in place so you know what your exact steps will be…
Like the old saying goes, it’s simple but it isn’t easy. Because if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. But you’re not everyone and it’s your time to finally get this side hustle of yours off the ground.
I hear the angst out there. You want to start a side hustle but you don’t know what to do first.
I have also heard things like you don’t know what actions to take or what information to follow to get you real results.
I’ve got you covered.
I've started a few side hustles over the years and successfully grew them into a full-time six-figure business, all using a dedicated side hustle plan.
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Look…
I know what it looks like when you’re just starting out and don’t know what information to trust.
Or where to turn for the right information specific to your business.
Actionable information that gets results is key so you aren’t wasting your time or going down dead ends.
That’s what we’re going to cover in this post.
By the end of this post you’ll walk away with real actionable steps and a side hustle plan. That’s what it takes to make your business dreams a reality.
Your Side Hustle Plan
Let’s walk through what it really looks like to start a side hustle in the next 30 days, from concept to launch.
This is going to be broken down into a plan
Simple, right?
That’s my goal as a coach: to make your path to success a simple step-by-step plan. Right down to the plans you need to implement your next action steps.
These are the very same plans I’ve used with clients to launch and grow their side hustle ideas. This is the real deal, real information. You won’t have any excuses left as to why you haven’t started once you’ve read this post.
Week One
In the first week, you are going to focus on two really important things: figuring out what your side hustle is going to look like and building your online profiles.
#1: Choose a side hustle
First, if you don't know what your side hustle is, check out this blog post that talks about how to choose your actual side hustle. But the key is to just choose something. This doesn't need to be your lifelong passion.
If you’re looking to create a side income, just get started with the thing that is the easiest for you to get up and running right now. You can always pivot later on if necessary, and I’ll cover what that looks like in a future post.
#2: Create online profiles
Secondly, in week one you're going to be creating your online profiles. These do not need to be elaborate. You don't need to create a website right now. It's more about figuring out where you think your potential clients are hanging out and creating an online profile there.
For instance, if you’re a freelance graphic designer, you should absolutely have a Pinterest account or an Instagram account. Set up your profiles to start displaying your images.
If you're a freelance writer, you should probably start a blog and start writing and sharing content.
It's about figuring out where your potential clients might be hanging out, creating your profiles based around where they are going to see it because that's exactly how you start to connect with your potential clients. You want to make sure your clients can see what you can do.
Essentially, that’s what you need to do in week one. There are a few more things, but those are the two main highlights. You can see all the things by grabbing the 30 Day Side Hustle Plan here.
Week Two
So what's happening in week two? Week two is an extension of your online profiles.
Now the focus is on creating our portfolio.
Clearly, I'm talking about an online side hustle in this post, so if you're thinking about doing anything outside of that, then you'd need to think a little bit differently about what that looks like. You probably wouldn't necessarily create a portfolio. You might choose to create a website that has all the information about what it is that you do with some images of you doing that thing.
But if you're doing an online side hustle then you definitely want to go and create some type of portfolio–examples of your work so people can see what you're doing and connect with you.
If you're just getting started, this might seem a little bit tricky. One tip I can give you is to just create the content as if you were doing it for a client.
For example, if you're a website designer, go ahead and mock up a website. Create or recreate a website that you have seen, that you think you can do better, and mock that up. Remember to include before and after screenshots.
Similarly, if you're going to be a freelance writer, write some stuff! Write some blog posts, write some mini-articles on a topic that you know your client wants.
Whatever it is that you are trying to do as your side hustle, create a portfolio. That way you're ready to connect with clients and show them exactly what you can do. That’s the main focus of week two: adding depth to your online profiles by creating content that matters to your potential clients.
Week Three
During week three, we start to get a little bit clearer on what it looks like to work with clients.
The first thing I would recommend you do is to reach out to your network and let them know you're open for business. I know that this might feel a little bit icky, or you might not want anyone to know what you're doing. I completely understand those feelings.
Just so you feel a bit more ease around this, understand that you aren’t banging down your best friend’s door pleading with her to engage your services. It can be as simple as a Facebook post letting everyone know you are doing X now and if they know of anyone in need of X please send them your way. You’d be surprised how often leads appear from this simple, no pressure announcement.
Think about going back to your online profiles. If you've created an online profile on Pinterest, or if you've created something on Instagram or maybe you've done it on LinkedIn, then it might make sense to further clarify if your clients are hanging out in those areas.
What groups are they participating in? Can you join those, too? If you're not going to tap your network, then you need to figure out where your clients are potentially hanging out and start communicating with them there.
So that is week three done, getting clearer about your potential clients.
Week Four
In week four, we need to figure out how you're going to fit this all into your busy schedule because we are all busy.
Figure out where you have free time. Decide how much of that time you want to dedicate to your side hustle plan and business.
The reality is if your goal is to make money from your side hustle ideas, then you need to be intentional with your plans. If you've got a full-time job, it's about figuring out where you fit your side hustle in. Are you going to wake up a couple hours earlier before you start your full-time job? Can you squeeze 30 minutes out of your one-hour lunch break to work your side hustle plan?
Figure out what that looks like now before you start taking on clients so that you don't drop the ball when it comes to your schedule.
After that, the other thing you're going to do in week four is find your first client!
Now don’t run away screaming. This day was inevitable since your goal is to make money, right? You have either tapped into your network and they've sent you some leads or you're starting to apply for gigs on Upwork, Freelance, or wherever it is that you're thinking about connecting with your clients.
Your goal in week four is to find that first client.
Just one.
I'm not saying that you need to be replacing your income right now with your side hustle ideas. Your goal is just to find someone who will pay you for what it is that you're offering. Remember, we’re aiming to keep it simple. However, let’s not trigger that inner negative voice too much with grand plans of replacing your full-time income just yet…
Now it's your turn
And that’s the quick rundown on what the next 30 days is going to look like as you start your side hustle. These simple, step-by-step plans will make your side hustle a reality.
If you want to implement everything that I've just given you here, make sure that you download the 30 Day Plan.
I can’t emphasize this enough…
Action is the key to your success.
Your immediate next action step is this: figure out what side hustle you're going to do. Above all, take action today and stop putting it off. Once you gain some momentum, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start your side hustle with a plan sooner.
