Reasons Why Referring to Your Business as a “Side Hustle” May Not Be the Best Idea

So, you’ve started a business!  Congratulations!  Maybe it’s still in its infancy and you don’t have all of the components perfectly figured out just yet, but you’ve done it and that, in and of itself, is a feat.  Oftentimes, particularly when you are in the beginning stages of building your business, it can feel natural to refer to it in a rather offhand manner.  It’s not your career yet; you may not even think of it as your job, so is it a side hustle?  A side gig?  While this may feel like perfectly acceptable terminology that well describes the current state of your business, it can also have some detrimental long-term side effects, depending on the ultimate goals that you have for your new baby.  Let’s dive in.    

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To determine whether these kinds of labels may be harmful to your business, you have to first get clear on what your goals are for it.  If you’re truly planning to keep your business as an extra stream of income with no intentions of ever growing it, you can probably keep calling it whatever you want.  If, however, you’re interested in growing a business that can eventually replace your 9 to 5 and offer you freedom from both financial burdens and time constraints, it’s quite likely that it’s time to take it a little more seriously, starting with the way you talk about it.  You are, after all, the CEO of your company and it can’t grow without you confidently backing it and taking all of the action steps that will help to set you up for success.  This has never been truer than it is now, when so many people are leaving their mainstream jobs in pursuit of pouring their time and energy into building their own successful enterprises.  This is an exciting time in history, but competition is going to get fierce, so you’d better be ready to step up to the plate. 

It’s important to remember that the thoughts we think and the words we speak are constantly shaping our realities by influencing the actions we are willing to take to grow our businesses.  When you describe your business as a side hustle or side gig, it lends to the idea that it’s not actually that significant or important.  It makes it sound as though it’s not really all that much of a big deal to you and if you don’t take your business seriously, why should anybody else?  If you’re treating your business like a hobby, you’re also going to make business decisions that align with a hobby mentality, ensuring that it will never grow into that job or career you’re hoping for.  Try it on for size for a moment.  Say it out loud to yourself and see how it lands.  “Oh, that’s just my side hustle”, as opposed to, “I built this amazing business”.  There’s a big difference, right? 

Building a successful business begins with your own relationship to it.  When you can speak highly of your business, you are much more likely to convert others into devoted customers.  Saying things like, “I have a business that I’m currently growing”, “I am a business owner”, and “I make lucrative and informed business decisions” will fuel this vision that your business is important, worthy of yours and others time and offers something of value.  Doesn’t it feel a bit more substantial and credible to refer to your business in these positive and expansive terms?  When you believe in your business, it will show and, ultimately, grow. 

So, that’s the bottom line.  While you can refer to your business in any way that you’d like, understand that the way that you speak about it will have consequences.  Whether those are growth-oriented or not is up to you!  Taking responsibility for how you think and speak about your business and for the action steps that you do or do not take in relation to it, will be the determining factors that help it flourish or falter.  How will you be referring to your business?

If you still notice some hesitation around taking complete ownership of your business and really speaking it into success, I’m here to help you learn to navigate around your limiting beliefs so that you, too, can grow your business!  Learn a little more about me by visiting my website and feel free to drop a line.  You can also grab my 22-page guide on how to gain visibility for your business without using paid advertising and how to grow your client base for only $17.   Don’t forget to pop by our Facebook group, too, “Be a Confident Entrepreneur, Gain Confidence and Grow Your Business” to surround yourself with like-minded and inspirational entrepreneurs just like you!  However I can support you, I’m here to do so and I look forward to growing together!

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Video Transcript  

Hey there my friends, I need to ask you a question. Are you guilty of this? You have a business, but you're calling it a ‘side hustle’, a ‘side gig’. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well, let's talk about it, because it really depends on what your ultimate goal is for your business. Welcome to today's training. My name is Tracy Beavers, and if you're new to my channel, I am so glad to see you here my friend. As a business and sales coach, I help you grow your business and it doesn't matter if you're just starting out with an awesome idea and a dream, or if you're an established business having great success. Whatever your need is, we work together to map out clear action steps to get you from where you are right now to where you want to be, and we get there faster together, because you get a road map from me with focused action steps.

I've been in sales and marketing over 15 years. I am the owner of three businesses, so I know exactly what steps you need to take to grow your business so that you can have the income you desire and the time freedom you desire and keep your sanity, right? So I have guided many businesses just like yours using my unique roadmap approach. If you're new here, be sure to smash that subscribe button, because I put out a brand-new training every week and be sure check the show notes below the video for more great resources. I've got some great free guides and blog content crafted just for you. So let's dive into today's topic: your side hustle, your side gig, your business. What is your goal with it? If your goal is to grow this into a large stream of income for you, maybe something that you can grow to where you can leave your nine to five job, then listen to me when I say, stop calling it a side hustle! You're a business owner, you are the CEO of a business and it is time you stood in the confidence of that and prepared to grow this thing. There are more startups, more entrepreneurs than ever before. We have all been hearing about the labor shortages because masses of people got fed up with their jobs and left in order to start their own businesses. I'm a consultant for our local small business center here at our university, and we have been slammed with requests for help from entrepreneurs waiting to start businesses.

It is such an exciting time! You guys have heard me trained before about the importance of mindset and the importance of the words that we choose to say, what we say, what we think. This becomes our reality, the words we use and the thoughts we think guides our actions, which then determine the success of our businesses. So if you started your side hustle with the intention of growing it into a business that gives you the income you need, like I say, to do it full-time maybe leave that full-time job, then you have to start treating it like a grown up business.

2:47 Describing your business as a side hustle, as a side gig, It makes it sound small, it makes it sound like an insignificant afterthought. That pesky little sister that still needs a babysitter. You know that, that, that little thing that's always just like something, almost like something you don't take seriously. So my question is: why would anyone you tell about it take it or you seriously? If you make your business sound insignificant, like it's a hobby, then you will make decisions as if it's a hobby and your business is going to stay small. If you're talking to me about your business and you describe it as a side hustle, then it sounds like a hobby to me, something you do for pocket change, something that's inconsistent, something that's not sustainable. I'm really not even going to think it's that important to you or even that you're all that proud of it. It makes me kind of pause and think that it doesn't matter to you if I purchase your product or service because it's a hobby, it’s a side hustle. It's just a side gig. Does that make sense? Is that resonating with you and if you're following how this feels, are you following how this feels and how it might sound to other people? How it affects your actions as a business owner? And how others perceive your business, which then affects whether or not they will convert into customers and buy from you. Our words have power, and if you want your business to be viewed as a business… important, worthy of your time, and if you want to grow this into a full-time income, then stop referring to it in a way that gives the opposite impression. If you want your business to grow, then we need to use the words that will grow it. Words like: I have a business that is growing, I am a business owner, I make excellent business decisions.

Doesn't that feel more substantial and feel more credible than just saying you have a side gig? Believe that you can have what you desire. I want you to hear me when I say that. Believe that you can have what you desire and call it forward with your words, your thoughts and your actions. You can grow a side gig into a full-fledged, massive business! So many people do this every year and I helped my clients do that very thing. I guarantee you they didn't refer to their businesses as a side hustle in order to get it to grow to the level that they want it to be. And when you're ready to build that business, contact me. Shoot me a message. I am here to support you and guide you as your coach. I have built three successful businesses, all successful, all profitable and I know exactly what it takes and how to get you there. Okay, well, that felt like a lot. I didn't you know, I don't ever mean to get so serious, but it's important to share with you guys, because I want you to achieve the-dream you have in your heart for you and your families. Being a business owner and building a sustainable, strong business takes focus and confidence. So step into that confidence and let it guide you. And as I say, if you've got a side hustle and you want it to stay small maybe earning a few $100 a month, then by all means refer to it that way. But if your dream is to grow that it into something that has major income potential for you and your family, then we've got to change our words, because those words affect the actions that we take and we're not taking the right actions to be an actual business owner and grow it the way it needs to be grown.

So it's time for me to highlight one of my awesome coaching clients. I absolutely love making a difference for you and I love it more when you share with me the gains that you've made, you can be featured too. Just let me know in the comments. Connect with me through my website. Let me know how my trainings have helped you so I can feature you and your business too. This highlight of the week goes out to my friend Beverley, who grabbed my 22 page guide on how to gain visibility for your business without paid ads. Beverley used my strategies to get herself published in a magazine which is excellent visibility and credibility for her and her business. Beverley, you're a star student and I love that you loved the 22 page guide I created. You can grab the guide too. These are strategies you can implement today to gain visibility for your business, to gain new clients. The 22 page guide, five little-known strategies for you, and it's only $17. Your business is worth a $17 investment. So go to TracyBeavers.com/visibility to grab that guide. TracyBeavers.com/visibility. And if you know anyone else that would benefit from these trainings, please hit that share button. Give it a Thumbs up, give it like! Send it to them, and until next time, I am here for you and I am cheering you on my friends.