[Ep. 117] Turning Your Side Hustle into Your Main Hustle with Luisa Zhou

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I absolutely loved chatting with Luisa Zhou, probably one of the hardest working millennials around. She is all about the hustle which I think is awesome. She has gotten to where she is today in her career because she knows that the only way to succeed is to work hard. That and some other pieces of wisdom she shares in this episode.

The reason I wanted to talk with her for this episode is that she has some great advice for starting a side hustle, and then turning that into your main hustle while still working full-time. I always cringe when I hear someone quit their job to pursue their dream, but clearly didn’t have a solid business plan or enough in savings to sustain them throughout the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

That’s a big reason why I kept my side hustle as just that for 5 years until I was financially ready and was actually earning enough from my business to make me feel secure enough to leave my job. I certainly didn’t have $100,000 as Luisa did, but I had enough in my bank account that would basically last me a year if for some reason I couldn’t earn a penny during that first year on my own.

Beyond talking about the financial aspect of starting your own business, Luisa also shared some other great tips on how to succeed and how to promote yourself even at your 9 to 5 so you can grow in your career.

Important Lessons When Starting Out on Your Own

1. Learn from your failures, don’t quit because of them.
2. Stay humble.
3. Figure out how to be a leader for your community.
4. Stand up for what you believe in.

How to Promote Yourself at Work (without Sounding Arrogant)

1. Study how successful people around you present and talk about themselves.
2. Speak about your projects with enthusiasm.
3. Sharing your accomplishments as stories.
4. Grow a thick skin.

Helpful Resources

• Sign up for Luisa’s Free Master Class “How to Get Your First 3 Coaching Clients.”
• Follow Luisa’s latest updates on Facebook and Twitter.
• Check out Luisa’s blog to learn more about side hustles and entrepreneurship.