7 Strategies for Your Side Hustle

7 Strategies for Your Side Hustle In a perfect world, we’d all get paid handsomely to do what we’re most talented at doing, or what we’re most passionate about doing. In our world, however, we often end up choosing jobs and career paths for a more complicated set of reasons: some skills are more marketable than others; bills need to be paid; or maybe there just aren’t enough full-time job openings for someone who makes custom jewelry for hamsters. Whatever the reason, your day job might not be your ideal passion. If there’s something you’re yearning to do, or just want to make some extra money on the side, you have options for creating a fun and profitable â€Å"side hustle† for yourself.Think about what you already have going for yourself.Are you crafty? Do all of your friends come to you for proofreading or grammar advice? Have you developed monster design skills over the years, even though you’re an accountant? You may have skills or interests with earning po tential, even if you don’t realize it yet.Don’t forget that if you have a skill or interest that isn’t fully developed, you can take classes or spend some time honing them into business-ready shape. You don’t need to be ready to launch overnight.Make sure it fits.If you have a skill that might be profitable but you don’t love doing it, then you may be better off not pursuing it. Remember that you’ll likely be doing this in your spare time. If you can’t face the idea of going home after a long day at work and spending three more hours editing the huge batch of photos you were hired to take at your cousin’s friend’s bar mitzvah last weekend, then maybe you’re not ready to start a second career as a photographer.Take a look at your life overall. You’ll need to devote a lot of time to your new side gig: producing goods or performing services, selling and marketing yourself, developing your brand, and dealing wi th the logistics of getting your stuff out there. If you’re already crunched for time for basics like meals, sleep, or family time, chances are you just won’t have enough time for your fledgling business.Check out your potential market.If there are already 18,000 freelance designers in your city looking for jobs on sites like Elance.com, you might want to think twice about entering that fray. Before you start any kind of side business venture for yourself, research the heck out of it! Know what kind of online sales and marketing channels are available to you and what kind of audience you would be serving. Make sure you understand who would be buying from you and what kind of quality they expect.This research is also essential to help you figure out pricing for your business, based on what’s out there You want to make sure you’re not undercharging and costing yourself potential profits or overcharging and scaring away potential customers. See what’s working for other people in your field, and come up with a pricing game plan.Get expert advice.Reach out to other professionals in your chosen area. Ask questions about what’s worked for them and what didn’t, and try to get a sense of what the obstacles are for someone embarking on this- especially part-time. Their advice can not only show you a path forward (or at least let you know where the potholes are on the road), but also give you a sense of how you should package yourself.Don’t let lack of cash deter you from getting started.If you have a brilliant idea and a plan for implementing it but you need money to pay for materials or development, consider crowdfunding it. Sites like GoFundMe or Kickstarter can not only help you raise funds, but also build a network of potential allies and customers to help you bring your vision to the masses.Build your brand.There are so many free online tools you can use to promote your business, there’s no excuse not t o take advantage. This is especially key when you’re just starting out. If you’re not sure yet whether you want to invest your full attention and resources into your new business, start with basics like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram before you invest in creating and maintaining your own website.Develop your business sense.In addition to getting your skills and plan in order, make sure you also know about any legal or financial implications. It can’t be a surprise that Uncle Sam will expect you to pay taxes on your awesome new enterprise, so make sure you’ve done your research about how your taxes will be affected by your status as an independent vendor or contractor. If you want to develop your basic business skills, you can do your own research or take classes online through Coursera or Lynda.com.The hustle is real. As long as you’re doing something that’s fun and stimulating for you (and legal!), there’s no reason you shouldnâ₠¬â„¢t have a mini-career on the side. And who knows? It could turn into your full-time gig somewhere down the line.

8 customer service tips every retail employee should have

8 customer service tips every retail employee should have Dealing with sometimes demanding, sometimes ornery, sometimes outright hostile customers may be the biggest challenge any retail employee must face. Retail places all employees in a veritable public relations position because the way employees handle customers reflects on the business as a whole. That’s why management is generally adamant about all employees possessing ace interpersonal skills- even if those employees don’t spend their days behind the customer service desk. So no matter if you’re a stock clerk, cashier, or floor manager, you may learn a thing or 8 by perusing these customer service skills every retail employee needs to know to succeed. 1. Be patientThis one is Customer Service 101. Simply being patient may also be tougher than it sounds. A customer, especially an agitated one, can really try your patience with demands or complaints. Just remember that your customer’s needs and emotions come before your own. Take the time to listen to your customer’s problems without allowing him or her to dominate the conversation or distract you from your duties. When you figure out the problem and how you can solve it, politely wrap up the conversation so you can take care of your customer’s request. Most customers will appreciate a swift end to their ranting if they think their needs are about to be met.2. Remain positive- no matter whatDon’t wait for the customer to set the tone of a discussion, because a disgruntled one probably won’t be gearing up for the most pleasant exchange in the world. Greet all comers with a smile and a cheerful, â€Å"How may I help you?† Hopefully your positivity will rub off on the customer so that the tone of the conversation doesn’t go south.3. Be ready for anythingOne thing any retail worker learns quickly is that the workday is unpredictable. Things can be going smoothly for hours, but all it takes is for one sourpuss to bust through the door for the workd ay to take a wrong turn. So always be ready for any eventualities. Remember that you are at work, and you must deliver quality customer service on a dime regardless of your own state of mind.4. Know your businessFew things will frustrate customers in need more than the notion that they are talking to someone who cannot help them. What’s more, few things are more frustrating or bewildering for retail employees than feeling as though they don’t know what a customer wants. Prevent those situations by knowing the ins and outs of all aspects of your business. For example, you may not work in layaway, but you should still know what it is in the event a customer wants to pay for an item at a later date. Having an answer to any question will set the customer at ease and keep you in control of all situations.5. Hone your communication skillsAnother key to staying in control is communicating well. This does not just mean speaking audibly, confidently, and properly. It also requi res you to be aware of your own body language. Maintain eye contact with the customer. Uncross your arms. Stand up straight. These traits convey the air of confidence that will make your customers feel as though they are in good hands.6. Find the problemWhile it is your duty to always communicate well, you cannot always expect the same from your customers. Yet it is still your job to help them. So you may have to sift through some irrelevant or confused talk to figure out what exactly your customer wants. That should be your goal, no matter how angry or garbled the language that’s coming your way.7. Read between the lines if necessaryUsually, you don’t have to be a body language expert to read your customers effectively, as customers tend express their moods clearly. Some may be tricky though. For example, a customer may ask for help with a particular work-related issue, but the real agenda is that he or she is lonely and just wants to talk to someone. In such cases, b e polite, be sensitive, but bring the conversation to as quick of an end as possible so you can get on with your duties. In other cases, customers might just be looking for a fight. Never take the bait. Bring the confrontation to as quick and polite a conclusion as possible, and if necessary, just walk away and allow security to step in before things get out of hand.8. Stay coolNo matter what the customer’s tone or problem may be, you must always greet them with professionalism. Don’t let them rattle you. Keep your cool. Get into character as if you are playing the role of the world’s greatest customer service representative- even if your main job is to stock shelves or work the register.Always remember that you are an important member of the organization and it is your job to represent the company positively, competently, and calmly whenever dealing with its customers.