From the course: Entrepreneurship Foundations

Start with a side hustle

From the course: Entrepreneurship Foundations

Start with a side hustle

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- We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare. And while it seems counterintuitive, the tortoise route applies perfectly to entrepreneurship. For me, taking deliberate baby steps toward starting my business was essential in getting it where it is today. As much as I want you to dive in head first, easing into the shallow end slowly and deliberately is the best bet. The easiest way to test the water is to start with a side hustle. While my co-founder and I thought our idea was brilliant, I knew we'd have to actually test it out before quitting our full-time jobs. We decided to work on nights and weekends to see if what we had was viable before we quit to run our company full-time. This way, we could see that people were responding positively to our idea while continuing to collect a paycheck and receive health insurance. Don't get me wrong, working nights and weekends was exhausting, but it allowed us to get into the pool of entrepreneurship without necessarily taking away our life jackets while we learned to swim. Here are some easy, fast ways to start your business with a side hustle. First, find an easy, low-cost way to sell your products. I love the idea of creating a listing on a public marketplace like Etsy or your own website. Another great method is finding local green markets where you can learn to sell your goods. Test out these low risk methods and see if customers are excited about your product. You'll find your target customers and you'll get real-time feedback to improve your product. If you're thinking about starting a service-based business, try working for free. One of the first projects we ever did was for a brand called KIDZ BOP, and people are always shocked when I tell them that we charged $0, which is unheard of at an agency. But we knew that if we took the chance, then we could use that as a case study and it would help us to bring in other established brands. We also knew that if they had a good experience with us, there was a high likelihood that they would tell others. Word-of-mouth is huge when you're first starting out. Our hunch was correct, and working for free that first time allowed us to land larger deals in the coming months that paid a standard rate. It's a tactic that I use even today and it's still extremely effective. Starting with a side hustle might seem frustrating, but from my experience, starting small helps build a solid foundation and I am certain that it will help you too.

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