Take the Elevator
This podcast is purely about elevating people through individual life stories and experiences in the Elevator. In the Elevator, what's key is maybe changing your perspective; having self-actualization; embracing your purpose; and acting on it as we grow from one another. There is a whole different point of view when you look up to elevate.
Take the Elevator
351st Floor: Elevate Your Side Hustle
Ready to escape the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle? Dreaming of turning that spark of an idea into a thriving side business? This game-changing episode breaks down exactly how to launch a successful side hustle without overwhelming yourself or sacrificing your day job.
We dive into the story of Sarah Blakely, who transformed from selling fax machines door-to-door to becoming the billionaire founder of Spanx – all by working on her passion project during off-hours. Her journey proves you don't need special credentials, just determination and a solution to a common problem.
Discover how to find your perfect side hustle at the intersection of three crucial questions: What are you good at? What do you enjoy? What do people need? We explore practical examples from blogging and social media management to crafting and virtual fitness coaching that can generate extra income while aligning with your natural talents.
The episode tackles common roadblocks head-on, from imposter syndrome ("Who am I to start a business?") to time management challenges. You'll learn why "test before you invest" should be your mantra and how becoming "neighborhood famous" before trying to go global creates sustainable growth. As Mel Robbins wisely notes, "The biggest killer of side hustles isn't failure – it's never starting."
Whether you're seeking financial freedom, creative fulfillment, or an escape from a soul-crushing 9-to-5, this episode provides the blueprint and motivation to take that crucial first step today. What passion could you transform into profit? Let's build this movement together.
Look-up, and let's elevate!
Hey, it's Jen the Builder and Corey, and welcome everyone to another episode of Take the Elevator, where we elevate everyday topics to bring you new perspectives and motivation. And before we jump into why a side hustle can change your life, corey, we need to pause and just talk to our friends about what's going on, what they can look forward to, where they can go for all the things regarding us, where they can go for all the things regarding us, nice, so we can just jump in there.
Speaker 2:It's all kind of places to go to see us to find what we're doing and some exciting things happening as well. So I just wanted to start off by saying, if you haven't looked at our websites thegencocom, that's Genevieve, and my website Then we have the fuzzy furry forestcom, where you can see all things fuzzy furry forest, and there's a lot coming, there's a lot happening. We also have an Instagram and Facebooks as well. So if you get a chance, check that stuff out and we'll be glad to see you and show you what's going on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I definitely have to say that a lot of people spell Corey with a C. So, just FYI, it's Jenko spelled G-E-N-K-O. Yes, right, it's yeah. So, anyhow, we'd love to see you there, but we want to go forward in our episode because, cory, I think this one's going to be rich with substance, and so I want to give a shout out to ben, who wanted more um from episode. I think it was 346. Yes, it was right.
Speaker 1:So, ben, here we are, and I hope this speaks to everyone else, and if you know someone who's been thinking about creating a side hustle, um, we encourage you to share this episode with them, because today we're talking about something that could change your life starting a side hustle for the side hustle oh yeah. So whether you want extra income, more freedom or creative outlet, a side hustle is definitely the way to go. But people always ask us, corey, how do you actually get started? And that's what we're diving into today.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. I just want to start this by saying, if you have a lack the lack of money, lack of time to do the other things in life that you want to do, if you find yourself looking at things saying, man, I wish I could do something different or something better. I have too much free time on my hands. It's making me watch too much TV. Maybe you're spending too much time in the restaurant, I don't know. People have different reasons for different things that they do, and side hustles is a good way to fill up some of that time and make a little extra money. But you got to know what you're doing to get this side hustle started.
Speaker 1:Right. So we're going to walk everyone through some steps, dive a little bit deeper, give some motivation, for sure. I'm going to start with a story about a woman named Sarah Blakely. Okay, okay now. I am so thankful for this girl because, guess what? She didn't have everything figured out, but she knew that she just needed to start. So what she was actually doing is her nine to five was selling fax machines door to door by day, and then at night she was working on her sphinx. Yes, yes, I said it Spanx. Thank God for a good Spanx. She worked on the prototype at night.
Speaker 2:You want to tell the men that are listening where the Spanx is.
Speaker 1:So it is the most amazing tummy control. Suck it in undergarment. I think most women wear. So it's a tool, it's a beautiful tool, awesome, yes, um, yeah, the before shots and the after shots of wearing this brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. So she had no fashion background, she's selling fax machines, she had no business degree and she just had an idea and persistence. And and today, corey, she's a billionaire.
Speaker 2:And I'd like to say that most people that say they didn't have a business degree or any kind of degree in that particular field would say you didn't have any business doing this, but this just goes to show you.
Speaker 1:So rude yeah.
Speaker 2:It goes to show you that you don't have to have a degree to become a millionaire, billionaire, trillionaire. You don't have to have some high credential to start your side hustle and make very good money. And look, let's be honest, most of us won't be millionaires. I will, I'm just telling you. But what I will say is that we can be thousandaires, we can be hundredaires and make sure that we're making good money throughout the week and throughout the month and throughout the year.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure. So that's why we're saying side hustle, because we understand that people need their nine to five as that source of income. So if you've ever felt like you need permission to start, guess what, this is it. So let's break it down step by step, sure. So the first one is why start a side hustle? So why do people normally start them, like we said, extra income or they want to escape a job they hate? That's real talk. You might have a nine to five.
Speaker 2:That isn't your love, isn't your passion, isn't creative, that's not your vibe Right, or your vibe Right or your era Right, exactly. So I was about nine or 10. And as a child I was 10 times more hyperactive, as I am now, and if you know me, then you know I'm always into something, I'm doing something, I'm going somewhere, I got something going on. And I was 10 times more active as a child because I just had the energy through the roof. And mom was like I need to give this kid something to do, and playing football wasn't enough, because I'm waking up at the butt crack of dawn and I'm just running through the house and tackling laundry baskets. And she was like no, we got to figure this out.
Speaker 2:So what happened was go outside and help your father with the lawn. Cool, did that? Came back in and I still have the same energy. So she was like go ask your grandparents if you can mow their lawn. So I asked them if I could mow their lawn and they said yeah. And so my grandfather informed me that hey, grandson, you don't mow someone's lawn for free. You know you got to charge them something. And I said but you're my grandparents, why would I do that? And so obviously they were teaching me how to be business savvy. So I started with my grandparents' house and they gave me five bucks. And then went to my aunt's house and she gave me five bucks. Before I knew it, I had a side hustle. Now, mind you, my main hustle was school, and that came first. I had to go to school, I had to get decent grades, and so that was the birth of my side hustle.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the know-how and the experience to say I want to keep doing this Exactly Well, that those checks kept coming in.
Speaker 2:So this is nice, those Abraham Lincolns were lining up. So I was like, look, as long as that's still happening, I'm good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you know we always encourage on, take the Elevator. As you're listening, there might be some gems that we share here that you want to write down or you want to come back to, and so we totally advise you to do that. But I wanted to say here it's important to know why you want to start a side hustle. So, as Corey said, it was income.
Speaker 2:right, he was able to buy the cooler clothes, other pair of shoes that he wanted, versus what his mom or dad was gonna buy him yeah, the pro wings from payless weren't working in middle school, so I needed to find a way to break through that fashion gap that everyone else had and I was at the bottom of mine, so yeah, so just being real, for some people, side hustles extra income for financial security or savings goal.
Speaker 1:Other people love to get into side hustle because it builds skills and experiences in a new area, and I love that because here we encourage you to learn something new almost every day. Right, that's a way to do it. And then it creates a backup plan or a potential for and this is my goal, our goal a full-time business, indeed, so we can be about it not 24-7, but just doing the things that we love and adore all day. And last but not least, for us at least, it was personal fulfillment and creative expression, and I love, corey, when you said and it was a chance to build relationships.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Built the most meaningful relationship in my life, so, uh, that was a necessity for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, beautiful. So how many of you are familiar with Shark Tank? So there's a woman on there, barbara, and I can't think of her last name, someone like Corcoran or something like that. But she says the best businesses come from solving an everyday problem.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a need.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's something to think about as we go into. The next part of this is finding the right side hustle for you, because what might work for other people doesn't necessarily work for you. So I'm going to give you an example. I am not your typical content creator. You know the influencers on YouTube and things like that, so you've got to pick the right hustle, and the best way to start is to ask yourself three things. So, corey, I'm going to ask you maybe you can role play with me. I'm going to ask you the question.
Speaker 2:I'm in.
Speaker 1:Okay, so here's number one of three. What are you good at?
Speaker 2:A whole bunch of things you want me to. Of three, what are you good at? A whole bunch of things. You want me to tell you what I'm good at.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh well, typically, and remember, it's only like a 30 minute episode communication. Okay, so what do you enjoy about communication? I love to get into people's minds and build relationships based. Do people need that you offer in your gift of communication?
Speaker 2:A lot of times and I'm glad you asked this question, I was actually thinking about saying this earlier. Okay, a lot of times people don't know what they need and you have the knowledge or the wherewithal to figure it out that this is something that people need. Here's the catch 22. When people don't know what they need, they're going to automatically say no. Getting a no does not mean you don't move forward with your side hustle. Sometimes getting a no is the best goal for you to ever hear, right? So people don't usually know what they need.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I love that you brought up communication, because here's the deal People will tell you, on purpose or inadvertently, what they do need.
Speaker 1:They will so for example, I work with leaders or aspiring leaders and they always say why didn't we get taught on emotional intelligence and what we call soft skills? By the way, I don't like soft skills. I think they're essential skills. There you go. So they wonder why this wasn't taught to them. And I listen to them like this is a mantra. This is a thing. Listen to that, mike. This is a mantra, this is a thing. And so part of our side hustle is working with kiddos on things like eq and just the wonderful lessons that come out in our fuzzy furry forest series right.
Speaker 2:so did you hear what you just said? First and foremost, they didn't know that what they wanted to know. Why they weren't taught that? So people don't typically know what they need until they're being handed it or given it's being given to them. And so Jan and I thought, hey, let's start a little bit sooner than these adults and start giving people what they need at a younger age. And so now it's the way we think it's, the way we process is to begin the essential skills earlier in life, so you don't get to the workforce and you're deficient in all these different areas.
Speaker 1:That's right, man, and that's powerful. And so you said something right now, corey, which is why I got into coaching. People sometimes don't know what they want or need until they've talked it out, and just having that space creates so many different possibilities for people, and that's what I love about the coaching part of our side hustle Absolutely. See how that our side hustle Absolutely.
Speaker 2:See how that works yeah.
Speaker 1:Amazing. So there's another example of a person who used her passions for making lesson plans. She's a teacher, and so she started selling them on Teachers, pay Teachers, and now she makes six figures a year just from the resources she was already using. Yeah, brilliant. So here's some suggestions, corey, that we came up with based on people's interests. If someone loves writing, what would be a recommendation for a side?
Speaker 2:hustle. Well, I like the one you threw out first, because it's the easiest, and that's to be a blogger and write a blog, and there's plenty of places that you can write your thoughts, your ideas, your concerns, and people love to read about this stuff, believe it or not. And so here's a need that you can fill if you just love to write. And the beauty about side hustles is that just because one person is doing it doesn't mean you can't do it.
Speaker 1:You can have a thousand bloggers, because now you got a thousand different points of views and enjoy them all or hate them all but one, but you get to determine that yeah, yeah, so people um have their own websites or write their blogs right there on linkedin medium medium's another one, and I think it's 5 499 a month to be able to have unlimited access to the articles and be able to write your own. Yeah, so if you're great at social media, you might want to look into managing accounts for small businesses, right, getting them started if you enjoy crafting. What do people do, cory?
Speaker 2:oh my goodness, they make all kind of stuff and, trust me, I have employed quite a few crafters in my lifetime, so, uh, that's something that's definitely going to make money on a regular basis. If you go to any pop-up or farm stand, you're going to see someone there crafting or putting together plushies or little doodads and trinkets earrings, necklaces for both men and women and what happens is they turn that side hustle into a mainstream income, and it's amazing to watch people go from zero to hero, from doing their side hustle.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I love that because it gives them a chance to meet people, get advertisement out there and test their product out, and then they grow into Etsy or, you know, get their own website. So, if you like fitness, here's another big one Cause a lot of people. That's the thing about technology and where we're at now you can do almost everything virtual.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:There are people who set up themselves as virtual trainers, and people pay.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:So let me see. A quote I want to share. Here is by Tim Ferriss, and he wrote a book called the 4-Hour Workweek and it says don't start with what makes the most money. Start with what excites you and has potential.
Speaker 2:And, if you haven't noticed, jen and I are pretty excited about this side hustle thing, not just because it makes money, but because it teaches others how to make money. It teaches individuals who are listening and it also does something even more impactful you begin to pass that on to the younger generation so they don't go into the workforce with this mindset that they got to punch a clock every single day for the next 20 years and hopefully have enough money to retire when they get old enough to to actually retire. That that's the traditional way, but can we be honest, that's not working very well. So you got to have some other streams of income so you can do this thing the right way, because you don't want to get to be 70 years old and still have to do the nine to five. Punch a clock, because ageism is a real thing it is.
Speaker 1:We have friends who are looking for work elsewhere and they're just like I feel like I'm being discriminated against because of my age or because of my years of experience. They think I can't learn something new, you know. And so, yeah, ageism is a very real thing and I have to say this because of things that we don't know may change. Now is a good time to really think about the side hustle. I'm not going to say any names, but we have someone who's very, very close to Corey and I, and a nine to five just seemed to kill this person's vibe. It sucked the life out of them.
Speaker 1:They're constantly, constantly just complaining, you know, and this person started their own side hustle and is looking at other things. Cause I know for me I'll say I don't have time to put this furniture together, or I wish someone could help me um, do this like put the shed together. Remember we got the he shed in, the she shed outside. You just never know. Or people need to move stuff same day, and if you've got a little pickup truck and you put yourself out there, um, they can do that. And I know, corey, you're very familiar with some of the websites that promote different um side hustles for people like absolutely.
Speaker 2:Fiverr is a really big one that we uh tapped into when we were recording our first ep. The shameless band, by the way, shameless band is playing on the 14th at september's in rialto. If you get a chance, come on out and enjoy that. But yeah, fiverr um has musicians, they have uh computer tech people, they have have illustrators, writers, for just about any line of work you can think of, and so it's one of those side hustles that you're always going to be able to make some money or be able to hire someone so that you can get that thing that you need done, done, get that thing that you need, done, done. I didn't actually go to Fiverr to get my illustrator, but I would highly recommend interviewing a few people, and Fiverr has this program to where they got it down pat. You can't get scammed in the way that you pay money and then you don't get your product because Fiverr won't release their money to the artist or the worker until the work is turned in. So that's always a really good thing.
Speaker 1:Hey y'all, I'm so sorry for the coughing in the background. I'm trying to get over this cough. I hope it's not too distracting. Okay, so we went over. Why start a side hustle? We just talked about finding the right side hustle for you. So to end this part, here's something that I'm going to ask you to write on what excites you. Think about that as we move into how to actually get started. So let's talk Corey, planning and execution. So now you've got your idea and the question is is how do you make it real?
Speaker 2:So the best way that I can think of to make it real is to start the planning process. What's the planning process? What are you going to do, how are you going to go about doing it, and how long is it going to take you to launch this business? And it may take a week, depending on what it is you're doing, or it may take a year. And how long is it going to take you to launch this business? And it may take a week, depending on what it is you're doing, or it may take a year. You might need to get some resources. You might need to get some materials. You may even need to consult with a few people to make sure that you're on the right path or going in the right direction.
Speaker 1:The important thing is just to start right, and if you say I don't have a lot of money right now, that's okay. There, look for the low cost ways to start, and I love what you said, cory, because this is part of relationship building and networking is finding out how did you do this? I mean, we know other podcasters that literally set up their laptop in their closet because they didn't have any other equipment and it sounds perfectly fine. So I think another big piece of planning and execution is time management, because most of our friends that are listening balance a nine to five. We've got personal lives and then you've got your hustle right. So just being real careful about that, because it can easily get to burnout. So you've got to plan that, look at your boundaries and all that um, some tools and platforms to use. I'm a big fan of Canva and I have started to explore AI. I actually have a subscription in cursive C-O-U-R-S-I-V and it just shows you what each AI platform can do.
Speaker 2:So I was one of those people who did not like AI. I was so against it and I decided you know what? I'm never going to use this because it's replacing people and it's just making life more difficult than it has to be. And then what I realized from a good friend of mine told me he said you have to look at it from this point of view. You're the master, it's the slave. If you allow it to master you, then now you're using that to make the money.
Speaker 2:It's, you know. So that was the first key, and if you're not using some form of AI, you're missing out, you're not reaching all the points and levels that you can reach. I want to just go back just a little bit, just a little bit of rewind, because Jen had a side hustle as a, as a younger person, maybe even as a kid. Um, that brought in some really good money, and it just shows you that every side hustle is not the same. So mine was mowing lawns and it was very strenuous and fatiguing as I got older. But all side hustles aren't like that. Jen, please tell us about that side hustle that you did for mom or with mom.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes. So I think I'm okay to say the company. It's for princess house crystals. So my mom became single mom at a very young age, sorry about that. So my mom became a single mom at a very young age and she wanted her crystals and, being a person who could sell them, you could earn extra points. It was a whole thing. So I did it at 13 gory oh my god, my little self, what I was carrying two big old suitcases, because this is where you sold house to, or not house to house, but your friends, right, they would have parties, and so you would set up and I was pretty successful and I don't know, maybe it's because I was 13 and women felt sorry for me, but I just had a great time. I got super creative with it. So here's what it did for me. This is where you use your experiences.
Speaker 1:My calling was not to sell crystal. My calling was to sell, though. My calling was to meet people, take something so simple and have four or five different creative ways you could use the thing, and so it brought forward people's imagination, their creativity, and I would just get so excited whenever someone came up with something new. So I sold other things too later on in life, like candles. What else have I sold? Oh, my gosh jewelry during COVID. If you are my friend on Facebook and you've stayed my friend, thank you Because.
Speaker 1:I know I did a lot of selling on there, but I had such a great time Like I straight got a mannequin and would dress it up with a scarf and the accessories. I lay it all out and I did well there too. So I think that's important. When you have an idea, it may not be what's going to bring you to that next level of income, but the skills you learn from it you take with you for your actual side hustle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, these are always stepping stones for you to be able to do better and do more and go further. A lot of people want to start with an LLC or a bank account, and that's necessary in the long run, because there's tax issues that you got to work out, but until you're at that point, you can just start, yes. What I encourage, though, is that you begin to work within the network that you have. I hear people talking about going global before they even went um to their next door neighbor, and and this is one of my famous sayings that I've always tell my band members and and people that I'm working with is that I want to become a neighborhood famous before I become globally famous. Uh, you know, rich or whatever title you want to put in there. You want to.
Speaker 1:You want to be known throughout the community that you operate in before you try to go and sell to the world absolutely another thing that I want to say here, before we move on, is that it's so important, I feel, to test before you invest, so start small validate your idea, then go bigger right.
Speaker 1:Um, let's see, I want to make sure we cover all the points because, ben man, we're thinking about you, we want to make sure to give you what you're looking for. We are thinking about him, but we're thinking about you. We want to make sure to give you what you're looking for.
Speaker 2:We are thinking about him, but we're thinking everybody else the entrepreneur.
Speaker 2:If you know us, you know that that's our passion. We, we love for people to have the nine to five. We love for people to uh, you know, do their school thing and and then pour into what it is that they're doing. But that that next step, that next level, is always important, because what you're going to do is you're going to open up doors that you never thought you could open before, and then that's when you see the magic happen. That's when you see the real meaning of what some of these people have been doing all their life, and it makes sense and you're going oh, I get it now. That that's how you maneuver to that next level, without straining yourself, trying to get over time and trying to work 50 and 60 hours a week for this one. Nine to five right, right.
Speaker 1:So your first step, everyone just put it out there offer your product or service to one person, and the rest will follow yeah so the next part of it is overcoming common challenges.
Speaker 1:So let's be real starting something new is scary. We would not be cool if we didn't say that, because it's a very real thing. So you're thinking who am I to start a business like everyone else is so great about a great with it, but I don't think I can do this. So imposter syndrome is real. But here's the truth. You don't have to be an expert, right? Cory, you don't you just have to be one step ahead of someone else.
Speaker 2:And fortunately we've been really good at that. And I'm not tooting our horn. What I'm saying is that, instead of just wishing and thinking about it, we just took a step in the direction to do it, and that has given us the advantage that a lot of people don't have, that a lot of people don't have. Writing a book is not as hard as you think it is, but if you plan it out, it becomes so much easier, yeah, and you have people giving you feedback. Yes.
Speaker 1:Right, I am a big fan of Mel Robbins. She's one of the people I listen to for podcasts. I love her quote and her expert insight on this is that the biggest killer of side hustles isn't failure. It's never starting.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:Period. So we talked about imposter syndrome, some other common challenges and solutions for this is expecting mistakes, because it's a part of the process, like today. I'm going to be honest today's episode. You can hear my voice. I'm like kind of messy right now and that's okay, it's part of the process yeah, we're gonna say we did this on purpose so that we could test out the outcome of this side hustle right right and right.
Speaker 1:And so time management. I mentioned Pomodoro technique. Spend some time on your side, hustle every day, move that needle. We mentioned burning out and preventing that. So scheduling some non-negotiable breaks, breaks, hello, take a break.
Speaker 2:Breaking is healthy and unplugged.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely so. Bottom line just start and give yourself permission to learn as you go there you go I love it, that right I love this so much.
Speaker 2:I can't tell you how much this is. This gives me energy to think about the fact that somebody is saying, yeah, I can do, can do this, I can do this. I've been thinking about this for a while Now. I just got to start. Yeah, guys, we're going to be posting some pictures of how we develop some of our side hustles and how our side hustles have become a major part of our lives, and you can just get an inside view of what we've been doing and how we did it.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So our call to action for you all, and us in partnership with you, is what's your side hustle idea? We'd love to hear about it, tag us, send us a message, tell us how you're getting started and let's build this movement together. There we go. I love it. Well, you know us to take the elevator. We say look up and let's elevate. Every day, elevate, every day, elevate Every day, elevate Every day.
