Data from Zapier’s editorial team reveals that 34 per cent of Americans own side hustles, with 24 per cent of them wishing to start a side hustle in 2021. A study by Vistaprint showed that 60 per cent of Canadians want to build creative pursuits into a side hustle. In the study, participants cited the top reason to be in a side hustle was the extra spending dollars. After all, research from Side Hustle Nation indicates that 43.4 per cent of side hustle owners can make up to $1,000 or more monthly. Seems like there is no right time to start a side hustle, so the best policy is to plunge into action rather than keep dreaming. Below are some tips for turning your creative hobbies into a profitable side business.
Start with a Social Media Page
Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are currently the best social media platforms for creative businesses. If you are a painter or a fine artist, publish photos of your art online to gain followers. Make sure to have a decent camera, preferably a professional DSLR; however, when starting out, a good quality smartphone camera should be up to the task with a little bit of smart retouching.
Focus on Your Strengths
You may not have the liberty of time on your hands if your main source of income takes up most of your day, so you will need to aim for developing your present skillset in the most efficient way. You don’t need to learn something entirely new and go out of your comfort zone the target. Instead, if you know a little bit of baking, enroll in weekend classes or pastry art courses to finetune your skills. If you are obsessed with fashion, take fashion design courses to learn about drawing and patternmaking.
Set Up an Online Shop
Before going all in with an online store of your own, a social media business page can be combined with an e-commerce marketplace such as Artsy or Etsy. These platforms often have shipping partnerships with USPS, FedEx, and Canada Post to deliver the handmade items you sell through them. For creative individuals in the food industry, renting a commercial kitchen and relying on delivery services may be the safest option at first. Moving forward, an attempt can be made to have a dedicated e-commerce store developed on a platform like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify.
Stick to a Schedule
It is essential to maintain a strict schedule that would allow you to find the time to accomplish all side business daily targets along with managing other activities. Be sure to take time out for yourself as you do not want to reach the point of burnout, which leads to a lack of motivation or interest in staying in business. Keeping a bullet journal is one such method created by Ryder Carroll to help keep track of all that is needed while also staying mindful and productive. To know more about this method and its inventor, read the interview conducted by our publication, The Edge, A Leader’s Magazine here.
Arslan Ahmed | Staff Writer
