Side-Hustlers: How to Grow Your Business While Working Full Time

Every life-changing adventure, decision, or opportunity Jasmine has ever had started off with a side hustle.

In case you’re unfamiliar with that term, a side hustle is a small business that is *usually* not your main source of income while you get it off the ground.

But if we’re going to be real, side hustles have a stigma. When you have one, for some reason people feel like they can have an opinion about it.

For example, when Jasmine first picked up her camera, people were like, “Aw, look at that cute hobby of yours!” And when she started teaching about social media strategy, they said, “Bless her heart, she’s doing another *thing*.”

We know first-hand that side hustles have this stigma attached to them. However, we’re going to APPLAUD THE SIDE HUSTLE.

>>Side hustles make you hungry, are fun, keep you a little scared, inspire you to dream big, and fulfill you.<<

And are those not the key tenets of living a purposeful life?

There is no shame in having a side hustle; you should be absolutely proud of yourself because you are doing the thing you love.

But sometimes our inner-perfectionist becomes the biggest critic of our own good work, and the question they often ask us is: how long should it take for my side hustle to turn into my full-time career?

Friend, there is no time limit on your side hustle. It is not guaranteed to be a full-time career, but you’ll be lucky if it becomes one. It could take 2 months, 2 years, or 20 years… but as long as you are moving forward in the right direction that is all you can do.

>>Remember: you are responsible for the effort, not the outcome.<<

But let’s talk about what you can be DOING–the EFFORT needed–in your spare time.

If you have a 9-5 job and you’re trying to do everything you can to grow your business in your spare time, let’s talk about some tactical ways you can maximize your time.

Because we’re firm believers that TIME is the most valuable thing you own, it pays to be productive, and productivity comes down to priorities.

So if you’re ready to make some changes and balance your time to better reflect what your priorities are, here are 5 tactical tips to grow your side hustle while working full time!

1. Write down what you need to do. 

Your brain is a miraculous place, but it was meant for generating ideas… not storing them. Trying to use your mental capacity as a storage unit can lead to stress, anxiety, and ultimately forgotten tasks. You can write these digitally in a project management system like Asana, or on a piece of paper. You do you!

2. Prioritize what's important versus what's urgent. 

Repeat after us: just because it’s urgent doesn’t mean it’s important. What is important will move the needle forward. What is urgent may feel important, but ultimately it’s just busy work that can wait, like email and Slack notifications. I recommend purposefully setting aside time that is notification-free and without interruptions, so you can set goals and work on what’s important.

3. Utilize small pockets of time. 

It used to be very common for me to look at the clock and waste 5-15 minute increments of time waiting for upcoming meetings or events by mindlessly scrolling on my phone. Now, I see what small tasks I can accomplish within that tight window. I’m then utilizing every single minute of the day. Give it a try and you’ll be surprised how much more you can actually accomplish!

4. Be honest about your capacity

No one wants to feel like they are failing, so be realistic in the intentions you set each day. When you’re working a full-time job, you may only have 1-2 hours per day to work on your side hustle… and that’s ok! Just be really intentional about what you do in those 1-2 hours. If you don’t have time to do 25 different tasks, don’t add them to your list. Make sure you set yourself up for success and estimate your time well!

5. Learn to rest and not quit 

Make sure you are taking the time to step back when needed and return to a healthy baseline if you are feeling burnt out. I'm happy to say that being strict with putting parameters around what is work time and what's not has made a profound difference in my overall well-being and happiness, and I think it will do the same for you!

We’ll leave you with this, dear side-hustler…

One time last year, our team was batching video content in Jasmine’s apartment complex, and we had clear views of the pool right outside the window. In that moment, we’ll be honest: we were so jealous!

Jasmine and the rest of our team kept saying, “I don’t want to be working! I want to be out by the pool right now!”

But then Jasmine reminded us that the work we’re doing is going to get us to where we want to go.

When we’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or just plain jealous of our carefree neighbors living it up at the pool, we anchor ourselves to our purpose.

>>You can't have big dreams and act as if they’re just going to come to me without doing the work!<<

So, wherever you are right now:

• In a cubicle during your 9-to-5 job…
• In your car waiting to pick up your kids…
• Working on your side hustle late at night…

Remember that we all want to be by the pool… The difference is that some of us will choose to go to the pool, and some of us will choose to do the work to get us to where we want to go.

If you’re ready to use your spare time to take your side hustle to new heights, join Social Curator! It’s the PERFECT subscription for all of you side-hustlers out there. With thousands of Insta-worthy lifestyle photos, 30 new caption templates each month and a marketing action plan to guide the way, Social Curator will help you with all your content creation needs and help maximize what little time you have.

Start your subscription >>HERE<< and we can’t WAIT to see you inside our private community soon, where Jasmine hosts group coaching sessions that have helped thousands of business owners achieve the dreams they never thought possible. See you there!