While it brings me great joy to say I successfully transformed my side hustle into a full-time business, I have to admit, it all began as a happy accident. Like many eventual entrepreneurs who find themselves unemployed, I didn’t know how to start a business and fear of financial ruin was paralyzing me. If I only knew then what I know now …
After losing a marketing job in corporate America, I decided to pursue what I thought was the fastest and easiest path to replenish my bank account. That’s right, I immediately started looking for another job in corporate America. Fortunately, a higher power intervened, kicked me in the pants and forced me to do what I love to do to find success.
As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I picked up a few writing gigs to help pay the bills. That’s right, writing and editing was my side hustle and something I had done here and there in past jobs and on the side. I’ve always loved writing, but I never thought I could transform that passion into a business – until the checks started coming in.
Eventually, I realized this business was meant to be, so I took proactive steps to make it grow. I knew corporate America was something I never wanted to go back to, and I believed, I truly believed, that becoming an entrepreneur was not only possible, it was destined to be.
The only sad part about my happy ending was that I allowed myself to be miserable for years working a job I ended up hating. It wasn’t until I lost that job that I was forced to try something different.
What if instead, I had allowed myself to believe that it was possible to create and build a business doing something I loved? I’m here to tell you all – IT IS POSSIBLE! You just need to decide to do something different.
Here are a few things I learned as I made the shift from side hustler to full-time entrepreneur.
In my case, it took a couple of years to meet then exceed the income I earned at my previous job. If you can save up a few dollars to give you a cushion while you get your business off the ground, life will be a lot less stressful.
Once I decided that starting a business was the right move for me, I reached out to other entrepreneurs, past clients and business leaders for advice. I wasn’t asking them for business. I was asking what they did to become successful and lessons they learned along the way. They were happy to oblige, and I learned A LOT.
You need to set goals for yourself when it comes to networking – whether it’s by phone, email, text or in person. One of my mentors recommended I set a goal of connecting with five to 10 people – existing OR new contacts – every week. Those goals kept me focused.
When you love what you do it’s a lot easier to do it well. That being said, all entrepreneurs have those “too much on our plate” days, when it’s hard to do our best. Suck it up! My clients know they can rely on me and that I care about their business as much as I care about my own. That’s good for job security and even better for referrals.
Another happy accident that happened in the early days of my business was meeting Succeed On Purpose CEO and Founder Terri Maxwell. Who better to get advice from than a serial entrepreneur? Through Succeed’s on-demand programs and one-on-one coaching, Terri taught me the critical steps necessary for launching a business, her secret sauce for accelerating business growth and more.
If you’re ready to turn your side hustle into a real business, make your entrepreneurial dreams come true or kick-start a business that is floundering, the time is now to GET REAL with the Make It Real Pursuit!
For a limited time, when you purchase Terri’s on-demand Business Launch program, you’ll get one-on-one small group coaching with Terri for FREE. To learn more, visit the Make It Real Pursuit page for details.
Mary Maloney is a freelance writer and solopreneur who has written content for a variety of industries – from wellness to finance to law. After 25 years in the corporate world, Mary decided to follow her heart and launch a marketing business. Mary began working with Terri Maxwell in 2014 and has been blessed to be a recipient of Terri’s wisdom about life, career and business success. When she isn’t writing, Mary enjoys cooking with her husband and snuggling with her Pembroke Welsh Corgi Seamus.
