Getting that first tutoring, writing, or contract gig is the first step. It doesn’t get easier, but you get more comfortable with the process. I remember taking a call on my business phone about a potential tutoring session, and I thought I was talking to a parent.
It turned out it was a troll phishing for some information. That incident scared me a little but didn’t stop me from building my tutoring business. I also remember my first writing gig on Upwork.
It was a small one-time payment, but I wasn’t sure how I would handle it. It was a ghostwriting gig. I completed the task and got paid.
There is always a first for any side hustle. Starting was scary for me because I always had an employee mindset.
I still do because I’m a teacher. But, I learned to overcome my fears and become a sole proprietor entrepreneur. Getting paid for a side hustle is just as nice as when I first got paid as a first-time tutor many years ago as it is today.
Writing is a different side hustle with varying sets of skills, but the business part of securing gigs is still the same. I need to constantly look for new assignments if I want to get paid.
Lately, I’ve been writing on NewsBreak more because I’ve seen my income increase over the past six months. However, like Medium, NewsBreak depends on algorithms, so I know my streak won’t last.
I’ve written for content mills before, and I know the pay is low when you first start. But I didn’t realize that Medium is a content mill because you write volumes of articles for very little pay.
Once I took my first step into side hustles, I knew I wanted to take more steps along my full-time job. Taking the first step in writing was a little scary because I didn’t see myself as a writer even though I had written unpublished work for many years.
I now want to take the steps to earn a full-time income. That is a bigger challenge. But it starts with the first step.
Indeed - great things start with that initial first step!