Ep2. 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Side Hustle

In today’s episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of what it really takes to start a side hustle while working full-time. I’ll share 5 key things I wish someone had told me before I began my journey.


Starting a side hustle is exhilarating but can also feel overwhelming, especially when you’re balancing a corporate career. I’ll take you through the insights from the very beginning of my own journey.


We’ll cover everything from wearing multiple hats to managing your time so you don’t burn out.


We’ll dive into the reality of kicking off your entrepreneurial journey while balancing a corporate job. Whether you’re just starting or you’ve already taken the leap, this episode will give you some much-needed clarity as you navigate your path.


Links

Connect with me on LinkedIn here

Check out my Instagram here

00:00:00 Introduction to Hustle with Heels
00:01:08 Wearing Multiple Hats in Your Side Hustle
00:01:50 Lesson 1
00:04:39 Lesson 2
00:07:29 Lesson 3
00:10:30 Lesson 4
00:12:17 Lesson 5
00:14:04 Conclusion and Next Steps

Transcript

Welcome to the Hustle with Heels podcast. I'm your host, Cindy Excell, a corporate girl, start hustler, wife, and a mom of two. In 2020, I started my first start hustle as an online fitness coach while working in my corporate job as a private wealth manager. Over the years, I have been leaving proof that a corporate career and a side hustle can absolutely co-exist in harmony. Today, I'm helping corporate women and early-stage entrepreneurs create wealth beyond their 9-to-5 jobs and build an online business on their terms. On this podcast, I'll share my knowledge, strategies, and stories that will help you start and grow your start hustle. Whether you are ready to diversify your income streams or are looking to build a start business that aligns with your goals, I'm here to support you every step of the way. Now, let's get started. Hey friend, welcome back. You know, starting a sad hustle is exhilarating, but it is also a bit like stepping into the unknown. And honestly, I feel like we don't talk enough about how confusing and overwhelming it can be in those early days. I remember when I first started my SAT online coaching business while working full-time, I felt like I was constantly learning, adjusting and figuring things out on the fly. And I was in so many coaching groups and I bought so many courses and that's part of the journey. But wouldn't that be nice if you can get a heads up before jumping in? I know that I would have appreciated that. So, today I want to share 5 key things that I wish someone had told me before I started. Hopefully, these insights will make your journey just a little bit smoother. Let's start with the first one. The first one is that you will be wearing multiple heads at the beginning stage of your side hustle. This one is so real. When I say you will be wearing multiple heads, I mean it. It's like you becoming a one-person show. One minute you are coaching your clients and you feel all the warm fuzzes because you are making an impact and because you see your clients making progress. And the next minute you are figuring out what to post on social media. What's my next post? Should I be on LinkedIn or should I be on Instagram? Should I start a podcast or should I start a blog? Then you are a graphic designer and design all this artwork for your brand. And let's not forget that you are also still working your full-time job. And if you have a family and kids, then you also have mom duties. I remember feeling like I was constantly shifting gears. One day, I was writing content for my coaching offer at 8 p.m. after my kids went to bed, and by 9 a.m. in the morning, I was in a corporate meeting talking about financial advice, superannuation, investment portfolio, etc. It felt like two different worlds, and it was hard to keep up sometimes. Here's the thing, wearing all those hats is such a unique part of the journey. Yes, it is tough, and yes, it can feel overwhelming. But this is where you really start to understand every single aspect of your business. And as challenging as it is, it's also rewarding because you are learning so much. I want you to be prepared and embrace this phase, even while it feels messy and overwhelming. Remind yourself that it is only temporary. Eventually, as your sad hustle grows, you will be able to outsource tasks. You won't always be doing everything. But in the beginning, it is a learning phase. In my opinion, it is actually even necessary to understand every aspect of your online business, understand how each part works, and understand how they all put together. This is to lay a strong foundation for your business. From there, you'll also be able to identify what part of your business actually lights you up and you're enjoying doing, what part of your business you are good at, and what part is something that is essential but you don't like to do, etc. Take a moment to reflect on this. What are the areas in your household right now you feel like you're struggling? Is that marketing, social media, is that I mean work. Think about which head feels the heaviest and know that you can always get help down the line. But for now lean into learning because this phase is only the beginning and it will pass. Number two is that you don't need to hate your corporate job to start a side hustle. I touched on this one in episode one. So this one is still, it's so important. And I want to spend some more time to talk about this one, because I think there is still this huge misconception that if you're starting a side hustle, it means you must absolutely despise your 9 to 5. For some people, that might be the case, but for others, that's not always true. I started my startup hustle not because I hated my corporate job. I didn't feel stuck or trapped at all, but because I wanted to create more freedom and financial security for myself. I saw my startup hustle as an opportunity to take control of my career and diversify my income. and create a wealth beyond my 9-5 job. I like the idea of having options. If that resonates with you, know that it is okay to want more and still enjoy your daytime job. Because when you have a side hustle, you still need to do well in your corporate job, right? Even more so, because only when you perform well in your daytime job, you will be able to have that peace of mind and focus your spare time on your side hustle. Think about your corporate job in this case as a safety net while you're building something new. You've got the regular paycheck, you've got the benefit as an employee, and the structure that comes with it. At the same time, your start house allows you to tap into your potentials, your passions, explore new avenues, and challenge yourself in ways where your corporate role might not. So you literally can have the best of both worlds. Starting a startup hustle, in my view, has nothing to do with whether you hate or love your daytime job. Starting a startup hustle gives you ownership and control. Control over your future, your finances, your career trajectory, and it gives you the opportunity to explore a different passion and to develop new skills and different paths, potentially. The way of working in this day and age has changed. I truly believe that. You don't need to be miserable to justify pursuing something that excites you. In fact, starting a side hustle from a place of fulfillment can often lead to better results because you are not operating from a place of desperation. You are building from a place of joy and curiosity. So if you are someone who enjoys your corporate role but still feels that tug to explore something more, give yourself permission to pursue both. You can be grateful for your date 9 to 5 and still chase your entrepreneurial dreams. Number three, you need to be clear on how much time you are willing and realistic to spend on your side hustle. So this one can actually make or break your side hustle journey, especially when you are working full time. I'll be honest, there are days where I want to pour every spare minute into my business. I'll get excited and motivated and then I'll say, okay, I'll work on my side of business every single night after work and all day on the weekends. But here's the truth, that is a one-way ticket to burnout very quickly. I've done that at the beginning of my sad hustle journey. So I call my business and this podcast Hustle with Heels. I don't mean you got to hustle all the time. Quite opposite. You actually need to hustle with strategy and intention. What I've learned is that it's not about how much time you spend. You can actually start with three to five hours a week to get your side hustle business off the ground. It's actually about where you spend the time on and how consistently you show up. So we all need to set realistic expectations for ourselves. Take a look at your life as it is right now, your work, your family, your kids, friends, and most importantly, your own downtime. Because you need to look after your own health and well-being and protect your energy when you have so much going on in your life. So how much time do you actually really have to give to your side hustle? Maybe it's an hour a day, maybe it's just a few hours over the weekend. Focus on the activities that can actually help you move the needle in your business. Whether it's getting paid clients or to create an internet presence, pick one or two goals a week and stay laser focused on that. If you can do that, just focus on one to two things a week, I promise you, you are likely to see the progress in your business compared to try to do everything. Now, to put that into practice, I want you to think about your schedule right now. How can you schedule the dedicated time for your side business without sacrificing your well-being or burning out, without sacrificing your time you need to spend with your family and the kids? Maybe it's blocking an hour in the morning before work, or maybe it's an hour after your kids go to bed, or maybe using a lunch break for an hour, or maybe using a couple of hours on the weekend. Remember, consistency over quantity, and to focus on what matters to your business. That's one thing about having a sudden hustle while you're having cash flow from your daytime job, because you can take it slow if you want. And you're not in a rush to make money to pay bills while you have a 9-to-5 job that helps you do that. So don't treat your side hustle like a second job because it is not and you don't need a second job and that's not why we start our side hustles in the first place. So find your own pace and find what works for you that feels good. Number four is that a side hustle is not a quick way to earn cash. I want to set expectations here because this one is huge. If you are starting a startup hustle thinking it's only to bring fast cash, well, I hate to break this to you because that's not how that works. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme. Building a successful online business takes time, effort, and patience. And trust me, there will be moments where it feels like you're putting all this work and not seeing much return, especially in the beginning. That's totally normal. I've had moments where I question myself why I'm doing this. I'm putting all these hours but I don't see the money flowing yet. And that's where mindset comes into play. The goal of a startup hustle isn't just to make the money right away. It's about building something that has a long-term potential. To have a business, you need to build your offer, your service, or your product. You also need to find your audience and the potential clients who know, like, and trust you and are willing to pay for what you have to sell. At the beginning stage of your business, you need to build a lot of assets, especially if you are a one-man team. You're doing all that by yourself. So this is the stage where you are laying the foundation. And just like any other foundations, it takes time to see the structure fully come together. And when you focus on providing value to your audience, on building relationships, and on refining your skills, the financial rewards will come. It might take months or even longer, but stick with it. Don't give up after three months or even six months if you're still not making money. If you stay committed and consistent, keep showing up, the money will flow. Lastly, number five, you need to be comfortable with putting yourself out there. This last one I think is the most intimidating for many, many people, getting comfortable with putting yourself out there on the internet. And believe me, I get it. I was not on social media until I launched my first online coaching business. And I was a person who didn't want to post too much or share too much because, you know, what would people think, right? Or worse, what if I fail and in public, even at the thought of me posting selfies or dancing on Instagram, that made me cringe. But here's the thing, your personal brand is everything when you're a coach who's running an online business. People want to connect with you, not just your service. They want to hear your stories, your struggles, your wins, your transformations. They want to know that you are a real person just like them. So if you are not comfortable with putting yourself out there, start small. take a very tiny, small step. Maybe it's sharing a wing on LinkedIn, or maybe posting a quick Instagram story about something you're working on. The more you put yourself out there, the more you will realize that people are actually drawn to authenticity. And the more authentic you are, the easier it becomes. It is completely okay to feel uncomfortable at the beginning, and that's part of the growth. But if you keep hiding, you are doing a disservice to the people who need to hear from you. They need your message, your guidance, your story. So start today, take one small tiny step, and I promise it will get easier with time. So there you have it, five things I wish I had known before I started my side hustle business while working full time. I hope this episode helps you feel more prepared, and most of all, more excited for your journey ahead. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint, and take it one step at a time and enjoy the process. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I'll catch you in the next episode and I'm going to talk about the mindset shift you need to get your sad hustle off the ground. Until then, keep hustling with intention and purpose. Thank you so Thank you so much for listening to the Hustle with Hills podcast. I hope this episode has inspired you to take action towards your sad hustle dream. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a second to rate and review it. Each review helps me help more corporate women and early-stage entrepreneurs just like you. Don't forget to take a screenshot, share it in your Instagram stories or on LinkedIn and tag me at Cindy Excell I will see you next week.