4 signs your side hustle is a waste of time
- Susie Moore is an entrepreneur and author of "What If It Does Work Out? How a Side Hustle Can Change Your Life."
- She's coached many people through starting and scaling side hustles, and she's pinpointed some signs that a side hustle probably isn't going to stick.
- For instance, if you aren't making any money, you aren't consistent, and you aren't truly solving anyone's problem, the future of your side hustle doesn't look good.
"My website update will cost nearly $700. I don't have it."
That was a comment I saw in a side hustle Facebook group recently and I couldn't help but shake my head. If you don't have $700 to update your website, your side hustle is not a legit hustle yet. You're caught in hobby-land.
Because it's the dough that makes the difference.
Here are some signs your side hustle might be a more wasteful than worthy use of your after-work hours:
You're not making enough money
Look at your revenue. Are you making money every month? If it's not growing, is it at least pretty steady?
I see so many beautifully designed businesses that make no money because the hustler is focused on the wrong things: a perfect business name, a pretty Instagram page, an "on-brand" website (with no traffic). Even creating freakin' business cards.
The mark of a solid hustle isn't what's behind the scenes, it's what's in the bank. When the sales come, the rest will flow and fall in line. And non-techy people like me can rejoice - sales means you can outsource!
You're not consistent
Like anything that succeeds, your side hustle is going to require consistency over time. Most people drop out too fast - I see few side hustles even make it past the one-year mark. Time investments often pay off over the long haul, not just from a big energy burst in the beginning.
If you get bored quickly, it's going to be very hard to grow and scale. There's a big emotional tax for devoting yourself to something that doesn't energize you. Choose something that truly excites you, and you're far more like to keep producing and win.
You're not willing to put yourself out there
This is key. All successful businesses require an element of visibility on behalf of the founder. Shyness will get you nowhere.
Read More: The top 5 qualities of people who run successful side businesses
If people don't know about you, they can't hire you or buy your product or service. I grew my life coaching practice in the beginning by blogging for business - getting my advice in the hands of thousands by writing for cool websites like Marie Claire and MindBodyGreen. (You can learn how to do the same, here.)
You like the sound of entrepreneurship but you're not really solving a problem
Being your own boss isn't just the laptop-and-dragonfruit-smoothie-in-Bali dream we see all over social media (and if you're ever tried working on a beach, you know it ain't fun). You have to be solving a real problem. Are you helping parents teach their kids financial literacy? Are you sharing your personal method of sustainable weight loss? Are you taking the hard work off the hands of busy brides by being their day-of wedding planner?
There are a million ways to make money - but just dreaming of handing in your resignation letter and setting up your work station in a scene-y cafe isn't one of them. It's about solving problems for other people in an ongoing way. Just like Zig Ziglar said, "The secret to get anything you want is helping other people get what they want."
Susie Moore is a New York-based high-performance coach, who's been featured on the Today show, Forbes, Oprah.com and more. If you're curious about starting (or scaling) your side hustle, sign up for her free workshop here.