The idea of earning a little extra money on the side sounds appealing, doesn’t it? If this thought has crossed your mind in recent months, you’re not alone. More and more women are turning to side hustles to supplement their regular household income. Not only that, but many women have also done an incredible job shifting from their regular 9-to-5 occupations to becoming successful entrepreneurs through a steady side hustle and leaving their previous full-time jobs altogether. And let’s be honest, in this day and age, there are plenty of ways to make a little extra money.
That being said, before you can start on your journey of launching and managing a side business, you need to come up with an idea that you can build and grow. So many ambitious, intelligent and motivated women have a desire to start something new but reach a roadblock when it comes to finding the right fit. We all know what happens when you get stuck; it can be even more challenging to get going again once you’ve reached a roadblock than it was to begin in the first place.
So, before you get started on your side hustle, try to look at yourself and your vision objectively to see what might be holding you back and take the necessary proactive steps in order to move forward toward success. While each person and situation is unique, there are many commonalities we each face when looking to start a new chapter, and we are discussing some of those below.
1. You lack confidence.
Does this sound familiar? You have an idea, but you’re not sure if it’s just an average idea or a great one worth pursuing. You don’t believe in yourself or have enough confidence to know that your plan is good enough to eventually turn into a side hustle, so instead of taking action you don’t follow your passion.
A lack of confidence in your ideas means that you’re often looking for some external validation or approval prior to moving forward. It’s hard for you to judge if your idea is good enough and even harder to know if you have the ability required to pursue your idea.
If this sounds like you, then it’s time to start moving forward. Take a good, objective look at your idea and if it meets any of the following criteria, you can be confident it’s a good one:
- It allows you to do something you love
- It harnesses one of your strengths or talents
- There is a demand and a market for it
- It solves a problem (that others may need a solution for)
- It has the potential to bring in revenue
If you have a sound idea, it’s well-researched and you have the necessary means to get it started, then push those fears aside and get to it! Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith to start on the path to greatness.
2. You have too many ideas.
So maybe you have a great idea, then it spirals into another great idea and then from there you think of a few more great ideas. Your problem isn’t so much figuring out what to do, it’s figuring out which idea to build on and follow through.
If this sounds like you, then it’s time to choose just one inspiration, and run with it. That doesn’t mean you have to forget about your other plans, it just means you need to choose one to put all of your energy behind (you can focus on the others later).
Need some help narrowing down all those amazing ideas? Start by:
- Making a list of all of your viable business or project ideas
- Narrow them down to the three that you feel most drawn to
- Do some market research (i.e. which one will be most well received and bring you the most profit)
- Choose one idea
- Take action
It’s not about finding the perfect business plan right away, it’s about finding the one that speaks to you the most and the one that you feel most passionate about. Bringing that passion to your project will undoubtedly make it a success.
3. You have no idea where to start.
While some women have too many ideas, there are other women out there who have no idea where to start. If that sounds like you, don’t worry; you are not alone. It can be a difficult and overwhelming process trying to hone your interests, talents and skills into a profitable idea.
In order to think it through, you’ll have to dig deep and do some self-reflection about who you are, what you love to do, and what you’re most skilled at. Once you have that figured out, then it’s time to do some research!
If you’re really stuck on figuring out how to generate some ideas, try this:
- Ask Around – if you know of someone who has started their own business, ask them how their idea first came about and how they got started.
- Brainstorm – just let the ideas flow! Take out a pen and paper and start writing. You never know what great idea might come to mind.
- Identify Your Strengths and Passions – a great idea often comes from things we know we’re good at and passionate about. Start by listing five things you love to do. If you’re still stuck, ask friends and family what they feel you’re good at. Sometimes others can see strengths in us we don’t even know we have.
- Solve a Problem – many products and services out there have come from people who experienced or observed a problem and tried to fix it. When you solve a real problem that real people are facing, you can rest assured knowing there is a market for it.
- Don’t Reinvent the Wheel – your idea doesn’t have to be 100% brand new and out of the box. Most of the time, great ideas come from something that’s already been created. Your passion and strengths are different from that of someone else, so even if you have the same idea it could look and feel completely different.
Whether you’re looking for some extra money to pay the bills, build on your savings, or help with a home renovation project, there’s certainly a side hustle out there that fits you, your lifestyle, and your skillset. So, if you think a side hustle is something you would like to pursue, make sure you consider the amount of extra work you can handle in addition to your current and regular responsibilities, and how many hours you are able to dedicate to it. The more you can commit to your idea, the more successful you will be. And remember: it doesn’t take much to turn that great idea into a profitable business – so what are you waiting for?