What you don’t know can slow you down. That’s a lesson that I have learned this year as I have begun positioning myself to earn income online while revving up my blogging. I know what I want to do, but there’s no handy how-to manual for “Side Hustles 101.” There are some fantastic bloggers and websites out there to help fill in some of the information gaps, but so far, I haven’t found a site on the step-by-step preparation to be part of the online side hustle community.
Yes, you can probably tell by now that I’m an old-school-style employee. I’ve been accustomed to the regular 9 to 5 schedule, but I’m now taking off on this adventure of writing, independent contracting, and freelancing. This has required me to adjust how I think about work schedules and job types in general. I’m learning about human intelligence tasks (HITs), micro-tasks, content creation, content moderation, and a multitude of other things. Part of this experience is ridding myself of the library vocabulary I’ve been so familiar with during my career. It isn’t that I haven’t done these types of tasks in my career, but they were often called by another name. Each day, I’m endlessly fascinated by the variety of tasks that people are invited to do, and I’m constantly surprised by what tasks I find to do.
However, my year started slowly because I failed to plan for some of the prep work. As a former 9 to 5 employee, I was accustomed to someone else setting up my paycheck via direct deposit on specific days. Online work may pay in a variety of ways, and those will look different for each site you go through. If, like myself, you are starting this new work adventure, you will probably want to set up a PayPal account if you don’t have one already, and you will want to have an online bank account where you are willing to provide the account number and routing number to LEGITIMATE companies for direct deposit of funds earned. I decided to go with a new account that will be exclusively for any money earned from my online work so I can calculate my earnings more easily. This also provides a place for me to keep money for tax purposes separate from my regular spending.
These things will be common sense to those who have been working online for a while, but for me, these things were learned as I stumbled through the process with my first couple of online side hustles. It isn’t that the steps were difficult. It was just that I hadn’t included them in my original plan. The good news is that, once you are set up, you are ready to start working and earning.
I once wrote a post called “Ask the Stupid Questions,” and the reason I said that is because a lot of questions aren’t stupid. Just because some people have the answers doesn’t mean we all do so we have questions until we get the answers. That’s perfectly okay. I’m learning as I go about things that I didn’t have to know in a 9 to 5 job working for someone else’s company. Go ahead and look for the information you need to protect yourself while working online. It’s better to take it slow and get the answers to all your questions than to make a critical mistake and have regrets. Behind the scenes, take the time to set up all the pieces at a pace that is comfortable for you and doing all the research to protect yourself online as you work.
(DISCLAIMER: I am not a career expert so I recommend you do a lot of research before working with any online platform. Check for Better Business Bureau ratings and search to see what other people have to say about working for or with the company. Also, I am not a financial expert, but keep in mind that you will now be responsible for reporting those earnings to the IRS because there may not be a business accounting department to do all of that for you. I personally will probably hire an accountant to help me understand all those ins-and-outs, especially as a newbie.)
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Inspirational Verse for the Day:
Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58, HCSB)
All Things Subject to Change 