Five Strategies for a Sustainable Social Work Side Hustle

Anyone can have a side hustle or second job. According to the BankRate.com article The Average Side Hustler Earns 8K Annually, 37% of Americans have one. The article also shares additional information from the 2018 survey conducted by BankRate.com. For example, according to the survey, 59% of those responding consider the extra income to be disposable income. Additionally, the average monthly income is $686. That is just over $8,000 per year. Imagine what you could do with an additional $8,000 per year. My daughter and I took a trip to Italy and Greece last summer for half of that amount.

I have learned that there are five key actions a social worker could take to maintain a successful and profitable side hustle. I will share those secrets with you now.

Have a Defined Purpose

Social workers talk about passion. We are so “passionate” about our work and our clients. We need to consider paring passion with purpose. Every social work graduate learned about the importance of a purpose driven vision and mission in social work school. We learned that the mission of an organization is carried out by the goals and actions of an organization.

Individual social workers who want to develop a sustainable and profitable side hustle should begin by developing a purpose for taking on the extra work. It will be your side hustle mission statement, so to speak. When I started over 10 years ago, I needed to extra income to support our family’s household income. Now, my purpose is to have income to assist our daughter’s with college expenses; to turn dreams of traveling abroad into reality and to eventually supplement our modest retirement income.

The purpose for your side hustle should be highly personal. It defines and outlines the “why” around your working extra hours. Your passion should also be personal. Your passion will drive the satisfaction you gain from your side hustle.

Plan for Success and Sustainability

I learned from experience that side hustles often have a time limit especially when you work for someone else. The employer defines the parameters of the job as well as the duration. As a side hustler, you may not have any control or say in the matter. A sustainable side hustle takes planning. Beyond planning, establishing a stable foundation for the work you plan to do will help you to reach successful outcomes.

When I wrote Five Smart Questions to Ask if you Want to Boost Your Social Work Income, the free downloadable e-book and companion planner, I shared the questions that I asked myself repeatedly. These questions helped me to develop a focus for the type of work I wanted to do. It also helped me to develop a framework within and outside of my household to bolster opportunities for success. Ask yourself serious questions and answer them honestly to set up a foundation that works for you.

Product or Outcome

Social workers skillfully develop goals and objectives. We have spent many years developing the skills to help our clients reach their goals. Unfortunately we have been conditioned to think erroneously about outcomes. First, we work in systems that teach us that the service we deliver is an outcome. Second, we often fail to listen and seriously consider their desired outcomes. Yes, I know, we are supposed to work with the client and get client input. How many of you have downplayed a client’s stated outcome because it did not fit within the goal framework of the organization.

As I learned more about outcomes from an entrepreneurial viewpoint, I learned that the product or service is not the end result. The outcome satisfies the client’s stated desire. For example, if my desire is to have clean clothes, purchasing detergent does not satisfy that desire. I have partial means to get clean clothes. Once I throw the clothes in a washer with detergent and run it through the cycle, I will get clean clothes. Successful entrepreneurs understand the needs of their clients.

Social workers who understand the needs and desires of their clients can develop sustainable side hustles.

Tribe of People

Buyers buy from people they “know, like and trust.” This is a long standing sales principal that has been taught over the years. Think about your own buying habits to determine if this statement resonates with you. You have a better chance of building a sustainable, side hustle by building long lasting professional relationships. Entrepreneurs understand that relationship building takes time.

Also keep in mind that people do not buy products or services, they buy solutions. Over time build a core of people who know the solutions you provide, like the delivery method and trust they will receive benefit from the outcome.

Portability or Place

Choose an environment as carefully as you choose your side hustle. Your environment should make you feel totally comfortable. It should encourage clear thinking, creativity, insightful conclusions. It should also be a space in which you thrive.

Prior to opening a part time private therapy practice, my side hustle space was our home office. I could spread out on the floor, sit at my desk or stretch out in the recliner. If I needed something from the kitchen, I could ask someone to bring it to me. I could also put a load of laundry in the wash or cook dinner. Assess your needs related to your side hustle to determine the type of space you need.

Marcyline Bailey, ACSW, LCSW is the author of Five Smart Questions Social Workers Should Ask if They Want to Boost Their Social Work Income e-book Starter Guide and Planner. These free downloads contain five strategic questions to consider before taking on a side hustle.

“I work with social workers and hard working professionals who want to be happy. I would love to hear from you.” You may join the conversation by commenting on this post or on our Facebook fan page REAL Social Workers Online Magazine or connecting with me on LinkedIn.