Making some extra money on the side while doing something you enjoy? Heck yeah! There are lots of reasons to start a side hustle, but how do you find what’s right for you?

If you don’t think you’re cut out for creating your own side hustle, I’m going to respectfully disagree. If you’ve done anything (I mean, anything!) chances are you have a skill or some value others would pay for. No problem if you need a little help cultivating the idea, that’s what I’m here for!

Don’t forget to sign up for my FREE GUIDE on how to start your own side hustle! It will take you step by step through the brainstorming process, all the way to putting your side hustle on your calendar.

Now picking up easy money-making schemes isn’t that hard. Have you ever had someone ask you to join an MLM? (Nothing against MLMs here, by the way!) Or have you had a flexible job like driving for a meal delivery service? These can earn you some money for sure, but there is a HUGE benefit to creating something all your own. Having a side hustle that is original and scalable will give you true freedom and flexibility. You get to call all the shots and be the visionary for your hustlin’

Related: 15 Side Hustles and Survival Jobs for Performers

So what’s the first step?

Why Do you Want A Side Hustle?

This is important. This may make or break whether or not you create your own business or continue tutoring students after school. Sure there are many ways to make money on the side, but are you interested in becoming a business owner? Are you interested in creating something? Do want something you can take anywhere in the world should you need to?

If that sounds like you, then I’m guessing you’re not going to be content with simply running errands for others on the weekend. You’ll probably want some creative liberties in how your extra income as made. You’re probably going to be good at creating a brand!

Maybe the bottom line is the most important thing for you. That’s perfect! Although making a profit may not be the first, second, or tenth step in building your side hustle, it’s far better to start your own business than hustle for someone else. Here’s why: Starting your own business or side hustle will allow for unlimited growth. It allows you to escape the time-for-money model easily. You can set the bar and scale as high as you wish.

Lastly, (and maybe this is my favorite reason) you may want a side hustle simple to be creative! There are lots of ways to be creative, but creating a business is still a work of creativity! Especially for content creators and artists, getting paid for your skills is a worthy side hustle.

Related: How To Stay Creative When You Don’t Know What To Do

Brain Dump Topics You Have Knowledge On

I KNOW you know stuff! If you’ve passed any class, played any sport, researched any topic, you know something! But more than that, I bet there are topics that you ABSOLUTELY LOVE. Your side hustle should involve something you can’t stop learning about or talking about. Something that when people think of that topic, they think of you!

I could EASILY name half a dozen topics that I am absolutely crazy about. (Taylor Swift, German musical theatre of the 1980s, oatmeal… just to name a few). I’m certain I could create something that people would pay for on any of these topics. Albeit, creating the product is one thing, marketing it is another. You don’t have to worry about that yet though!

You can play around with how far you niche down. (Maybe don’t go straight for German musical theatre of the 1980s, but rather start with non-English musicals? You see?) I would recommend picking a side hustle topic you clearly see a need for in the communities you’re a part of. This could be an ebook on healthy eating, or it could be an ebook on healthy gluten-free eating. Use your judgement to figure out how specific of a topic you need to curate to provide value to the community you want to serve.

Plan A Product

So you have your topic, now you need a product!

(*And before we get any further, I want to strongly encourage you to focus on an actual product for your business rather than a following. The reason being is that following, likes, and traffic (while being a little important) are often referred to as vanity metrics. Numbers that can make you feel good, but actually don’t have nearly as much to do with your profits as the rest of the leg work you do. People like the idea of having thousands of followers, but that doesn’t make you money. Someone could have a million followers and make $0 if they have no strategy. Likewise, you can only have 1000 followers and make six figures.)

So you’re going to pick a product. Try to keep it simple. Some common products are ebooks, courses, coaching, or physical products and art. Pick one and stick with it. Are you good with makeup? Create an ebook on makeup basics. Do you paint? Teach an online course on how to paint. Do you fix cars? Make a cars-for-dummies manual on 10 common car troubles and how to fix them. This is where you get creative.

Now it’s important stick with your product all the way through to completion, but keep in mind that the first thing you try may not be a hit. You may find that your content is much better in video mode rather than an ebook. If selling downloadable art doesn’t take off, you try selling physical copies instead. Trial and error will be your friend here, and ultimately, your only step forward.

Master your Side Hustle Mindset

If you really want your side hustle to be successful, your brain is going to have to be different than it is now. You will have to expected that things will be frustrating and overwhelming at times. In short: expect things to go wrong. If you learn to expect obstacles now, they will merely be bumps in the road as they come along.

It sounds simple, but it’s so important! A lot of people will take the failure they encounter in their first month, six months, or two years to mean that they should stop. The truth is, you have to look at your past failures (no matter how numerous) as practice and progress. This is just the name of the game: those who stay in it the longest are the winners.

You have to get obsessed with providing value to your patrons and clients. I think we can all tell when someone has started a side hustle just to make money from people. It feels icky! If you focus on giving your clients the best experience they could possibly have, you won’t feel icky selling your product at all! You’ll actually enjoy what you’re doing and your clients will enjoy giving you money for your product or service.

Lastly, get interested in the logistics. If you’re going to write an ebook, you need to plan time for when you will write it. Simple as that. If you’re going to start coaching clients in the gym, you need to get them on your calendar. Do you need more people to buy your art? Plan the time for market research so you can find buyers. Don’t get ahead of yourself with the logistics though. If you can plan the next 1 or 2 steps at all times, you’ll be set.

You will NOT want to miss my Side Hustle Brainstorm Workbook! If you do every step in this workbook, I promise you will be well on your way to a profitable side hustle!

Don’t forget to pin this on Pinterest so you can refer to it later! You’ll definitely want to!