You’ve been toying with your business (side hustle) under the radar.
Maybe you created a few private Instagram accounts to get started.
Maybe you started your website…or at least your logo.
Maybe you started writing that training series.
…Maybe you’ve done all of the above.
The beginning of anything is messy.
The entrepreneurial journey can be dotted with sporadic movement.
Quick starts.
Bursts of complete clarity and ideas followed by weeks or months of “I’ll work on that first thing in the morning.”
Fizzles.
Dismantles.
Quick starts for a second, third, or 20th time.
I see you.
It’s time to be done with that now.
There’s a way out of this cycle of stuck and a defined path to REAL PROFIT.
Also: Make sure you read to the end so you get your FREE DOWNLOAD! It’s a super useful gift from me to you!
4 STEPS TO SIDE HUSTLE UNSTUCKNESS
DISCLAIMER:
As a believer in Jesus, I can only talk about success through the lens of a relationship with my Creator.
For me, there is no way to peel away the God part of my story and just give you some type of dead, lifeless formula.
That would be impossible and a huge disservice to you.
As a believer, I have still dealt with the reality of getting stuck in cycles of stagnation, non-productivity and lack of clarity but God has always been faithful to give me the way out.
So, with that disclaimer of sorts, let’s look at the 4 key steps to side hustle unstuckness.
(Unstuckness: Not a word, but still fun to say.)
1. WHEN FEELINGS ARE FATAL
Not a lot of people discuss this first point but it is 100% critical to your success.
If you’ve struggled with being stuck for any length of time you’ve likely come to realize that the real enemy of achieving anything is located within your own thought life.
Feelings can be fatal.
We often treat our start up or side hustle according to how we FEEL.
If we FEEL motivated; if working on our project today FEELS fun; if we are currently experiencing a spark of creativity, we move forward. We will even skip a meal or push aside household chores in order to start working on our project. Why? Because it FEELS right. . . at least for right now.
On the flip side, if we FEEL small, scared, confused, or overwhelmed we tend to put things off until tomorrow.
Sound familiar?
Allowing your current level of confidence, excitement or motivation dictate how you will proceed with your business start-up today is fatal to your end goal. It will 100% keep you in a NEVER ENDING cycle of stuck.
John Maxwell talks about consistency being one of the greatest pathways to success:
“Small disciplines repeated with consistency lead to great achievements over time.”
Great quote.
True quote.
But I like to go deeper and uncover the core problem. So, if consistency leads to success and inconsistency leads to defeat, what is the reason for our inconsistency?
Some want to say it’s self sabotage due to fear and maybe for some that’s true.
I like to say it’s the result of an undisciplined mind that runs on FEELINGS.
What’s the solution?
Treat your side hustle like it’s your child or your spouse or your job.
You don’t make lunch for your toddler on the days you FEEL like it. I mean, let’s hope not.
You don’t show up for work only on the days you FEEL like it.
Your work, your family, your chores. . . they are all priorities, because they have to be.
We make room for them in our lives.
We have to treat our side hustle with the same sense of urgency.
We have to say, “This is who I am. This is what I do.”
My side hustle is building business websites and writing books. So, guess what?
I have to set time aside to write the book. I also have to make sure I’m not writing when I’m overly full or overly tired because those are two time periods where my thinking isn’t on point.
I write in the morning.
I write right after my first cup of coffee.
I write after spending time with God.
So, not only have I learned to set time aside like it’s my JOB, but I’ve also learned to optimize my productivity level in order to get the most out of the 1-2 hours I write per day.
These little tricks and side notes will become clear to you as you make room for your side hustle as well.
You’ll learn what works, what tools you should have on hand, and how to streamline your process.
Whether you FEEL like it or not, move forward and make progress every single day.
2. DOES Side Hustle SUCCESS TRULY BELONG TO YOU?
“Maybe success isn’t for me.
Maybe I’m meant to be content with living paycheck to paycheck.
Maybe this is just what life looks like for me.
Maybe this is God’s plan; you know, for me to live in a van down by the river.”
Ok, sounds a bit dramatic at the end, but you absolutely have to squash any remnant of an idea you have in your head that is whispering “Success is not for you.”
Success if for everyone. It is 100% just as available to you as it is to anyone else.
Regardless of your past, your education, your upbringing, your current finances or your lack of connections.
God isn’t concerned about your perceived limitations
and He 100% wants you to succeed.
But how can you be sure?
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have to think about the fact that you have the Holy Spirit living inside you. So, seriously. . . break that down to yourself.
You have the Creator of the planets, the trees, rainbows, animals, the moon and the stars dwelling inside of you.
God.
The great I am.
The one who calls Himself Your Provider.
Your Peace.
Your Healer.
Your Savior.
And you think He will allow you to fail?
His very nature is abundance, wisdom and being equipped for everything you will face:
And God is able to bestow every blessing on you in abundance, so that richly enjoying all sufficiency at all times, you may have ample means for all good works. – 2 Corinthians 9:8
And, if that isn’t enough to reset your thoughts, the Word is full of evidence that God wants you to prosper!
Let the LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His people. – Psalm 35:27
The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. – Proverbs 10:22
(Side note: The Hebrew word for “rich” here is ashar, which means. . . abounding with goods. I know there are often arguments about being wealthy, as if it’s a bad thing, but it’s not. And the word rich here doesn’t mean “rich spiritually.” It means rich.)
Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. – Deuteronomy 8:18
God is better than the very best business partner because He knows the end from the beginning.
AND He’s all about your success. What more could you hope for?
God can connect you with people and provide you with supernatural favor that would take years or decades for a person hustling or toiling away without Him.
But how?
The decision to understand and come into agreement with God and His promises is also something that may seem passive at first glance, but it definitely isn’t. God wants us to believe without wavering, to declare His Word (His promises) over our situation and to REMAIN in agreement with the Word, regardless what your situation currently looks like.
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? – Amos 3
In order to walk with God and see His promises come to pass, you don’t have to BE a perfect Christian. Jesus has already paid the price so we don’t have to DO anything to deserve the promises, but we 100% DO have to come into agreement with the Word and consider His promises to be the final authority over every situation in our lives.
Remember, God says,
“Let the weak SAY I am strong.
Let the poor SAY I am rich.” – Joel 3:10
This basically means that if you ARE ACTUALLY POOR IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, don’t verbally come into agreement with that fact. Don’t go around saying things like, “I’m so broke I can hardly pay attention,” or “Money leaves my bank account as fast as I can deposit it.”
Why?
Isn’t that the truth? Does God want us to live in denial?
No. It’s actually NOT the truth.
It may be a FACT, but it’s not the TRUTH.
The TRUTH is whatever God’s Word says and if we will proclaim God’s Word over our situation, that’s not denial. It’s wisdom.
It’s the act of recognizing something in our life that isn’t lining up with what God’s Word says we should have and commanding it to change!
Words are creative.
Facts will change when the Truth is applied.
When something in my life starts to show signs of not lining up with what is rightfully mine through the finished work of Jesus, I pray out loud over the situation. I declare the Scripture over it. I tell the “fact” to change and line up with the Word.
Example: “I thank You Lord that You give me good success. You make me rich and add no sorrow (or toiling) to it. I make room for Your blessings and I come into agreement with them right now!
3. MOMENTS OF CLARITY – WRITE THEM DOWN
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it. – Isaiah 30:21
God gives us moments of clarity to help us bring our side hustle from concept to reality.
When it happens to me it feels like the blinders come off of my eyes and for a moment I can see the whole picture; the beginning, the marketing, the pricing, the response, the exact niche, the exact audience. . . everything.
I’ve had moments of clarity just as I woke up in the morning, during worship, in the shower, and while driving.
I figured there was a pattern here, and there was.
Those are the times I’m quiet and my mind is most at peace.
(I noticed I do a lot of the talking during prayer. I’m trying to change that. More listening. Less talking.)
If you want to learn how to hear from God and receive moments of clarity, all you have to do is ask Him.
God promises that he will withhold no good thing from us. – Psalm 84:11
ACTIVE LISTENING
Start by practicing active listening throughout the day. It’s really just the decision to keep your mind stayed on God, ready to hear him. Don’t stress. It’s the same way you would listen for sounds from a baby monitor in the next room. You can still continue with your day as you normally would, but you have your antennae out and you’re tuned in to hear the voice of God.
Side story: There’s this amazing evangelist from the early 1900’s. His name was Smith Wigglesworth and he was known for being a part of many revivals and faith healings. In an interview he was asked, “Mr. Wigglesworth, what is the secret of your power?” He replied, “At the faintest whisper of God’s presence, I turn aside to ask, ‘What is it, Lord?”
We can live like this. We can practice the presence of God on a daily basis and live in a state of expectancy to hear from Him. Of course, in this article I am on the topic of starting a business, but God will talk to us and give us clarity about everything in our life. Anything that is important to us. Anything that concerns us.
WRITE IT DOWN
Write the vision and make it plain so those who read it can run with it. – Habakkuk 2:2
You have to write it down. Everything concerning your side hustle; the initial business plan, any connecting ideas that come to you, blog post titles, affiliate marketing strategies, deadlines for social media posting, products, product sourcing, helpful apps.
Everything.
Everything. Everything. Everything.
At first you might use your Notes on your phone. Or a To Do / Checklist.
That’s just for jotting things down or ideas on the go.
You should have a binder with sections and the ability to add and remove sheets.
This becomes your business blueprint and it is highly important.
If you don’t have anything on paper yet, this is FOR SURE one of the main reasons why you can’t STAY STARTED.
It’s easy to lose sight of what to do next or how much to accomplish in one day when you’re not keeping an accurate task list.
God didn’t mean to keep every detail in your head. That’s why the Word tells you to write it down.
There is also something to be said for the very act of committing something to writing. It activates a different part of our brain.
Writing your goals down, visualizing the intended outcome and regularly speaking positive affirmations (the promises of God) are scientifically proven to help you focus your subconscious mind on what’s important to you.
The subconscious mind is important because that’s where automatic responses come from —habits or things we do without thinking, like driving home from work.
If you’re looking for a way to get organized when it comes to planning out your new business (or side hustle) and you want to use the same 17 time saving worksheets and templates I use, download them by clicking on the image below. These are easy to print PDFs that you’ll be able to print and start using immediately!
Normally, this set is $15 but if you use the discount code MAKEITFREE between now and December 30, 2020, you can have them at no cost!
The set includes a Value Proposition Worksheet, Revenue Predictions Worksheet, a Start Up Checklist, Marketing Checklists, Core Concept Worksheet, Competitor Research, several variations of Planners, and more!
4. THE SHORTEST JOURNEY BETWEEN TWO POINTS
Just go. Just start.
Please don’t be the person who starts a business by ordering business cards first.
If you want to force yourself to start, then you have to dive in.
Every business I’ve ever started began with the shortest journey to the first sale.
I was never worried about what my business card would look like or my logo.
That can come later.
The first question that needs to be answered is, “What’s the fastest way to make money?”
When I opened a day care, I placed an ad in the local paper and online.
When I started a content creation business I built a quick website and put up a “deal.”
I think the offer was for 10 SEO articles for $300 and a Paypal button. (Wow, I’ve come a very long way since then).
It took me less than a week to get my first sale.
Yep. One morning I woke up with $300 in my Paypal, and I haven’t stopped making money online since then.
That was over 10 years ago.
So, whatever your business or niche is, don’t waste precious time getting all your marketing materials just right. Start with your first sale. Get the wheels turning. Logos and brochures can come later.
People are usually buying YOU anyway, not the information in your brochure.
I hope these 4 keys have helped you.
Trust me, I was stuck for over a year with one of my business ideas.
I made it my mission to find out why and put an end to the things that were holding me back.
Here’s to side hustle (or main hustle) UNSTUCKNESS!
If this article has helped you please consider sharing it on social media and leaving a comment.
God loves you. So do I!
