"Why don't you hire help so we can play more FIFA?"
After watching me burn the midnight oil for months straight, my old roommate asked a question that changed my life.
I was working full-time by day and freelance writing for tech startups at night. It felt good to sharpen skills and make extra cash. But eventually, it started feeling repetitive.
Partnering with other writers made it fun again.
We live in a Golden Age of creativity
Whether it’s rediscovering a hobby or picking up extra shifts, everyone and their cousins are looking for ways to diversify their time and income. Some of us want to escape the rat race, others might not be able to just yet.
But anyone can tiptoe their way there–by finding work that compliments your side hustle.
Separate time from impact
Your first shot at anything doesn’t always work out. That was certainly the case here.
My first time hiring on Upwork was a disaster. After posting a job and interviewing a few candidates, I found Joe.
The following Friday, a deliverable appeared in my inbox. It was objectively bad and subjectively worse.
Safe to say that things didn’t work out.
One plus one equals three?
Then Bill came along. He crafts an all-star proposal, gets onboarded, and drafts an amazing piece in less than a week.
We’ve been working together for the past 3 years.
I give him topics, he writes, I edit. We both get paid, learn from each other, and make clients happy.
Let talent hire you
Ibra has a similar story. During his last year in college, he attended a “side hustle” panel. I was one of his panelists.
Ibra wanted to give ghostwriting a shot. So he DM’d me and we found a way to collaborate. Within a month, he got his first piece published on Medium.
Watch out for red flags
So now we got some time back while still making money. Not bad right?
Except you still have to optimize for the full-time job. That means finding a company that:
Allows you to work from anywhere, asynchronously
Prioritizes output over hours worked or billed
Promotes a culture of learning and encourages you to “do your own thing”
Sounds crazy, but it’s possible.
Here’s how:
Do the work you enjoy and outsource everything else
Hire help or collaborate with others to scale your impact
Find a gig that aligns professional and personal interests
Price based on value, not the hours or cost of your time
Set a high aspirational rate
Wood For The Fire, W(F)TF
(a weekly swipe file for life):
Building a buyer-centric marketing strategy [podcast]
The 5 superpowers of marketing
How to become a morning person (again)
Why we should tip delivery workers
Quote of the Week:
“If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If it's still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.” —John Cage
Featured Builder:
Chris Walker is the CEO of Refine Labs, a demand accelerator for B2B SaaS companies. His podcast State of Demand Gen helps tech marketers go from good to great. Follow him on LinkedIn to learn how to build a brand, community, and following at the same time.