This post is from our regular Wednesday contributor, Erin.
So you have a hobby or a service you’d like to turn into a side hustle. The problem is, you’re scared. Scared of success, of failure, or a little bit of both.
Or maybe the entire concept of side hustling is a little overwhelming to you.
You want to earn more on the side, and you have a plan, but you just can’t get yourself to implement it.
Instead, you find yourself spinning your wheels, stuck analyzing all the possible outcomes.
You’re wondering how your side business will be received, if it’s something people will even pay for, or if you have what it takes to provide value to customers.
Stop right there!
Don’t let fear hold you back. That’s the worst thing you can do.
Why? Because there’s nothing to be gained from hiding behind fear.
I’m speaking from experience, as I was extremely scared of putting myself out there as far as freelancing writing went. I saw so many other people doing it, but I kept telling myself my writing wasn’t up to par. I was terrified of rejection. Analysis paralysis slowly took over.
You can guess how far that got me.
The best way to get over your fear is to just take action. Nothing else is going to break that barrier. Once you go through with it and come to the realization that it’s not so bad after all, you’ll look back and see how silly your initial thoughts were!
The simple truth is that nothing beats learning from experience. However, if you don’t feel ready to get started, then read on for 4 tips on how to overcome your fear of side hustling.
Get an Accountability Partner
Side hustling can be very lonely, especially if you’re taking the virtual path. You’ll send emails out and pitch people, and sometimes, you won’t hear back. The silence can be enough to drive you crazy.
Having an accountability partner – ideally, someone in the same position as you – makes the process less lonely, and less daunting.
When you have someone you can share lessons and knowledge with, it makes everything a little less overwhelming. You’re in it together with a friend, and you can both provide encouragement to each other.
Whether you have good days or bad days, you’ll have someone to fall back on, and you’ll be able to share in each other’s successes and failures.
Plus, it’s reassuring to know you’re not crazy for having certain feelings during your side hustle adventure, or weird experiences with clients.
It’s like going to a networking event alone (especially as an introvert). If you go there with someone you know, you’re instantly more at ease and more comfortable in the environment. If you go alone, you stick to the walls and barely make eye contact with people.
When you have a buddy or two you can turn to for help, you’re less afraid of the worst happening, because you know there are people that have your back.
Work for Free
Hear me out – if you’re worried about the quality of your work when starting out, the pressure of being paid to do your best might be a little intimidating.
There are a lot of nuances that come along with freelancing and side hustling online that you might not be familiar with as well.
The more you practice, the better you will become.
If you’re afraid that your work won’t match up to your client’s expectations, try taking a step back and volunteer to do some unpaid work. Make sure you can get a testimonial and feedback out of it, though.
Remember, we’re talking about fear here, which is psychological. Working for free doesn’t always make sense, but if you think it will help you get started by taking some pressure off, then it’s worth considering.
This can give you the confidence to then go forth and charge what you’re worth. That’s the key – you don’t want to be stuck undercharging clients. You need to move on from unpaid work quickly!
Welcome Failure
This sounds a little crazy at first, but if you haven’t learned to make failure your friend, you should.
Failure isn’t the enemy – fear is. If you can welcome failure, your fear will subside.
Why should you welcome it? Because every time you fail, you learn.
If something doesn’t work, you learn why. If a client is unhappy with your work, you learn what you can do to improve. If a marketing tactic doesn’t catch on, you can analyze the data and figure out where the disconnect happened.
And if you do hit a wall, always ask for feedback, even if it hurts. There will be other opportunities, and having that feedback gives you a higher chance of succeeding the next time around.
Go For It
Like I said in the beginning of the article, sometimes you just have to go for it and take a leap of faith. Lots of people are doing it these days, whether they’re launching a side business, or quitting their jobs once their side business earnings surpass that of their day job.
You’ll never know unless you try, and it’s worth it to try and succeed! If nothing else, you’ll have learned from the experience as a whole, and it serves to improve your skill set.
So take a deep breath, and ask around in your network.
Send emails and pitch.
Cold call people, if the industry you’re in welcomes that.
Start offering services on a small scale site like Fiverr.
Whatever you do, make it a point to put yourself out there. Be open to opportunities, and do your best work.
___________
What have you really got to lose? If you’re starting a side hustle the smart way, and spending little to nothing to get it started, the answer is not much! If you’re doing it as a way to earn extra cash, you’ll still have your regular income at the end of the day.
The worst that can happen is a rejection, or no response. Take a moment to put that into perspective. Is that really the most horrible experience you’ll ever face in your life?
No.
Were you/are you reluctant to start side hustling? Why? How did you overcome your fear?
____________
Photo Credit: Michael Pollak
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When I first started freelance writing, I was terrified! I thought everything I wrote was terrible and that people wouldn’t like it. But now I’m much more confident as I realize everything was in my head. Fear is a powerful tool that prevents you from reaching your full potential. I think it’s important to do the thing that scares you.
Love this! I definitely had a fear of side hustling when I first started. I still sometimes get that same feeling, but it’s not as bad as when I first started with all of this. Starting everything out as a side hustle and not as my full-time income definitely helped decrease some of my side hustle stress.
I think it’s terrifying to expose yourself when you freelance, plus the erratic income streams are not for everyone; but if you overcome those, it really is a great business to have that gives you not only lots of flexibility, but also a great outlet for your creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
This is great, Erin. I have my days where I send pitches and respond to ads with no fear. Then I have days where I’m like “I’m not good enough to respond to that ad” or “that blog would never be interested in me”. I’m going to have to relent the mantra “have no fear” and get over myself!
Wow I felt like this post was talking directly to me because those are all the same feelings I had! I spent a lot of time just thinking about how things would be freelancing and how I would feel, but once I took action it just went from there. I actually felt a little weird getting my first payment, but now it doesn’t feel weird it feels awesome! Great post.
deardebt Love this, Melanie! As you know, I felt the same way. It can be really, really difficult to break through the barrier we put up in our own minds.
SenseofCents I do think that’s another added benefit of starting on the side. You really don’t have as much to lose, and you can have fun with it as well as experiment! If something doesn’t work, try something else.
blonde_finance Wonderfully said, Shannon, and very true. I didn’t realize how much my creativity was being suppressed when I worked full-time, until I started blogging. Making your side hustle into a creative outlet is a great way to think of it.
indebtedmom I can relate with the ups and downs! “I don’t have enough experience for that” is something I’ve been struggling with. Turn it around and figure out what you DO have, and pitch that. Think of it as a challenge and make those blogs interested in you! We all have something to offer.
thebrokeprof I totally know what you mean, Syed. I still feel weird getting paid for certain things, but it is awesome. The “newness” of freelancing comes back every time I get a client wanting a new service, but it’s getting easier!
Great tips, Erin. And I especially like your point on welcoming failure. It’s sounds strange but you are absolutely right – we learn from our mistakes. I may not like making a mistake/failing in the moment, but I also learn and grow from them too.
Great post Erin! I don’t deal with rejection well, but sometimes reading something like this just makes me think “I have got to get over myself!”. Seriously, can we really reasonably expect everyone to just adore everything we do? Nope. Sure would be nice though!
After 3 years in sales at my previous job, you’d think I’d be fearless. Not true. I like your advice of just going for it. That’s what I tell myself.
ShannonRyan Failing in the moment is quite painful and embarrassing, but thankfully time heals most of those wounds. It’s a lot easier to look back on mistakes after a few weeks have passed!
kay ~ lifestylevoices.com Oh yes, it would be pretty nice to be considered awesome by the masses! =) But that’s definitely not going to happen. There will always be someone who doesn’t agree with you, but variety is always nice.
pfjenna Oh boy, I could never do sales! I have an aversion to the phone, but the salesmen I worked with always looked forward to getting calls (for obvious reasons!), and I wished I could have their enthusiasm.
I am gearing up to start my side hustle as a freelance writer and I do have some fears. It wasn’t until the end of last month I decided to just go for it. I haven’t received any jobs but I’m not giving up.
I told my hubs if he would like to have a side hustle, but he told me that he’s afraid that he might fail his client. Until one day, one client contacted him and offered him a side hustle as a website tester since he is a software engineer. He worked for him for 1 year, but now he was too busy so he set aside it first.
II worked for free a lot at the beginning- I don’t think there is anything wrong with building up your portfolio that way. It certainly helped me get started.
One danger in doing a side hustle is to not let it interfere with your main hustle. Sometimes the “romanticism” of doing something new and additional will cause less effort being put into your bread and butter….which is dangerous.
DebtChronicles – Good point Travis. I think that to myself about blogging. I really enjoy it but can’t let it eat up all of my time and take time away from my 9-5 and main income stream.
“Analysis paralysis” – that is exactly something I suffer from…that and fear of rejection and failure. It would also be easier to jump into side hustles and other opportunities if I was young and single. With a family, it makes me even more risk averse. I am fine with building up a side hustle while having a main hustle but once again with a family…time is at a premium. Though part of that is just an excuse…I just gotta be a little better with my time.
I was definitely a little scared when I started freelance writing. I was so self-conscious about my writing but finally was able to just let that go and do it. The feedback I was getting back was so positive and little by little, I realized I’m not that bad of a writer afterall :)
I feel the same way as Andrew below – making time is such a challenge with a family. I’m slightly afraid of getting a little successful with a side-hustle, then struggling to make time with family while I keep the momentum going. Guess its just all about priorities and how badly you want something.
Also agree with DebtChronicles – I find it can really detract from my main job, and the more I focus on the side hustle, the less I want to be there! I tend to swing back and forth in bursts though, so if I hit a point where my job is slipping a little, I give it an extra burst of focus for a while.
So tricky to keep it all in balance!
I can’t lie, I was scared when I started my website. I was worried if people would read it or not. Almost 2 years later I know I made the correct decision.
Debtfreemartini That’s a great attitude to have! Freelance writing is pretty competitive, and many people say it’s a numbers game of sending out enough pitches. Good luck!
Clarisse @ Make Money Your Way That’s great your husband at least tried it out! My fiancé said the same thing – he would like to get into it, but he’s afraid of failing. That’s actually what inspired the post!
Holly at ClubThrifty I don’t think so, either, but it’s important to be able to step away from that and start charging eventually. A lot of people can get caught in undercharging for their services!
DebtChronicles I agree with both of you, especially if you really enjoy your full-time job, and don’t necessarily want to grow your side hustle into a full-fledged business. You don’t want your bosses concerned with the level of dedication you have!
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Time is really difficult to get a hold of. I’m horrible and work at all hours of the day, and I can’t imagine trying to balance in a child with all of that. It seems like many people have success with waking up super early, or staying up late. It’s a sacrifice you have to be willing and motivated to make, though.
SavvyWithSaving That’s great, Connie! I felt very self-conscious at first, too, but actually being paid to write instilled some confidence in me. It was nice to know someone else thought highly of my work!
Jason@Islands of Investing It is definitely about priorities and how bad you want it! Back when I was working full-time, I treated my blog mostly as a hobby. There were times I was simply too tired to continue working after I came home from my job. So I can definitely relate there.
Balance is something I’ve always struggled with. There are a lot of people out there who will tell you to go with your heart – if your side hustle becomes more fulfilling, focus on that. But it’s not that easy when you take everything (especially income and benefits) into consideration!
Jason @ The Butler Journal I’m glad you took the leap and started your website! Putting yourself out there can be pretty nerve-wracking, but it often works out for the best.
I’m glad I’m not alone when it comes to having a degree of fear when side hustling. I got really down on myself when one of my first side hustles didn’t go very smoothly. A client wanted everything for nothing, complained a lot, etc. and made me feel like a bad person! At the time I thought it was me and it really made me question to continue to side hustle. This was a year ago and looking back, I should have turned this client down. It has been smooth sailing ever since and I never should have let that bully of a client try to get the better of me!
believeinabudget I’m so sorry your first client made you feel that way! There have been a few circumstances where I’ve felt like that, too. Talking with other freelancers has made me realize that unfortunately, it happens to just about everyone. The best way to avoid that is to state the expectations up front and get it all in writing, this way they can’t keep asking more and more of you. Glad things have gone well since!
I’ve stepped back from one side hustle as I didn’t particularly see much traction i.e. the audience was not really responding however I have become involved with a start-up that will teach many great skills :)..
After this I’ll come back bigger and better, it’s really about feedback not failure
I always like to game out worst case scenarios and you make such a great point that the worst that’ll happen in this scenario is rejection. Not so bad when you think about it! I’ve developed much more of an appetite for risk and rejection as I’ve gotten older, which has made me more courageous about putting myself out there.
I couldn’t agree more. I always say the worst that can happen is someone will say no. :) That’s far better than many different risks you take where you could lose your job, die, etc etc etc. Just a simple no. Shrug it off, move on, and keep hustling.
mycareercrusade That sounds really exciting! Working for a start-up will definitely be a great learning experience. Yes, feedback over failure!
Mrs. Frugalwoods Me too! I’ve had many sleepless nights pondering about things, which is useless. Whatever happens is going to happen regardless, and the worst probably won’t kill you! (At least, when it comes to side hustling.)
BudgetBlonde You are the epitome of fearlessness when it comes to side hustling! It really does help to put things in perspective. In the grand scheme of things, getting rejected from a side gig is trivial.