Who loves money? I think we all do, that’s why we’re here learning how to pay off debt, live within a budget and make money from a side hustle. Starting a business is exciting, it’s also a lot of work. When you’re first starting out and working as a one-man-show it’s difficult to find a balance between serving clients, delivering work, finding the price to book the jobs and looking for new clients.
All of those things are important, but if we’re going to set priorities the number one focus should be how to make money from a side hustle. It doesn’t matter how great your customer service and work are if you don’t have clients to serve. Right?
The one thing I’ve learned from running my own business (remember I just transformed my long time freelance gig into a legit business) is that no one is ringing your doorbell with a high paying job laid out on a silver platter. That. Doesn’t. Happen. If you want to get paid then you need to work for it. If you want to make money from a side hustle then you have to…hustle.
Here are four ways to make money from a side hustle with new clients:
Put in the work on social media
Don’t get me wrong, potential clients do proactively contact me via social media or through the Well Said Content website, but it’s not a stroke of luck. They found the business through a Google search thanks to the frequent blog posts or they saw something posted on LinkedIn and clicked through to learn more about my services.
Being active online helps you rank higher in searches then those who aren’t, so if you want new clients to find you get on social media and start sharing.
Don’t be afraid to make the first move
It’s not creepy to reach out to people online…not anymore thanks to social media and websites. We’re not talking about an AOL chat room (remember those?), we’re talking about social networks where people are there to meet new people. Send requests to connect with everyone and anyone who can be a source of referrals for your business or potential clients.
You can find business anywhere
Always be on the lookout for new business because you never know where it can come from. Think back to all the people you’ve met in the last two months at the pharmacy, at a sporting event, at a networking event, in the grocery store. Absolutely anywhere.
Depending on the type of side hustle you have anyone can be a client and therefore you can make money anywhere. Keep your eyes and ears open. I have no shame looking up local financial advisors and real estate agents on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter, checking out their websites and reaching out to offer my services. That’s just how I do.
Give yourself a goal
People get tens, maybe hundreds, of emails a day. You want to be one of those emails or LinkedIn messages. If you truly want to grow your business you need to give yourself a goal. They say that what gets measured gets done. So get it done.
I pitch to five new business prospects every week, this doesn’t include the follow ups from the week before. If you want new business you need to ask for it. Being proactive ensures you make money from a side hustle.
