Hey girls! Today I’m spilling the tea on how I’m building my own little empire through side hustles. You know, we women are total powerhouses when we put our minds to it!
I started my side hustle journey out of pure necessity. I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck and wanted to have some extra cash for those cute shoes and fancy dinners. But it quickly became so much more than that.
My first side hustle was selling handmade jewelry. I’ve always been into crafting and one day I thought, “Hey, why not turn this into something that can make me some money?” I started by making pieces for myself and my friends. They loved it so much that they encouraged me to sell them. So I set up a little online shop. It was nerve-wracking at first. I had no idea if anyone would actually buy my stuff. But then the orders started coming in! It was such an amazing feeling to see that people liked what I created enough to pay for it.
One of the keys to making this side hustle work was really focusing on my brand. I made sure to have a consistent look and feel for my jewelry. I took nice pictures (even if it meant taking a million tries to get the right lighting!), and I wrote detailed descriptions of each piece. I wanted my customers to feel like they were getting something special and unique. And it paid off. People started sharing my shop on social media and I got more and more customers.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were times when I got really frustrated. Like when I had a big order and I ran out of materials halfway through making it. I had to scramble to find more and ended up spending way more money than I planned. And then there were the shipping issues. Sometimes packages would get lost or delayed and I’d have to deal with angry customers. It was tough, but I learned from each mistake. I started keeping better inventory of my materials and I switched to a more reliable shipping service.
Another side hustle I tried was freelance writing. I’ve always loved writing and I thought it would be a great way to make some extra money on the side. I signed up for a few freelancing platforms and started bidding on jobs. At first, it was really hard to get any gigs. There were so many other writers out there and I felt like I didn’t have anything special to offer. But I kept at it. I started writing samples of different types of articles and building up my portfolio. And then finally, I got my first job! It was just a small blog post, but it felt like a huge accomplishment.
With the freelance writing, I had to learn how to manage my time really well. I still had my day job and my jewelry side hustle, so I had to fit in writing assignments whenever I could. Sometimes that meant staying up late at night or getting up early in the morning to write. But it was worth it. The more I wrote, the better I got and the more jobs I started getting. I also learned how to deal with different clients. Some were really easy to work with and gave me clear instructions. Others were a bit more demanding and wanted a million revisions. But I learned to be patient and communicate clearly with them.
One thing that both of these side hustles have taught me is that we women are capable of so much more than we think. We can juggle multiple things at once and still make them all work. And building an empire through side hustles isn’t about getting rich overnight. It’s about taking those small steps, learning from your mistakes, and growing bit by bit.
I also realized that networking is super important. I joined some online groups for jewelry makers and freelance writers. I was able to share tips and tricks with other people in the same boat and I also got some great advice from them. I even collaborated with a few other jewelry makers on a special collection. It was so much fun and it brought in more customers for both of us. And with the writing, I got referrals from other writers when they were too busy to take on a job.
Now, my side hustles are starting to really add up. I’m making enough money from them that I can start saving for bigger things. I’m thinking about expanding my jewelry line and maybe even hiring someone to help me with the making and shipping. And with the writing, I’m getting offers for longer-term projects and higher pay.
So to all you girls out there who are thinking about starting a side hustle, just go for it! Don’t be afraid of failure. We’ve all been there. But the rewards are so worth it. You might just end up building your own little empire like I’m starting to do. Remember, we women are strong, creative, and we can do anything we set our minds to! 💖