“Find something that makes you happy and use it to make others happy.” 😊 ~Saya Hillman
Shout out to Jen Vertanen for buying me coffee! ☕️ Thank you!
Jen is a life coach for midlife women and loves helping people create a loving relationship with their #1 mentor - their future selves. Click here to take Jen’s future self quiz!
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When I started my blog, I had no idea what I was doing. My goal was to provide tech tips and inspiration to women business owners so that they wouldn’t feel held back because of technology. That was 11 years ago this past Thursday.
I didn’t set out to create a business. I don’t think I had even heard of the term “side hustle” at the time.
But since then, I have made mistakes and learned so many things. I’ve offered services, been more of a teacher brand, and done training videos. I’ve tried to fit myself into a coaching model. But ultimately, I’ve realized that I need to identify and lean into my strengths: curation, being a cheerleader and helping folks take their next steps. I’ve also learned that I can create a business that works for me.
I have taken some risks; I have spent more money than I want to admit on books and courses. Some of them were helpful, others not. But I consider all of that as tools and information that I can keep in mind as I move forward.
In the past 11 years, I have:
Been exposed to a whole new network of people, women and women entrepreneurs
Had some successful service offerings (tech sidekick) and not-so-successful ones (tech coaching)
Changed careers. A few times. And now I’m rocking a hybrid career.
Started this newsletter and have been publishing it for 5+ years
Run many side hustle workshops and been on several podcasts.
This journey has not been easy, but I would do it again. And I’m hoping that my shares can save you a step or two.
Speaking of learnings, I’m playing with the idea of doing one of those “41 lessons learned in 41 years” posts next week for my birthday. We’ll see how my capacity feels. But in the meantime, here are a few that you might find helpful:
Batching tasks is one of the best-kept productivity secrets in our business. So are timers.
If you put good into the world, it’ll come back to you. It may not happen right away or in the way you expect, but please keep putting kindness and awesomeness into the world.
What you say no to is just as important as what you say yes to. A favorite person (hi Saya!! 👋🏾) said, “Sometimes living a life of yes means saying no.”
It’s essential to do the things that fill your soul with joy. Dancing is one of these things for me.
Take steps out of your comfort zone. I’m not saying that you need to parachute out of a plane (because I will not be doing that. Also soo afraid of heights), but do something that stretches you a little bit. Even if the experience sucks, you will have learned something that can serve you in the future.
Success may look different to you, and that’s OK. A couple of years ago, I was so busy with my day job that I barely had time for my business. I wanted to do something consistently for my audience to provide value. That’s how the idea for this newsletter was born. I feel successful as long as I get an issue out every week.
On to the picks!
P.S. If you’re a side hustler interested in being interviewed for a new series I’m hoping to start in the coming months, hit reply and let me know. Also, if you have feedback on the questions themselves, take a look and comment on this doc.
Note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you click through my link and make a purchase, that means I may receive “thank you money” at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love.
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#loves 😍
📚. Reading: Legendborn. I forgot about this book I got last year and just started reading it this week. Quick premise: “A mysterious society. A dangerous demon. A whole lot of magic. This is a modern-day feminist take on Arthurian legend.”
📺. Watching: Bridgerton. I watched the first episode of this when it first came out and have made it to #4. First of all: the duke eating ice cream. If you know, you know. 😏 Second, I love Lady Whistledown. Can’t wait to watch more this weekend.
🗒. Tool: Workflowy. This tool has popped back up on my radar. I think I might need a better system for notes and organization for #jesspicks, and I like the simple bullet point nature. I started documenting some training notes this week, and it has felt effortless. We’ll see how it goes.
#reads
16 Google Docs tips and hacks for freelance writers — freelancebold.com
Do you write most of your content in Google Docs? These tips can save you some time. I especially love #10 - where you can open a new document by simply typing doc.new into your browser. 😍
Tip: Paved Newsletter
Write a Newsletter for 52 Weeks in a Row, and Watch It Change Your Life — bettermarketing.pub
The tone of this article is not my favorite, but this part is worth the read:
“The coolest part about a newsletter isn’t the money you can make. It’s the accountability it creates.
Readers will depend on you to show up. That builds an unstoppable writing habit. A writing habit will change your life in 52 weeks or less.
Maybe it’ll be the newsletter that creates your future success. Or perhaps a newsletter becomes the seed of your success. A newsletter allows you to be around what you’re passionate about.”
#icymi
😍. Last issue’s top pick was: Do Less: 8 Little Notes To Help You Pull Back And Reset
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#classifieds 🗞
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