How many times a week do you think you see or hear the words ‘side hustle’? If you are like me, it is far too many. It seems that everyone is either trying to create a side hustle, is claiming be to be a hustler, or even that they are teaching people how to hustle.
Back in my day (she says sounding much older than she is) the definition of a side hustle was just a job on the side of your normal day job, or if you were a kid, it was also known as a paper round!
This job on the side was something that you did in the run-up to Christmas, earning you enough cash to get your little one the bike they wanted or to splash out on turkey and all of the trimmings for Christmas dinner without needing to go without heating for the next two months to pay for it.
With all of this side hustle advice we are led to believe that the best way to boost your income is to find an inventive way to create a side line. The problem is, this side line is in reality a business and even a small business brings a whole heap of headaches.
For one, you have to find something you can sell, for some it may be your time, you know like dog sitting or Uber driving and for others it could be making things such as cupcakes or greetings cards.
Once you have decided on your ultra-unique, never before thought of service that fills the obvious gap in the market then there is the tricky business of finding customers. No longer are cottage businesses able to tap out a quick post on Facebook and reach anyone outside of their immediate friend group and secure a quick and simple sale. Now you have to have a website or at least a blog, pay for advertising, boost your posts, join social groups, network at 6am over breakfast and deliver a captivating pitch which results in you getting a business card handed to you for your efforts.
Beyond that, well, I am an idealist so let’s say you did land a great client who can’t live without your product, after you have done a little happy dance you have to do the work, raise an invoice and finally, hopefully, get paid.
You would think that this would be the end of the story but, what about the financial implications of this whole endeavour? Bookkeeping, taxes, tax returns, plus the impact that it may have on any benefits you might be receiving.
What part of any of this is sounding easy to do this side of Christmas? I am exhausted just writing about it!
Despite what people say, this is not a side hustle, this business is a way of life, a huge undertaking there is nothing ‘side’ or ‘hustle’ about it.
When did we, as a society, forget that there was in fact an easier way to earn money on the side? When did temping stop being something we all knew about?
What happened to word of mouth, families and friends passing on the knowledge that temporary jobs are plentiful and varied, that they are well-paid and flexible, all you have to do is register with an agency – that’s it.
This one simple step opens up so many possibilities for temporary working positions, an extra shift here or there, weekly pay, enhanced rates, and the flexibility to work around your existing commitments or home life.
You don’t need to go to great lengths to earn extra cash, you don’t need to be an entrepreneur to put food on the Christmas table or gifts in the stockings, all you need to do is maximise the free time you have.
Seek out the free time in your week, a day off, evenings, mornings, one morning, three evenings it really doesn’t matter, whatever you have is an opportunity to make it work for you.
Next, grab yourself a cuppa and pop over to have a read of an article I posted a short while ago that provided a heap of information about registering with Blue Arrow, this will tell you everything you need to know so you can be set up and ready to accept work that fits around you in no time at all.
It could be the odd shift as a barista, or an evening job as a waitress. Perhaps you have some driving experience and a clean license, these could see you accepting some shifts as a delivery driver on your days off or maybe you are great with people and so some regular shifts as a customer service advisor would be right up your street.
Whatever your skills and whenever you are available Blue Arrow is sure to have something to suit you so, throw away those business handbooks and go for the original and ultimate side hustle that is temping.