How to Start Your Dream Business (from a Side Hustle)
Most of us crawl before we walk and walk before we run (though of course there are always those over-achieving exceptions to the rule). And this makes good evolutionary sense. We don’t want to fall flat on our faces before we even have a chance to get our feet up and under us.
The same is true for the growth of your business. You want to give it a solid base and some legs to stand on before sending it out to the races. You do this by giving it a little kickstart on the side, while you still have the financial comfort and stability of your day job.
Going from Side Hustle to Full Hustle
If you’ve nurtured a side hustle [link to “Turning a Side-Hustle Into a Full-Fledged Business”] for long enough that it’s starting to become a full-fledged thing of its own, don’t hold it back – give it room to grow.
Here are some ways to transition from that “something on the side” to running your full-on dream business.
- Develop a plan – Think through the different aspects of running your business. You will wear many hats as a solopreneur, so it’s essential to get organized (and stay organized). Creating a plan is one way to make strides toward achieving your goals. Understanding how you will launch and grow your business, as well as what skills you need to strengthen both personally and professionally to sustain the work are important components of your plan.
- Become a boss at being your own boss – We all have days when we’d rather cozy up back in bed than do the hard work of doing work, but being your own boss means you’re accountable…for everything. You must make the plans and do the work. To keep yourself motivated, productive and efficient, implement processes and tools to help you work better. There are a million strategies for improving your productivity (we’re fans of the Pomodoro Technique [link]), but ultimately you have to do what works for you.
- Go forth and market – It can be unnerving to put yourself out there as a small business owner, but if you want to get new work, it’s absolutely necessary. The good news is you can – and should – be authentic with how you tout your business. Go where your people are both online and in-person, connect and create conversation. You will be surprised by how quickly people start reaching out to you.
As you prepare to take your side hustle to the next level, go in with eyes wide open and a solid plan in place, while also recognizing that it is completely ok (and probably absolutely necessary) to flex and change course as your business takes off.
