Introduction
When we talk about making money, we often think of starting a business or joining the corporate world. But there are many ways to make money that don’t involve quitting your day job.
In fact, some of the most creative entrepreneurs have found success by sticking with their current jobs and finding ways to supplement their income by moonlighting on their own terms. Here’s how you can do it too
Be ready.
It’s not easy to make money. In fact, it can be downright difficult and often requires a lot of work.
But if you want to stay in your creative lane, being ready for the hard work is key. Here are some tips:
- Be ready to do what it takes. Whether that means putting in more time or energy than others, making sacrifices or doing whatever it takes to get the job done—be prepared for this mindset shift. It may feel like you need extra drive at first but once you get into the groove of thinking this way, it will become second nature and provide a much-needed kickstart when things get tough later on down the road (and boy will there be tough times).
- Be ready to put in the time and effort needed for success. If you truly want to succeed as an entrepreneur then being willing to put in long hours during those first few years until your business gets off its feet is essential; otherwise how will anyone know how hard working your team really is? And don’t forget about those late nights spent working on projects when everyone else has gone home for dinner!
Be specific.
Be specific about your goals.
It’s important to be specific about what you want to achieve and what you want to avoid. For instance, if you want to make more money in your freelance business, don’t just say “I want my business to make more money.” Articulate the number of dollars and cents you would like your business to bring into the bank each month or quarter.
Is there something that is holding back your current level of earnings? Is it lack of customers? Is it low quality work? Or is it just a lack of marketing savvy? What exactly needs fixing so that you can achieve higher profits? And how will doing this fix things in such a way that enables more profit without sacrificing quality or service delivery?
Finally, once we know our goals, we need to set up clear action plans for achieving them—ideally ones with an achievable timeline attached.
Be realistic.
In your business, you need to be realistic. You need to understand what you can accomplish and what will work best for you. If your goals are too high, or if they’re not attainable, it’s just going to cause frustration and heartache.
You also need to be realistic with your customers as well. What do they want? What do they need? How much are they willing to pay for something like this? This is where market research comes in handy so that you can give them exactly what they want at a price point that makes sense for both parties involved.
Be honest.
Be honest.
This is probably one of the most important things you can do when attempting to make money as an entrepreneur. It may seem obvious, but it’s easy to be caught up in what you want to do and lose sight of reality. You need to be honest with yourself about your skills, experience and goals so that you can make smart decisions about what type of work you’re going to do for clients or customers. You also need to be honest about how much value you can provide for others—and how much time it will take for them—in order for them to get results from hiring/working with you.
Be prepared to work.
Entrepreneurship is a lot of work. You’ll need to be prepared to work hard, take risks and make sacrifices. You may not get as much sleep or time off as you’d like, but that’s part of running your own business—and if you think it’ll be easier than working a 9-to-5 job, think again.
Be a good communicator.
Communication is one of the most important skills any entrepreneur can have, especially if you’re working in a creative field.
You need to be able to communicate effectively with everyone around you—customers and clients, coworkers, investors and potential partners. And there are no shortcuts here: You’ll need to put in the work to learn how to be an effective communicator before it will come naturally. (And it will.)
For example: You should be able to explain what makes your product or service different from other similar ones; why people should buy from you instead of someone else; why they should trust their money into your hands rather than someone else’s; why they should invest time into dealing with issues on a project rather than just moving onto another one (and hoping for better results). And this goes beyond just being able to talk about yourself—you need good listening skills so that you’ll know how best to speak up when necessary!
Be accountable.
As a creative entrepreneur, you need to be accountable. This means:
- Being accountable for your work. If you’re not working on it consistently, then it’s likely that your business isn’t going anywhere. For example, if you have something like a website or blog and don’t update it regularly with new content, then no one is going to know who you are or what services/products they can buy from you.
- Being accountable for your time. If one person works full-time at their job while another person works part-time at their job and still another person doesn’t have any kind of job at all—they all have exactly the same amount of hours per day! So how does one person get more done than another? The answer is self-accountability—the ability to say no when there are better things that need doing than whatever else comes up in life (or work). You don’t want anything getting in the way of progress toward achieving your goals!
You can make money doing what you love, if you are ready for it
You can make money doing what you love, but it takes a plan.
If you’re thinking about starting your own creative business, there are some things to consider before diving in headfirst. First and foremost: can you do this? Do you have the skills and resources necessary for success? Are there other people who will want what you’re selling? Is all of this going to be worth it? The answer could be yes! But only if you’re honest with yourself about what’s possible for your situation.
If the answer is no—if the scale doesn’t tip towards “yes”—then maybe it’s not time just yet. Or maybe it’s too soon for now (and after a few years’ experience under your belt, who knows). But if everything seems good so far and still feels right inside of your gut, then let’s keep going!
Conclusion
We hope these tips have given you a better understanding of how to create a business around your passion. There are so many ways to make money doing what you love, but there is no single recipe for success. It takes time and effort, but it’s worth it!