Writing has always been my passion in life. From as far back as I can remember I have written stories, articles, poems, endless lists, etc. I wrote before I was old enough to know how to write and spell, trailing my pen across the page in wiggly lines, emulating cursive handwriting as part of my childhood games.
In my educational background, I opted for the ‘vocational degree’ route, in the hopes that I could land a job or marketing internship in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. Starting off from the bottom, in only a vaguely marketing-related role, I was able to develop some professional skills over the course of a few years. I was happy with the 9-5 lifestyle, but it came to the point in my career where I wanted to choose my own clients and cut my own path in the world of work.
Here is how I went from ‘side hustle’ to full-time entrepreneur.
Learning The Ropes
Deciding to start out on my own came as a slow realization, rather than a eureka moment. In my spare time I would daydream and experiment with blogging about subjects I was truly interested in. After a few months, the need to share these posts with a wider audience gradually took hold and in the first instance, I pitched my ideas to friends and acquaintances who ran their own blogs.
In my first dabblings with guest posting, the question of getting paid for my writing never factored into it. Stupidly, I didn’t even care to collect or share these links through my own social networks. The thought of promoting myself and my work terrified me because I suppose in this apprenticeship stage, I didn’t feel sufficiently talented enough to completely ‘own’ my newly acquired skills.
However, looking back, even in those nerve-wracking early stages, I consistently devoted time to building my confidence in developing a ‘side hustle’ business.
Perfecting the Art of Self Promotion
Over time, as my confidence grew, I decided that I should invest in building a portfolio website and research ways in which I could steadily build a freelance writing business online. I began to take my side hustle ambitions seriously and made an effort to regularly post about my research findings to attract the sort of clientele I most wanted to work with.
Making the most of my acquired social media marketing and guest blogging skills, I began to create a social media community and a killer email marketing list.
Solving Customers’ Problems
In getting past the anxiety and overwhelm in growing and maintaining an email marketing plan, I focused on solving problems for my potential customers by offering free, actionable tips that could help any business improve their marketing output.
With email marketing, it’s not about the quantity that makes you memorable, but the quality of your posts. For example, evergreen content like infographics, checklists or long-form articles can cover subjects that are unlikely to go ‘out of date’ in a hurry. They can also be shared amongst friends and referred to frequently, helping you stick in customers’ minds long after the post was first published.
Mentors, peers, friends, family and small businesses in my area: I approached everyone I knew, offering to help out with their marketing in my spare time. I offered my services for free in the hopes I could produce some work to be proud for my first WordPress portfolio site. This technique helped me gain some superb testimonials, which in turn helped me land my first paying clients.
Generating Starting Capital
Taking the leap into full-time entrepreneurship took a while, as for security, it is always advisable to have some savings, should you struggle from month-to-month in the beginning stages.
Not wanting to take on another job to generate some rainy-day cash, I looked to other ways to utilize my skills in marketing to make money. Creating my own dropshipping store provided me with an easy and low-cost way to generate an income from home, as well as give a ‘testing platform’ to develop my skills in ecommerce, branding, web design, and even photography.
Dropshipping allows entrepreneurs to set their own pricing and switch product offerings whenever they wish. You only pay for the products you have already sold and a third party handles the storage and shipment. You can even add your own branded logo and customization to the products, allowing you to develop multidisciplinary skills.
It took a while to establish a profitable product niche, but through analyzing sales, playing around with social media advertising, and developing methods for identifying and targeting the right audiences, ecommerce has become a viable income source for me. A side hustle to my side hustle, if you will.
Consistency is vital to maintaining and building on your side hustle projects before you make the leap into full-time entrepreneurship. My best advice for those looking to make a start is to be dedicated and committed to learning and succeeding. Confidence comes with practice and remembering that no-one starts off knowing everything there is to know about running a business – so you may as well give it a shot!
Victoria Greene is a branding consultant and freelance writer. On her blog, VictoriaEcommerce, she shares tips on ecommerce branding and entrepreneurship.
