Taking the Leap - Side Hustle or All In
With disruption comes opportunity. Disruption makes us ask ourselves questions about our career, relationships and life. Disruption demands innovation.
Disruption may be just the thing you needed to start that side hustle or make a career transition. I made my own in 2016 (more on that in a bit) For me, it was my own need to disrupt my life.
Why should you start a side hustle or embark on a career change? Maybe your job no longer exists, or you are asking yourself - do I really want to go back? Hmm, I really like the freedom I am experiencing when I have more control over my calendar. I like working from home. I have been so bored at my job.
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For many, this crisis has challenged their sense of security. Does it come from your company and paycheck? Does it come from within – a belief that you can support yourself and your loved ones no matter what comes? Does it come from family?
With 26 million Americans filing for unemployment, finding new revenue streams is a very real reason why! Maybe the demand for your business product or services has gone cold or your industry is being turned on its head and your company is trying to pivot.
Building your own business whether full-time or side hustle often means there is no cap on what you can make – there is no internal glass ceiling ladies. That isn’t to say there aren’t plenty external ones that can be particularly hard to crack in certain industries. But, there is no cap on the percent of profit that will be paid out to employees or partners, no stepped ladder that applies across the ranks.
For many they feel more in control of their destiny, including financially
Purpose
Is your job aligned with your purpose? (what’s your purpose? will cover how to discover that in another post!)
Why does it matter? When you feel your work and your purpose are aligned you are more energized, more motivated and engaged. Studies show employees perform better when they are engaged, that also translates to working for yourself.
Being guided by purpose puts you in the mindset of being in service to others. When you are acting in service to others you can connect more deeply, which as humans we are wired to do.
Finding your purpose empowers you, inspires you, uplifts you, grounds you, and focuses you.
Expansion
Starting a side hustle or transitioning your career by building your own business or joining a new growth sector, lets you develop new skills. New skills developed on the job and through mentorship and education. Maybe you want to learn new skills within your vertical. You have been a tradition marketing and PR person but now you want to learn digital marketing. Or, maybe its outside your experience - never worked on and in tech and you want to try. Maybe, you want to take up coding!
You will also grow personally as you take on new challenges, make mistakes, and have new experiences. You build resilience, courage, and confidence. You are more resilient because you are committed to overcoming obstacles and see setbacks as learning opportunities. Starting a business is all about try – fail – iterate - try again. You hone decision-making, relationship building, and leadership skills.
You expand your network. You are meeting new people, trying out new events (yes virtual for now so that brings its own challenges to networking), and seeking our advisors and mentors that have the skills or industry experience you need to succeed.
Building new professional skills, developing personal skills and experience, and expanding your networks will only help you in the future, opening up new opportunities.
So why did I make the jump in 2016 from corporate/hedge fund law to working with female founders? I wanted a challenge where I cared about the outcome; I wanted to be part of the future economy; I wanted to work with innovative and creative types driven by a mission they believed in; I didn’t want my earnings to be capped; and I wanted to take my experience navigating a male-dominated industry and help women build businesses and make the money they deserve.
