by Solange Lopes | Jul 9, 2018 | Start Your Business
You’ve made up your mind, and have decided that you’re ready to start a side hustle. Maybe you need the extra money, or you’re itching for something new to do. Whatever the case is, you’ve made the decision to pick a side hustle. Now the question is: “What side hustle is right for you?”
In the current “gig economy” we live in, everyone seems to have a side hustle. From the financial analyst giving cardio classes at the local gym, to the lawyer creating artful paint works on the side, many of your friends and family members may already have one. However, as you get ready to embark on this new adventure and pick a side gig for yourself, you should be careful to choose one that suits your schedule, personality and abilities.
It’s one thing to have a side hustle. It’s another one to have a side gig that strengthens you, empowers you, and makes you some extra money. When I picked my own side hustle, it was based on what really motivates, inspires and empowers me personally. I did not want to invest any extra time, resources and energy on yet another to-do on my already busy list of activities.
If you’re wondering which side hustle is right for you, here are a few pointers you may want to consider:
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Identify your why
After all, this is an additional commitment you’re adding to your already busy schedule. Even if it’s just a side activity, it will require your time and resources. This is why it’s so important to make sure that your motives are aligned with who you are and what you are trying to accomplish.
Are you doing this just for the extra money? Or are you looking at the future and seeing a potential business opportunity? Is this to apply some of your dormant talents and skills? Or are you envisioning to bring your entire family on board some day? Is your motivation to create a freer lifestyle for yourself and your family? Or is it about creating spare income to go back to school or pursue another goal?
The point is, you must spend some time getting clear on your “why”. It will allow you to better define your side hustle and increase your commitment level. Additionally, your “why” will also be there to keep you going on those days that you feel like giving up.
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Start with your passions
Begin with passion. As much as you may want to be realistic, and maybe re-purpose some of your acquired skills, I find that passions make for the best side hustles. You already have to be practical in many areas of your life, starting with your day job. Why not pick a side hustle that taps into the skills, talents and passions you don’t get to explore at work?
Make a list of all the activities you enjoy doing. As a matter of fact, go a step further and list those you wouldn’t mind doing for free. This will give you a clear indication as to what you’re really passionate about. When you’re able to take money out of the equation, then you tru get clearer about what you love and…what you don’t.
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Check your schedule
Time is of the essence, and any side hustle requires extra time. If you schedule is already packed, you may have to re-consider what kind of side hustle you could fit in, and how you can re-arrange your time to do so. As such, checking your schedule is one of the most crucial steps to undertake.
Take an honest look at what you already have to do on your daily schedule. Assess how much free time you currently have on your schedule. Additionally, determine what you can let go of and replace with a side hustle of your choice.
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Narrow down your niche
Even after listing all the things and activities you enjoy doing, even those you wouldn’t mind doing for free, you may still have too much to choose from. As a matter of fact, you may now be more overwhelmed than when you first started. It’s normal. Many, if not most of us, have many interests and even passions we’d love to explore.
The next logical step is to narrow down your niche. This is a very personal process that requires you to look deep within, and explore which activity on your list would bring you the most fulfillment and would also have the post potential of developing well. You must also take into account the time that it would require, as compared to what your schedule would realistically allow.
It may take you a few days to come up with the right answer for you. However, I find that the more time you give yourself at this stage, the better equipped you will be to truly pick the best side hustle for you.
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Adjust your mindset
Devoting extra time and energy to a side hustle will also require a mindset shift. Do yourself a favor and adjust your mindset as you pick the right side hustle for you. Ask yourself questions such as:
“Am I mentally, emotionally and spiritually ready to pursue a side hustle?”
“Will a side hustle make me happier or overwhelm me?”
“Can I withstand the pressure of having a side gig?’
“Is this something I welcome in my life or do I feel resistance towards it?”
These personal inquiries will help you assess how you feel about integrating a side hustle into your life. They will also help you adjust your mindset from one of apprehension and maybe resistance, to one of acceptance and even excitement. This mindset shift will also serve you in the long run as you face obstacles and challenges running a successful side gig and business.
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Be open to experimenting
Picking the right side hustle for you is not a foolproof process. It may actually require a few tries before you find what really gets you going in terms of side gig. Be open to experimenting with a couple of ideas, if you haven’t successfully narrowed down your niche yet.
It takes some time to find out what you actually love doing. While you may have numerous passions and likes, experimenting with them may actually allow you to eliminate some and keep others. I experimented with freelancing, and writing in various capacities, before setting my heart on blogging and book writing. However, it took a few unsuccessful tries to figure out the right formula for me. Be patient with yourself as you go through this process.
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Learn from your mistakes
In the same way, be open to learning from your mistakes as you pick the right side hustle for you. Your process is very much unique. While it may take someone else about five minutes to settle on their perfect side gig, you may take longer to decide. As a matter of fact, you may start by picking the wrong side hustle, or have to adjust the side gig of your dreams to fir your personality and lifestyle.
In any case, look at the mistakes that may occur as you choose your side gig as stepping stones rather than obstacles. The more you can learn from them, the closer you may be getting to uncovering your ideal side gig.
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Enjoy the process
Last but not least, don’t forget to enjoy the process. Even if this is about making extra money to pay your student loans or get out of debt, it is still a process that can allow you to learn a lot about yourself. Enjoy the process of exploring something new, learning, and growing as well! Remember, if it doesn’t bring you joy, then you may have to re-consider!
Now your turn: How did you pick the right side hustle for you?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
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by Solange Lopes | Jul 6, 2018 | Working Mom & Woman Tips
When you’re a busy working woman, cooking healthy and delicious meals can be a challenge. Between running out of work to get home on time, remembering to defrost the meat or fish, and simply having enough time to shop for the right ingredients, it can be downright mission impossible.
As a working woman and mom of two who does not have any particular cooking talent, I know it all too well. However, there are great meal kits now available that can help make weeknights, and even weekend, meals a breeze.
Here are 10 of my favorite meal kits, perfect for the busy working woman in you:
5 dollar meal plan
$5 Meal Plan: For just $5 a month (yes, $5 a month), you can save on weeknight meals. You basically get delicious meal plans with meals costing about $2 a piece. The best part? You get a free 14-day free trial.
Hello Fresh
HelloFresh: You can get pre-measured ingredients to make delicious and healthy recipes right at your door every single week. All you have to do is pick your recipe, order and cook!
Blue Apron
Blue Apron: Get all the ingredients you need, already prepped and measured, to create delicious, chef-worthy recipes at your doorstep. You won’t have to suffer through the same boring weeknights recipes again.
Take Out Kit
TakeOut Kit:Scared that your meal kit will expire before you’ve had a chance to prepare it? These meal kits offer a 2-month self life and can be transported all around the world.
Gobble
Gobble: Ever wondered how you could make dinner in 15 minutes, minus the hassle and last-minute aggravation? Gobble is a cooking service that allows you to choose your meals from their diverse weekly menus. The chefs at Gobble will do all the heavy lifting, that is chopping, measuring and prepping all the ingredients. Your fresh 15-minute dinner kit will then be sent to your doorstep in a refrigerated box, and voila!
Platejoy
Platejoy: If you’ve ever wanted personalized meal plans and healthy, time-saving recipes to fit your busy working woman lifestyle, this is it! Based on advanced lifestyle quiz, custom meal plans are made for you. You can either have the necessary list of ingredients sent to you via phone or delivered to you for more convenience.
Sun Basket
Sun Basket: If you’ve been looking for a healthy meal kit service that uses organic ingredients, then you’ve found it.SunBasket will help you save money, time and energy, while cooking healthier. It also accommodates Paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian, Lean & Clean, and family plans.
Sakara Nutrition
Sakara nutrition: This service delivers plant-based nutrition as meals, supplements and snacks. Their mission is to use food as medicine through the power of plant-based eating.
Marley Spoon
Marley Spoon: Want to enjoy seasonal ingredients and some delicious Martha Stewart-approved recipes? You can order and let your tastebuds dance every time you receive your prepped meal package.
Home Chef
Home Chef: Want a healthy and delicious meal cooked at home? Give it 30 minutes from your doorstep to a fully-cooked dinner with Home Chef.
What other meal kits would you recommend?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
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by Solange Lopes | Jul 3, 2018 | Career
Being a mompreneur comes with its challenges. Combining the pressures of running a successful business with that of raising kids can seem impossible for many. You never quite sign off of being a mom. When you’re an entrepreneur, clocking out of your business is rarely an option as well. When you add to it the fact that many, if not most moms, have an abbreviated schedule in the summer as kids are out of school, it can even be more challenging. And then, can we talk about the hear, shining sun and lack of motivation as the weather warms up as well?
As a mompreneur myself, I’ve found myself slipping away from my business responsibilities in the summertime. Between organizing kids’ activities, beach days, cookouts and other fun distractions, keeping up with my business responsibilities has been tough. The pressures of enjoying the great weather with the kids, or simply relaxing, were way too great to ignore.
So how do you manage your business effectively in the summer as a mompreneur? How do you still work smart while being present with your family and taking the time to relax? After many weeks of teetering on the edge of complete inactivity and frantic multi-tasking, here are a few pointers I learnt from experience and other mompreneurs about managing our businesses in the summer:
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Change your mindset
I’ve found it necessary to change my mindset in the summer in order to be productive and present with my family. Instead of an “I can do it all” type of mindset, I’ve willfully switched to an “I can do it well” one.
What this means is that instead of trying to fit in as much as possible in my schedule, I focus on quality. It also means that I’m taking on fewer projects in the summer, and reduce my client workload on purpose. This allows me to spend more time with family, but also to allocate more quality time to my activities, whether professional or personal.
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Automate as much as you can
Automation is any mompreneur’s friend. Remembering to return a client call or pay the mortgage can seem like yet another chore, unless it’s automatically scheduled. Since you’ll have less time to spend on work and other responsibilities, make sure to take your precautions and schedule as much as you can in advance.
For me, it means automating most of my bills, setting auto-responder sequences in my business and automatically scheduling my social media posts. In addition to giving me peace of mind, it also allows me to still be effective in less time yet with as much, if not more impact.
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Set reminders
There are a lot of competing priorities when you’re a mompreneur. You may just not have the bandwidth and energy to remember them all. This is why setting reminders for yourself is not just good planning, it’s necessary to keep your business running as smoothly as possible!
I set daily, weekly and monthly reminders of important meetings, events and deliverables to ensure they don’t slip my mind. Additionally, the brain space I can save by doing this is better used cleaning up the mess the kids make.
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Target priorities
In the summer more than ever, setting priorities in your business is key. Not everything is going to get done, and that’s ok. This is when you must start thinking in terms of your desired impact and results.
What are the clients that are important for you to service? Which projects are top of mind? Wat tasks are most instrumental and can yield the biggest results in the shortest amount of time?
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Take care of yourself
While summer is the proverbial relaxation time, it’s easy to get drowned in a myriad of activities as well, especially as a mompreneur. Faced with an irregular kids’ schedule, lack of motivation and business demands, it can be tempting to overwork yourself to get it all done.
Instead, you should invest some time in your favorite self-care activities. For those of you who like me don’t get much of a summer, enjoy the outdoors and take the opportunity to wind down.
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Pick your devils
In other terms, pick your distractions. There are many distractions out there in the summer, especially with kids. Avoiding them all is nearly impossible. Pick the ones that will not ruin your entire productivity or prevent you from having fruitful family time.
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Enjoy the process!
Last but not least, don’t forget to enjoy the process. Summertime is a wonderful time to make family memories, so take it easy on yourself, be compassionate with yourself and have fun!
Now your turn: How do you manage your business in the summer as a mompreneur?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
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by Solange Lopes | Jun 28, 2018 | Career
Burnout happens to the best of us. Yes, even the most organized and diligent among working women. While there definitely are slower times during the year, like the month of August when professional and business life seem to come to a standstill, it’s not always the case. There are, on the other hand, times when all professional and personal aspects of life break loose, and we’re left with the pleasant burden to figure it all out.
When it comes to workload and personal responsibilities, peaks and valleys are inevitable. You will go through periods when you feel like there are not enough hours in the day (and you may be through these as we speak). You will also have times when you may feel like you’re not as productive. As a result, we tend to burn out during extremely busy seasons, as we try to get everything done well.
I’ve been a victim of burnout too many times not to know the horrible feeling it leaves you with. Much of it was also self-imposed, which prompted me to look for ways to avoid it. As a working mom, I’ve also realized that it doesn’t just affect me, but pretty much everyone around me. It’s no fun being around a cranky, sleepy, frustrated mom, wife or sister.
Here are a few ways to avoid burnout or face it when it’s already too late:
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Set your priorities straight
One of the main reasons why we tend to burn out is that we take on too much. As we fail to set our priorities, whether personal or professional, straight, we often put ourselves in unbearable situations.
Instead, set your own priorities straight, and take some time to understand and define what really matters to you. These are your non-negotiables, or the stuff that you NEED to do. It may be your mandatory department meeting and deliverables, or your gym time in the morning. Whatever it is, don’t just write it down on your to-do list. Schedule it and strategize in order to accomplish it as successfully as you can.
I’ve learnt the hard way not to allow everyone else’s priorities to become mine. Instead, I take some time every day, week and month, to make a list of my minimum requirements. I usually try and tackle these first thing in the morning to ensure that they don’t slip under the radar.
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Delegate!
Repeat after me: You can do anything, but you CANNOT do everything! Burnout is also often a consequence of not being willing to delegate some tasks and responsibilities off your plate. As a result, you end up committing to way too much, and not being able to deliver in addition to driving yourself insane in the process.
Don’t hesitate to ask for more support and delegate tasks you may need help with. It may even be worth paying for it so you can focus on important tasks, save your time and energy while avoiding burnout.
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Self-care
Self-care is a priority when it comes to avoiding (and healing) burnout. However, in order for it to be effective, it’s important to turn it into a consistent habit. Do something for yourself each and every day, whether it’s fitting in 30 minutes of exercise or managing to sleep for at least 7 hours a night.
The trick is to include self-care in your calendar as you would any other important commitment, and to stick to it.
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Add meaning to what you do
One of the reasons why you may be feeling burnout is that you may not be motivated because you don’t see any meaning in what you do. You may not feel as accomplished as you’d like because you don’t see how you contribute to something bigger. Lacking purpose is one of the ways we can incur significant burnout in our lives.
If it’s the case, then consider taking up a hobby. Sign up as a volunteer as a food bank, or simply commit to helping someone else. Volunteer for a project that excites you, or one that really makes a difference.
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Invest in people
Doing it all on your own can feel quite lonely. Instead, decide to invest some of your time and energy on the people around you. Nurturing your relationships is a great use of your time.
Instead of powering through work all the time, consider going to lunch with a co-worker. Organize playdates with friends, and watch the kids play while you chat (and sip on cocktails). The point is to make the time to be with friends and family, and invest in the right relationships for you. Not only will you benefit from the natural networking, but you will also enjoy the simple pleasures of fun company.
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Find out what drains you
When was the last time you really paid attention to how you spend your time? If you do so, you’ll find out that you may be engaging in activities that drain you. You end up feeling burnout when you engage in too many activities that drain you.
Find ways to spend time on projects that increase, instead of decreasing, your energy. Get the support you need, delegate some of the chores or tasks that drain you, and start really enjoying the work you do.
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Be at peace
Not everything will always be perfect. Actually, very few things, if any, will be. So make peace with the mess, the disorganization and the occasional snafus. Develop your mental strength to accept those things you cannot change, and instead focus on what you can work on making a difference in.
There’s always an option. You can always find another job, ask for a change in schedule, ask for help, and so much more. Things may not change overnight, but your life can look very different next week, month of year. Keep going!
How do you avoid burnout as a busy working woman?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
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by Solange Lopes | Jun 24, 2018 | Career
Welcome to our career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion weekly news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
- Business Insider shows us how to be fearless at work and how you can get over your fear;
- The Guardian shares the self-help guide for Black women “Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible”;
- Don’t have the right degree? Recruiter advises you on getting the job without the degree to back it up;
- Ellevate Network highlights how you can boost your career goals this summer;
- The Muse shares how to get ready for work in 10 minutes;
- Workology tips you off on how to command a room as a woman at work;
- The Glassdoor Blog lists 5 interview questions employers trip you up with;
- Got the travel bug? The Indeed blog recommends 15 careers that satisfy your wanderlust;
- Want to get C-suite buy-in? Read this advice by Forbes;
- Ellevate Network shares how to get press for your business;
- Entrepreneurship can be tough on your mind. Forbes Woman reveals 5 mental health tips for entrepreneurs;
- The Undercover Recruiter answers the question: “How can we promote healthy eating in the workplace?”
- The Corporate Sister tells you how to look professional in the summer as a working mom.
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister
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