This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Turning a creative passion into a business can feel deeply personal. It can also feel overwhelming. It can be stressful, sometimes even paralyzing. I think a lot of people just kind of hold back. They have an idea or they want to do something different.
Maybe they don't even have a specific idea. They just have this nudge or this longing to do something different with their lives, whether it's just a small project or something bigger than that. But they struggle with hesitation and they struggle with taking some first steps to move forward. A big part of what I hope to do with the podcast for 3000 plus episodes now is encourage people to move forward and to take action and to give them some examples of people who've done that in different ways and to give them maybe some actionable ideas that they can in fact take action on, actionable ideas that you can action, if we can say that. But of course there's lots of different ways to look at this and people have all sorts of challenges that we want to work to overcome.
So how can you build confidence and connect with the right audience? Today's question comes from Candice. She transforms leftover fabric scraps into hair accessories, but feels stuck when it comes to marketing her work. It's an important topic. Let's talk about it.
Overcoming doubt, pushing past hesitation. Detailed question from Candice and my answer coming right up. [Music]
Hello everyone, this is Candice calling. I've got a flair for transforming leftover fabric scraps into unique hair accessories. Friends and family keep encouraging me to sell them, but I'm paralyzed by the thought that no one else will see them as special.
I worry people will question the quality or think I'm just another hobbyist. I know I need to get over my fears if I'm ever gonna make real progress, but every time I try to market them, I freeze. How can I push past this hesitation? Put my work out there and trust that it will resonate. [Music]
Candice, your question reminds me of Anna, a maker that we featured at some point.
She made custom journals from upcycled leather and she really loved her craft. She was really into it, but for a while she was convinced nobody else would see the value in it. So she had like all these different journals she'd been making and the fear of rejection was just really strong. And one day a friend of hers kind of nudged her or pushed her gently into signing up for this market. And she ended up agreeing and moving forward, printing small cards explaining how each journal was made from reclaimed materials.
And then on the morning of the market, she almost canceled because she was worried it would be a disaster. But of course it was not a disaster. The booth actually became the centerpiece of the event. People were drawn to the craftsmanship and the story and now she's doing this as a little side hustle. And so I share this story because not everyone turns out the same way of course, not every story.
But I do think there's something to learn from positive case studies and examples of people who have had similar concerns, doubt and such, but have been able to overcome it. And what can we take from that story besides like just do it 'cause I think that's good. But sometimes we want to have some practical steps to go along with just do it. So a practical step is to create an experience around your work. Those journals sold not just 'cause they were beautiful, but because they shared a story as well.
It was also a low risk launch. That market experience gave Anna valuable feedback with minimal commitment. She was also focused on connection, not perfection. She worried her journals weren't good enough, but what customers loved was their authenticity. And then she used that first experience to validate demand and improve her products.
And now as noted, she's doing this as a business. So just like Anna's story, Candice and anybody else out there, your work has value too. And you just have to keep trying stuff and you do have to move forward at some point. And sometimes that can be hard, but there's something better on the other side. I think it's good to keep that in mind as well.
There's something waiting for you on the other side and you'll never know what it is unless you try. And maybe also the first idea may not work, but it will lead you to the one that does. The world deserves to see what you have created or what you want to create. I'm gonna leave you with that today. As always, I hope you take at least one step to get closer to a goal that's important to you.
New episodes come out every day, daily encouragement, hopefully some practical steps and nudges in the right direction as well. Maybe I'll gently push you as well, but emphasis on gently. Tomorrow's our weekend workshop. We're gonna talk about testing, how you can actually do that, how you can do some really simple split testing to in effect make more money, increase your conversion rate, which is always a good thing. And a whole bunch of interesting episodes coming out over the course of the next week.
So I hope you'll subscribe, follow, stay tuned. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
