Starting A Side Hustle: Not If, But When

If you’ve over 40, you need one. It’s the closest thing to career insurance.

You may have heard the term “slash careers,” where people work with two types of careers. Click here for a good summary.

A slash career means that you have a day job that brings in most of your income, but have a second job or self-employment gig that also brings in revenue. For instance, I once knew a prominent professor who also played in a Greek band on weekends. He played at weddings, funerals, and parties. He effectively lived in two worlds. His bandmates didn’t really understand his academic job. His academics barely realized his musical talent.

Many employers frown on people with slash careers. In fact, some companies forbid any form of outside employment or side hustle.

Forbes published an online article, suggesting that people with slash careers make good employees. If you think about it, who would you rather hire: someone who goes home and creates a profitable blog or leads yoga classes? Or someone who crashes on the couch?

Three reasons To Start A Side Hustle

(1) People with side hustles feel fulfilled. They’re more likely to be happy at home — and at work.

There are good reasons to maintain a side hustle. You get to tap into skills, interests and talents that get used in one career but not another. For instance, a primary care physician became quite talented in pottery. He was able to draw on design and creative talents for sculpture, while of course using his scientific training with his patients. Most likely one reinforced the other.

(2) Your second career helps reduce stress.

There’s research to show that adding a role often reduces stress, and it makes sense. If your day job is going badly, your side gig might compensate. If your day job requires sitting at a computer and analyzing data, your side gig might let you move around, use your manual skills or simply acquire a new mindset.

Of course, stress can be debilitating. If your life is seriously affected — your relationships, career, and/or health — you may need to work with a professional therapist. Stress actually contributes to many physical problems, mostly acute but sometimes long-term. It’s not always a question of, “Take a painting class and call me in the morning.”

(3) Your side hustle could make you more marketable if you’re downsized or you’re ready to retire.

For example, Adrienne Dupree had begun to sell products on Amazon when her job was unexpectedly brought to an end. She’d worked for the government and hadn’t seen it coming. She moved smoothly to become a full time Amazon reseller, eventually exceeding her original income.

Ready to start your own side hustle?

The best way to learn anything is to find someone who’s traveled the road before. You can learn about Adrienne’s story (and stories of others who went from side hustle to successful business) through this program, Start Your Side Hustle. I interviewed her and eleven other highly successful people who had made the transition from corporate life to starting a business. If you’re looking for ideas for your next career, that’s a good place to start. http://mycopy.info/side

Or enjoy a free download: 5 Tips For Starting A Successful Side Hustle. http://mycopy.info/sidefree

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