When most people think “side hustle,” they may imagine “an effort that isn’t quite as refined as what a business could offer, but still good enough to earn money.” But that’s not necessarily the case. You need only look to platforms that empower homegrown creators like Etsy to see how many people put a huge amount of effort into their products despite running a relatively small operation that may not be responsible for their main income stream.
So, empowering yourself and your creative vision for your side hustle is important, and that means paying it the proper respect it could be due. For example, if a part-time removalist who only takes jobs on the weekend does so in a beat-up and rusting van, that’s hardly going to inspire trust, encourage good reviews, or sustain work.
For this reason, investing in your own enterprise is not only a worthwhile effort, but may even help you take your measures to the next level. Please consider the following:
Packaging Your Products
Your side hustle products might be amazing, but a great product needs presentation to match it, to create a sense of occasion around the entire affair, showing that someone was right to trust you over another, perhaps more established brand.
As such, because packaging serves as the introduction before anyone sees the quality of what’s inside, and it has the power to improve the experience, making your products look professional and memorable through personalised packaging and custom mailer boxes can be great .
Better yet you don’t have to become a perfect UX designer to do it right, as even simple, well-designed packaging can create a healthy, branded look that gives off the right impression and makes your small side hustle seem much more impressive than it once had.
Many times, investing in the details like this can lead to repeat customers who appreciate not just the product but the entire experience of buying it, and perhaps you can even translate that into good marketing, such as reposting pictures customers take and put online, or sharing unboxing videos.
Setting Your Contactable Hours
A side hustle might feel like something you do whenever you find time (hence the “side” part of course), but having set hours when people can reach you adds that extra bit of professionalism which can help your brand seem like less of a risk to try for the first time.
It’s fine if you can’t reply to messages 24/7, but having specific times, say three hours in the evening, sets boundaries and lets customers know when they can expect a response, which makes you seem more reliable. We’re willing to be that a side hustle doesn’t have so much correspondence to make this limit seem too narrow.
So, even if it’s just a few hours each evening or on weekends, having those times properly listed can make people more comfortable doing business with you – you might have “replies to emails from 5pm – 9pm each day” in your description. Then you don’t have to worry about your usual workday but can still remain productive
Working With Logistic Firms & Fulfilment Centres
Customers don’t notice shipping unless it goes wrong, but preventing any mistakes or delays is so worth your investment for that very reason. You don’t want to have to waste time chasing delivery schedules or improper fulfillment and dealing with the stress caused by that.
Using a good logistics partner can help make certain your deliveries are reliable and on time, which can encourage customers to order with you again. If you can immediately communicate that you use a reliable logistics service to deliver your products they don’t have to worry about it. If you’ve ever ordered anything online (we’re assuming you have), then you’ll know that how and when the item will be delivered is usually your main concern outside of the reviews and pricing, so nailing this in your own brand will be wise.
Of course, depending on what you sell, you may need to alternate how you pack and send certain items. If you sell custom fashionable items, learning to fold and pack securely is key. You might invest in vacuum-sealed bags to ensure the condition of the hoodies you sell, for instance. Then the items can be stored correctly and even managed in fulfillment centers for ordering.
Offering Modular Services
If you offer a service, it can be wise to try to scale it and offer modular options. So for example, an illustrator might offer varied prices depending on what your image is – a landscape, a portrait, a figure, two figures, colors, shading, etc and have prices in line with that.
This might allow someone to book your services even if they don’t want the whole package, and that allows you to service more clients, build more goodwill, and potentially appeal to those with a more modest requirement.
To use another example, say you’re a freelance designer – you could offer a basic logo design with optional add-ons like social media graphics, branding guidelines, or a full branding package. This way, clients can customize what they want without feeling pressured into buying a massive package they don’t need, and you become a worthy investment then. You can even sustain a client testing your services which they may not have tried beforehand. That in itself can be worthwhile.
Being able to adapt like this makes your service feel more personal, like there’s a human giving quotes. If you sell products that’s not necessarily going to match perfectly, but freelancers could grant themselves more options with this. You can even accept smaller jobs through this framework that you may not have had the time to do otherwise.
For Services, A Waitlist
A side hustle becoming a genuinely viable main income can be an exciting prospect, but make sure you don’t just accept every client that comes your way to achieve that. Pacing still matters.
If such demand for your services grows faster than you can keep up with, a waitlist is a simple way to manage things, but it’s an effective one. You can make it clear if you’re accepting commissions or how much you have in stock, and also what the general delivery timeline is. This way you can still book people in who are happy to wait, but avoid disappointing those who you simply cannot deliver to. Pacing yourself and being communicative about that can help you avoid losing goodwill, or worse, taking money from people who you cannot provide your service to.
Online Branding & Web Hosting
One of the best marketing innovations in the last twenty years has been democratizing the internet, as now you can be just as online as another firm with thousands of employees and international reach.
A side hustle should be visible, because people need an easy way to find you, learn about what you offer, and get in touch. Investing in a well-done website or even a well-managed social media page can show you’re serious and worth taking sincerely. We’d also recommend getting your own domain name because it helps you brand your business a little more and also claims the name if you want to expand off the platform you’re using.
Moreover, if you have your own page, then you may find more value in:
SEO Investment
When someone searches for what you’re offering, you want them to find you easily without scrolling through endless results. It might seem as though you have to fight against all others competing for that spot in your niche, but you only have to do so within your particular local market you hope to sell to.
You don’t have to be quite as focused as a large company does, but just putting a bit of thought into the keywords you use on your website, your product descriptions, or your service listings can make a difference. Think about what words someone would type into Google if they were looking for what you’re offering. Are you a custom jewelry maker?
Then make sure phrases like “handmade jewelry,” “custom rings,” or “unique necklaces” are targeted, and you can apply locations to that in kind. You can even commission blog posts to raise your backlink profile for instance, or get started on your blog to show that while you’re small, you do have insight into the industry.
This is like a nice cross between organic marketing and more passive methods, so even a smaller enterprise can benefit.
Warranties & Refunds
A warranty or a refund policy can make people feel much more comfortable about buying from you. Remember that while you may have worked hard on your side hustle, people will always be taking a risk trying someone who isn’t “proven” in the sense of being verified by the market. As such, a good refund option or warranty reassures them that you believe in your product or service enough to stand by it. If something goes wrong, they want to know they won’t be left paying for something that didn’t deliver.
Even if your side hustle is most, it doesn’t mean you can’t offer some form of quality assurance. Maybe it’s a simple “satisfaction guaranteed” promise, or a straightforward refund policy if someone isn’t happy. If you’re clear about it, and can also refuse spurious refunds based on confirming the product or service was delivered capably, you can feel more secure in your approach.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily make those small investments that make your side hustle stand out.
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