How I Turned My Side Hustle Into LIVEKINDLY
When I started LIVEKINDLY it was (and is) because I care greatly about humanity, our home and those who share it with us. Three years ago, it was also my side hustle. For those of you at home trying to figure out “what now,” I hope my story has a few nuggets of inspiration for your own journey.
In April 2017, I had a full-time job and devoted every moment of free time to building what would become LIVEKINDLY. I was (am) deeply passionate about creating a brand that could foster inclusiveness and community for anyone curious about a plant-based or vegan lifestyle. Looking back on it now, all those early mornings, late nights and cancelled gatherings with friends- often felt like self-imposed social distancing! But I knew at my core, if I stuck with it, something great would come of it.
These are my three key learnings from those early days:
1. Time is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter how much time you do (or don’t) have.
People often complain there isn’t enough time in the day. In my view, time is an illusion, a mental construct. We can get attached to routines and become convinced that there are certain things we need to do at a given frequency or we’ve gone off path or somehow failed (exercise is a great example- who can relate?!).
For me this changed when I learnt to prioritize what I found most fulfilling. My side hustle aligned with my values and goals, making it easier to prioritize over drinks with friends or Saturday morning sleep-ins. Even when I was mentally and physically exhausted from my day job, I was energized to make LIVEKINDLY the best that I could. The time I’d previously thought I didn’t have, almost magically appeared.
I wish I’d known then that I didn’t need to worry so much about time.
2. You don’t need discipline.
People often ask me how I stayed so disciplined, and the perseverance to eventually make it into a full-time career. They’re often surprised when I tell them I didn’t need discipline because my passion drove me to keep going.
I’ll admit in the first few months when I spent days teaching myself the new skills I needed to create a digital platform (like basic coding and publishing), I was frustrated, a lot! My motivation was driven purely by my deep-seeded passion to create the biggest impact possible- a community of positivity on the internet for people wanting to live a kinder, more compassionate life. That sense of urgency never goes away because we need very real change right now.
I like to sum it up as this: what keeps you awake at night, will also help you wake up in the morning.
3. You need to survive before you can thrive.
Zappos famously offers a $1000 quitting bonus to new hires, making it easier for them to leave the company if they don’t love working there from the onset. For most nascent entrepreneurs, myself included, there isn’t money to incentivize you to stay or go.
My experience taught me that there will be burnout, levels of stress and exhaustion I could have never imagined possible. As you grow your side hustle into a business, there will be wave after wave of new challenges, which, as much as you want, you won’t even have time to reflect and learn from before the next one hits. It can feel constant. The only thing that got me through was being 100% invested from the core of my being.
If this sounds daunting, it’s because it kind of is! I won’t sugar coat it, but at the same time, if someone had shared these words with me three years ago, it wouldn’t have stopped me either. And there are many rewarding moments along the way, that unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to savour- and still often don’t. But they’re there nonetheless, like seeing your family along a marathon route cheering you on, just when you need it most.
What keeps me going today is not just my own vision, but the one I now share with the beautiful mission-aligned humans who make up the LIVEKINDLY team and our community of millions. The “hustle” continues for humanity, our home and those who share it with us. #LIVEKINDLY