How I Built a Side Hustle In 5 Steps
This is what I did before I became a full-time freelance copywriter.
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Building a side hustle is the smartest thing you could do for yourself.
Career stability in companies is never as secure as you think. Companies will rave about how good you’re at your job. Then, out of the blue, they will say they are letting you go because of unforeseen budget cuts.
This is why you need a side hustle. You must keep yourself afloat in case your 9–5 turns sideways. You need financial stability.
I built a side hustle in 2015 to supplement my teaching income. Then I did it to supplement my EMT income. Then my side hustle supplemented my full-time copywriting income in 2021.
Finally, after 7 years, I made my side hustle my full-time hustle.
If you want financial flexibility, side hustles are the way to go. Here’s how I did it.
1. Choose something you love doing
A side hustle should be more than something to supplement your income. It should be something you love doing.
Here are side hustles you can do at home:
- Online writing
- Online coaching
- Sell a digital product on Etsy or Gumroad
Remember, you don’t need to do what everyone else is doing. Find something you love doing. Something you could talk about for 30-minutes non-stop about — your passion.
And make it your side hustle.
2. Follow people 3 steps ahead of you
Starting a side hustle can feel overwhelming. I know it did for me.
What helped me was emailing freelance copywriters a few steps ahead of me. I asked them how they found clients. I asked them as much as I could. Some of them said yes, and some of them said no.
What I didn’t say was, “can I pick your brain?” Avoid that question. Instead, study their online content. Join their email list. Don’t ask a question you can easily find yourself by doing five minutes of research.
