Too many men are frustrated and not engaged in their careers. Starting a side hustle is a low risk way to find something that is right for you.
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Kent was working as a youth pastor and had achieved some success. He got promoted a couple of times and was a leader of a large organization. He thought this was where he wanted to be but began to have some doubts. He wanted more for his life. He wanted more flexibility and freedom in his work. At first he wasn’t sure where to go and he thought he could do some career coaching.
Many men out their dream about doing something else. |
It began slowly working with a few people as he worked his full-time job. He slowly found out how to market his services. There were a lot of missteps along the way. Then he decided to add speaking to his business as well. First off he tried speaking to corporate executives. Kent knew pretty quickly that this was not for him. Working with teenagers as a youth pastor he knew he was best at engaging kids.
Kent tried a few different youth organizations until he discovered some groups he really hit it off with. He found the Career Technical State Organizations or CTSOs worked well for him. These are organizations like Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Business Professionals of America, and Technology Student Association. Today Kent is considered a Rock Star speaker for many of these organizations.
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Kent found a way to serve better by working on his side hustle. Many men out there dream about doing something else and I am sure you have heard horror stories of men who have leveraged their entire life savings to chase a dream only to see that dream become a nightmare. You don’t have to put everything on the line to begin, you can just start a small side hustle to see if there is a legitimate business opportunity there. Here’s how:
Take Small Bets
When we want to try something out it is best not to bet the house. Nick Loper, the host of the Side Hustle Show says, “When it comes to risk, look at side hustle investments (education, equipment, software etc.) as a percentage of net worth. If you have a $100,000 net worth, and it’s gonna take $1000 to get your business off the ground, that’s a 1% bet. If it completely flames out and fails horribly, it’s barely a blip on the radar financially.” So how can you try something small and see if it pays off?
Connect with a Dream
Perhaps you have always wanted to become a musician. Men hear how they should support their family and be responsible adults and music may not sound like it fits the bill. You can try a side hustle that might give you a chance to try it out. Author Dan Miller, writer of 48 Days to Work you Love, tells many people that when we do something we love the money shows up in interesting ways.
One story Dan has shared is about a man who was working a job he didn’t like, but he loved working on his muscle cars. He started taking pictures of muscle cars and tried to think of ways to make a business out of this. Someone suggested he create a calendar with muscle car photographs. He started selling them at car shows and business took off from there. He was able to quit his job and devote his time to creating calendars full time.
Develop a new Skill
Jon was working at a customer service job and enjoyed smoking ribs at home. His neighbors would stop by and sample his latest attempt and a smoky goodness and prod him to start a business. Jon first viewed this as a hobby but looked into ways to develop his new skill. He started first with a catering business do a few events. Then he started to go to some BBQ competitions and win some awards. Jon’s side hustle began to pay off and he was enjoying it.
If you need to make money you can generate more starting something yourself than getting an hourly wage job. |
Earn some extra cash
I enjoy listening to Dave Ramsey’s radio show sometimes. He of course, deals with people who have major debt problems. One thing he often tells people to do that changes their income is to start a business mowing lawns or cleaning houses. If you need to make money you can generate more starting something yourself than getting an hourly wage job. Many guys have called in and shared how they were able to pay off a lot of debt by mowing lawns or starting a handyman service repairing homes.
Solve a problem
Jake had a problem with power strips not working for him. Plugging in a couple things would fill up his power strip. So Jake thought how he could solve this problem and got to work. He created the Pivot Power that allows the power strip to flex to get more devices connected. Jake turned his problem into a money making proposition. According to Quirky he has sold over six hundred thousand of these.
What hustle can you try? What do you have to lose?
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Photo Credit: Getty Images
Great article! I’ve had my own side hustle since 2010. I do enjoy my full-time career, but I also get a lot of satisfaction out of running my own side business.