How Do I Start a Side Hustle and Stick to It?

Nowadays, side hustles are quickly becoming a reliable source of income for many. And why not? Who doesn’t want an extra coin in their pockets? It gets more interesting if the side hustle is a fun activity you enjoy. But starting one can be stressful and intimidating, especially if you have never tried running a business. Once started, maintaining and growing a good side hustle is also a challenge. 

In this post, we share excellent tips on how to start a side hustle and keep it.

How to stick to a good side-hustle

Here are some tips for sticking to your side hustle and ensuring its success:

  1. Set clear goals: It’s important to have a clear understanding of what you hope to achieve with your side hustle. Whether it’s earning extra money, building a portfolio, or gaining new skills, having specific goals in mind can help you stay focused and motivated.
  2. Create a schedule: Scheduling dedicated time for your side hustle can help you stay on track and avoid letting it fall by the wayside. Try to set aside regular blocks of time each week to work on your side hustle, and be sure to respect those boundaries.
  3. Find an accountability partner: Having someone who can check in with you regularly and offer support and encouragement can be a huge help in sticking to your side hustle. Consider finding a friend, colleague, or mentor who can serve as an accountability partner and help you stay on track.
  4. Take breaks: It’s important to remember that side hustles are supposed to be enjoyable, so don’t be afraid to take breaks and recharge. Taking regular breaks can help prevent burnout and keep you energized and motivated to work on your side hustle.
  5. Optimize for SEO: If your side hustle involves creating a website or blog, optimizing for search engines can help increase your visibility and attract more traffic. Some simple SEO strategies include using relevant keywords, creating compelling titles and meta descriptions, and including alt text for images.

 

Here are some other tips that can help stay motivated and focused on your side hustle, even when life gets busy. Remember to stay true to your goals and have fun, and your side hustle is sure to be a success.

Consider Doing What You Love and Start

It’s one thing to have a hobby and another to make it generate money for you. For example, if you love knitting, how can you make money out of it? You can share knitted pieces and sell them to newbie knitters. They can follow the samples and start knitting.

Now, you can consider selling the patterns, and that’s how you start a side house. If you find your hobby – don’t try to overthink it. Most times, when you are in deep thought, and sometimes, there are higher chances of wanting the changes.

Use a Freelancing Platform

Are you looking to start a side hustle on a work-from-home basis? Then a freelance platform would be an excellent place to begin your escapades.

There are many freelancer platforms on the internet to help you scale your business. Some of the most common ones are Fiverr, Freelancer.com, and Upwork for content creators. There are other platforms for other niches, including engineering, technology, and the likes. These platforms will help you build your brand from the ground up.

The best thing about them is that you don’t have to know anyone on the platform to use them. Instead, you need to visit the website, sign up, and start selling.

Set a Reasonable Schedule and Stick to it

Routines are good to help you work on your side hustle, especially if you have a full-time job. Setting a schedule is one method that will help you create a good routine. And a good routine will help you set times when you work on your side hustle.

For example, if your full-time job starts at 8 am and ends at 5 pm, you can set hours before and after the full-time job. The secret is in the consistency of the routine you set. You will definitely grow your business if you are consistent and diligent in keeping up with your schedule.

Delegate Some Work to Industry Experts

You now know your strengths and weaknesses and where you may need help. The truth is everyone who ever succeeded in their side hustle was not skilled in every area, and some got an extra hand from an expert.

For example, you may be skilled in offering your type of service but need to be more experienced in digital marketing. In this case, you can focus on perfecting your service skills while you leverage the skills of an expert in digital marketing.

First, you will have the time to build your service skills and deliver pure gold. Second, you will be fully advertising your business to the world.

Have a Flexible Pricing Strategy

Stick to more than a single pricing strategy when starting your side hustle. You can choose to have different and flexible pricing. For example, you can give offers on your business for some time before you actually begin to sell your services.

You can give your customers welcome offers, which will help you build a good reputation and a solid customer base. A good customer base is a perfect starting set for a side hustle.

Get Real Feedback from Customers

You need to get customer feedback to set your business up for success. If you don’t listen to what customers say, your business may fail to meet their unique needs. Proper feedback enables the correction of failures and the improvement of successes.

Laser Engraving as Side Hustle

Using a laser engraver is one perfect example of a lucrative side hustle. A laser engraver is a perfect idea if you love crafts and are also looking for a less competitive side hustle.

With a laser engraver, you don’t have to break the bank for start-up money. You might be surprised at the variety of things people want to engrave with a laser.

You can tap a wide market, from engraved tumblers and engraved gifts to engraved trophies. To engrave the most unique items, consider investing in a great rotary like the PiBurn. 

Tip: Start Engraving Tumblers

Tumblers are insulated cups used to keep drinks hot or cold. Tumblers are becoming very popular and offering custom tumblers is a good product diversifier and added revenue stream for any business.

There are many ways to customize tumblers, and engraving custom tumblers is a profitable business. Laser engraving tumblers can include names in custom fonts, engraving business logos, or even pictures.

So how much do you need to start a laser engraving tumblers business?

First, you obviously need an engraver which may cost $2000 – $5000, depending on how much you want to spend on the laser. You will also need to choose a good rotary. You may also need to invest in digital marketing.

How to Sell Your Engraved Tumblers

If you want to scale up your laser engraving tumblers business, you need to consider sourcing the tumblers yourself. Some of our customers get tumblers from Save-a-cup and JDS. Others buy higher end cups like Stanley and Yeti brand tumblers. 

To sell these, there are four main principles to follow. Read more about them in our PiBurn Gigs Blog.

In short, you must choose one approach of these four:

  1. Elephant hunting (going after huge orders from corporations based on relationships)
  2. E-commerce platform (running a shop on Etsy or similar for micro-orders)
  3. Local Business (Going out and landing orders at local small businesses)
  4. Community building (Becoming an influencer and relying on the trust of your community to create demand)

 

Bottom Line

A side hustle can help you earn an extra income without affecting your day job. All you have to do is manage it well, and it will be successful. Identify what you love and your passion and find a way to monetize it by making it a side hustle. Laser engraving is one side hustle that will earn you return customers. You also don’t need a physical space to operate–your living room or garage is enough. For sure, a good side hustle is one that effortlessly brings you money. All you need to do is stick to it and scale up.