WEBVTT - Everybody’s (Side) Hustling 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:07.640 LinkedIn News. I mean, I've always been a hustle queen. 0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:10.639 Like I remember even in elementary school. I was like 0:00:10.840 --> 0:00:13.960 going to the school store buying your racers notepads and 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:17.120 then flipping them. Oh my god, like, yeah, you could 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:18.960 buy it for a dollar there, but I'm gonna charge 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:19.239 your dollar. 0:00:19.640 --> 0:00:21.560 An entrepreneur from day one, because. 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:23.280 I would stand outside classrooms and I'd be like, oh, 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:24.280 you got your notepad here? 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:26.720 You always that kid. Everyone had that kid that was me. 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:30.880 Baby. Thank God I didn't turn to a life of crime. 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:36.760 But from LinkedIn News and i Heeart Podcasts, this is 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:39.400 Let's Talk offline, a show about what it takes to 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:43.000 thrive in the early years of your career without sacrificing 0:00:43.040 --> 0:00:47.040 your values, sanity or sleep. I'm Gianna Prudenti. 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:50.840 And I'm Jamay Jackson Gadston. Listen, y'all. Gen Z came 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.160 out the womb hustling. There's always been this talk about 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:56.959 young people and how people are lazy, y'all don't want 0:00:56.960 --> 0:00:59.680 to work. But the truth is that nearly half of 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:03.000 the young workers are balancing that nine to five with 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:06.399 their side gig, whether it's them building businesses or even 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.720 just creating content online. It's really admirable how y'all are 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:12.679 out here a hustling. You are pursuing those passion projects, 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:16.520 and most importantly to big Auntie Jamai, you are diversifying 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:17.520 those income treas. 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:21.080 Ooh, yes, it's so true. Side hustles really can like 0:01:21.200 --> 0:01:24.600 lay the foundation for a full time career. But obviously 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:27.839 that doesn't happen overnight. It can be a long, rocky, 0:01:27.959 --> 0:01:31.240 rocky road which starts with figuring out what do you 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.320 even want your side hustle to be and how do 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:36.479 you eventually turn it into the main thing. We're gonna 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:38.560 talk through the ups and downs of managing a side 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:40.800 hustle and what you can do to make that journey 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:41.920 just a bit easier. 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:53.480 Okay, guys, so today we are talking all about side hustles, 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:55.640 which is actually one of my favorite topics. We're gonna 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:57.960 be talking about how to manage them alongside your full 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:01.320 time job and possible how to turn it into that 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:04.120 full time career. Okay, your side hustle doesn't have to 0:02:04.120 --> 0:02:07.080 be the side chick anymore. She could be the main squeeze. 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:07.600 Now. 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:09.360 I don't know if you guys have heard this, but 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:14.399 gen Z's allegedly been called the side hustle generation Gianna 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:17.400 in your reporting, What have you seen or found that 0:02:17.480 --> 0:02:18.840 supports or denies that. 0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:21.920 Yeah, that's definitely been the narrative for the past like 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:24.839 year or so, maybe the last two years, that gen 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:27.920 Z is openly embracing side hustles, And I do think 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:30.799 it's true. I think with any you know, headline like that, 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:34.560 it's a bit of a generalization, you know, to be transparent, like, 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:37.960 I don't have a side hustle, you know, hustle that 0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:40.760 we need. Do I've been thinking about one and I'll 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:44.040 share more about that, But yeah, I think in general, 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:47.480 like we've been called the side hustle generation because we've 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:50.320 been approaching work differently, just based on the time that 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.280 we enter the workforce. And I think something that a 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:56.400 lot of gen Zers really believe is in the importance 0:02:56.400 --> 0:02:59.200 of having more of a portfolio career, right, Like, we 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.079 don't expect to get one hundred percent from our nine 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:06.240 to five jobs, so we're pursuing our passions and interests elsewhere, 0:03:06.720 --> 0:03:09.720 whether that be you know, creating content online or actually 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:12.640 having a side business and selling something. So we're finding 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:16.360 fulfillment through different avenues rather than just relying on our 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:18.760 nine to five job to do that. I like that, yeah, 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:22.200 And another reason is side hustles allow us to diversify 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:24.840 our our income. Right. So we saw over the last 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:28.280 few years with mass layoffs that employers can kind of 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:31.400 just drop you on a dime. It's a sad reality 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:35.600 of maybe a worker loyalty now, yeah, and it's totally 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:37.640 made us question company loyalty. 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:37.960 Right. 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:41.080 So I think it's a way to have financial security 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:44.440 in a time where there is no stability, and side 0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:46.840 hustles are a way for us to you know, not 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:50.040 only make more money, but also diversify our income streams 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:53.800 just in case something does happen. And then I think, ultimately, 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.120 like gen Z, being called a side hustle generation just 0:03:56.160 --> 0:03:59.520 comes down to us not wanting to be boxed in 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:02.920 by our jobs and wanting to have one single identity. 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:06.560 So a lot of people do have side hustles. Some don't, 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.000 like myself, but I haven't thinking like should I turn 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:12.960 my baking into a side business. But I'm like, if 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:15.000 I make money off of something I get so much 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:17.040 passion out of, will it lose the sparkle? 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:21.480 Sometimes that's the challenge. Yeah, because once you actually start 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:25.240 having to create structure and the thing that you just 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:28.160 naturally love to do. It can make you kind of 0:04:28.200 --> 0:04:28.720 fall out of. 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:30.440 Love despite how much I love structure. 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:34.159 But there's like something different about But what I will 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:36.640 say is there is a benefit to having a side 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:39.279 hustle while also having like a full time something else. 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:41.799 You are not obligated to have to make a certain 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:44.520 amount in order to hit your quota or pay your rent. 0:04:44.880 --> 0:04:47.480 So I would say, you know, maybe dip your tone. 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:49.480 I want to eat some cookies or something. 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:50.720 Well, I won't make you pay for them. 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:53.200 Charging. 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:57.799 I'm wondering for you, how did you even get started 0:04:57.839 --> 0:04:58.880 with your side hustles? 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.880 Like how did that even? Yeah, I mean I've always 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:04.960 been a hustle queen. Like I remember even in elementary school. 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:08.000 I was like going to the school store buying your 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:12.039 racers notepads and then flipping them God like, yeah, you 0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:13.839 could buy it for a dollar there, but I'm gonna 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:16.440 charge your dollars. An entrepreneur from day one, because I 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:18.440 would stand outside classrooms and I'd be like, oh, you 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:19.360 got your notepad here? 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:22.360 You always that kid? Everyone had that kid that was baby. 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:26.000 Thank God I didn't turn to a life of crime. 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:30.599 But I've always had a very entrepreneurial spirit. My dad 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:33.400 is a business owner, and he was very like, you 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:34.640 got to go out here and you got to make 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:38.800 your own luck. And I've always loved that drive for me. Though, 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:40.680 a lot of what you mentioned about why gen Z 0:05:40.880 --> 0:05:43.800 finds side hustles enticing is exactly why I fell into it. 0:05:44.040 --> 0:05:47.599 So back in the day, my side hustle was all 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:51.040 things content creation. I would create video, I would create 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:54.680 blog posts. I was girl always selling sponsored ads on 0:05:54.720 --> 0:05:57.960 my website. I was making that money, okay, And so 0:05:58.040 --> 0:05:59.719 a lot of it was like in the content creation, 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:03.440 especially like written so like blogging, writing for out reputable outlets, 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:06.280 et cetera. But now I do a lot more in 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:11.320 the entertainment space, so acting, working and maybe consulting with 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:14.440 brands on how they can speak to marginalized communities. So 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:16.440 the side hustle has changed a little bit. But what 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:19.440 thing has not changed. I had to do all of 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:22.159 this because I had to pay rent. And when I 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:24.719 moved to New York, in particular, I was like, this 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:27.200 job I have as a contractor is not going to 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:29.960 pay my bills. And so I always knew how to 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:33.279 put my foot in different things, whether that was bartending 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:36.520 or waitressing, all the way to you know, writing for 0:06:36.680 --> 0:06:38.840 other outlets, which is how honestly, I got a lot 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:40.880 of my bylines in the beginning part of my career, 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:44.240 so everything always paid off, and then for me, I 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:46.880 just sort of found that to your point, content creation 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:50.360 was just something that I naturally loved. But honestly, what 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:53.960 you mentioned about having like a separation of work and 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:57.960 state from your job, I think is really key, because yeah, 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:00.280 when you don't have anything else to do, work can 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:02.400 become your life. And I'm not saying that that's always 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:04.600 a bad thing. Some people really find meaning in their 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:07.440 identity at work, but I think that it's always nice 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:10.120 to have something else, just to be on the safe side. 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:13.000 I have seen friends get laid off. I myself have 0:07:13.120 --> 0:07:17.640 already survived for layoffs in my career so and been 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.840 impacted by one, so I know what it's like to 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:23.160 feel like the rug is being pulled from underneath you. 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:25.840 I don't ever want to feel that way. Another thing 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:27.880 that I think is really important about side hustles, which 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:30.360 is why I always said it's good to have something else, 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:34.320 is it's building network and community whether it is something 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:36.560 completely related to what you want to do, or it's 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:38.760 something that you just tend to be good at that 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:41.120 you really don't want to become a full time career. 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:44.320 It's helping you get out there, build connections with other people, 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:48.680 and ultimately that network and those connections are who's going 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:50.840 to look out for you when you're looking for a 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:53.240 new job, when you're looking for your next opportunity, who 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:55.240 are going to advocate for you when you're building this 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:58.880 online digital presence. So I don't know if you guys 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:02.160 gonna tell it not, but Jim is fully one invested 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:04.880 in side hustles. The only thing is it can get 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:07.240 super tricky when you're trying to juggle those and your 0:08:07.320 --> 0:08:11.480 nine to five time management is the most important thing. 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:13.440 And when you take on a little bit more than 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:15.680 you can chew, you will end up burning the candle 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:19.080 from both ends, right Because for me, I was like, Okay, 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.240 I know what hours I'm working my nine to five, 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:23.920 but then I also had a ton of hours both 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:27.000 before and after work that I was pouring into my 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:31.200 side hustles, and including weekends nights. I always say that 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:34.040 I gave up my twenties and I hustled so that 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:36.319 I could kind of relax a little in my thirties. 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:38.760 So looking back on it, there were a lot of 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:44.000 things that I missed out on weddings, birthdays, trips, and 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:46.280 some of that I do look back and I'm like, uh, 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:49.760 you know, Jamay, you could have probably pushed your deadline 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:52.120 back to your editor and done this. But at the 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:55.240 same time, I do think that it's positioned me in 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:57.280 a way that I can benefit from the fruits of 0:08:57.320 --> 0:09:00.199 that labor. So I think, like everyone has to sort 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:01.719 of evaluate, But what I think we don't need to 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:04.160 evaluate is if Geohn needs a side hustle, make some 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:06.560 cookies on it. 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:08.920 Oh my god, does that mean I have to do taxes? 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:12.880 Because I know absolutely I want to get more into 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:15.120 the balancing piece. But I do just want to clarify. 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:17.040 I think with side hustles it can be a bit 0:09:17.080 --> 0:09:20.040 confusing because there also has been a narrative of gen 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:23.000 Z working multiple jobs, and I think that is separate 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:25.880 from side hustles. Like you mentioned you were bartending. All 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:28.600 that like working multiple jobs a lot of times is 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:31.480 financially motivated right to make ends meet, where a side 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:33.760 hustle really is something that allows you to be a 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:36.200 bit more creative, and it's something that allows you to 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:38.920 pursue kind of a passion or a purpose outside of 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.559 your nine to five, which in your case was freelance 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.040 writing while you were working your nine to five jobs. 0:09:44.600 --> 0:09:47.640 So I'm wondering when you were doing that, was there 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:49.760 any I don't know, if you want to get into this, 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:53.079 Oh gosh, were there any times where it was like 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:56.480 conflict of interest or like frowned upon for you to 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:58.200 be doing that, because I think that's a lot of 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:01.520 the hesitation is Well, my company find out and we 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:04.480 know that some employers are like, you can't have side 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:07.679 hustles where some who if you know, if you're an 0:10:07.679 --> 0:10:10.559 employer and you want to retain gen Z talent, except 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:13.559 side hustles, So you know, some some do, some don't. 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:15.840 So I'm wondering did you ever receive pushback and how 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:16.640 did you navigate that? 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:22.559 Yes, I have always always had to disclose and advance 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:25.679 what the things that I'm working on to create visibility 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:28.040 as to what that can look like. I would definitely 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:30.160 say in the beginning part of my career, especially as 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:32.480 a journalist, you are supposed to to some degree be 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:35.480 an extension of the brand that you write for. Right, 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:38.480 It's the blessing and sometimes the curse of being a journalist. 0:10:38.880 --> 0:10:41.440 Your personal identity does not matter as much as the 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:44.440 corporate identity in which you add. I never liked that 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:46.760 because at the end of the day, I have a 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:50.400 personality and I also believe that I could build my 0:10:50.440 --> 0:10:54.160 own personal community of people who then become enticed by 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:58.040 the professional identity that we offered. I would say that 0:10:58.120 --> 0:10:59.640 now over the last couple of years, it's been a 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:01.800 little eas right. I think like as more people are 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:04.600 speaking about the creator economy, as more people are coming 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.160 in very bullish saying I'm not giving this up. 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:07.800 You know. 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:10.520 I have had to walk away from opportunities before because 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:12.520 I was like, if you won't let me still be 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:15.000 able to, you know, fuel the flame of this thing 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:18.079 that brings me passion, then I have to evaluate. I've 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:21.160 always been willing to bet on myself, and I think 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:24.040 that the challenge is the older you get, the more 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:28.559 uh what's the word risk averse? Yes, you don't want 0:11:28.559 --> 0:11:30.680 to make as many risks, like maybe I got dogs, 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:32.840 if feed they like snacks. 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:33.160 And they're hustling. 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.040 They are hustling, right, I imagine my dog being like, oh, 0:11:36.040 --> 0:11:38.240 so you can just sit on the couch, right, she 0:11:38.440 --> 0:11:41.440 was like, ah, I'm paid for the premium treats. But 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:43.360 you do get a little bit more risk adverse, I 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:45.520 think as you start adding in different elements. And so 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:48.560 I would say when you're young, Oh, that's when you 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:50.600 really got to just like throw caution to the wind 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:53.640 to some degree. Right, Like, obviously take into account your 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:57.240 particular situation and what that can look like. But I 0:11:57.280 --> 0:11:59.560 always have believed that if you take the bet on yourself, 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:00.000 you will. 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:04.760 And so how do you know when it's time to 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:07.120 take that leap of faith and turn your side hustle 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:09.920 into a full time job. We're talking with career coach 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:12.600 Jauline Dulnay about how to grow your business and follow 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:15.120 your entrepreneurial spirit. Ooh that's next. 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:29.000 All right, y'all, So we are back. We are talking 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:32.240 all about side hustles today, which, oh god, I love 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:35.679 this topic. But it's not just about me and Gianna 0:12:35.679 --> 0:12:38.680 talking about it. We needed to bring an expert, someone 0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:44.160 who has lived walked these miles in her beautiful, delicious shoes. Gianna, 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:45.320 who do we have this week? 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:49.560 Okay? I am so excited. We're bringing my friend Jeline Dulnay, 0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:52.760 who is the founder of The Postgrad Playbook, a media 0:12:52.880 --> 0:12:55.600 organization that helps guide new grads on how to release 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:59.000 mindset blocks and go after their professional goals. She was 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:01.000 in New Grads Shoe. It was not too long ago. 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:04.800 Jelline graduated college in twenty nineteen and pursued a career 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:07.960 in sales, but she always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:10.880 she started creating personal development content on the side, and 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:14.800 ultimately that became her nine to five job. Jelline, welcome 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:18.040 to the show. Hi, We're so excited. 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:20.400 I'm so excited to be here also, and that was 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:23.080 an amazing intro. I'm so excited that, like I just 0:13:23.080 --> 0:13:25.400 want to sing like jelly Jellye. 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:28.120 Oh my god. 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:32.439 So let's lay the ground out for our listeners before 0:13:32.480 --> 0:13:35.199 we even begin, and we get into our listener question 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:39.440 of the week. Talk us through how your coaching business 0:13:39.679 --> 0:13:40.480 even came to be. 0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:43.640 Yeah, so it was a windy journey a little bit. 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:48.360 Like Gianna mentioned, I started creating personal development and career 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:52.760 cared related content back in twenty twenty and people were 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:57.079 resonating because I tailored it around the postgrad experience. A 0:13:57.160 --> 0:14:00.320 lot of times right when you graduated college, especially twenty 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:04.280 twenty grads, there was this sense of loneliness, like loss 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:06.280 of connection. A lot of people didn't get to walk 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:09.640 the stage, and now you're sort of thrust into adulthood 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:12.240 and it's like what do I do now? So I 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:14.520 was sort of in this period as well, so I 0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:17.920 was reading a lot of personal development and career related 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:21.920 things and sharing them online. Over time, that audience grew 0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:26.000 and I branched out into other platforms. Like Jihanna mentioned, 0:14:26.040 --> 0:14:28.440 I worked in corporate sales and a big part of 0:14:28.440 --> 0:14:32.440 that was social selling and social selling specifically on LinkedIn. 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:34.960 So what I would do is I would post a 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:37.720 lot of my thoughts and my insights and eventually started 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:40.520 to grow a following there to not only build my 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:44.400 personal brand but also generate leads. And I think the 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:47.600 most rewarding part of that whole process was people saying, oh, 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:51.320 this really helps me. So it led to speaking engagements 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:53.560 and ways to help people. But I found that there 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:56.200 was sort of like a one on one gap, so 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.600 I felt like it naturally segued into coaching since I 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:02.120 was all aready sharing, so much of this information on 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:06.040 a broad platform in a media format. And you know, 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:09.160 I was able to get my coaching certifications that was 0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:11.680 really honed in on the personal development piece so that 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:15.040 I can support the career piece, and eventually that became 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:15.840 my full time thing. 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:18.480 So how did you make that transition from your career 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:21.040 in sales to going full time on content creation. 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:24.120 It didn't happen the way that I expected it to. 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:27.200 I worked in tech, and I worked in sales, and 0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:30.480 anyone who works corporate knows that sales teams are the 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:34.320 first ones to go. In twenty twenty three, I remember 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:37.120 at one point there were ninety thousand tech layoffs. So 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:39.240 my team and I we were looking left and right. 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:41.360 We're like, oh gosh, I hope we're not next. But 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:45.000 one day, on a random Wednesday, we all got the 0:15:45.080 --> 0:15:49.200 laid off message. So by then I'd been creating content 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:52.280 for some time. I had some really good indicators. I 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:55.640 had signed up for my coaching certification the week prior, 0:15:56.160 --> 0:16:00.280 so I felt like God was telling me, okay, you 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:03.720 into your next chapter. And I'd also been preparing mentally 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:07.120 for what do I want to do next. It's also 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:10.680 really important to note that working in sales it's a grind, 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.440 you know, you were constantly putting in a lot of effort. 0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:17.600 So after working in sales for so many years, in 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.000 my first post grad job and my second, I got 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:21.720 to the point where I was a little bit burnt out, 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:25.520 and so I said to myself, you know, in conjuncture 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:27.800 with everything else that was happening, I want to be 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:30.080 able to give so much of that energy that I 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:32.800 was giving my nine to five back to myself and 0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:33.880 let's see what I can do. 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:34.840 I love that. 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:37.800 I want to bring up one of our listener questions next. 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:40.840 This is our segment Dear Work Bestie, where we answer 0:16:40.920 --> 0:16:44.440 your questions. This week's comes from Luisa in New York. 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:47.960 Something that I'm really curious about and would love your 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:50.920 input on is how I can best balance my passion 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:55.240 projects with my day job without compromising the quality of 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:56.360 my work in each area. 0:16:57.400 --> 0:17:00.280 Okay, so that's a really good question because balance seeing 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:03.040 that side gig with your nine to five job is 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:06.320 definitely a turkey. So when you were in that position, 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:09.480 working your corporate sales job and also creating content on 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:11.600 the side, how did you find balance And what's your 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:14.000 advice to someone like Luisa who doesn't want to, you know, 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:15.359 compromise the quality. 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:15.600 Of her work. 0:17:16.320 --> 0:17:19.840 So what I did is I took stock of when 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:23.560 I was the most creative and how to start my day. 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:27.119 So that meant waking up a little bit earlier, because 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:29.360 I'm my most creative and I have my best ideas 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:32.359 in the morning. So the first thing that I would 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:35.280 do in the morning after my morning routine is get 0:17:35.280 --> 0:17:38.480 my content ready, or start to get my ideas ready, 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:40.840 or write start to write a new blog post. So 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:43.880 maybe if it's for an hour or two before work, 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:45.520 I know that can be a lot, or you can 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:49.359 split it to an hour before work an hour after work. 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:52.440 You can sort of start to fall into a pattern 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:56.159 and routine. Also, I would say that it is easier 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:59.160 if you schedule and plan over the course of a week. 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:04.200 So let's say you are someone who's a graphic designer, right, 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:07.800 and then you want to have more clients. Maybe some 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:11.920 days you are specifically pitching, some days you're specifically working 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:14.760 on the graphic design, and so on. So that way 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:17.160 it's not like, oh, everything's so up in the air, 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:19.800 I have no schedule, I have no routine. Things feel 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:23.280 out of my hands. It's like you're structuring every single day, 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:26.000 and that way, you know your brain is able to 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:29.320 go through a task a lot faster, because when you're 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:31.479 jumping from task to task to task, it slows down 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:32.280 your productivity. 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:35.600 I feel like my whole Like for You page is 0:18:35.680 --> 0:18:38.080 like my five to nine before nine to five, or 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:40.320 my five to nine after my nine to five. It's 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:43.480 really about like finding the time that works best for you. 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:44.960 And I love that you like took an audit of 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:47.720 when you were most creative and allocated you know that 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:48.920 work to those periods. 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:53.760 I agree. So you were in Louisa's position at one point, 0:18:53.840 --> 0:18:55.960 and you've talked about how you know you made the 0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:59.159 decision to go all in in your side hustle. But 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:03.560 one thing that I constantly hear from people is is 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:06.719 this the right time? What are your thoughts? Is there 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:09.920 ever really a perfect time for one to hop into 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:12.800 entrepreneurship or is this sort of like a baby, I'm 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:15.160 a jump and let the net appear hopefully. 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:17.560 That's terrifying. 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:21.000 Are we just shooting shooting out and just hoping for 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:21.440 the best. 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:25.200 Oh god, Oh no, I don't think that there's ever 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:30.640 a right time to really jump in. I was listening 0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:36.080 to a podcast called Balanced Black Girl, and the founder 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:39.760 Les was talking about what happened when she wanted to 0:19:39.960 --> 0:19:43.280 go into full time entrepreneurship and do her podcast full time, 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:48.520