Hello Reader,

I made $30,000 in my side hustles as a full-time working mother.

I’m not saying this to show off, but to show it’s possible for you.

It took me almost a decade to figure this out.

Sure, some tactical strategies and skills took time to learn.

But the main reason it took so long was how fast and willing I was to change myself.

Specifically, there were 5 mental leaps I had to take.

If you’re a corporate employee with dreams of making multiple income streams from your side hustle, ask these questions to see if this is how you want to spend your time and energy.

5 Questions To Ask Before You Start Your Side Hustle

1. Are you a problem solver?

When you encounter problems you can’t or don’t want to fix in the corporate world, you can delegate down or escalate up.

You also have the entire organisation as a resource to tap on.

When you’re a business owner, you’re often the only one who needs to resolve it.

Especially in the beginning.

Businesses exist to solve other people’s problems.

If you prefer things to be smooth sailing and don’t like solving problems, you probably shouldn’t be in business.

2. Do you take ownership of issues?

Do you take it upon yourself to get things done?

When you’re in business, you make it your business to resolve problems and do the extra work.

Researching your ideal customers’ needs and wants, keeping up with industry trends, what your peers and competitors are doing, and adapting to remain relevant, etc.

They’re all part of the thing you got into business for.

If you’re someone who waits for someone else to tell you what to do or tries to evade additional work or responsibilities, you’ll probably find it hard to stay in business.

3. Do you live by the golden rule?

‘Do unto others as you would others do unto you.’

This golden rule, also known as the law of reciprocity governs human relationships and business.

Success is never a one-person show.

Even though you may be a solopreneur, you’ll still need to exchange energy, money, and resources with others to build your business.

This can take the form of freelancers you engage, and people in your network you collaborate with or get referrals from.

In the corporate world, it’s common to see people get caught up with their egos the fancier their job titles get.

In business, it’s all about reciprocity and treating everyone with mutual respect, because, as Zig Ziglar said,

4. Can you master the discipline of focus?

It’s easy to get distracted and think you need all the bells and whistles when you start your business.

You’ll think you need:

• Certifications and qualifications
• Multiple products and offers
• Complicated sales funnels
• Automation to scale
• Fancy technology

You look at all the people in business you admire and think you have to do what they do to be as successful as them.

But they didn’t start that way.

You’re comparing their Version 10 with your Version 1.

Instead, you just have to focus on solving one problem, one person at a time.

This is even more important when you have a full-time job and family to take care of.

Your time is limited.

Do you have the discipline to stay focused and on task daily for an extended time?

If not, getting your fledging business off the ground will take you much longer than is needed.

5. Do you have control over your emotions?

Starting a business is more than just making money.

Yes, businesses exist to solve a problem in exchange for money.

But the money hitting your bank account is the final, tangible outcome you see.

Everything it took to get that tangible outcome involves you being in charge of your emotions.

This means your ability to handle the feelings of

• Getting visible and promoting yourself
• Constantly learning and adapting
• Rejection and ridicule by others
• Not having the answers
• Opposing energies, e.g. balancing your impatience for results with giving your efforts time to bear fruit.

These are just a few.

Starting a business will push you to grow in ways no training workshop or job attachment ever can.

If you don’t like the discomfort of feeling like a beginner or you worry about looking like an idiot, then sticking to your day job will be a better option.

Summary

I don’t mean to discourage you from starting a business.

This is the future of careers where people may work a day job and run a side business.

I learned the long and hard way, spending time and money on these lessons.

I hope asking these 5 questions will save you the time and heartache I went through.

If you’ve recently started a side hustle, do you have anything else to add?

Hit reply and let me know. I read every email and I'd love to hear about it.

Take one step at a time and keep going,

Sharon

If you’re thinking about or have just started your side business and want some help to create a sustainable strategy and action plan to stay focused so you can get results, book a call and let’s chat. I help time-crunched corporate women start and grow their side businesses and I’d love to support you with this. CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR CALL.​