7 Tips for People Just Starting a Side Hustle or a Freelance Gig
Side hustles are becoming an increasingly popular method of earning extra income for people all over the world. In the Philippines, 77% of the population has a side gig of some kind, followed by Singapore, with 54%, and Hong Kong with 37%.
Working as a freelancer—and often in conjunction with another job—can be a challenging experience. It’s just you against the world, and that can feel overwhelming at times. But if you play your cards right and stick to your guns, you can establish a thriving side hustle that brings in a consistent cash flow.
Even if you don’t have a strong background in marketing or business operations, side hustles are the kind of gig you can learn relatively quickly and use common sense to accomplish.
As more people become interested in running a freelance gig on the side, affiliate marketing networks like ACCESSTRADE have cultivated international attention.
If you’re interested in affiliate marketing or any other income stream, these seven tips can help you to start your side hustle journey.
1. Thoroughly Research Your Market
One of the best things you can do for your side hustle is to thoroughly research the market it relates to. The more you understand the current trends, patterns, and news surrounding the market, the easier it will be to deliver products or services that people want to buy.
Performing continuous, in-depth research for your freelance gig is what will open your eyes to how the industry works and provide you with valuable insights into what others will expect of you.
Finding out information about average prices in your field, the most responsive demographics, local versus international popularity, branding trends, and market growth forecasts are all like pieces of a puzzle. You need to put this puzzle together before you can launch your project to the public.
2. Commit To a Focus Routine and Set Goals
It’s important to remember that while a side gig may be on the “side”, it will still require significant time, focus, and energy to get it going. You need to commit to a routine that works with your current schedule yet pushes you to spend as much spare time as possible working on your hustle.
The average side hustler spends between 5 and 10 hours each week dedicated to their project. It doesn’t matter so much when those hours happen (they could be after hours, on weekends, or on an allocated weekday), as long as you find a way to include them in your schedule.
Setting goals is another vitally important aspect of running a side gig. They will act as milestones for you to work towards and help keep your trajectory on track.
You don’t have to start with big goals. Start with realistically achievable ones. For example, aim to set up a website or freelance account by the end of the month. Or secure one client by a certain date. Each little step is important for the success of your hustle.
3. Utilize The Power of Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when you earn a commission in exchange for marketing another brand’s services or products. This is a simple yet highly effective and mutually beneficial way to generate income without directly having to put in much work.
Affiliate marketing is especially popular amongst freelancers and side hustlers because it does not require any inventory, stock take, or employee management, yet it can yield profits when done right. ACCESSTRADE is an excellent option for freelancers as it encompasses the biggest CPA network in Southeast Asia and Japan. It opens the door to 8,500 merchants and 550,000 publishers, providing marketers with a platform to work at their own pace to generate income.
4. Ask For Feedback from Those You Trust
Sometimes, you just need an external perspective to look at your ideas and give their input. When you’ve been staring up close at your plans for too long, it can become difficult to see things clearly. But that can be easily remedied by asking for feedback from people whose opinions you value.
It could be a family member, friend, boss, or partner. Just try to pick a person (or several) that has some level of experience in the field you’re entering. The more feedback you get, the clearer things will become and the more confident you will feel about your plans.
5. Develop A Long-Term Plan
While there is something to be said about diving headfirst into certain projects, you don’t want to go into this one blindly. Especially if you don’t have an alternative source of income.
Focus on the long-term trajectory of your side hustle and determine what you would like to accomplish over the upcoming years. Then, take the time to set up processes and procedures for every part of your side hustle. Decide how you will track orders or jobs, create invoice templates and a billing system, and if you work with products, determine how you’ll manage stock—especially as your business grows.
Doing all this will add structure and support to your future goals and make it easier for you to move forward.
6. Use Reputable Freelance Platforms
Depending on your side hustle, you may be tempted to go it alone. After all, there are plenty of ways to advertise your skills, products, or services independently online.
However, going through a freelance platform or an affiliate network like ACCESSTRADE gives you access to a much wider group of potential clients and immediately puts you in a position to do business.
7. Believe In Your Vision
Throughout your journey as a freelancer or acclaimed side hustler, there will be challenges. However, it’s important to remind yourself of why you started, and how much can still be achieved if you set your mind to it. Belief in your vision is imperative for success in this sphere.
In the beginning, you will have to work hard to show people who you are and what you do. But eventually, that hard work will pay off. Just stay focused and try to have fun!
Make Your Move
Adopting innovative side hustles has become one of the defining factors of the Millennial and Gen Z generations. As people continue to prove that you can maintain multiple streams of income at the same time, the global freelance industry is only going to grow stronger.
If you have been sitting on a side hustle idea for long enough and are ready to take it to the next level, hopefully, this list has provided you with some useful information about how to move forward.
