While a 9-5 job may be great,  the monotonous routine may become boring and make you feel less motivated.

Thankfully, for most people, embracing a creative outlet can ignite the spark that they need and bring a little bit of variation into their lives.

The little pleasures one derives from the things we enjoy doing – cooking, making paper crafts, writing can make a whole lot of difference.

Interestingly, all though this may not come across as new information, but some interests or passion have the potential to become more than mere hobbies, they are possible sources of income – side hustles.

For example, it seems everyone, on Instagram, has been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug! It has evolved from being a mere avenue for uploading photos and checking out what your friends have been up to while on vacation.

The best part about some of these side hustles, especially the ones carried out online, is that you don’t have to quit your 9-5 job, at least not initially.

If just like others, you strongly desire to monetize your hobbies, be your own boss, and still thrive at your 9-5 job, then continue reading to learn how you can have the best of both worlds.

Is This The Right Path for You?

Ushering in a new business into your existing structure and system can change the trajectory of your life completely. This may not necessarily be in a  bad way, but the experience pulls you out of your comfort zone entirely.

The truth is not everyone can juggle a 9-5 job and a side hustle; One would need to be highly organized with the ability to effectively prioritize tasks. This is why being true to yourself is key.

You must be sure this is what you really want to do and be ready to commit fully to it. You will be required to  reassess your routines, schedules, and time to fit into the new changes in your life.

The entrepreneur life can be quite unpredictable, running a new business especially in its early days can also have unpredictable outcomes. One minute you can be on top of your game, and the very next minute, you feel like you have hit  rock bottom.

To determine if this is the best path for you, there are certain questions you must ask yourself. They include but are not limited to the following;

• Are you self-motivated or you only thrive with external motivation?
• Are you able to multitask all by yourself and still stick to deadlines?
• Can you stay focused amongst unpredicted setbacks?

To turn your side hustle into a business, even if it is a part time one, you must be mentally prepared to go through the hurdles.

Additionally, while it’s true that some side hustles require zero investment capital, it never hurts to have a nice cushion of money to help you get started.

A new business may not be lucrative initially, so having a sweet pot of savings not only cushions the start up costs, but also protects you on potential slow days.

Leverage Existing Skills

Aspiring solo entrepreneurs hold back because of inadequate funds and lack of in-depth knowledge. This should not put you off starting. Sticking to what you know and the problems you can solve is usually the first place to start.

Ask yourself – ‘What can I do? ‘

Can I create captivating content?

Am I good at researching extensively?

Can I break down information for easy assimilation?

Take an inventory of your skills to know where you fit in and what you can offer.

Sometimes, all you need are your skills, perhaps a laptop or maybe  a phone.

Side Hustle – Passion Projects With Market Potential

Did  you know that your skills are different from your talents or your passion?

Skills can be acquired- through learning and practice, but your passion is ingrained. It’s either there or not.

The things you do effortlessly are your talents. They become exceptionally excellent when they undergo pruning through practice. Think of cooking, writing, organizing, speaking, and organizing.

In today’s world, there are lots of entrepreneurs who have groomed their passion into successful businesses.

Think about the areas you receive more compliment or find fulfillment, not only can they provide long lasting solutions in the world, but also keep you laughing all the way to the bank.

Plus, your passion will reflect in your services and can be magnet that attract customers, and also keep them glued to your business.

Tips to consider when switching from hobby to side hustle

1. Low Overhead Models

As previously mentioned, you don’t need to have an overflow of cash to start your side hustle. Keep it simple. Focus on strategies that require low overhead costs. Maybe instead of thinking about setting up a physical store for your handcrafted products, maybe a subscription based model might just be easier to manage.

Why setup a full bakery when you can just do farmer’s market weekend sales? Why produce ready to wear clothes in huge batches, when you can focus on customized requests?

2. Scalability

If your goal is to eventually transition your side hustle into a full-time business, you need to choose a side hustle with great potential to scale and grow rapidly. Cultivate a growth mindset, build a strong customer base, and expand your team on your journey. What is the point of investing time and money into converting your hobby into a side hustle if it does not have any potential for growth? or you have no vision of reaching a wider market?

3. Time Management

Poor planning, which is often a sign of poor time management is one of the reasons why some businesses shut down almost immediately. Effective time management helps not only in achieving results, but also attaining a certain level of progress.

Prioritization is the bedrock of time management. With a 9-5 job, you already have a lot on your plate.

With a side hustle, your responsibility multiplies. Break down your tasks and set realistic goals on attaining them.

Delegation helps in achieving so much in a short time.  A great tip is to have friends or family help you carry out certain tasks.

Also, outsource as the need arises because some seemingly simple tasks have an uncanny potential to be sneakily time consuming.

Freelancers can carry out tasks like web creation, social media management, logo designing, customer care services and other duties, while you focus on high impact tasks.

Make the most of your commute time if you aren’t the one driving. Leverage on the spare time to check and respond your emails, write your to-do lists, make phone calls, and most importantly, put down fleeting ideas.

Optimize your lunch breaks, early mornings, and weekends

A burnout may be inevitable if you are  putting in so much work.

Do not forget that this is a hobby you are turning into a business. This is supposed to ease tension not necessarily make you feel overwhelmed and permanently tensed.

4. Setting Healthy Boundaries

Over time, as your new business gains momentum, combining the responsibilities at work with it may become overwhelming. This is usually a major challenge and must be managed appropriately if you intend to keep your new business running.

For instance, working beyond your closing hours at work may interfere with some errands you need to run for your business.

It is essential that you communicate with your employer to prevent mishaps. You may have to look over your contract again and suggest a review if it’s paramount for the growth of your business, without making your 9-5 job suffer.

Don’t take on more task than you already have or can handle.

Decline invites that aren’t terribly important.

Let your family and friends on about your schedule and availability to foster understanding between everyone and prevent building unrealistic expectations and disappointment.

When To Take the Leap to Full – Time

As a solo entrepreneur, you may be contemplating transitioning into a full-time business owner, but you are not sure if you’re making the right decision.

How do you know it’s time to take the leap to full time ?

• Firstly, you must have a solid and thorough business plan, that can be a roadmap as you navigate through the business.
• Also, you must thoroughly assess your financial stability. Your business should be financially sustainable. This means you can take care of your expenses without depending on your day job. A financial back up is important, as situations may not turn out the way you expect. Save enough money that can cover for your expenses at least six months or a year.
• Growth is not limited to monetary terms, check your customer base, visibility and business network and collaborations.
• When you no longer feel fulfilled at your day job or if you feel strongly overwhelmed from juggling both jobs and you are experiencing a burn out, it may be the sign that you need to close the door to your 9-5 job and invest your time, energy, and resources on your business.

Choosing The Right Business Format 

It’s common for people to hop on trendy business opportunities as they may be seen as an easy route. However, authenticity is important. There has to be something different you bring to the market. This could be an incremental change to an existing solution, a change in experience, packaging even  business values.  Whatever it is, there has to be something about your business that sets you apart from other businesses,

You don’t have completely replicate what other entrepreneurs are doing out there. Think about it, this is something you already love doing, all you have to do is think about how you can get others to fall in love with your work enough to pay for it.

Conducting a thorough research, assessing the risks, trusting your instinct and most importantly, doing what you love or good is a great way to get started.

Conclusion

It is possible to chase your dreams as a budding entrepreneur and still excel in your 9-5 job if you are determined and committed to your goals.

It is possible to have the best of both worlds.

Likewise, with the right strategies and thorough planning, you can successfully transition from a side hustler to a full-time founder/ business owner hassle-free.

So, will you be starting a side hustle this year and which one are you interested in ?

Kindly share in the comment section.

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