How to Take Your Side Hustle to the Next Level?

To have a side hustle, you need to have a main hustle as well – it’s called a job. Of course, a job is something you might not necessarily like, but you are keeping at it because it pays the bills. The side hustle does its part, however, it is still just something “on the side” or else it wouldn’t be called that. However, if you find it a more fun and fulfilling experience and something you would fight to hold onto – why not think about taking it to the next level?

What is the next level?

Now, that is completely up to you. Next level could mean that you want to go from making a $100 a month from it to $200. Perhaps that would be enough to satisfy your appetites. It also depends on your free time. If you are single and in your 20s you are bound to have more time and energy than when you are married, with kids and in your 40s. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a side hustle – just how much time and energy you have at your disposal. On the other hand, your ambitions might be to eventually take your side hustle and turn it into a full-time career – which is great, but demands a lot more from you.

Mindset change

Regardless of whether you would like to retain your job and up the ante a little bit, or you would prefer to eventually register a company and become an entrepreneur, you have to be aware of your options and responsibilities. One of the most important things is to stop thinking small. Your next gig is not a life changer, but what can you do to make something more out of it? The moment you realize you’re thinking like a legit business owner is the moment you actually start becoming one. 

You are only as good as your tools

Whatever your side hustle is, proper tools are needed for a proper job. It is a sound investment of your hard-earned side-hustle cash. If you are into woodworking, a new set of tools will go a long way into making it easier for you to do the work. If you are busting your chops learning how to do web design properly, maybe it is time to invest in a new computer or a larger screen, so your eyes don’t suffer. In general, if your work is sedentary, it would be great to invest in your seating arrangements as well, your spine will be grateful. 

Keep it organized

If you are already doing more than one thing, it is hard to keep it all in your head. Luckily, there are several options for you out there.  Free organization tools like Trello or Meistertask are pretty easy to use and share with other people and they offer the flexibility that you might need. Even if you are trying to get a kind of cooperation with other “side-hustlers”, tools like these have got you covered – and what’s great they do it for free. Of course, if your needs at one point become overwhelming, you might require something that needs to be paid for, however, at that point your hustle should be bringing more than enough money already.

Build a name

Your side-hustle might be small, but if you are good at what you do, you are very likely going to be recommended by your customers or clients to their friends and relatives. Now that you have decided on how to take your side hustle to the next level, it is your chance to build a name for yourself, even before you actually have company. This is the perfect time to start thinking about your brand, as you are still not under real pressure and you can combine your ideas about what your brand should be with the way your customers see you. It is their feedback that you should be asking for as well – perhaps they know nothing about business, but they know a lot about being customers of (a potential) one.

Be social (on social media)

Hey, it’s 2019 – you’re pretty much dead if you don’t have a bunch of profiles on a bunch of social networks. If you want to truly take the next step in building your side hustle into something more, you need to think about your online presence. It is the natural continuation of the word-of-mouth reputation you have been building, only this time with the potential of reaching hundreds or even thousands of people. Another thing to be aware of is that you need to be proactive and not only have a profile on your mainstays, such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, but try to catch the next big wave in the social media world. All you need to do is experiment with the up-and-comers you might have not heard of, such as TikTok or ones you think are not for companies, such as Reddit.

Having said all that, don’t think that you need to force your side hustle to become something more. If it is primarily just a source of fun for you, a hobby that lets you earn a little extra, don’t feel an obligation to push it. However, if you feel you would like to turn it into a profession, go right ahead. Hopefully these few pieces of advice will give you enough of a nudge through that scary door. After all, you can never have too many people doing what they actually liked.



By Victor T. Miller – Contributor | 06/09/2019



Victor T. Miller
Victor T. Miller

Victor T. Miller, a Sydney-based business and marketing specialist who has expanded businesses over 5 years. Regular contributor at Bizzmarkblog.com. I am a person who loves to inform people about the latest news in the industry also as sharing tips and advice based on my professional experience and knowledge