Whether you're mentally quietly quitting your employment & need something that lights you up, you're wanting a second income source so you can save faster for your wedding or if you need a boost to see you through these economic hard times, there's no doubt about it, a SIDE HUSTLE is the way forward.
When I was made redundant at 45 it was part panic, part needing to be needed that made me take on a side hustle. Not intending for it to be my sole source of income it was something to get my teeth into whilst I frantically scoured recruitment sites.
Feeling totally excluded from the world, my confidence had taken a battering.
If I had tried to start my own business then it would have been the wrong time, mentally I was bruised & tired. I needed money but I needed to lean on other people instead of carrying the load of an incompetent boss who screamed & shouted at me most days, sneered & impatiently disagreed with me the rest.
My friend & previous work colleague who was already enjoying many years with this brand showered me with compliments about my people & leadership skills & said he knew I'd be great at this.
"This" being helping other people who were solo living, had chaotic families, retirees, busy professionals, new mums & everyone else in between, to tidy up their home bills & save money by aggregating them into one account with one provider.
Sounded perfect, not selling anything, just helping other people to get organised with their life admin & ensuring they paid less for what they already had.
I've learned a lot in the past 5 years & these are my 10 considerations for you if you're thinking how the heck do you go about choosing what to do if what you've heard so far isn't floating your boat.
I will of course continue my story at the end...
Click on the arrows to reveal each tip.
Tip N° 1 - How much do you need or want to earn each month?
If you just fancy “earning a bit extra” with nothing quantifiable you’re not going to be as driven to achieving it.
Your home budget needs to be planned ahead for the rest of this year. Why?
Because you need to know your numbers, you need to have a business mindset to know exactly what is the deficit you’re dealing with here. Which months really pinch?
If you are earning a certain amount what are you going to use it for?
When you know you need or want to earn £200, £500, £1000 a month from this, you can start to properly get some skin in the game.
You now mean business. You're not going to waste your time!
Tip N° 2 - Be strong with your reason why
Know your reason why you're doing this. Is it because you are saving up for a gorgeous wedding? Is it because you have a big holiday you can’t wait to go on?
You need to pay off some of your mortgage or build an extension?
Is it because your current income is dangerously close to your outgoings & you need to create more wiggle room for managing your
cost of living?
Fear will either drive you or keep you anxious & stuck.
Needing money rather than wanting to chase your dream of buying a new house will create very different feelings. Let yourself feel these emotions regardless & know that whatever your season of life, you'll not stay here forever.
Life moves on, at what speed & in what direction is up to you - don't let fear blind you, your comfort zone will become stale & uncomfortable anyway.
Tip N° 3 - How much time can you commit to each week?
What do you already do in your week?
Some of your earning potential is going to be directly linked to how much time you will dedicate to your new venture - note I don’t say how much time you have spare, because we all feel like we haven’t got enough time! The nooks & crannies of your day all count, just ask a busy mum how much she crams into her day.
When you can honestly say that you need to earn £500 a month extra, you also need to dedicate an amount of time to do so. Not all side hustles are created equal & you don't have to exchange your time for money in the same way a job pays you by the hour.
What do you do in the evenings? What do you do at weekends? What do you do on a day off during the week? What do you do in a lunch break?
Tip N° 4 - Your mindset will wobble, that's normal but...
Confidently tell yourself you CAN do this, and list all the ways you CAN.
For example, when you immediately think you haven’t got time, allow yourself to then say hmmm, how CAN I work around this?
Could you garner some support within your household so that if you’re the one doing everything at home, the troops can be rallied so that you have an hour every evening?
Could you batch cook on a Sunday so that most evenings you have a couple of hours? Sitting down for downtime is important, rest is crucial or by god you'll burn out fast.
But you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
So, in all seriousness, how CAN you create SOME time in your week?
Tip N° 5 - What are you good at, what do you love doing?
So what are you going to do? Can you work extra where you already are?
Can you take on a different role where you already are? What skills do you have?
You’ll be amazed at what someone else will pay you for just look at the entrepreneurship of online influencers. They are recommending products they love & getting paid every time someone buys from their links. They are liked, they feel familiar & they are trusted because they show up regularly so you buy what they say they like. Word of mouth marketing at it's best. Take for example could you teach a different language if only the basics? I'm learning French, I don't want GCSE certification, I want to talk to someone who can teach me how to communicate. Can you teach someone to cook or clean or maybe be paid to cook or clean for someone else that needs it?
Can you knit, crochet or sew & can teach others or repair things for others?
Are you an artist, a happy amateur photographer where you can sell your work online?
Stock photography can be sold on istockphoto or Shutterstock fairly
easily. What about gardening, or decorating?
House or pet sitting? How about something in the professional line for example bookkeeping or proof reading? What about taxi driving? I really wish there was a female taxi company who were only available for women. Reminds me of that old black & white film, Carry on Cabbie!!
Tip N° 6 - Self employed or employed?
They both have pros & cons like anything else. Do you need set hours, or a definite income or like the “safety” of employment with holiday & sick pay? In which case you need to think about the geographical nature of that employment & the associated costs getting there, or it could be a working from home set up. What about flexibility, being your own boss, working when it suits you doing what you want to do, from whatever location you choose? Self employment can be a challenge to begin with when you’re used to being employed but it’s nothing you can’t learn.
How to do your self assessment tax returns aren't as scary as they sound, here's two good resources, Gov.uk & Sage. Part time jobs are easy to find, just get onto any recruitment pages such as Indeed and you’ll see just how many roles are available in your area or those that are online & virtual.
What if you’re on benefits? Will you lose them? Find out as much information as possible before you make your decision, I hear many women who say they can't do this or that because they'll lose this & that.
That of course may be true, but if you're a bit hazy on the facts in your particular situation get an appointment with citizens advice.
Tip N° 7 - Extra research
Now you’re really getting somewhere. With most things you will need to do your research, you might need insurances or some sort of license or personal liability.
But finding out these things is the easy part thank you google as well as hooking up with the Federation of Small Businesses If all this has already put you off, so be it. You’ll live within your current means, make do and mend & that’s fine! Choosing self employment is different is all I can say. You will be stretched in new ways, learn a lot & make mistakes. It's all part of lifes rich journey. Which is why you need to know your numbers and your why - re read the first 2 tips.
Tip N° 8 - Let's talk about working with established brands
I have a few friends who are in the wellness industry who dedicate & inspire people online & in person, coaching or offering personal training & also provide wonderful products such as Juice + & Herbalife. Let me dispel a few myths around having these "mini franchises" Being part of a network marketing business is a fantastic business model. Why?
Because you are able to work when you want, you’ll learn how with a wonderful team around you & have as much support as you want. It also means you are with an established brand, who have all the relevant insurance & protection in place so you & your business is set up properly & protected. They usually offer your own branded & managed website, offer inexpensive marketing products like business cards & will show you how to market your personal brand within the bigger brand. Network marketing means that the brand has chosen to use Word of Mouth as it’s key marketing & staffing strategy. No bricks & mortar shops, no online shops open to the public, maybe a pop up stand here & there (think AA stands outside supermarkets or wellbeing stalls in a town hall or market)
You use your speaking ability to talk to people that you know. You are recommending products / services that you believe in just like online influencers do.
Because this business model is word of mouth, via your personal network, you are paid to introduce new customers to the brand. If you come across another person like you who wants to earn some extra money, they might like to join the business too.
They benefit from you being their mentor & you get paid to support them - not to recruit them!
It’s a very intelligent business model.
Some people aren’t very good at it and harass their friends & family to buy stuff, but that’s normally when they are learning how to market their business.
Marketing is a whole new area of learning but it needn't be overly complicated. Let’s face it if your friend opened a cafe or hairdressers they would be equally as passionate that you become a customer of theirs & you would no doubt recommend them to everybody to give them a helping hand!
Tip N° 9 - Here's where I continue my story...
One of the 3 ways I help you here in budgeting & planning is I am self employed with UW - a business that doesn’t sell anything.
It provides all the services you already have but cheaper & better. It has rolled 4 business models into one so that you only pay for one set of overheads which is one way they’re able to provide these services cheaper. I don’t sell anything. If you want to carry on paying for your energy & broadband knowing it’s more expensive than it needs to be, that’s up to you. But if you want to pay less I'm your girl! So 2 ways I can help you EARN money.
As a customer of UW, you can refer your friends & family to me directly, or send them your link via your personalised app. When they become customers, you can earn £50✨
I teach you how to do this yourself & you can earn up to £400 for each new customer ✨
Who is great at this business?
Busy Mums, Architects, Restaurant Owners, Dentists, Lawyers, Tradespeople, Carers, Teachers, Musicians, Jewellery Designers, Retailers, Chauffeurs, Airline Pilots, Retirees...
Here's a short video showing you a little more:
"Climb the mountain so that you can see the world, not so that the world sees you"
~ David McCullough
My last tip, N° 10
I want to be able to help you take the next step.
5 Years with UW means I am very able to support you, mentor you in your first few months & help you to earn some money!
To become a partner it will cost you ... £10 for full registration which includes your training required to be OfCom & OfGem authorised via the license of UW.
If you hate it, it's refundable.
Click here & enter your details & I'll call you for a very easy going chat.
I've zero expectations of you saying yes. You can think about it for 6 months if you want.
We'll just keep in touch from time to time if you fancy that, or not! After 30 years in retail I've got very thick skin I can handle you saying no thank you 😁
Take one small leap of faith & just take a look ...
Let's do this together
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