Deb Dutta

Side Hustle Stack - How To Get Started

January 27, 2024

To get started, the first thing to do is to start building your side hustle stack. What is "the best way" to do that? Well, this really depends on who you are and what your goals are. But here are some general guidelines:

  • Figure out what type of side hustle stack you want to build - if you're just starting out, then skip this step and move on! If not, then read on!
  • Write down all the possible components of your side hustle stack - this may sound silly at first but trust me it will help immensely in making sure everything gets done. Here's an example list:
  • a website/blog with a clear purpose (e.g., make money through selling your services or ebooks - eg: Criya is perfect for creating a web presence in 5 minutes).
  • a landing page for customers who have already subscribed or bought something from me (e.g., an email list).
  • an email sequence that I can send once my subscribers have been added onto my email marketing platform (e.g., Criya, MailChimp).
  • an Instagram account so people can see updates from my business from time to time (e.g., Hootsuite)

A lot of people have a brilliant business idea in mind, but they don't know what the next step to take is.

  • The first step toward building your business is to come up with an idea.
  • The second step is to develop a business plan.
  • And the third and final step is to get started!

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When it comes to getting started, there are three main components you need to think about.

  • What is your unique selling point?
  • What is your platform like Criya as your CRM, capture leads and convert sales? Use landing pages or simply email.
  • How much time do you expect to invest in the project and how much money do you want to make from it.

1. Information: what's your unique selling point?

  • Information: What's your unique selling point?

In order to attract clients, you need to be able to stand out from the crowd and show why you're different from other freelancers doing what you do. One way of doing this is by defining your unique selling points (USP). This means finding out what makes you special in comparison with other freelancers who offer similar services or products as yours. For example, if you're a web designer looking for clients, it might be helpful to know that 99% of all web designers use Wordpress as their CMS platform. So how do they differentiate themselves from other Wordpress users? They might have more experience due to having worked on larger projects over time or because they've built custom plugins or themes before starting a business around their skillset; they may also specialize in certain niches such as eCommerce sites or blogging platforms like Medium; some people choose specific tools they want all their customers' sites built on because those tools are better suited than others at achieving certain goals like search engine optimization (SEO) requirements which could include things such as header tags only being used once per page instead of twice like most themes require today where both headers "h1" and "h2" would be used together unnecessarily just because one wasn't enough!

2. Building a platform to reach your clients

The next step is building a platform that allows you to reach your clients. This can be Criya that lets you land clients with a high converting funnel, built into your websites or a social media account like Instagram or Facebook. Landing pages built in 5 minutes, scheduling calls with clients, make notes on each client - all built into a single, easy to use CRM is what Criya is built for. As you capture those leads and build an email list of people who want to hear from you, you can then follow up with them with ease sending them your promotions. You could even use Squarespace or Wix if you're not ready for this step yet - to just have a basic website going!

If you choose to go the platform route, here's what I recommend:

  • Keep it simple - don't spend too much time on design and development (although those are important). Just get something up where people can see it quickly (and free!)
  • Spend time on content - make sure to have interesting information that will engage potential clients in their inboxes each week (or day!)

3. Capture leads and convert sales

The third step is to capture leads and convert sales.

Here’s what you need to do:

  • Build a landing page. Your landing page should help you collect someone’s email address so that you can send follow up emails with content that teaches them something new. Here's a great resource on how to build a landing page in 5 minutes with Criya, our favorite tool for building simple, beautiful websites without any code knowledge required!
  • Set up CRM software like Salesforce,  Pipedrive  or Criya (one of our favorites). CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management — these systems help you manage clients' emails, documents and appointments all in one place so your team doesn't get overwhelmed. Plus they make it easier than ever before to follow up with leads over time! The best part is that most companies will give away their CRMs for free or a very very low cost, if they know your business will be using it regularly - which means no upfront costs for starting out!

These are the three parts of your side hustle stack.

Your side hustle stack is composed of 2 parts:

  • Information. You need to know exactly what you want and how you're going to get it. Do you want to grow your blog into an authority brand? Are you looking for a quick, no-brainer income boost? Your answers are the first step in building a side hustle stack that will ultimately allow you to achieve your goals.
  • Building a platform. To have success as an entrepreneur, it's essential that you build up resources that can help generate leads and convert sales on their own—even when they're not being directly used by yourself or your team members. This means building up social media profiles with high engagement rates; creating valuable content related to the field(s) in which we operate; cultivating relationships with influencers who are relevant within our industry; establishing ourselves as thought leaders who share helpful tips regularly (via blog posts or video series); etcetera--all while representing our business/brand in an authentic way that resonates with potential customers as well as existing ones alike

Let's go into this in more detail now.

Now, let's go into this in more detail now.

First, you need to think about what your unique selling point is. What makes you different from other people offering the same service?

If you're a freelance writer and want to get started with a writing side hustle, for example, it would be helpful if your audience was made up of businesses who are looking for content writers (i.e., companies who want brochures written). This way, when people search for "writers" on Google or another search engine and see your website at the top of the list, they might be more likely to click through to your site because they assume that you're probably not someone who writes fiction novels or short stories—but rather that their company would benefit from hiring someone like you.

Next thing: what are YOU offering? How can YOU stand out from all these other people claiming they can write a sales page just as well as anyone else? Your answer could be anything! Maybe it's because no one else has ever done this before; maybe it's something unique about how they came up with their ideas; maybe they have access to resources no one else does...the possibilities are endless! Just remember though that whatever advantage/edge/specialty etc., there will always be competitors trying hard enough so don't get discouraged if things aren't going smoothly right away (or ever).

The side hustle stack will skyrocket your chances for success!

The side hustle stack is a collection of tools that help you get started, and it’s about more than just making money. It’s about building a business that can scale. A side hustle is a way to make extra money on the side and not depend on income from your 9-5 job alone. Many people think they have to give up their day job in order to build wealth through their own business, but this isn’t true! You can use your 9-5 income as the foundation for growing your side hustle into a sustainable full-time business without quitting your day job altogether (yet). When we say “getting clients,” we mean getting quality leads—people who actually want what you offer because they need it in their lives or businesses—not just any old lead, which means going out there and meeting potential clients face-to-face at events and conferences rather than relying solely on social media advertising campaigns or cold calling.

Conclusion

In this post, we've gone over the three major parts of your side hustle stack: 1/ information: what's your unique selling point? 2/ building a platform to reach your clients 3/ capture leads and convert sales The side hustle stack will skyrocket your chances for success!

Deb Dutta

Founder & CEO, Criya

Founder & CEO Criya, Y Combinator W22, Ex-Head of Product at PayPal Ft. Forbes, New York Times, Tech Crunch, CBS, Google IO

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