388. I wish I had started a side hustle sooner

Hiong
Hiong
Jul 22, 2017 · 2 min read

While in my late 20’s I decided that when I hit 30 I needed to escape the traditional employee life and go out to the big bad world on my own. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but I had saved up enough money to give myself a decent runway.

7 Months after turning 30 my contract with my employer ran out and I turned down a new one. My decision had been made.

The last 4 years have been fun. There have been some great times, some tough times, and some times where I’ve had no work at all.

But my biggest regret is not starting a side hustle while I was still employed. Having some financial security makes it much easier to take a risk on a business venture. Now that my income is so inconsistent it’s incredibly difficult to feel comfortable dumping some money into a new business idea.

Currently I’m still selling my time to make money. My goal is to transition to selling a product (as it’s more scaleable and can become a bit more passive) or some mix of the two. The challenge is that now I don’t have as much financial muscle to take the risk on a product, because products require cashflow.

So my advice to anybody out there who wants to become an entrepreneur, start you side hustle now. It may be tough working 9–5 and then going home and working on your own business, but in the long term you’ll be better off.

100 Naked Words

Est. May 2016. 100 vulnerable words, one day at a time. Every day.

Driving a more thoughtful, human approach to business. www.findhiong.com

Est. May 2016. 100 vulnerable words, one day at a time. Every day.

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