These are the tools you need to get your side hustle off the ground
"Side hustle" is one of Miriam Webster's "words we're watching," and for good reason. Thanks to social media and the gig economy, it seems like everyone has at least two or three jobs these days. Whether you're building a business that will allow you to quit your day job and focus on your passion full-time or are just looking to supplement your income, a side hustle can be a productive and fun way to spend your off-hours.
All you need to start a side hustle is an idea and some extra time on your hands, but to really grow your business there are tools out there to help you. From software to keep you on track to business cards you can be proud of, here's what you need to get well on your way towards a profitable and fulfilling side hustle.
A killer website
Let's be real, if you're providing some sort of goods or services in the 21st Century, you need a website. It's how people find you and where you showcase your work.
GoDaddy.com is known as a provider of domain names (and purveyor of controversial SuperBowl ads) but they actually offer all sorts of web hosting tools. You'll get free access to their website builder for a month when you buy a new domain, which is plenty of time to put together a site that showcases your side hustle.
A unified social media presence
Once you've got customers and clients, a great way to keep them is with an engaging social media feed. If you're not sure where to start, there are courses on social media that can help you nail down a strategy.
Once you've got a plan in place, software like HootSuite can help you execute it. From their dashboard you can schedule posts for every social account you own, curate content for future use, and view statistics about what's working.
Smart email marketing
Not every side hustle needs a weekly newsletter, but you definitely need a way to consolidate your contacts and keep in touch with current and potential clients. Whether you're sending out info on new services, sales, or holiday greetings, you want to make sure your email is seen by as many eyes as possible.
GetResponse is a great tool because in addition to helping you design your content, it has a whole suite of optimization tools. You can time your email to hit when the user is most active in their inbox and track engagement with a/b testing and real time activity monitoring on your campaigns.
Non-boring business cards
As important as your online presence is, IRL networking is still essential when it comes to your side hustle. You never know when you're going to meet a potential client or collaborator and you'll look much more professional handing over a glossy business card than you will jotting down your email on a cocktail napkin.
Moo.com has a huge selection of paper marketing materials with themes ranging from sleek to whimsical. Business cards are their bread and butter, but they've got fliers, postcards, and even stickers so you can plaster your brand everywhere.
According to twitter, Emily Heller is a fake geek girl and a SJW. If you ask her friends, she laughs too loud and cries at cute animal videos. Prior to Mashable, Emily wrote for CollegeHumor and Reductress and most recently worked at a very bro-y tech startup. She lives in Brooklyn with three dudes, a cat who acts like a dog and a dog who acts like a houseplant.
