I’ve heard so many people say “I want to make extra money doing something I’m good at”, then, they do nothing. This article will explain how to put a plan in place for turning a passion into a side-hustle.

Step one is asking yourself, “what am I really good at?”.

An even better way to get the answer would be to ask people you trust. Go to your relatives, go to your life-long friends and, then, go to people you’ve met recently that will give you honest feedback. Have an open mind. All you are looking for is feedback. Listen very closely to what they say and write it down.

What did you hear? You’re good at making things? A great story teller? You’re a great friend? You’re good at fixing things?

You have to start here. It’s important to see how other people view you because it is OTHER PEOPLE who will be paying for your services or goods. If you start building a plan of turning your passion into extra income, you have to be better than 50% of other people who do that exact same thing. If you are terrible at, say, woodworking, and you’ve tried to get better for a long time it’s best to not build a business around that skill.

If you hear you’re good at helping people and a great listener, you might want to consider offering a type of service. If you hear you’re good at making something or creating something then you are going to sell a product. Lastly, if you hear you’re a master of something, you need to find a way to teach that skill to others.

Once you nail down what you’re naturally good at or what you have a superior skill for then it’s time to figure out WHO YOU KNOW that will buy.

Can you market your skill to people you already know? If you went about your routine for the next week and everyone you came into contact heard what you’re side hustle is, would they pay you for it?

A good example is this. If you Coach basketball it would be very easy to start a training business that teaches athletes how to dribble better or how to fix their shot. It’s “easy” because you were hired as a coach because people listen to you and take your direction. You also know how to play basketball at a somewhat high level. Furthermore, think about all of the parents of athletes that you can discuss your side hustle with and how it can help their kids play better.

So start thinking about who you know, who you come into contact with on a regular basis and if you believe they would appreciate your skill.  The other option is to develop a way to make extra money on the internet using your skill. This basketball coach could start posting videos on shooting form and develop training programs to sell online. Local marketing or online marketing. Pick your process – in person or online. Whatever you choose to do, it has to be excellent. Maybe not right away but you have to be very good at making your skill go from “ordinary” to “excellent”.

Be better than 50% of everyone.

After all, C’s get degrees but B’s keep your scholarship. If you want to make money people need to like you, they need to trust you and they have to believe that you are their best option for what you’re providing. Best option. Not the only option, but the best option.

This leads into…”how much should I charge for my side hustle?”

Let’s say you are going the more traditional route and want people to pay you in person. Maybe you build tables or other pieces of furniture then your clients will pay you in-person. Or you turn your passion into a photography side-hustle and sell prints online. Whatever the case, you need to set prices but how do you figure out how much.

I photograph weddings on the side and it took me a while to set a price. It was hard to build up a reputation but now I have people emailing me that I don’t even know who are willing to pay me thousands of dollars to document one of the most important days of their lives. It didn’t start like that at day one, though.

What I did was research my local area and found the photographers that had similar styles to me and see how much they charge. Then I undercut them. It was enough money to feel valued and get excited but not sustainable. Since then (5 years ago) I’ve been able to double my prices and people don’t ask me for discounts.

Back to you. What will you charge? Whatever it is, start slow but make sure you cover your expenses while making enough to be excited. If you decide to make bracelets and sell them on Etsy, will a $10 profit per product make you excited? Just something to consider. There’s plenty of money to go around so don’t feel bad about charging for your services, because, you are better than 50%.

So you have a great idea and it aligns with your natural abilities. You know you can be better than half of people with the same idea. You’ve also figured out how much to charge.

How will you tell people about how great you are? Here’s ideas to get you started!

1. Talk to people and mention what you’re doing. It’s not boasting, it’s simply sharing the excitement
2. Ask people that are very close to you to tell people they know
3. Find vendors or other business owners who share common interests. Using the basketball trainer example, that person should find all the local coaches who aren’t willing to do what you do, churches that host summer camps, directors of youth centers, etc. Meet these people and stay in front of them
4. Pick a simple name for your business
5. Start a simple website and social media accounts
6. Collect emails and send a monthly newsletter. Provide valuable information that helps people and then a simple update on your businesses upcoming events or offers
7. Post video content online. Be educational and helpful. This is a good way to build up an online presence
8. Tell your current clients you are taking on more business. Ask them for help. They may think you have all the business you want until you say something

Lastly, stay motivated by staying connected to other dreamers.

Don’t get into deep conversations about your side hustle with people that don’t care or don’t reciprocate your excitement for making money on the side. Pursue people that inspire you and are capable of having conversations that keep your dreams alive. Side hustles are hard and not always immediately profitable. You need a plan and people to help. Isolation will not work. Go out and use your passion to connect with others and grow your income at the same time.