This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Lots of projects just don't work out. You know, that is the reality. That's probably why I started this whole segment called Failure Friday, which we did yesterday. We'll do it again next week. I really love to talk about what doesn't go well.
And a lot of things that I have tried, you know, have completely failed, or sometimes just turned into something else along the way, which is really interesting 'cause it's not always a failure. It's often like a transition. So I've learned to just keep going. You know, come what may, I'm just gonna keep making stuff. You know, of course this is a learned skill.
I think it's something that is important for everyone to learn wherever possible, not just in the side hustling world, but in life in general. Just keep going, try different stuff. So today we're gonna hear from a caller, a listener whose previous side hustle venture it didn't work out. It basically was a failed partnership with a friend. Sometimes those partnerships just don't end well.
So good news is it sounds like this one ended amicably. Is that the right way to say that word? I think it means, you know, they still get along, but they don't have a business anymore. So now our listener is ready to make another attempt of her own. I love this question.
Hopefully I can have some helpful feedback for her. A question is about recovering after a failed partnership. Detailed question, am I answer coming right up? [Music]
Hey, so I have this report that's not amazing, but hopefully it will become something amazing soon. My friend and I tried to start a fashion line.
We had a lot of fun brainstorming. We went to meetings, we read up. We had a logo design and a website outline, but in the end it didn't work out. I might've been the problem to be honest. While my friend was really into the idea, I have a different design aesthetic than her.
Thankfully we stopped before we spent much money and we remain friends. I know that's not always the case. Now I want to move forward with my idea and for some reason I feel hesitant. This fear of taking a concrete action step may have been part of what hindered the previous project. In addition to a different stylistic preference, what can I do to proceed with confidence?
[Music]
Well, this is such a great question. Thank you for sharing it. And it actually sounds to me like the previous project didn't actually end that poorly. You know, it definitely could have been worse, right? Like I've heard of far, far worse.
Sounds like you tried something with your friend and you realized that you both wanted something different and that's okay. You're moving on to other stuff while still, you know, being in good relationship with your friend. So not too bad at all. So now you're ready for take two. While I understand that you may feel a little intimidated, it's smart, I think, that you're not doing this one with a partner.
I think partnerships, you know, it's more difficult to succeed in a business partnership than in a solopreneurship. So you've gained some experience, you have some knowledge, it sounds like you need to take some of those concrete action steps that you mentioned. Really the best way to gain confidence in a situation like this is through additional experience. In other words, by taking action, okay? So, you know, let's consider like, what are some forward looking actions you could take?
I mean, anything to do with basic logistics, like registering your domain name, getting your website set up, starting to think about your email list, those kinds of practical steps just kind of get you in that mindset of like, okay, something's happening here. Maybe also thinking clearly about your offer, just being really intentional about, okay, what is it that I'm going to offer? An offer has a promise, a pitch, a price. I've talked about that a few different times. Offers are key, people don't buy ideas, they buy offers.
And setting clear timelines and milestones, maybe that's the third thing. Just once again, being specific about, okay, this is going to come to market on this date. And for that to happen, I need to have these eight steps completed. You know, what are those eight steps? What are the days I'm gonna have them finished by?
It's okay if you have to adjust a little bit as you go. But basically anything you do that makes you feel that momentum is in your favor. I think that just helps so, so much. And honestly, since our listener is asking this question and already has some of that experience, I think she's in a great place. So just take those steps we are all cheering for you here.
Let us know how it goes. And listeners, what about you? Let us know if you have a question or something you're working on, sidehustleschool.com/questions. We'll continue to feature them throughout the year, along with updates from other listeners as they launch, sometimes relaunch and grow their projects. That's all for today.
Thanks so much for tuning in. Take care of yourself out there. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
