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Abstract

ing various side hustles does for you is instill you with confidence that you will always be alright. There will be something you can do.</p><p id="984f">I have an admission to make, however, and this has been key. I have passive income. I bought my London apartment when getting a home loan was pretty easy, banks were more willing to lend, and I had a 9–5 steady job plus a decent deposit.</p><p id="df30">At first, I rented out the spare room, and for the last 10 years, that whole property rented out has covered the mortgage and made a profit. Sometimes the profit is little, sometimes the property is vacant, but having it gives me stability in my freelance world that I would otherwise not have.</p><p id="fade">I would recommend anyone who can to try and establish some passive income, or have a living situation that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Living as a freelance slash/slash/slash in an expensive city like London, renting from someone else, never knowing when the rent might go up, is a very different situation to living somewhere that is yours or with cheap rent in a smaller location.</p><p id="be01">While living that way can just drive you forward when you are 20-something and push you to be successful, in your 30s or 40s and with kids in tow, it’s just stressful.</p><h2 id="9b07">Have a Plan B, and C, and D</h2><p id="53cf">I have 3 or more strands of income. Sometimes I dedicate more time to one, sometimes more to another. The thing is, I can adapt when circumstances change, so no matter what happens in life, I have a Plan B. Or C.</p><h2 id="43ea">The First Plan B — London</h2><p id="0610">When the economic crisis hit Britain in 2008, I’d been working on live events and roadshows, as well as leading the occasional foreign tour. The event industry virtually collapsed. Foreign travel was affected as people lost jobs and felt the financial pinch. But older people with money still travelled, weekends in Europe, cultural tours. Americans still had money to visit Europe. So I shifted my focus and carried on.</p><h2 id="44b2">The Next Plan B — Havana, Cuba</h2><p id="425a">When President Trump took it upon himself to increase embargo measures against Cuba in 2017, making it harder and harder for Americans to visit Cuba, I worked more with Europeans.</p><p id="c704">Then COVID-19 came and we weren’t allowed out. So I went online and translated. Then we were allowed out a little, so I got on my bike and went out to teach English in people’s homes. Then I discovered Medium and began writing here.</p><p id="cc03">We want to move continent now. I’m not quite sure what we’ll do for work. But I’m quietly confident we’ll be alright.</p><h2 id="4d0e">7 TIPS TO CREATE A MULTI-SIDE HUSTLE CAREER</h2><h2 id="9b16">Decide what you want</h2><p id="28e1">In writing this post, I did a little research into o

Options

pportunities for side hustles. There are so many!!!! The reason I became freelance years ago, and struggle to imagine myself going back, is that I love trying new things.</p><p id="f2f2">At least half of the <a href="https://www.budgetsaresexy.com/ways-to-make-money/">80 suggested side hustles on this blog post</a> sound great to me, I would do them as my main career. Tutor, brand ambassador, patent researcher, voiceover artist, children’s book author, teleprompt operator, public speaker, group cruise planner. Just wow.</p><h2 id="3b52">Try and establish a passive income or reduce your living costs</h2><p id="64f4">Living in a country with free healthcare and a less expensive way of life is a big factor for me. Having a little bit of income coming in every month really helps too.</p><h2 id="d64a">Network, network, and network.</h2><p id="c6bb">I used to not like how that sounds, but essentially if you are an open, sociable person who enjoys working with others, you’ll do this naturally. I made a few friends or contacts wherever I worked and stayed in touch with some. Later I found out about opportunities through these networks.</p><h2 id="e5d0">Be flexible, open and on the lookout for opportunities</h2><p id="6115">I spent years looking for jobs in all the wrong ways, the way I learnt when I was young, applying for jobs in newspapers, or later on the internet. The best gigs I ever had were never advertised. I was in the right place at the right time, or I spotted the opportunity. For that, you have to put yourself out there. Which you do naturally when you have lots of side hustles.</p><h2 id="4d3a">Organise yourself and focus on one at a time.</h2><p id="e513">Sometimes I have so much in my head, I have to be sure to write stuff down, otherwise, I get ‘side hustle overwhelm’, I mean, I just don’t know what to do first in a day, and can’t let anything slide. I already have an accountant to help me with my tax issues every year, if I could, I’d hire a personal assistant too.</p><h2 id="301a">Surround yourself with others pursuing side hustles or alternative ways of working. It makes it a more realistic ambition when you can see others doing it.</h2><p id="c88a">Europeans have been familiar with the concept of self-employment for a while, and now the usual way of working to earn a living is becoming old-fashioned. According to the Henley Business School in the UK, s<a href="https://www.startupeuropesummit.com/best-side-hustles-for-europeans/">elf-employment, freelancing, portfolio careers, and side gigs are fast becoming the norm.</a></p><h2 id="dff7">Get started as soon as you can</h2><p id="c5cb">Read if you need more inspiration, try life coaching for encouragement, find supportive mentors online. Just get started as soon as you can. You might never look back. Good luck!</p></article></body>

I Quit The 9–5 To Freelance

How to build a portfolio career and never dread Mondays

Fifteen years ago, I swapped my last ever 9–5 management position for a temporary voluntary tour leading job halfway around the world. It was the biggest ever leap of faith, but it allowed me to become the person I needed to be.

Now I am married to a man who only ever had one hustle, as a musician, all his life. It’s the only thing he’s ever done or wanted to do. For me, focusing on only one career was a struggle because everything interested me.

Some years ago, bemoaning my lack of commitment to any one thing, I discovered through a book ‘Are you a Scanner’ by Barbara Scher that I was a ‘scanner’ type personality or ‘multi-potentialite’, and understood that having various side hustles, or a portfolio career, was my path to happiness.

Even if I had discovered a passion early in life, I imagine I would have wanted to find another, and another. It’s just the way I’m wired.

In the end, this approach served me well and in this globalised economy where even the tourism industry, where I worked for the last decade, can see the bottom drop out due to a pandemic virtually no one saw coming, it’s essential to be multi-prepared.

A life of side hustles

I studied politics at university and worked in student radio. I wanted to be a journalist, but after a stint at the BBC in London, I recklessly threw in the towel to study to teach English as a Foreign Language and then went backpacking around South America for 3 years.

In South America, I learnt Spanish and Portuguese, taught others English, did English radio commercials, worked as an extra, learnt to tango and salsa, and began writing a blog.

Later, back in London, I worked in research analysis in an office, managing writers on a corporate website. After a couple of years, I quit and took a voluntary posting leading young people on a charity expedition in South America.

This led to a decade of leading tour groups around the globe until finally I met my husband in Cuba and became a mum. I have seldom been out of work. I speak 5 languages, I teach, write, translate and interpret. I am not afraid of change nor worry too much about what is coming next.

What having various side hustles does for you is instill you with confidence that you will always be alright. There will be something you can do.

I have an admission to make, however, and this has been key. I have passive income. I bought my London apartment when getting a home loan was pretty easy, banks were more willing to lend, and I had a 9–5 steady job plus a decent deposit.

At first, I rented out the spare room, and for the last 10 years, that whole property rented out has covered the mortgage and made a profit. Sometimes the profit is little, sometimes the property is vacant, but having it gives me stability in my freelance world that I would otherwise not have.

I would recommend anyone who can to try and establish some passive income, or have a living situation that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Living as a freelance slash/slash/slash in an expensive city like London, renting from someone else, never knowing when the rent might go up, is a very different situation to living somewhere that is yours or with cheap rent in a smaller location.

While living that way can just drive you forward when you are 20-something and push you to be successful, in your 30s or 40s and with kids in tow, it’s just stressful.

Have a Plan B, and C, and D

I have 3 or more strands of income. Sometimes I dedicate more time to one, sometimes more to another. The thing is, I can adapt when circumstances change, so no matter what happens in life, I have a Plan B. Or C.

The First Plan B — London

When the economic crisis hit Britain in 2008, I’d been working on live events and roadshows, as well as leading the occasional foreign tour. The event industry virtually collapsed. Foreign travel was affected as people lost jobs and felt the financial pinch. But older people with money still travelled, weekends in Europe, cultural tours. Americans still had money to visit Europe. So I shifted my focus and carried on.

The Next Plan B — Havana, Cuba

When President Trump took it upon himself to increase embargo measures against Cuba in 2017, making it harder and harder for Americans to visit Cuba, I worked more with Europeans.

Then COVID-19 came and we weren’t allowed out. So I went online and translated. Then we were allowed out a little, so I got on my bike and went out to teach English in people’s homes. Then I discovered Medium and began writing here.

We want to move continent now. I’m not quite sure what we’ll do for work. But I’m quietly confident we’ll be alright.

7 TIPS TO CREATE A MULTI-SIDE HUSTLE CAREER

Decide what you want

In writing this post, I did a little research into opportunities for side hustles. There are so many!!!! The reason I became freelance years ago, and struggle to imagine myself going back, is that I love trying new things.

At least half of the 80 suggested side hustles on this blog post sound great to me, I would do them as my main career. Tutor, brand ambassador, patent researcher, voiceover artist, children’s book author, teleprompt operator, public speaker, group cruise planner. Just wow.

Try and establish a passive income or reduce your living costs

Living in a country with free healthcare and a less expensive way of life is a big factor for me. Having a little bit of income coming in every month really helps too.

Network, network, and network.

I used to not like how that sounds, but essentially if you are an open, sociable person who enjoys working with others, you’ll do this naturally. I made a few friends or contacts wherever I worked and stayed in touch with some. Later I found out about opportunities through these networks.

Be flexible, open and on the lookout for opportunities

I spent years looking for jobs in all the wrong ways, the way I learnt when I was young, applying for jobs in newspapers, or later on the internet. The best gigs I ever had were never advertised. I was in the right place at the right time, or I spotted the opportunity. For that, you have to put yourself out there. Which you do naturally when you have lots of side hustles.

Organise yourself and focus on one at a time.

Sometimes I have so much in my head, I have to be sure to write stuff down, otherwise, I get ‘side hustle overwhelm’, I mean, I just don’t know what to do first in a day, and can’t let anything slide. I already have an accountant to help me with my tax issues every year, if I could, I’d hire a personal assistant too.

Surround yourself with others pursuing side hustles or alternative ways of working. It makes it a more realistic ambition when you can see others doing it.

Europeans have been familiar with the concept of self-employment for a while, and now the usual way of working to earn a living is becoming old-fashioned. According to the Henley Business School in the UK, self-employment, freelancing, portfolio careers, and side gigs are fast becoming the norm.

Get started as soon as you can

Read if you need more inspiration, try life coaching for encouragement, find supportive mentors online. Just get started as soon as you can. You might never look back. Good luck!