CO— partners with Entrepreneur.com to bring you a roundup of the best Entrepreneur articles each week. Below are this week's favorites.
A great business idea is only one part of owning a successful business. Building that idea up to its full potential — including establishing a customer base and solid revenue stream — takes time, effort and a whole lot of determination.
For new entrepreneurs, it’s not always easy to identify a path to sustainable growth. This is especially true for those who hope to quit their day jobs and dedicate themselves to their business, full-time. To help aspiring small business owners get their side hustle and startups off the ground, we've rounded up some of the best content from Entrepreneur.com contributors published this week.
Be realistic about how to monetize your passion
Many would-be entrepreneurs dream of turning their passions into a full-fledged business. It sounds good in theory, but according to Seth Jared Hymes of Digital Marketing Career Blueprint, blindly following your passion is a recipe for financial disaster. In his article “How to Realistically Make Money From Your Passion,” passion on its own has no relationship to money. Nevertheless, if you can connect the two in a smart and realistic way, you can find your path to earning money by doing what you love.
Read the full article on Entrepreneur
[Read more: What Is a Gig Worker?]
Plan out a solid timeline for making the leap
People with a side hustle often look forward to the day when they can submit their resignations at their day jobs, but it’s important not to rush the process. Small business consultant Jeffrey Shaw believes entrepreneurs who currently hold a corporate job should lay out a timeline and carefully plan their transition into full-time self-employment. His article “The Step-by-Step Timeline for Going From Corporate Life to Self-Employed Life” lays out a 12-month plan to help side hustlers set themselves up for business growth and financial stability.
Read the full article on Entrepreneur
Small business consultant Jeffrey Shaw believes entrepreneurs who currently hold a corporate job should lay out a timeline and carefully plan their transition into full-time self-employment.
Tackle your fears and anxieties
Starting a business can be nerve-wracking, especially if you’ve never done it before. Scott Bartnick of Otter PR understands the battle with anxiety and stress that many new entrepreneurs face and explores them thoughtfully in his article, “8 Tips for Overcoming the Anxiety and Stress of Starting Your First Side Hustle.” His best advice? Be prepared for your side hustle to fail. When you’re ready to pick yourself back up again, find a mentor, start out small, and get comfortable saying “no.”
Read the full article on Entrepreneur
Don’t stress about ‘going viral’
In the age of influencers and viral videos, it may appear that the key to business success is to “break the internet.” But Ramon Ray of SmartHustle.com says you don’t need millions of followers to make money online. In fact, sometimes a smaller, more engaged community of followers can work to your advantage as a digital entrepreneur. Ray advises business owners to focus on their best customers and seek to educate and “wow” them. He outlines more of his tips in his article, “5 Steps to Make Money With a Small Online Following.”
Read the full article on Entrepreneur
[Read more: How to Expand Your E-Commerce Online Sales Channels]
Plan to work smart, not hard
Success in business is all about being smart and strategic about the tools at your disposal. This is how Avi Levine of VP Star Funding, Inc. recommends scaling your side hustle into a larger business. The biggest takeaway from Levine’s article, “5 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder, to Make Your Side Hustle a Huge Success,” is to find expert partners in areas like marketing, PR, finance and more so you can outsource those tasks and focus your limited time and energy on the things you do best.
Read the full article on Entrepreneur
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