Don’t count on any praise from your manager. In a competitive capitalist marketplace, who has time to acknowledge a coworker’s “little hobby” that will probably crash and burn by next year?Most people never start their dream side-hustle, not because they lack the knowledge, but because they’re so afraid of what others will think — of becoming the office fool — that they abandon their beautiful idea altogether. The truth is, no one thinks about you that much.Your coworkers are mostly thinking about themselves. They’re not concerned by what you’re doing or how you’re doing it.

No one will care about your side-hustle

<figure><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/500/0*PEIhIK6-DBi" width="680" height="382"><figcaption class="hv hw cs cq cr hx hy bp b ft br fb" data-selectable-paragraph="" dir="ltr">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@matcfelipe?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral" class="bv hz" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">Mateus Campos Felipe</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral" class="bv hz" rel="noopener" dir="ltr">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>I never pictured myself working a side hustle.After college, I had every intention of holding hands with the rest of corporate America: Wake up at 7:30 am, keep my head down, bust my ass at the office, and give back to the economy through weekend bar tabs.Basically, close my eyes till 30.I always figured I didn’t have the work ethic, the talent, or the creative muscles to start a side hustle — let alone make any money from it.The universe felt differently. By the time I turned 27, I had all this pent-up ambition and creative energy and nowhere to dump it.And that’s how it starts, folks. As the novelist Elizabeth Gilbert once noted:<BLOCKQUOTE>“I believe this to be the oldest trick and most generous tricks the universe plays on us human beings: The universe buries strange jewels inside us all, and then stands back to see if you can find them.”</BLOCKQUOTE><h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">How do you find your side hustle?</h1>I started writing online last summer. I didn’t have any prior experience, but I heard on a podcast that side hustles often resemble the content you consume.If you like watching Bloomberg and read The Economist, start a newsletter about stocks. If you spend every night researching price changes on LeMelo Ball rookie cards, start trading sports cards.I read — a lot. More than anyone I’ve ever met in my life — business books, biographies, philosophy, classical fiction, pop nonfiction, whatever. I tear through at least three books a month and destroy the pages with highlighter marker, bookmarks, and ledger notes. I’m a maniac.Writing was an obvious side hustle for me.After a year of submitting articles online, running a newsletter, and promoting my work on social media, I started to earn a few hundred bucks a month from my work. I can finally stick out my chest and say, “writing is my side hustle.”So here I am. A guy who works a creative side-hustle while keeping a perfectly normal job in corporate America.But what does that mean exactly?<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">You’re going to cheat on your corporate job with your side-hustle</h1>While the debate over whether or not it’s cool to cheat on your job with a side hustle continues to rage on this platform, let’s talk about what it means to “cheat” on corporate America.I’ve heard people compare it to having a love affair with a coworker. Checking in with each other during coffee breaks, long lunches away from the office, keeping your names clear from gossip, and daydreaming about running away together at meetings.Is it getting hot in here?HR reps argue that this sort of behavior steals from company time and decreases productivity, which means everyone else must pick up the slack. The offender raises a “don’t tread on me” flag and argues for independence. “The market could collapse tomorrow,” They say. “I must look out for myself.”Here’s what I think: You’re going to cheat, but for god’s sake, act like an adult.You have a fiduciary responsibility to your company to supply your skills and talents for the good of the whole and finish your daily tasks with as much vigor and quality as possible. Can you accomplish this while sneaking off during lunch to work on a side hustle? Of course!But if you can’t. Then I suggest this alternative.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">You’re going to wake up at 4:30 am every day from now on</h1>If you want to be successful with your creative side hustle, you will need long uninterrupted hours of deep work.I’m talking about the type of hours you won’t get during lunch breaks.My side hustle did not generate income until I mastered getting up at 4:30 am and ossified my morning writing routine. I needed those few precious hours before clocking into my day job to read, fill my head with ideas, outline new articles, and write.The advice has been repeated since the dawn of time, routine is the key to mastery. And a morning routine is a competitive advantage over those who work their side hustle in the PM. Why? Because you’re less likely to get distracted if you work before everyone else gets out of bed.I don’t know about you, but I get pulled all sorts of directions after 5:00 pm: working late on projects, Bumble dates, surprise happy hours to celebrate a friend’s engagement, family emergencies. Have you ever been pulled anywhere at 4:30 am?Get used to getting up early.<h1 data-selectable-paragraph="">No one will care about your side-hustle</h1>Don’t count on any praise from your manager for getting published in The Startup.I don’t blame them. In a competitive capitalist marketplace, who has time to acknowledge a coworker’s “little hobby” that will probably crash and burn by next year.I’m hoping this truth will inspire you. Most people never start their dream side-hustle, not because they lack the knowledge, but because they’re so afraid of what others will think — of becoming the office fool — that they abandon their beautiful idea altogether.The truth is, no one thinks about you that much.They aren’t now. And they never will.Your coworkers are mostly thinking about themselves. They’re not concerned by what you’re doing or how you’re doing it. If they do, it’s a fleeting sentiment before the next drama hits their desk. At any rate, I’ve only had one or two coworkers mention my writing, and they’ve all been positive conversations encouraging my pursuit.So go for it. Cheat on corporate America at your own discretion, wake up early, and don’t worry about becoming the office fool. If you feel that pent-up urge to create, then you know it’s game time.To echo the great Marcus Aurelius: “Soon you will be dead, and none of it will matter.”

How do you work a side-hustle while keeping a corporate day job. I do it, and it's not easy, but it's super rewarding. If you're thinking about starting a side-hustle here are a few things you should know before starting a side-hustle with a corporate day job.

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Marketing & Sales

I never pictured myself working a side hustle.

After college, I had every intention of holding hands with the rest of corporate America: Wake up at 7:30 am, keep my head down, bust my ass at the office, and give back to the economy through weekend bar tabs.

Basically, close my eyes till 30.

I always figured I didn’t have the work ethic, the talent, or the creative muscles to start a side hustle — let alone make any money from it.

The universe felt differently. By the time I turned 27, I had all this pent-up ambition and creative energy and nowhere to dump it.

And that’s how it starts, folks. As the novelist Elizabeth Gilbert once noted:

I started writing online last summer. I didn’t have any prior experience, but I heard on a podcast that side hustles often resemble the content you consume.

If you like watching Bloomberg and read The Economist, start a newsletter about stocks. If you spend every night researching price changes on LeMelo Ball rookie cards, start trading sports cards.

I read — a lot. More than anyone I’ve ever met in my life — business books, biographies, philosophy, classical fiction, pop nonfiction, whatever. I tear through at least three books a month and destroy the pages with highlighter marker, bookmarks, and ledger notes. I’m a maniac.

Writing was an obvious side hustle for me.

After a year of submitting articles online, running a newsletter, and promoting my work on social media, I started to earn a few hundred bucks a month from my work. I can finally stick out my chest and say, “writing is my side hustle.”

So here I am. A guy who works a creative side-hustle while keeping a perfectly normal job in corporate America.

You’re going to cheat on your corporate job with your side-hustle

While the debate over whether or not it’s cool to cheat on your job with a side hustle continues to rage on this platform, let’s talk about what it means to “cheat” on corporate America.

I’ve heard people compare it to having a love affair with a coworker. Checking in with each other during coffee breaks, long lunches away from the office, keeping your names clear from gossip, and daydreaming about running away together at meetings.

HR reps argue that this sort of behavior steals from company time and decreases productivity, which means everyone else must pick up the slack. The offender raises a “don’t tread on me” flag and argues for independence. “The market could collapse tomorrow,” They say. “I must look out for myself.”

Here’s what I think: You’re going to cheat, but for god’s sake, act like an adult.

You have a fiduciary responsibility to your company to supply your skills and talents for the good of the whole and finish your daily tasks with as much vigor and quality as possible. Can you accomplish this while sneaking off during lunch to work on a side hustle? Of course!

But if you can’t. Then I suggest this alternative.

You’re going to wake up at 4:30 am every day from now on

If you want to be successful with your creative side hustle, you will need long uninterrupted hours of deep work.

I’m talking about the type of hours you won’t get during lunch breaks.

My side hustle did not generate income until I mastered getting up at 4:30 am and ossified my morning writing routine. I needed those few precious hours before clocking into my day job to read, fill my head with ideas, outline new articles, and write.

The advice has been repeated since the dawn of time, routine is the key to mastery. And a morning routine is a competitive advantage over those who work their side hustle in the PM. Why? Because you’re less likely to get distracted if you work before everyone else gets out of bed.

I don’t know about you, but I get pulled all sorts of directions after 5:00 pm: working late on projects, Bumble dates, surprise happy hours to celebrate a friend’s engagement, family emergencies. Have you ever been pulled anywhere at 4:30 am?

Don’t count on any praise from your manager for getting published in The Startup.

I don’t blame them. In a competitive capitalist marketplace, who has time to acknowledge a coworker’s “little hobby” that will probably crash and burn by next year.

I’m hoping this truth will inspire you. Most people never start their dream side-hustle, not because they lack the knowledge, but because they’re so afraid of what others will think — of becoming the office fool — that they abandon their beautiful idea altogether.

The truth is, no one thinks about you that much.

They aren’t now. And they never will.

Your coworkers are mostly thinking about themselves. They’re not concerned by what you’re doing or how you’re doing it. If they do, it’s a fleeting sentiment before the next drama hits their desk. At any rate, I’ve only had one or two coworkers mention my writing, and they’ve all been positive conversations encouraging my pursuit.

So go for it. Cheat on corporate America at your own discretion, wake up early, and don’t worry about becoming the office fool. If you feel that pent-up urge to create, then you know it’s game time.

To echo the great Marcus Aurelius: “Soon you will be dead, and none of it will matter.”

The Hard Truth About Creative Side-Hustles While Working A Corporate Day Job

No one will care about your side-hustle

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