The Side Hustle

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Ladies, I must say I’m impressed. All over social media you are making an extra buck for your family with your side business. Whether it is Arbonne or Beauty Counter or Stella and Dot, I have a network of people who are working their regular job, their side hustle as I affectionately call it, and have a family to take care of at home. Let me say, “good for you!” You are using your village to support yourself, and I think it’s impressive. That’s a lot to take on and starting a new business of any kind is never an easy feat.

Part of me wants to join in the fun, go to the parties, and learn from other smart business women who have willingly added one more thing to every mom’s never-ending to-do list.  However, the skeptic in me wonders if it’s worth it. Some businesses have upfront costs, others require you to buy all the samples, and the time on the front end can be a lot of work. But do the perks of sponsoring community events {having a reason to bring friends together with a viewing party and using the product or keeping the leftover samples} outweigh the perceived negatives?

This is where I’m looking for your honesty. Is being part of a larger network really paying off in your personal and professional life, or is this endeavor just taking up time and money?

So, what I really want to hear from you are about the highlights, the time commitment, and the flexibility. Can you create the “dream job” through Facebook posts, parties, and word of mouth, or is it not really worth the hassle? I see lots of people doing it and seemingly enjoying it. This is when I wonder who this type of business is for and what your experience has been with the side hustle!?!

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Erica Rabhan
A South Carolina native, Erica is originally from the Upstate and has moved back to Charleston with her family after a 10 year, traffic-filled hiatus in Atlanta, GA. Having lived in only two states she likes to explore different cultures through travel and food.  Of all the hats Erica wears her most important roles are as a wife, mother, daughter and fundraiser for her alma mater, College of Charleston. She has been married to her college sweetheart for 13 years and together they have to kiddos that keep them on their toes.  She prides herself on being honest about motherhood and enjoys learning from other moms who tell it like it is. When life offers a little down time Erica enjoys wave jumping at the beach, unapologetically watching bad TV and organizing and re-organizing everything from the dishwasher to the sock drawers to help calm her inner OCD.

1 COMMENT

  1. Never in a million years did I think I would start a direct sales business! But, I have been with Usborne Books & More for over a year now and I love it. As a third-grade teacher turned SAHM, I was looking for something to do on the side, with a product I 100% believed in and felt comfortable selling to my friends and family. What sealed the deal with UBAM for me was not only the fantastic books for children of all ages, but the fact that there is NO monthly sales quotas! I can work as much, or as little, as I want. I don’t feel pressure to sell at all. I enjoy doing Facebook parties a couple nights a week and running booths at local events. In the new year I’m going to start doing Preschool Book Fairs as well. This gig gets me out of the house and I’ve met some really great people who have become my friends. I’ve also earned a nice income to help pay the bills and for fun “extras” for me and my family.

    My words of advice for anyone wanting to start something like this is to make sure it’s a product you love and know that in order to have success, you MUST put time and effort into it. Customers will NOT come to you and income will not just fall in your lap. It is a job after all!

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