How To Start A Side Hustle In 10 Easy Steps

A lot of people can barely afford rent or their mortgages with their full-time job nowadays. Some got lucky being born into a wealthy family, but most will have to work hard from the ground up to keep up. This is one of the reasons why learning how to start a side hustle can be life-changing.

Starting a side hustle opens up a lot of opportunities other than a few hundred dollars. It can lead to you having your own business, online store, passive income, and lots of free time.

Learning how to create a side hustle income should not be complicated, but just like everything in life, it will take some time, resources, and a whole lot of dedication to be successful.

How To Start A Side Hustle

In this article, we will discuss 10 easy steps to start a side hustle idea that you might have.

Or it could also lead you to develop your business ideas if you currently don’t have any for an extra income.

Before we start with the first step, I want to mention that a side hustle should not take a lot of your time. This means that an online business model would be ideal and the best for a side gig.

You can also do something in the physical world, but you have to incorporate the principles of making money online with it, to have a chance to scale and grow it to a successful business someday.

With that said, let’s start with the first one.

1. Think About Why

This is the foundational step that you need to do.

Understanding your “why” gives your idea a purpose. It gives it a life on its own, that will help you decide every decision that you have to make.

It will be the backbone that supports you as you struggle and work hard on your side hustle ideas.

These are some examples of WHY you might have decided to start a side hustle:

• Help in Paying bills

• Funding your dream vacation

• Exploring your passions

• Learning new skills

• Achieving financial independence

One thing I would suggest is to write your goals on a piece of paper or a sticky note.

Then pin that to your workplace, it can be your monitor or you can also put it in your journal if you have any. Make sure that you will always be reminded of your why every time.

It will give you strength for the challenges to come.

2. Pick Something You Are Good At

The short explanation is you should choose to be great and the best at one thing than multiple.

This doesn’t mean that you should not learn all the other skills it takes to make your side hustle successful. It suggests that you should focus on delivering value in the best way you can.

This step is all about recognizing your strengths and weaknesses.

Grab a pen a list all the skills that you are good at.

After that rank them based on what excites you the most, something that will make you get out of bed every morning.

Here’s an example of a list:

• Content Creation

• Web Design and Development

• Writing

• Graphic design

• Online Tutoring

• Use of social media platforms

After ranking them, you have to decide between the top of the list. Think about the time and resources that you will need to properly accomplish it.

At this point, you can’t be thinking about making more money.

I know it contradicts the whole purpose but the first thing you have to think about is how to provide value to the world in a way that does not exhaust you like your full-time job.

Also, you have to decide on a business model for your side hustle. It means to know if you want to operate alone and deal with all the responsibilities such as being a solopreneur.

Some people will be good at managing their selves but not other people.

Related: How To Start Freelancing With No Experience

3. Look Around

By looking around, I meant it literally.

Look around your surroundings, your social media platforms, and your Google and YouTube suggestions.

This is because those are the things that you have an interest in. They can lead to you figuring out what the market needs that you can provide.

It could give you an idea about a problem that can be turned into a side hustle by solving it.

It will also help you check out your competition and know what they are doing that is working and the gaps that they might have missed.

Those market gaps are your opportunities to make extra cash.

It could be as simple as someone in your neighborhood needing a pet-sitting service to have some free time for themselves.

You can make an entire business with dog walking alone to give people some spare time in exchange for extra cash.

Or you could look at the Facebook marketplace and see what’s on demand there that you can easily provide.

There is a lot that you can figure out just by looking around. Just be more mindful and have an entrepreneurial mindset.

4. Set Simple Goals

Think of it as planning where to stop on your long road trip.

You know your final destination which is your WHY, but to get there you have to know when to have a stopover and refill your gas and may snack, check your car out, and make sure you are on the right path.

This is how setting simple goals should be.

A map that will guide you to reach your destination.

Here are some qualities that a goal should have:

• Short-term

• It should be measurable

• It is time bound

• It is realistic

• Reviewable or feedback-friendly

5. Plan a Bit

Taking action on your goals is the most important step to being successful, but it could also lead to failure.

If you take action without a plan, most of the time it will result in a bad outcome. This should not discourage you but rather view it as a learning experience.

This is why it is important to do some planning, to reach a point where you can make extra money with your side hustle.

Here is how you should plan:

• Creating a roadmap – Outline the core steps and activities you will need to do.

• Time and Resources – Plan how many hours every day you will give to your side hustle as well as the initial investment you are willing to spend to make more money.

• New Skills – More likely than not, you will need to learn some new skills. Before you begin, plan how to learn these skills, maybe invest in an online course or find some free resources on the internet.

6. Do It Right

So, you started to make a plan and have set some simple goals to achieve on the way to your success.

The next thing to do is to implement them and make sure it is according to the plan.

That’s why I would like to say, that in reality, and especially in the world of business, you have to be adaptable because changes happen almost every time.

It can be that your market does not view your product or service as good enough so you have to re-plan and do another version of it, this time in a better way and according to your market demand.

Side hustles will only be profitable if done correctly, otherwise, you will just waste a lot of time and resources.

So, make sure you are giving it your best and do it right.

7. Make It Look Good

First impressions matter.

It is the first thing that people will remember about you and your business or side hustle.

So, invest in looking good and making your business platforms look good

These steps include:

• Branding – Your side hustle is your own brand. Make sure people know that you are genuinely trying to help their problems and not just make extra cash.

• Design – Invest money in your marketing materials such as your logo, your website, or your social media presence.

• Photography – Humans are virtual creatures, they will learn more and understand more about you and your business if you use high-quality images.

• User Experience – Make sure that your user experience also feels good for your users or potential customers, this means easy website navigation or large enough fonts and or lighter color schemes.

8. Start Small

Start small, especially if it is a side hustle and not a main business yet.

This is because more likely than not you have a full-time job that you need to attend to as well as other responsibilities.

Make sure to start small first, this means that you have to start without spending too much time and money on your side hustle ideas. Do not create a bunch of products or accept a lot of service appointments.

Start your side hustle in a manageable way and then grow from it.

Remember, starting a side hustle is like planting a seed. It will grow with time as long as you nourish it.

9. Tell People

Tell people and share your product or service.

If people do not know it exists then how can you earn extra money from your side hustles?

A business or a side hustle was created to solve a problem that you think you can fix. This means knowing what people’s problems and needs are. This is what’s called a niche strategy.

You have to be specific in which group of people you are planning to help or establish a side hustle business.

Then after you created the product or service, you have to tell them somehow, it can be through a website, social media platforms, or by word of mouth.

The key is telling the right people.

10. Keep Checking

Your side hustle ideas will need some time to manifest.

Earning extra money after a few hours of working is a myth if you don’t have any background skills or specialty.

You will need to be patient in making money online because only time will tell if your side hustle ideas are good enough.

It can be that the side hustle become successful overnight but after a week it failed without any signs of going back up again.

Keep checking means to monitor your progress and align your steps according to that.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the #1 side hustle?

The #1 side hustle is YOU. It means to make yourself your own brand and revolve your business around yourself. If you are good at something or have special skills then advertise and market yourself, not the product or service that you can create.

By making YOU your business, new opportunities will come up that will not just make you a few hundred dollars but a whole lot more. Invest in yourself and the skills that you need to be successful then showcase it to the world.

What is an easy side hustle to start?

An easy side hustle to start is content creation. Because this is a side hustle that does not require much time and resources to do. You just need your own voice and perception, then you can spread it to the world via writing or video shooting.

Final Thoughts

Deciding to start a side hustle is already some form of success. A lot of people will not even take these risks, they believe that the gig economy and hustle jobs are not worth the time.

But if you look at it as a business that could replace your full-time income someday and gives you a lot more time with family and friends, then a couple of hours after work should be worth it.

Not only can you get extra money from it, but you will also engage in personal development, develop more creative skills and get closer to the reason or purpose of your side hustle endeavor.

I hope this article gave you some idea of the steps needed to start a side hustle and

Good luck with your own business!