3 Simple Steps to Start Your Side Hustle

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I was so fired up by this week’s SUCCESS Line guest and her history, mission and drive. We crammed a lot into this episode, and you’ll hear that I am a bit tough on her—but only because I want to see people like her win and I know she can handle it. 

Victoria served in the military, as a parole officer and now as an employee in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her passion, and what is on her heart, is the nonprofit she founded for formerly incarcerated veteran women and the speaking business she is building around that. In her dream world, her business would be profitable enough that it could become her primary focus. 

But how? How does one turn a side hustle into a main hustle? 

There are two sides to it: 

  1. Branding and positioning: whom you’re going to be and how you’re going to talk about it. 
  2. Marketing: how you’re going to get your message out there and tell the world you’re available. 

We dive into both sides. If you too are looking to launch your side hustle, read on for the three simple and actionable steps you can take to turn it into the profitable business of your dreams.

1. Market the destination. 

When marketing your business, you need to understand the difference between selling the vehicle and selling the destination. So many entrepreneurs make the mistake of marketing their business’ vehicle—the process they take people through and how they provide their services—but that is not what you should put in your marketing. 

What you should lead with is the destination—what shows up because of your process or service, and the starting point—the problem your clients are facing in absence of your solution. Successful marketing helps prospective clients understand where they are right now, and then it presents them with an image of the more productive, happy and successful place they could be if they use your service. 

After they have hired you, you will reveal the vehicle that will take your clients to the advertised destination. Amateurs market the vehicle. Professionals market the destination.  

2. Teach for free. 

If you’re just starting a business, the crappiest advice you will ever hear is to charge what you’re worth. The best advice? Provide your service for free until it is so good people will pay you for more of it. 

Think about a grocery store. Whenever they release a new product, they stick a person in the front of the store with chicken on a stick, offering free samples. They want you to experience a small version of the product so you will salivate for more of it. 

This is what you need to do with your own business. Give prospective clients the opportunity to try your chicken on a stick and find out what is so unique about you and your business

Speaking and teaching for free is the fastest way to grow your business and the perfect arena within which to master your craft. Provide your service for free until it is so good people will not only be dying to pay for more for it but also refer their friends to you. 

3. Sell at the back of the room.  

Once you’ve taught for free, offer your audience the chance to buy in or offer them a free call. This is our entire business model at Brand Builders Group. We offer so much free content online in order to give our clients the chance to see how good we are before they ever have to open their wallets. Then, when we get them on the phone, we have the chance to work with them and customize a plan. 

You don’t have to be a professional speaker to work within this model. You can deliver webinars,  speak on social media, or teach a one-time course. But speaking for free is one of the shortest distances between someone viewing you as a total stranger and becoming a lifelong fan. Get out there and introduce yourself to people for free. Once they’ve met you and heard what you have to offer, the door is wide open for you to reach out and gain a new client. 

The SUCCESS Line is no longer releasing new episodes on the SUCCESS Podcast Network, but you can still listen to the full conversation below.

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