This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Hey there, thanks for tuning in today. So glad you're out there wherever you are in the world. We've got a lot of different people who listen to Side Hustle School. I've been going a long time now, almost 2,000 episodes. And even though we have a lot of people from different backgrounds and such, the intended market, you know, I often talk about, you know, thinking of your ideal customer, the ideal listener for Side Hustle School, it's someone with a day job who wants to earn money outside that job.
So they're kind of working on the margins or the edges. They want this additional source of income. Some of them hope to eventually turn their Side Hustle into a full-time business. Others end up doing both. But the point is, and also there's other solutions as well.
It's really, you know, so much creativity in this world. But the point is I understand that most of our listeners are dealing with a number of different variables. So there's a lot of complexity. Like there's not simplicity, there is complexity in your life. That's why I try to keep these episodes, you know, short and action-packed, trying to give you something helpful every single day.
And this brings us, of course, to today's caller. Their day job has brought them a Side Hustle opportunity, but it comes with some tricky ethical dilemmas. You know, what happens when your worlds collide in this way? So let's see what's going on and see if we can help. Question and my answer coming up in just 30 seconds.
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Hi there, Chris, this is Eric, and I've been listening to the show for a couple of years. I work for a medium-sized management consulting firm. I am assigned to a client for a number of days or weeks, so I get to know them pretty well. Meanwhile, in my spare time, I've been working on improving my SEO skills, as I'd like to start doing that for my Side Hustle. The combination of these roles has led to a bit of a dilemma though.
A recent client learned that I was into SEO and asked to hire me on a small part-time basis to improve their search rankings. I mean, it's exactly the kind of entry-level Side Hustle role I've been looking for, but of course I got to know this client through my day job. Even though SEO has nothing to do with how the company I work for helps them, I worry that I'm not being totally honest if I don't disclose this to my employer. And I already know how they'll respond, though tell me not to do it. Should I, like, A, just do the work on the down low, or B, tell them in hope for the best, or C, something else?
Thanks for any advice you can provide. - Eric, thank you for the question. So some key info here on this question, because, you know, some version of this comes through from time to time conflict between day job and Side Hustle, but there's some key info here. Key info is Eric already knows how they'll respond and they won't like it. Were the situation a bit different, you know, we could say maybe he can mention it and they'll be supportive because we've had lots of stories where somebody's day job or boss is, you know, actually supportive of their Side Hustle, as long as it's not something that's, you know, related and doesn't interfere with their work duties and such.
But, you know, it doesn't always work out that way. And in this case, since it's not, I do kind of think it is a bit of a conflict of interest. Eric was consulting with the company on behalf of his employer. Sounds like he did a good job for them, which, you know, reflects well on him, of course, but also on his employer, right? Because they had a contract with his employer.
Even though the work he was doing wasn't SEO, what he's doing for his Side Hustle, I think he should probably turn it down. He's already said that he doesn't feel like he's being honest if he accepts the gig without telling his employer and he knows his employer is not gonna like it. So, you know, maybe this is a good time to start thinking about what you want for your Side Hustle. Like, what is your goal? You know, if you do wanna eventually go full-time, you know, this could be a sign that you need to move more in that direction.
If not, you just gotta let this one go and keep taking on other work. So that's what I think about that. You know, these things are never easy. There's often some gray area to it, but I think the key info is like, he already knows how to respond. They're not gonna like it.
So maybe better to think more about the long-term play than the short one. That's my two cents. Listeners, if you've got a question, situation you're working through, come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. We know what's going on. We'll do our best to be helpful and also help some other listeners out there as well.
That's what it's all about. So I am thankful for you. Thanks for tuning in today. I hope you'll subscribe or follow and come back tomorrow. My name is Chris Guillebeau.
This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
