Starting a Side Hustle J E S S I CA OSWA L D MS, RDN/LD DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Starting your own business can be very exciting, but it can also be scary and intimidating. This is probably why many businesses - and not just nutrition businesses - start as a side hustle. A recent study in the Academy of Management Journal defines a side hustle as “income-generating work performed alongside a full-time job.” For example, the founder of Khan Academy was working at a hedge fund when he started tutoring his cousins online. This tutoring gig led to a thriving nonprofit with 100+ employees and grants from Google and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
and starting my side hustle: do a time study on myself. For a week, I mapped out on a calendar everything that went on during my days. This included sleep, exercise, family/friend time, me time, and time at my full-time job. The blank space in this calendar was time that I had to devote to my side hustle. A time study helps provide insight into your capacity for a side hustle. Then, find your WHAT and find your WHY. We’re pretty lucky as nutrition professionals because there are so many different things that we can do as a side hustle: one-toone counseling, group coaching, consulting and courses are just a few of our options. So what do you want to do as your side hustle? Also, why do you want to do this? Do you want to earn some extra income or be your own boss in the future? These questions will help you understand what you truly want to do. Next, who’s your customer? Create a profile for who you think your target customer is. Think about age, income, where the person is located, what the person’s pain points are, and how your product or service will solve a problem for a customer. For example, your ideal client’s pain point might be struggling with knowing what to eat or planning out meals. To solve this problem, you could offer meal planning support and guidance. Once you’ve figured out whom you think your customer is, find some real humans who fit your target market and talk to them.
My small business, Friendly Nutrition, started as and currently is a side hustle. It gives me the opportunity to do one thing that I am passionate about while I maintain a full-time job with an organization that I truly believe in. Here are a few things to consider if you are thinking about pursuing a side hustle: First, think about your time. A mentor of mine gave me some fantastic time advice when I was struggling through some burnout between my full-time job
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Think about your systems. Do you need an electronic medical record? Are you going to have a website, Facebook page and/or Instagram account? What system are you going to use to collect and send emails? Think about how you are going to keep files organized, how you’ll keep yourself organized to keep current with any tasks, and what you need for a calendar system. Pick a name. No pressure but the name for your side hustle is a big deal. The business’s name is often the first impression that people have of your business so pick a name that reflects
what your business is about and that will resonate with your target audience. Remember to make sure that the business name is available (check online) and that any other aspects that your business name will be part of are available as well - website domain, social media handles. Also, the “boring stuff.” y Decide if your side hustle is going to be a PLLC, LLC, sole proprietorship or something else. y Get your NPI number. y Sign up for an EIN. y Get liability insurance. y Investigate licensure laws in your state (or the state where your clients reside). y See www.nedpg.org/webinarcourses/ for more resources on starting a business. Take care of yourself. Keeping up with a side hustle and other aspects of your life can be a lot. So schedule some selfcare time whether it is to talk to your business besties about the struggles of running a business, get a massage or go for a walk. Some self-care will help keep side-hustle burnout away.
REFERENCE
Session, H., Nahrgang, J.D., Vaulont, M.J., Williams, R., & Bartels, A.L. (2021). “Do the Hustle! Empowerment from Side-Hustles and Its Effects on FullTime Work Performance.” Academy of Management Journal, 64(1), 235-264. Jessica Oswald, MS, RDN/LD, is the owner of a private practice specializing in intuitive eating and meal planning. She’s also the clinical dietitian at a pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities. Jessica enjoys cooking, reading and training for the occasional half-marathon. She’s also a proud cat mom; ask her about that time she crawled under a car to rescue a kitten.
