6 Ways to Turn Your Side Hustle into Your Main Job

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July 9th 2022

As a nation, Britain is no stranger to a side hustle. Up to 46% of Brits currently have a side hustle, or a hobby that makes them money, and this is likely to grow in the coming years.

People are always looking for a creative outlet or are business-minded and have no problem running something on the side during their time off, and if they can make money from it, that makes it even sweeter.

If you were to try and make your side job a main job, however, there are some things you’ll need to take into consideration. We’re going to explore those with you today.

 

1. Be Realistic – Know When to Make the Jump

In life, there’s never really an opportune time for change – either you take the leap or you don’t. At times, you may feel as if you’re holding down two full-time jobs or have your fingers in too many pies. This doesn’t mean you should stop. Building a successful business takes time, and if you jump too early into making your side hustle a main job – and fail – you’ll never forgive yourself.

The realistic approach to this is to examine at what point your side hustle begins to bring in more money than your main job. This is when you can start to consider your options. If you’re coping well with the stress of both jobs, you can continue – although we’d highly recommend against it, as you’ll likely burnout and have no motivation for either eventually.

Try not to get yourself into the ‘grind set’ mindset, thinking you have to be at 100% all of the time. If your side hustle is eventually overflowing with opportunities – maybe that’s the right time to jump ship.

 

2. Have a Plan and Process in Place

Planning to take on a side hustle as a main job requires proper planning and execution. Don’t quit your 9-5 until you have the procedures in place to take on the side hustle full-time. Do some research on how others have successfully achieved the change, and what they did to get there.

Make a checklist of everything you’ll need to accomplish in your side hustle before you quit that 9-5:

  • Does it now make more money than your main job?
  • Is the workload more or less stressful to you?
  • Do you prefer it over your main job?
  • Do you have the ability/clients/resources to continue your side hustle indefinitely?
  • Are you able to hire help? (Or do you even need help?)
  • Are you registered as a business?
  • Do you have or need any licenses?

Before any permanent work life changes are made, explore the points above and see if you miss the mark on any of them.

 

3. Be Prepared – Work Smarter, Not Harder

Some people may think that if they quit their main job, the side hustle will now be the sole focus of their time – but this is flawed thinking. There is a difference between a side hustle and a one-off passion project. There are things you can be doing before quitting that 9-5.

You primarily should be thinking of ways to make your side hustle flow easier:

  • Streamline your workstreams into manageable chunks
  • Hire a virtual assistant
  • Have a calendar to track deadlines or meetings with clients
  • Manage your social media to get the word out
  • If shipping products, designate days in which you ship and stick to them
  • If you can, automate parts of the process to take some stress off of yourself

 

4. Hire a Team – Get the Right People

In the previous point, we suggested hiring a digital assistant. These people will become invaluable to you in your side hustle endeavours. They’ll help you to manage your business affairs and keep you up to date on everything you need to know, while you’re still working your main job.

If your side hustle is making enough money, you can then entertain the idea of expansion. Hire people that will help with the tasks you no longer have the time to do. Whether its someone to manage your social media for the business, someone to focus on packaging and shipping your products, or even someone to go out into the world and bring new business to you.

You should surround yourself with smart and engaged people, which eventually leads to the business growing. It’s then no longer a side hustle – it’s a business with a dedicated team.

 

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5. Don’t Forget You Need to Put in Money to Make Money

Money can’t just appear out of nowhere. You need to be selling or producing something that people want to buy or a service that they need. In order to fulfil these needs, you’ll have to be funnelling money into your side hustle from your main job to keep everything ticking along.

This also means that profits from the side hustle can then go directly into growing it even more. After some time, it will eventually fund itself from its’ own profits – that’s when you can really think about quitting your main job. As we’ve already said, always think carefully, and never jump too soon.

You may need to consider holding off on big purchases, such as cars or houses, while you try to get your side hustle off the ground. You should be putting as much into it as you possibly can to increase the chance of success.

 

6. Always Remember That It Takes Time for Things to Pick Up

Tying into the point above – always remember that things take time. If you’re a couple months in, and seeing no profits, stick at it. Some of the most successful businesspeople in the world started building their empire out of a damp, rickety old garage. They started small, with nothing but dedication and a dream, and look where it got them? Billionaires, the lot of them. Nothing is saying you can’t do the same if you stick with it even through the hardest times.

You need to give your side hustle space to breathe and develop, like a photograph in a darkroom. Eventually you’ll see the bigger picture clearer than before, and the little details start to make so much more sense.

 

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As your side hustle grows, you need to remember why you’re doing this in the first place. Your passion led you to it, and you want to make it a success – but always remember how your main job played a role in it by funding its early days.

Making the jump from side hustle to main job is never an easy one, and is a path that’s wrought with uncertainty, but if you follow some of the tips we’ve outlined here today, your dedication will no doubt prevail.

If you’re currently running a side hustle, and have hired some helping hands, why not consider renting out some office space as a base of operations? Head over and take a look at our serviced offices and managed office spaces today, and see what we have available in your area.

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