8 Secrets To Crushing Your Side Hustle This Year

In 2024, 36% of Americans had side hustles—and as a millennial living in a HCOL area, I’m one of them. As a fashion publicist turned social media strategist and writer, my multitude of side hustles have not only granted financial security but have also helped fuel my creativity and advance my career. But finding a lucrative source of additional income and maintaining it is easier said than done. If you’re ready to crush your side hustle this year, keep reading for expert tips from someone who has been there, done that.

Set aside time to work on your side hustle

My best piece of advice is to set aside dedicated time to focus on building and leveling up your side hustle. I like to call it my “5 to 9,” which is what I focus on after clocking out of my “9 to 5” (aka my day job). This looks different for everyone; if you’re a morning person, you might choose to get a head start in the AM.

Strike a balance

As excited as you may be about your side hustle, it’s important to maintain a sense of balance. While it might be tempting to pour all your time and resources into your side hustle, don’t neglect your main gig or personal relationships. As a Libra, I have an innate tendency toward balance, which has helped me to successfully juggle multiple priorities. But regardless of your astrological sign, everyone deserves a work/life balance, so don’t forget to check in with yourself and realign priorities as needed.

Start with your existing experience

One piece of advice I hear often is to “follow your passion.” While this has merit, it’s not quite enough to build a sustainable side hustle. I always recommend starting from your existing skills and experience and focusing on an adjacent industry or skill you’re passionate about.

Take my path: I started as a publicist focusing on press and media relations for fashion brands. I already knew that I wanted to break into social media, so I leveraged my existing communications and marketing skills and applied them to a different medium. After working with a few social media clients in the fashion space, I was able to break into beauty, an adjacent industry.

Set SMART goals

Starting a side hustle is only half the battle—scaling it is a whole other challenge. To make sure you’re moving the needle, it’s important to hold yourself accountable. EnterSMART goals:  specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This will help you achieve success through smaller, more manageable objectives. 

Here’s proof: Back in 2018, I took on my first social media client at $500 a month. My ultimate goal was to grow social media into a sustainable income source, so I set a SMART goal to bring on two new social clients at $1,000 per month by the end of the year. I ultimately hit this goal and continued growing, eventually hitting six figures within two years.

Keep a pulse on industry trends

Once you’ve found success with your side hustle, it can be easy to fall into the trap of complacency. Spend time reading up on industry news. This is the best way to stay on top of any changes, trends, or best practices—and then implement them into your business when relevant.

Never stop networking

Even solopreneurs need support sometimes. A frequent topic of conversation in freelance circles is how to land more clients, and the typical answer is networking—which is extremely vague and unhelpful. The truth is, most of us are networking the wrong way. It shouldn’t be a last resort when you’re desperate for work but rather an ongoing practice of building meaningful connections. Some of my best clients have been referrals from past clients and other connections I’ve made over the years.

Make sure it’s easy to find you

I’ll let you in on a little secret—I’ve been a consultant for seven years, and I still don’t have a website! It might seem unconventional, but the truth is I’m booked and busy, and I’ve never had the time nor the need. In fact, I get the majority of my social media clients from Linkedin, which is totally free. If someone is looking for a social media consultant, I’m easy to find. Do a favor for your side hustle by making sure your profile is optimized for success and searchability. While building a website is great, it’s not going to do the heavy lifting for you—at least not at first. 

Don’t be afraid to try something new

If you’re considering a career switch—or have a passion that you’re dying to try your hand in—test the waters with a side hustle. If you don’t have existing experience, it will be harder to get a head start, but it’s not impossible.

For years, I’ve wanted to write professionally, but always managed to talk myself out of it. After all, it’s a pretty saturated field with many qualified people. I started taking on free writing projects wherever I could—from managing the company blog at my 9-to-5 to taking on writing assignments from a then-new (and now defunct) lifestyle site—and eventually pitching my services for paid work. Now, my writing has appeared in dozens of digital publications, which wouldn’t have been the case if I never got out of my own way.