With maternity leave coming up (and with a yet-to-be used birthday gift from my mumma in my possession) the other night I decided to sign up to ‘MasterClass’.
More info on MasterClass here: masterclass.com
Signing up to MasterClass is something I’ve thought about doing for a while now, mainly because I’ve really wanted to view Anna Wintour’s MasterClass – ‘Creativity and Leadership’.
Naturally. #obsessedwithvogue
And since coming across an ad for it online sometime last year, I’ve also really wanted to view Elaine Welteroth’s MasterClass – ‘Designing Your Career’.
And so, I did it.
The other day I signed up to MasterClass and honestly, the 12-month subscription has basically paid for itself already.
I love it. I devoured both Anna’s and Elaine’s MasterClasses in one sitting each, glued to the screen each time.
Among the lessons I took away from Elaine’s class was her advice around side-hustling.
A self-proclaimed fan of ‘the art of the side hustle’, according to Elaine, “it [side-hustling] provides optionality and gives you an outlet to bring more of yourself, to have your passions ignited, to cultivate and hone your skillset”.
So, how exactly do you side hustle? How do you hustle in practice?
Make the most of where you’re at
As a starting point, Elaine recommends devoting a couple of hours each day to “dream into your notebook about what would fuel your passion”.
“If there was no collateral damage, and you could design a life that would make you the happiest, what would that look like? And then how can you apply some of those excavated dreams and apply them in small ways every single day and develop that … develop it into a small business or a hobby that can grow into a small business.”
Elaine Welteroth, MasterClass.
A little side ‘uh-huh’ moment: Elaine says that once you’ve come up with your list of “other side hustles that feel exciting to you”, the first place to try to implement the skills required to make these hustles a success is at your day job.
Essentially, it’s about making the most of where you’re at.
Seek out opportunities at your day job in which you can develop and home in on the skills you require to bring your side hustle to life.
Advice for hustling beginners
Award-winning e-commerce expert, strategic advisor and author of Shopify for Dummies, Paul Waddy shares his advice for side-hustling beginners:
How much time do you have?
“If you already have a full-time job, you’ll need to consider how much of your free time you’re willing to commit,” says Paul.
It’s a balance between over and under committing.
Too much time dedicated to a side hustle can lead to burnout (and could potentially jeopardise your job!), not enough and well, you’re not going to get to where you want to be.
Finding the right idea.
“You shouldn’t be staying awake thinking about the millions; you need to stay awake dreaming of the product. You’d be surprised at the amount of people who charge into building an online store before they’ve even thought about the product properly,” he says.
Basically, it’s about getting your priorities in order – dream about things in the right order.
Once you’ve come up with an idea or a product that responds to a gap in the market – responds to a need – the rest will come.
You need a plan
“If you’re in the process of starting a side hustle and do not have a business plan, you need to create one now,” Paul advises.
“A business plan is essentially your roadmap that will help you achieve your goals. It doesn’t need to be 100 pages long.
“The crucial items you need to have defined include the type of customer you’re targeting and how you’ll reach them, the competition and how you’ll stand out and how much cash you’ll need to get started,” he says.
As Elaine Welteroth adds: “The future is freelance.”
So, get to hustling but do it smart and set yourselves up wisely, using all the opportunities that come your way.
x G.
P.S For more about designing your dream life, check out my blog post: ‘welcome to your dream life’!
editor, journalist, digital content creator with a background in nutrition & dietetics.
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