My Transition From Side Hustle to Full-Time Self Employed.
What I learnt in the process and how I knew I was ready.
The side hustle, something I personally have taken part in my entire adult life. Although the hustle itself may have changed, the presence of one has always been there — like a nagging self-assurance that I wasn’t always just working for “the (wo)man” in a predetermined 9 to 5 outpost.
For me, it felt like having one foot out the door meant I still had control over my time, which — retrospectively — was definitely a white lie I was telling myself. Taking into consideration this “side-hustle of freedom” generally meant I would work an 8 hour day at my regular job and come home and work some more — leaving me next to no time to actually prioritise the little joys in life, like, I don’t know, rest?
In reality, the hustle rhetoric — the constant juggling — leaves you grappling with which ball is about to drop. We all know that spreading ourselves too thin and working non-stop is not a sign of being productive, but a sign that we’re doing too much. Eventually, something has to give and most likely knock you on the head, so… I hope you’re not juggling bowling balls.
However, this realisation only came to me recently. I had a full-time job, freelance clients, two companies I was starting up, and a demanding (self-inflicted) French language course — not to mention another (self-inflicted) task of exercising every day to get through corona lockdowns with my sanity still intact.
I wouldn’t consider myself the type of person prone to burnout because I usually pull the plug on something before the stress becomes unmanageable, but this time I got to thinking — why am I spending all my time on these things? Which ones do I actually value? Why am I stretching myself as thin as a damn pizza base? In the past, I always managed to convince myself that because I loved the Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Fontina and Parmigiano, I wasn’t overloading myself, and it wasn’t really “work”.
Yes, I used a Quattro Formaggi pizza to explain my work-life balance. I love cheese, cheese is great, but there is still such a thing as too much, and on a too-thin base? Well, that’s just a recipe for mush.
And it’s true, I do love what I do, and when I’m in the swing of things it doesn’t feel like work. However, the issue was not what it was, the issue was that it was on top of my day job. Although not entirely awful — my job could also be completely soul-destroying, because it wasn’t where my passions (or my skills) lay.
This led to me accepting the inevitable, which just so happens to be the title of this article (finally, I know). It was time for me to drop the juggling balls I didn’t value anymore and quit my day job.
Deciding I was ready to take this massive leap was not a light-bulb or a eureka moment like some people might try to tell you. It was actually a carefully considered and well-thought-out process, making sure I had crossed my t’s and dotted my i’s where needed. So let me break it down for you…
I had validated the market
This is something you should always do when deciding to start a business. I spent about a year with my co-founders researching and validating the market we intended to enter before we actually entered it. This may sound like overkill but we really wanted to make sure we did it right the first time round, opposed to everything falling to pieces before we had the chance to actually give it our best shot. Thoroughly validating the market also helped give me the confidence to back it, knowing there was a space to really make this idea work.
I had finessed all the pieces so they were market ready
By this I mean brand, sales strategy, lead list, marketing strategy, website, pitch decks, and more — we ran the numbers, we ran exercises, and we made sure we had everything we would need to actually get started so there was no chance of not looking professional. To be honest, this was the fun part for me. With a background in branding and strategy development for brands, I was finally putting my skills to work for something of my own. It was one of the best feelings, being both executor and client. More proof that it was the right way forward.
I had received feedback from professionals in the space
We pitched our idea and our brand to advisors, professionals in the market and our peers, taking their wisdom and experience as feedback to make the final tweaks and improve our offering even further. This was invaluable as without the genuine opinions of these people, some of the now integral parts of the business may not have been considered. This also helped us make contacts and better understand what we were entering, as well as giving us confidence that other people thought it was a good idea too.
My personal finances were in order
Quitting your full-time job is frankly terrifying. Not enough people talk about the sheer cliff of your last regular paycheck and how although it’s utterly anxiety-inducing, it is also completely liberating. But jumping off a cliff without a parachute would be pretty stupid. In this instance, my parachute was my cash savings and my personal investments. I made sure I had a comfortable 6-month buffer zone, and an uncomfortable year-long buffer zone (if I forgo my $90 retinol night cream and $40 lip balm… don’t judge me). This ensured I would be able to focus full time on the business, without stressing about how I was going to pay my rent. It also gave me a designated runway to know when would be the right time to pull the plug — or keep going.
My mental state was also in order
This one is arguably the most important out of the lot. Starting a business yourself is hard. Really hard. It takes effort, long hours, putting yourself out there, and taking constant risks. If you’re not in a good place and don’t have a good support system, then it’s even harder. For me it took a lot of soul searching to realise what I really valued in life to understand that this was the right move. It’s a challenge not to compare, and feel like you’re on the wrong path because someone else is seemingly further along than you. Belief in yourself, your capabilities, and your ideas is essential. You will have to tap out on fancy holidays and shopping sprees until your business starts making money, and for a while it might feel like you’re falling behind. If it’s all in the pursuit of your ultimate goal however, those frivolous sacrifices will be 100% worth it, and will put you ahead on your own path.
Now some people find balancing the side hustle with their 9–5 totally doable for the long term. It is possible, but personally I needed to take that leap off the cliff. I needed to feel the pins and needles in my feet and legs as I approached the edge, followed by adrenaline and the sheer sense of freedom that comes with falling to the bottom. Without that leap, without detaching myself from the comforts of a regular income (like my expensive retinol and lip balm), I would have never put my all into what I really wanted to do.
However, I also know that without my checklist and the due-diligence above, my particular plunge from side-hustle to full-time wouldn’t have been so possible. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about taking risks… it’s just better when they’re mitigated and well-researched.
