249: 12 Steps for Starting & Scaling Your Creative Side Hustle (Pt. 2)
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Looking to start your creative side hustle and take the next steps in scaling it?
Say less, I got you…but I highly suggest checking out Pt. 1 of this series for the first 6 steps!
Here’s a quick skinny of what to expect…
My homie, Neil Botham, emailed me back in November asking for tips on how to build his photography pursuits outside his day job and family life…
All while navigating the head games that come with the pursuit of something you care about.
Hence this 2-part series of 12 Steps for Starting & Scaling Your Creative Side Hustle.
Part 1 was all about getting started.
Part 2 is focused on slow and steady scaling.
Again, there is no one-size-fits-all framework that’s perfect for everyone.
This is solely based on my experience over the past decade and countless conversations I’ve had with industry-leading creatives.
Soak up and apply what you feel works best for you!
Let’s jump back in with Step #7.
7. Prioritization & Focus
You can’t do it all with your creative pursuits…
And you can’t be everything to everyone.
It’s a balancing act of knowing:
What to work on that drives the biggest results.
When to make time to do it.
How you’ll execute it in the most efficient manner.
All while setting healthy boundaries for yourself and others.
You may think this is time and/or project management…
But, in reality, it’s “self-management.”
I’m far from mastering the art of managing myself…
But I’ve grown to realize becoming a “get shit done productivity machine” heavily revolves around Prioritization, Focus, and Boundaries.
Prioritization
From my experience taking on too much…
I personally feel you can only be obsessed with 1–3 things at a time MAX.
And those can have varying, distributed percentages.
Example: Here are both my current Life and Biz priorities during this season…
My 3 main Life priorities are:
Family - 50%
Fitness (Wellness + Training) - 30%
Finances (Saving, Investing, Crypto) - 20%
My 3 main Biz priorities are:
Coaching (majority of my income deserves most attention) - 45%
Brand Awareness (Content Creation + Lead Generation) - 35%
NFT Art - 20%
All of these align with my future targets and current interests, values, and beliefs.
HOWEVER…I can’t be 100% in every bucket. BUT, the percentages can change each season based on circumstances, goals, etc.
If I was just starting off, I’d tell my past self to pick 2–3 areas of focus in my life outside of my day job/side hustle…
Then I’d tell myself to pick ONE priority to focus on within my side creative pursuits.
Focus
The beauty of having one priority is it makes focus and execution much easier.
If you have one main focus per season, that leads to one focus per week, which leads to one focused task minimum per day.
There’s power in ONE—it makes the game objective and more manageable to win.
No matter if it takes you 15 minutes or 3 hours, if you’re able to knock out one big thing a day that aligns with both your main priority and future targets, you will see progress.
Focus also means eliminating distractions…
If something doesn’t align with, nor serve your big picture target and your top priority during a season… it’s a distraction.
Make it simple and objective to eliminate emotions: If it’s not a Hell Yes, it’s a Hell No.
Every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. Be frugal and precise where you dedicate your finite time.
Example: If your focus is to be known for your unique painting style featured in galleries, plus having raving fans eagerly awaiting to purchase your work…
Then saying yes to getting hired to design a sports-themed generative NFT project would clearly be a distraction.
If your bills are covered by the day job, why pursue a distraction that deters your finite time away from the main target?
Boundaries
If you don’t set boundaries for yourself, then something or someone will decide for you.
Set boundaries with:
Your day job where you have set working hours to protect your time, energy, and dream.
Those in your life who drag you down or don’t support your dream and goals.
Yourself to unplug from the dream to make sure you’re allocating time for family, friends, and self-care.
Notes: One of the most popular episodes/blog posts to date is where I dropped 6 Ways to Carve Out Time to Grind Outside a Day Job.
Want more? I also have an entire section with time management, prioritization, boundaries, and productivity-based exercises within the Side Hustler’s Handbook Interactive Course for Creatives.
8. Be Consistent
“People don’t notice announcements, they notice consistency.” — Seanwes
We are creatures of habit and operate within daily and weekly cycles.
The goal is to be consistent over time to get within people’s routines and remind them you exist.
The more consistent we are, the more we train:
Ourselves to continue to show up and build productive habits.
The people in our lives to understand how important this is to us (the world is a mirror).
Our audience to expect AND look forward to what we create and share.
You’re making it extra hard on yourself when you go hard in the paint for small spurts followed by going radio silent for large gaps.
It’s hard to get noticed if you’re not willing to show up at least weekly and commit to the dream in a semi-obsessive, yet self-care-driven way…
(AKA, a good kind of “healthy” crazy.)
Consistency over time creates momentum which results in progress.
9. Create Routines & Systems
Consistency helps you create productive habits to fuel long-term growth.
These habits then create routines (and within routines comes motivation).
Routines revolve around creating systems for yourself to normalize your current processes.
This all makes your creative efforts more effective and efficient to put you in a position to slowly scale.
(More on advanced scaling in Step 11.)
Once you've established some good habits, a system, and routine around your current groove, and can repeat it week-in and week-out, you could consider slowing scaling your efforts.
It’s not about eating the whole pizza in one bite and overwhelming your digestion system.
Instead, take a smaller slice followed by smaller bites when adding more to your plate.
The goal is to easily digest more responsibility and increase output within your current process—not overwhelm yourself to the point of panic attacks and burnout.
This isn’t a race. You can’t rush things when your bandwidth and mindset can’t handle the increased capacity.
Examples: Drawing and posting once a week scaled to 2–3x a week. Blogging weekly for 3–4 months before stacking on a newsletter. Doing an audio podcast for 6–12 months before adding video.
10. Promoting Yourself
Most starving artists rely on hope marketing…
They hope their work speaks for itself and that someone will magically see their value.
They don’t have time to learn some business tactics because they need to dedicate their soul strictly to their craft.
Yet they’re bitter as hell when they see less talented people gain more traction because they know how to promote themselves.
The starving artist mindset is a choice…and you have the power to become a thriving artist when you learn how to properly put yourself out there.
Once you’ve connected with your work, have some structure, and believe it’s possible to hit your targets…
Now we can turn up the marketing in terms of:
Understanding your unique value proposition (why people should care/the benefit).
Communicating your value with conviction effectively (which will continually evolve).
Promoting yourself and your work without feeling gross.
Determining who the perfect person is for your work (demographics + psychographics).
Connecting and nurturing your community, audience, and fans.
Marketing gives you an opportunity to increase your reach and get in front of more people who are perfect for what you create.
Every time you create and share your work on social media, your website, at craft shows, in gallery submissions, etc…
You’re essentially planting a seed and giving your future self a chance to have a big breakthrough.
Remember to keep in mind:
You NEVER know who’s watching as a silent admirer.
It takes one fan at a time to grow an engaged community that vibes to what you do.
You’re one scroll, swipe, click, or tap away from someone providing you a BIG opportunity.
The marketing/biz side of things helps expand the reach of your art—don’t be lazy.
Don’t be too stubborn and stuck in your ways to evolve with the digital landscape.
Learning how to promote yourself is one of the most powerful skills you could ever learn!
11. Advanced Scaling + Profitability
From my experience, the 10 previously mentioned steps are the foundation + fundamental building blocks for long-term growth.
They’ll carry you forward and help you stay flexible regardless of how the target or approach changes.
Now would be a great time to explore more advanced scaling and profitability tactics like:
Creating your website (versus solely building on rented land).
Lead generation strategies.
Back-end marketing funnels.
Running paid ads.
Launching products, courses, services.
I’m NOT saying you can’t do any of this earlier…
I personally feel there are important boxes to check first to curb your expectations.
What's the point in building a website if you:
Haven't connected with your work?
Lack targets and a plan of action?
Don’t know how to communicate your value?
Can’t leverage messaging/positioning on your site?
You'd have zero intention on user flow…
Nor would you know what calls to action you’d strategically want people to take when they land on your site.
What’s the point in launching a product/service if you’re guessing and have no audience built and zero demand for what you do?
Why not lay a solid foundation first, then construct your house, then add decor, additions, etc.?
Most people are trying to build luxurious skyscrapers on a quicksand foundation.
Again, just my opinion. I’ve personally felt the burn of wasting my time, energy, and money trying too rush many of these before I had my fundamentals in place.
Rework is draining and having things flop due to lack of experience and intent is defeating.
12. Leverage Cheat Codes.
I’m a huge advocate of setting the foundation, trusting the process, and staying the course.
Delayed gratification is your most powerful asset—you gotta pay your dues to earn the big breakthroughs.
Measurable growth and big breaks are baked into the consistent, persistent grind. You can’t hack the process or cut corners.
HOWEVER…
There are a few cheat codes I approve of because these are the ultimate ways to tap into faster growth.
I owe any explosive growth or radical big breaks to these, but it all stemmed from taking uncomfortable action fueled by my desires.
I’ll break these into Fast, Faster, and Fastest buckets—the faster you want to develop, the more $kin in the game it’ll require.
Fast: Community & Accountability Groups
It’s hard to thrive rolling solo. There are plenty of communities out there filled with like-minded people you could/should attach yourself to.
Some communities may cost something to access, which also ensures high-quality people.
I personally have a FREE Facebook Group filled with quality people where you can connect with creatives all over the globe (moving this to Discord in the near future).
Within these communities, you’re able to link up with individuals you connect with on a deeper level.
From here, you can build accountability groups where maybe you have your own private chat and meet weekly with.
Faster: Courses, Conferences, Programs
Here’s where investing in yourself can create massive results.
Over the years, I tapped into incredible growth and found community by:
Attending conferences (Crop and Creative South are my top recommendations).
Buying books, webinars, online courses, and workshops.
Participating in programs or services focused on the skills I needed during a season.
If you’re looking for the next level of what I teach outside of my free content, consider checking out my:
Digital resources and tools in my online shop (Check out what I offer here).
Quarterly 3-Week Boot Camps to taste what group coaching with me is like (Learn more/join the waitlist here.).
Note: I have a free download called the Side Hustle Freedom Toolkit if you first want to sample some of the resources I offer!
Fastest: Masterminds, Coaches, Mentors
Finally, the direct path to the fastest results is investing heavily in yourself through gated Masterminds, Coaches, and Mentors.
I’ve invested in all 3, but I’ve had the most personal success in making a premium investment in Coaches.
I’m a coach who’ll always have a coach—otherwise, it’d be like a doctor who refused to see a doctor…
(As of recording, I’m on my 4th time hiring my business coach and 3rd time hiring my strength and nutrition coach.)
I know there’s an opportunity cost of me wasting time trying to find the answers on my own…
Versus having big $kin in the game to see the results/transformation sooner by seeking guidance from someone who’s been where I’m trying to go.
To me, my time is more valuable than money. I can always make more money, but I can never make more time.
Investing in coaching gives me back time in the long run and helps me generate more profitability.
It was a big mindset shift that I had to learn through my first scary investment in a coach…but the results speak for themselves.
Bet BIG on Yourself
It’s scary going all-in on your creative pursuits…
So many unknowns, and worse, what if you fail?
But what if you succeed and tap into something incredibly fulfilling that makes an impact on people you care about?
Start slow and give yourself permission to scale slowly as well.
Remove the pressure of having to figure it out overnight and embrace the journey, not the end destination.
Stay hungry and stay in the game—you got this.
P.S. If you enjoyed what you heard from this series and want some direct guidance to fast track your side hustle pursuits.
Consider joining the 12-Week Side Hustler’s Coaching Program Waitlist for the upcoming Spring 2022 session.
Word on the street is those on the Waitlist get early bird access RIGHT NOW to apply at a reduced rate…
We will condense all 12 steps you hear in this series, so you can fast track your way to rapid growth with the support of a coach and tight-knit family holding you accountable.
I’d love the opportunity to show you the power of having your own coach!
Q1 Side Hustler’s Boot Camp enrollment is live!
Enrollment is open Wednesday, January 19th - Thursday, January 27th!
This is a 3-Week Planning, Strategy, and Execution-based Group Coaching Live Workshop that will radically set the tone for your 2022 and beyond.
🗓 We kick-off Saturday, January 29th - Friday, February 18th.
Credits
Music - Blookah
Executive Assistant - Paige Garland
Video Specialist - Jared Cunningham
Social Media Coordinator - Hannah Schick
Animation Specialist - Greg D'Amico