Side-Hustles and Multiple Incomes

So we know we want to quit the corporate grind, but what about the side-hustle fantasy? Is it all that it's cracked up to be?

Motivation comes with an initial burst of inspiration, but once that spark dissipates there's lots of loose ends and paperwork that "side-hustle influencers" rarely talk about.

All the behind the scenes monotony - it happens with any job. Even a self-employed one.

Being your own boss also means being your own time-keeper, auditor, motivator, and risk assessor. Whether or not tasks are delegated out to third parties, it's all part of the many hats that you'll have to wear.

It's easy to fall for the mirage of "Quit your day job! Just do this instead!" or for some people it wasn't much of a choice - they've been made redundant, it's time to look for more options.

Flexibility in dictating your own hours also comes with the stress of anticipating cash flow. You can't just gamble your own hours and efforts. You have to decide on a task because you know your ROI - Return on Investment. Except now the investment is your own time, skills and talents.

Sometimes, your friends and family might not even understand. And it takes a lot of patience and assertive communication to let them know, "I just need you to have faith in me, I know what I'm doing."

This can be really challenging for artists, because creativity doesn't like to flow in a neat and boxed-in time sheet. Inspiration might come because you took time out, rather than clocked in. However, the rarer and more unique the art, the more valuable it becomes, and then that ROI could sky rocket. The final sale has the potential to even be valued with 7 digits.

Art that doesn't take too much effort, sure, it's easy to feel like, "That was a scam" - but these days with AI assistance, is it such a scam or a genius human's curation?

As trends come and go, it's also possible to feel completely overwhelmed or bored with multiple income options. (Well, the boredom comes if you're not seeing the positive returns).

I think the most frustrating "side hustle" or "multiple income" influencers are the ones trying to sell us their 12-step eBooks. They're trying to get a funnel. It worked for someone else and now they're following that template, and they want you to follow their template. (Is it a ponzi scheme?!)

It's easy to paint the fantasy of financial freedom, but it is always much harder to actually pave your way towards it. No matter anyone else's "success story" - they would've left out some details of the harsh realities.

Even as I'm writing this piece, I'm thinking to myself, "Do I want to share more about what I'm currently going through?" And no, not yet... maybe in another story. But it's always the little things at the back of my mind. Budgeting to-do lists that are weighing me down.

The dream is to be so successful that you can start to outsource. Because otherwise the success is unsustainable. Side-hustles could turn into small companies, by which time, you're no longer the one-stop shop for everything related to your business, you're the boss with a small team, and you'll have to learn leadership and communication skills, as well as effective delegation.

The very "bosses" that you were trying to escape from in your previous corporate grind, you could end up becoming so successful that you find yourself as the head of similar meetings. But one key difference is, you should have empathy for your subordinates. Because you climbed your way up to that level of success that you can empathise with what that feels like. To know that employees don't want to stay in their same position with that same pay forever.

You have to scope out your plans for success in phases to involve teams and budgets for wages and salaries. So then the side-hustle or multiple income streams becomes a corporate empire. But it's YOUR corporate empire.

When you can dream the big dream, all the harsh realities of the "side hustle fantasy" doesn't steer you away from your path. You know your goal and you're going for it.