What to Do When You Have Too Many Ideas for a Side Hustle

Sometimes it seems like the side hustle ideas are everywhere – hobbies, crafts, professional skills, etc. – making it impossible to choose which path to follow.

While some teachers struggle with finding anything they can do to make extra money, others are blessed with an abundance of possibilities.  If you’re one of them, how do you narrow down your choices and decide where to start?

Remember, it’s a starting point

As I can personally attest, where you business starts is not necessarily where your business will end up.

This means you can start to look at your options in 2 ways; What provides you the best means to make money right now?  And what will provide the most opportunities for multiple streams of income in the future.

And, of course, you can always pivot.

What are your best skills?

You might make amazing marinara sauce, but that doesn’t mean you should create a business around it.  Instead, think of what people think of when they think of you.  Are you the person they come to to help plan family trips?  Are you someone who knows a lot of people and likes to create connections?  Are you just someone who gets shit done?

A skill you already have, whether it’s learned or innate, is a great starting point because, well, you already know how to do that.  Additionally, if everyone already knows that you’re a star quality makeup artist it will be easy for them to think of you when someone they know needs what you offer.

What do you love to do?

Starting a business is hard work.  There are lots of mundane tasks and things to do.  But when you love what you’re doing – the purpose of and main focus of your business – the struggles are worth it.  

The key is to think long term.  If you’re someone who jumps from hobby to hobby (said with not an ounce of judgement), then starting a business around one of those hobbies, no matter how much you love it today, is probably not the way to go.  Instead, think of things that have been fairly constant in your life and bring you joy.  Maybe the connection between all your hobbies is that they’re all crafts, and you’d like to do something with that.  Maybe you’ve been an avid tennis player you whole life.  

The fact is, if you love something, there are others who love it, too, and can benefit from your experience.

What fits your lifestyle?

If you’re a homebody type who likes to work in your living room in yoga pants (not that I know anything about that), then you want to start a business that allows you to do that.  If you’re a physically active person, that should be part of your business model.

Will you have to grow past your current comfort zone to have a successful business?  Absolutely.  But that doesn’t mean that you have to build your business to specifically make you uncomfortable.

You do you.

When you start looking around at possibilities for your business, it’s almost inevitable that you’re going to find someone else already doing it.  That’s okay!  There are lots of ways to set yourself apart, from who you serve to how you serve them.  Don’t worry about other people.  You have a unique life experience and, therefore, a unique perspective to bring to your customers.

The fact is, the only wrong thing to do when starting a business is nothing at all.  No matter where you start, you can always grow, evolve, and pivot as you find your way.

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