October 15, 2024 • 36 mins
Gen Z has been called the “side hustle generation.” Younger workers understand that you can’t always find fulfillment in your 9-5 job and that side hustles can help you pursue your passions, expand your network, and even make some extra money. In this episode, Gianna and Jamé talk with career coach and founder of The Post Grad Playbook Jahleane Dolne about how to balance your side hustle with your job (without burning out) — and when to make the big leap to pursue it full time.
Do you have any burning questions about work? We want to hear them! You can email us your questions at letstalkoffline@linkedin.com.
And thank you to Jahleane Dolne for joining us this week! Follow Jahleane on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahleane).
For more, follow Gianna (http://linkedin.com/in/giannaprudente) and Jamé (http://linkedin.com/in/jamejackson) on LinkedIn and subscribe to Gianna’s weekly newsletter: https://linkedin.com/letstalkoffline.
Credits
Gianna Prudente - Co-host, Early Career Development Editor, LinkedIn
Jamé Jackson - Co-host, Community Manager, LinkedIn
Sabrina Fang - Producer, Western Sound
Maya Pope-Chappell - Director of Content & Audience Development, LinkedIn
Jessi Hempel - Chief Content Officer, LinkedIn
Savannah Wright - Senior Producer, Western Sound
Sarah Dealy - Associate Producer, Western Sound
Alex MacInnis - Engineer, Western Sound
Courtney Coupe - Head of Original Programming, LinkedIn
Dan Roth - Editor in Chief, LinkedIn
Ben Adair - Executive Producer, Western Sound
Katrina Norvell - Executive Producer, iHeartMedia
Nikke Ettore - Executive Producer, iHeartMedia
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
LinkedIn News. I mean, I've always been a hustle queen.
Like I remember even in elementary school. I was like
going to the school store buying your racers notepads and
then flipping them. Oh my god, like, yeah, you could
buy it for a dollar there, but I'm gonna charge
your dollar.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
An entrepreneur from day one, because.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I would stand outside classrooms and I'd be like, oh,
you got your notepad here?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You always that kid. Everyone had that kid that was me.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Baby. Thank God I didn't turn to a life of crime.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
But from LinkedIn News and i Heeart Podcasts, this is
Let's Talk offline, a show about what it takes to
thrive in the early years of your career without sacrificing
your values, sanity or sleep. I'm Gianna Prudenti.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
And I'm Jamay Jackson Gadston. Listen, y'all. Gen Z came
out the womb hustling. There's always been this talk about
young people and how people are lazy, y'all don't want
to work. But the truth is that nearly half of
the young workers are balancing that nine to five with
their side gig, whether it's them building businesses or even
just creating content online. It's really admirable how y'all are
(01:09):
out here a hustling. You are pursuing those passion projects,
and most importantly to big Auntie Jamai, you are diversifying
those income treas.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Ooh, yes, it's so true. Side hustles really can like
lay the foundation for a full time career. But obviously
that doesn't happen overnight. It can be a long, rocky,
rocky road which starts with figuring out what do you
even want your side hustle to be and how do
you eventually turn it into the main thing. We're gonna
talk through the ups and downs of managing a side
(01:38):
hustle and what you can do to make that journey
just a bit easier.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Okay, guys, so today we are talking all about side hustles,
which is actually one of my favorite topics. We're gonna
be talking about how to manage them alongside your full
time job and possible how to turn it into that
full time career. Okay, your side hustle doesn't have to
be the side chick anymore. She could be the main squeeze.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I don't know if you guys have heard this, but
gen Z's allegedly been called the side hustle generation Gianna
in your reporting, What have you seen or found that
supports or denies that.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, that's definitely been the narrative for the past like
year or so, maybe the last two years, that gen
Z is openly embracing side hustles, And I do think
it's true. I think with any you know, headline like that,
it's a bit of a generalization, you know, to be transparent, like,
I don't have a side hustle, you know, hustle that
we need. Do I've been thinking about one and I'll
(02:40):
share more about that, But yeah, I think in general,
like we've been called the side hustle generation because we've
been approaching work differently, just based on the time that
we enter the workforce. And I think something that a
lot of gen Zers really believe is in the importance
of having more of a portfolio career, right, Like, we
don't expect to get one hundred percent from our nine
(03:02):
to five jobs, so we're pursuing our passions and interests elsewhere,
whether that be you know, creating content online or actually
having a side business and selling something. So we're finding
fulfillment through different avenues rather than just relying on our
nine to five job to do that. I like that, yeah,
And another reason is side hustles allow us to diversify
(03:22):
our our income. Right. So we saw over the last
few years with mass layoffs that employers can kind of
just drop you on a dime. It's a sad reality
of maybe a worker loyalty now, yeah, and it's totally
made us question company loyalty.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So I think it's a way to have financial security
in a time where there is no stability, and side
hustles are a way for us to you know, not
only make more money, but also diversify our income streams
just in case something does happen. And then I think, ultimately,
like gen Z, being called a side hustle generation just
comes down to us not wanting to be boxed in
(03:59):
by our jobs and wanting to have one single identity.
So a lot of people do have side hustles. Some don't,
like myself, but I haven't thinking like should I turn
my baking into a side business. But I'm like, if
I make money off of something I get so much
passion out of, will it lose the sparkle?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Sometimes that's the challenge. Yeah, because once you actually start
having to create structure and the thing that you just
naturally love to do. It can make you kind of
fall out of.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Love despite how much I love structure.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
But there's like something different about But what I will
say is there is a benefit to having a side
hustle while also having like a full time something else.
You are not obligated to have to make a certain
amount in order to hit your quota or pay your rent.
So I would say, you know, maybe dip your tone.
I want to eat some cookies or something.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, I won't make you pay for them.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Charging.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
I'm wondering for you, how did you even get started
with your side hustles?
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Like how did that even? Yeah, I mean I've always
been a hustle queen. Like I remember even in elementary school.
I was like going to the school store buying your
racers notepads and then flipping them God like, yeah, you
could buy it for a dollar there, but I'm gonna
charge your dollars. An entrepreneur from day one, because I
would stand outside classrooms and I'd be like, oh, you
got your notepad here?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
You always that kid? Everyone had that kid that was baby.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Thank God I didn't turn to a life of crime.
But I've always had a very entrepreneurial spirit. My dad
is a business owner, and he was very like, you
got to go out here and you got to make
your own luck. And I've always loved that drive for me. Though,
a lot of what you mentioned about why gen Z
finds side hustles enticing is exactly why I fell into it.
So back in the day, my side hustle was all
(05:47):
things content creation. I would create video, I would create
blog posts. I was girl always selling sponsored ads on
my website. I was making that money, okay, And so
a lot of it was like in the content creation,
especially like written so like blogging, writing for out reputable outlets,
et cetera. But now I do a lot more in
the entertainment space, so acting, working and maybe consulting with
(06:11):
brands on how they can speak to marginalized communities. So
the side hustle has changed a little bit. But what
thing has not changed. I had to do all of
this because I had to pay rent. And when I
moved to New York, in particular, I was like, this
job I have as a contractor is not going to
pay my bills. And so I always knew how to
put my foot in different things, whether that was bartending
(06:33):
or waitressing, all the way to you know, writing for
other outlets, which is how honestly, I got a lot
of my bylines in the beginning part of my career,
so everything always paid off, and then for me, I
just sort of found that to your point, content creation
was just something that I naturally loved. But honestly, what
you mentioned about having like a separation of work and
(06:54):
state from your job, I think is really key, because yeah,
when you don't have anything else to do, work can
become your life. And I'm not saying that that's always
a bad thing. Some people really find meaning in their
identity at work, but I think that it's always nice
to have something else, just to be on the safe side.
I have seen friends get laid off. I myself have
already survived for layoffs in my career so and been
(07:17):
impacted by one, so I know what it's like to
feel like the rug is being pulled from underneath you.
I don't ever want to feel that way. Another thing
that I think is really important about side hustles, which
is why I always said it's good to have something else,
is it's building network and community whether it is something
completely related to what you want to do, or it's
something that you just tend to be good at that
(07:38):
you really don't want to become a full time career.
It's helping you get out there, build connections with other people,
and ultimately that network and those connections are who's going
to look out for you when you're looking for a
new job, when you're looking for your next opportunity, who
are going to advocate for you when you're building this
online digital presence. So I don't know if you guys
(07:58):
gonna tell it not, but Jim is fully one invested
in side hustles. The only thing is it can get
super tricky when you're trying to juggle those and your
nine to five time management is the most important thing.
And when you take on a little bit more than
you can chew, you will end up burning the candle
from both ends, right Because for me, I was like, Okay,
(08:19):
I know what hours I'm working my nine to five,
but then I also had a ton of hours both
before and after work that I was pouring into my
side hustles, and including weekends nights. I always say that
I gave up my twenties and I hustled so that
I could kind of relax a little in my thirties.
So looking back on it, there were a lot of
things that I missed out on weddings, birthdays, trips, and
(08:44):
some of that I do look back and I'm like, uh,
you know, Jamay, you could have probably pushed your deadline
back to your editor and done this. But at the
same time, I do think that it's positioned me in
a way that I can benefit from the fruits of
that labor. So I think, like everyone has to sort
of evaluate, But what I think we don't need to
evaluate is if Geohn needs a side hustle, make some
(09:04):
cookies on it.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Oh my god, does that mean I have to do taxes?
Because I know absolutely I want to get more into
the balancing piece. But I do just want to clarify.
I think with side hustles it can be a bit
confusing because there also has been a narrative of gen
Z working multiple jobs, and I think that is separate
from side hustles. Like you mentioned you were bartending. All
that like working multiple jobs a lot of times is
(09:28):
financially motivated right to make ends meet, where a side
hustle really is something that allows you to be a
bit more creative, and it's something that allows you to
pursue kind of a passion or a purpose outside of
your nine to five, which in your case was freelance
writing while you were working your nine to five jobs.
So I'm wondering when you were doing that, was there
any I don't know, if you want to get into this,
(09:49):
Oh gosh, were there any times where it was like
conflict of interest or like frowned upon for you to
be doing that, because I think that's a lot of
the hesitation is Well, my company find out and we
know that some employers are like, you can't have side
hustles where some who if you know, if you're an
employer and you want to retain gen Z talent, except
(10:10):
side hustles, So you know, some some do, some don't.
So I'm wondering did you ever receive pushback and how
did you navigate that?
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yes, I have always always had to disclose and advance
what the things that I'm working on to create visibility
as to what that can look like. I would definitely
say in the beginning part of my career, especially as
a journalist, you are supposed to to some degree be
an extension of the brand that you write for. Right,
It's the blessing and sometimes the curse of being a journalist.
(10:38):
Your personal identity does not matter as much as the
corporate identity in which you add. I never liked that
because at the end of the day, I have a
personality and I also believe that I could build my
own personal community of people who then become enticed by
the professional identity that we offered. I would say that
now over the last couple of years, it's been a
(10:59):
little eas right. I think like as more people are
speaking about the creator economy, as more people are coming
in very bullish saying I'm not giving this up.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
You know.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
I have had to walk away from opportunities before because
I was like, if you won't let me still be
able to, you know, fuel the flame of this thing
that brings me passion, then I have to evaluate. I've
always been willing to bet on myself, and I think
that the challenge is the older you get, the more
uh what's the word risk averse? Yes, you don't want
(11:28):
to make as many risks, like maybe I got dogs,
if feed they like snacks.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
And they're hustling.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
They are hustling, right, I imagine my dog being like, oh,
so you can just sit on the couch, right, she
was like, ah, I'm paid for the premium treats. But
you do get a little bit more risk adverse, I
think as you start adding in different elements. And so
I would say when you're young, Oh, that's when you
really got to just like throw caution to the wind
to some degree. Right, Like, obviously take into account your
(11:53):
particular situation and what that can look like. But I
always have believed that if you take the bet on yourself,
you will.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
And so how do you know when it's time to
take that leap of faith and turn your side hustle
into a full time job. We're talking with career coach
Jauline Dulnay about how to grow your business and follow
your entrepreneurial spirit. Ooh that's next.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
All right, y'all, So we are back. We are talking
all about side hustles today, which, oh god, I love
this topic. But it's not just about me and Gianna
talking about it. We needed to bring an expert, someone
who has lived walked these miles in her beautiful, delicious shoes. Gianna,
who do we have this week?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Okay? I am so excited. We're bringing my friend Jeline Dulnay,
who is the founder of The Postgrad Playbook, a media
organization that helps guide new grads on how to release
mindset blocks and go after their professional goals. She was
in New Grads Shoe. It was not too long ago.
Jelline graduated college in twenty nineteen and pursued a career
in sales, but she always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so
(13:08):
she started creating personal development content on the side, and
ultimately that became her nine to five job. Jelline, welcome
to the show. Hi, We're so excited.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I'm so excited to be here also, and that was
an amazing intro. I'm so excited that, like I just
want to sing like jelly Jellye.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
So let's lay the ground out for our listeners before
we even begin, and we get into our listener question
of the week. Talk us through how your coaching business
even came to be.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yeah, so it was a windy journey a little bit.
Like Gianna mentioned, I started creating personal development and career
cared related content back in twenty twenty and people were
resonating because I tailored it around the postgrad experience. A
lot of times right when you graduated college, especially twenty
twenty grads, there was this sense of loneliness, like loss
(14:04):
of connection. A lot of people didn't get to walk
the stage, and now you're sort of thrust into adulthood
and it's like what do I do now? So I
was sort of in this period as well, so I
was reading a lot of personal development and career related
things and sharing them online. Over time, that audience grew
and I branched out into other platforms. Like Jihanna mentioned,
(14:26):
I worked in corporate sales and a big part of
that was social selling and social selling specifically on LinkedIn.
So what I would do is I would post a
lot of my thoughts and my insights and eventually started
to grow a following there to not only build my
personal brand but also generate leads. And I think the
most rewarding part of that whole process was people saying, oh,
(14:47):
this really helps me. So it led to speaking engagements
and ways to help people. But I found that there
was sort of like a one on one gap, so
I felt like it naturally segued into coaching since I
was all aready sharing, so much of this information on
a broad platform in a media format. And you know,
I was able to get my coaching certifications that was
(15:09):
really honed in on the personal development piece so that
I can support the career piece, and eventually that became
my full time thing.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
So how did you make that transition from your career
in sales to going full time on content creation.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
It didn't happen the way that I expected it to.
I worked in tech, and I worked in sales, and
anyone who works corporate knows that sales teams are the
first ones to go. In twenty twenty three, I remember
at one point there were ninety thousand tech layoffs. So
my team and I we were looking left and right.
We're like, oh gosh, I hope we're not next. But
(15:41):
one day, on a random Wednesday, we all got the
laid off message. So by then I'd been creating content
for some time. I had some really good indicators. I
had signed up for my coaching certification the week prior,
so I felt like God was telling me, okay, you
into your next chapter. And I'd also been preparing mentally
(16:03):
for what do I want to do next. It's also
really important to note that working in sales it's a grind,
you know, you were constantly putting in a lot of effort.
So after working in sales for so many years, in
my first post grad job and my second, I got
to the point where I was a little bit burnt out,
and so I said to myself, you know, in conjuncture
(16:25):
with everything else that was happening, I want to be
able to give so much of that energy that I
was giving my nine to five back to myself and
let's see what I can do.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I want to bring up one of our listener questions next.
This is our segment Dear Work Bestie, where we answer
your questions. This week's comes from Luisa in New York.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Something that I'm really curious about and would love your
input on is how I can best balance my passion
projects with my day job without compromising the quality of
my work in each area.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Okay, so that's a really good question because balance seeing
that side gig with your nine to five job is
definitely a turkey. So when you were in that position,
working your corporate sales job and also creating content on
the side, how did you find balance And what's your
advice to someone like Luisa who doesn't want to, you know,
compromise the quality.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Of her work.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
So what I did is I took stock of when
I was the most creative and how to start my day.
So that meant waking up a little bit earlier, because
I'm my most creative and I have my best ideas
in the morning. So the first thing that I would
do in the morning after my morning routine is get
my content ready, or start to get my ideas ready,
(17:38):
or write start to write a new blog post. So
maybe if it's for an hour or two before work,
I know that can be a lot, or you can
split it to an hour before work an hour after work.
You can sort of start to fall into a pattern
and routine. Also, I would say that it is easier
if you schedule and plan over the course of a week.
(17:59):
So let's say you are someone who's a graphic designer, right,
and then you want to have more clients. Maybe some
days you are specifically pitching, some days you're specifically working
on the graphic design, and so on. So that way
it's not like, oh, everything's so up in the air,
I have no schedule, I have no routine. Things feel
(18:19):
out of my hands. It's like you're structuring every single day,
and that way, you know your brain is able to
go through a task a lot faster, because when you're
jumping from task to task to task, it slows down
your productivity.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I feel like my whole Like for You page is
like my five to nine before nine to five, or
my five to nine after my nine to five. It's
really about like finding the time that works best for you.
And I love that you like took an audit of
when you were most creative and allocated you know that
work to those periods.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I agree. So you were in Louisa's position at one point,
and you've talked about how you know you made the
decision to go all in in your side hustle. But
one thing that I constantly hear from people is is
this the right time? What are your thoughts? Is there
ever really a perfect time for one to hop into
(19:10):
entrepreneurship or is this sort of like a baby, I'm
a jump and let the net appear hopefully.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
That's terrifying.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Are we just shooting shooting out and just hoping for
the best.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Oh god, Oh no, I don't think that there's ever
a right time to really jump in. I was listening
to a podcast called Balanced Black Girl, and the founder
Les was talking about what happened when she wanted to
go into full time entrepreneurship and do her podcast full time,
(19:43):
and she was saying that someone advised her that there
will never be a right time, but you'll know when
it is the right time. And I completely one resonate
with that sentiment. For me, the time was chosen for me.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I wanted to.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
I wanted to, eventually, like you know, be the person
who says, you know what today's going to be the
day I quit my nine to five and I'm pursuing
the post grad playbook and everything that I've built myself.
But sometimes it's chosen for you and you might not
feel it's the right time. But like you are saying, Jamat,
it's like you jump and then the net appears. I
think that one thing that you can do is just
(20:21):
have that insurmountable faith in yourself. I don't think that
there really is any one hundred percent perfect time, but
I think you'll know in your gut and in your
intuition when the time will be.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
So you mentioned the decision was kind of Maine for
you to go full time on the postcrab playbook. But
for somebody who you know has the decision to leave
their nine to five job and go all in on
their side hustle, how should they even go about navigating that?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
Like?
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Is there an action plan they should have in place
before deciding to go all in?
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Yes, there are definitely a couple of things that you
should have first. The main reason why so many people
don't want to jump ship finances.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Yeah, finances.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
You do not want to jump without any kind of
financial plan, So make sure you know you have your
finances in check. I know that a lot of gurus
recommend having an emergency fund, so you can have an
emergency fund. I personally had a goal of your dream
fund outside thank You, because I wanted to give myself
(21:23):
that opportunity. So I personally set aside a specific amount
of savings for myself to be able to pursue this opportunity.
Think about your projections, you know, so, if you're making
a certain amount of money in your business month over month,
do you have the demand of clients coming in or
opportunities coming in that if your corporate job wasn't there anymore,
(21:44):
you'd be able to take on more work and then
it supplements your needs and lifestyles, and also of course
account for taxes and things like that. I'm not a
financial advisor, but check with an accountant, right. I would
also say having a clear business plan of what you
(22:04):
want to do, So who's your company going to serve,
what is the competitive analysis, what's the projections of how
your industry is growing over the next year, has it
been trending up? So having some sort of tangible evidence
that you are going to be okay and that there
is opportunity available for you is super important. I would
also say you need to have a network and a
(22:27):
community of people that are going to support you through
this transition. This is one of the hardest transitions that
you can make because there is some level of a
big what if in financial quote unquote insecurity. I don't
want to say it's completely insecure, but you are betting
on yourself one hundred percent. If you don't have a
supportive network and group of people around you saying that
(22:48):
you can do it, you're going to want to go back.
And trust me, no matter what, You're probably going to
have thoughts that you want to go back. I've had
thoughts that I wanted to go back, but I stuck
it out. I had a great support system also having
multiple streams of income, So figuring out ways that you
can grow with scale and expand the business because without
a doubt, you probably will have to pivot at some point.
(23:10):
So you don't want to just have Plan A. Probably
have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and so on.
But work is hard. You can to make sure that
Plan A is what works out.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
I'm curious when you were starting your business, were there
any resources that you utilize to, you know, figure out
what you were doing? Like I can only imagine, like
you have to file taxes for the first time, maybe
by yourself, so how did you even navigate all of that,
and like were there specific mentors that you relied on?
Specific resources?
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Yes, okay, this is like the number one best resource
that I ever came across. It's called score Score. It's
one hundred percent free, and it's for new business owners,
so it's completely free business mentorship. Like everyone sign up
for it right now, and basically what they do is
they will pair you with a senior executive or an
(24:04):
industry leader for free that will help you grow and
scale your business and provide executive level advice. So let's
say you have this idea, they'll really poke holes to
your idea so that it gets to the point where
it's bulletproof, and they'll be like, okay, so what have
you done for your taxes? Do you have an accountant?
Do you have a lawyer? These are the things that
you need to do. So personally, in my experience, I
(24:26):
got paired with an executive ex executive memorial and she
was a marketing leader and so she helps me through
a lot of the things that I'm doing with my
business and helps put me up for opportunities as well.
She's amazing. And if you do have other aspirations, let's
say you are looking for someone who's going to help
you SEO optimize your website. They have a whole network
(24:48):
of mentors so they can cross mentor you so they'll
pair you with someone who will teach you how to
SEO optimize your website so that way you can get
more leads. So that's the first one I think. Another
resource that I used is YouTube University. There's so much
information on there about what you can do and people
who are very good sharing a lot of expert level information.
(25:15):
Oh last thing, let people know what you're doing. A
lot of times we do want to build in private,
and we might be a little bit shy about what
you're doing. If people can help you, if they know
what you're doing, So be loud about yourself.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Oh, but it's so embarrassing.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
No it's not.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
It's only embarrassing if you let it be embarrassing.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Oh, I feel so cringe when you post things that
it's like, oh, I didn't get this or this didn't
go right. But yes, you're right. There's a community element
and I love that. A lot of the tips that
you share talk all about how you are building community.
But also you don't have to go for broke in
order to get that access, like the same way you
(25:53):
vet if someone is credible or professional or if they're
sharing good information. There are a lot of people out
there who are doing that, and so I really appreciate
you for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
I have a few last questions to ask you about,
you know, like looking back on your journey now. Two questions.
One is like, what's the biggest lesson you've learned through
all of that? And then is there something you wish
you knew when starting out that you want to share
with people? Who are considering a similar path.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
I think the number one thing that I learned is
you have to have an unshakable faith in yourself. The
amount that you believe in yourself is exactly how much
you're going to be able to accomplish. Having that confidence
in yourself and what you're selling and your own sense
of worthiness is going to be the absolute game changer.
Not to sound like a Disney Channel movie, although we
(26:44):
wouldn't be mad about that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they had
some good lessons in there. Okay, but yeah, I think
believing in yourself and working on those limiting beliefs if
you do have any, because if you do have any,
because I promise they will come up at every single
level of success.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
And secondly, I will say.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
That work on your wellness and have those boundaries around
your life and your work, like make sure you're still
making time with your friends and your family and to
do the things that you love. Because when you have
a side hustle, that's your hobby, that's what you just
love to do, that's your escape. But when that escape
becomes your full time job, it takes on a different
(27:26):
place in your life. So make sure that you're refilling
that first cup, so that way you can still have
that joy and you're not burnt out from your passion.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Yeah, you talking about believing in yourself and even acknowledging
what I guess can also be considered imposter syndrome to
some degree is so important because I often think about, like,
if you don't know who you are, or if you
don't know the gifts that you bring when you go
on to social media and you see this person your
age pop in bottles in Miami on the yacht and
(27:58):
you're like, wait, what am I doing here? Like social
media can easily make you feel so small, and so
you knowing who you are and knowing how to pour
back into yourself, but also knowing that you are the
sugar honey iced tea and you to the life at
a party, you are the girl when you walk in
us in there like that is going to help combat
some of those limiting beliefs that can creep in. So
(28:20):
I really appreciate you saying that because I think we
all go through it at every stage of our careers.
You know. Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Also I want to say before we let you go
that if you guys are listening to this, it follows
Jelline on Instagram LinkedIn all the things because the work
you do to help people overcome those limiting beliefs. I mean,
I was in like a workshop of yours at one point,
I think is incredible. So if you're looking to kind
of make this big transition in your life, you are
definitely a resource to everyone. So give her a follow,
(28:49):
and I appreciate you coming on the pod. This is
so much fun. I feel we could talk to you
for like literally.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Hours about that. I want to know, like write down notes.
I'm like, sure, I'm writing down now. I need to
enroll into class. Girl, Okay, I haven't been postgrad in
a while, but I'll be postgrad for you.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
This was so much fun. We really appreciate you sharing
all these insights with us. I know so many people
are gonna gain so much from this.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Thank you so much for having me, Jamy and Gianna like,
this was just the best time it went. It felt
like five minutes. I don't know how that went by
so fast. I could talk to you for hours. As
a certified yapper, I could. But it's fine.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
If you already couldn't tell. We love Charlie and she's
just one of the many many young business owners out
there hustling and thriving coming up. How do you feel
about sending voice memos? Convenient, annoying? That's next.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I'm sad she's gone. I loved that.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I am obsessed.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
So she's the best. No, she's the best. Okay. So
a few things that are sticking with me from that
conversation that Jeannine mentioned is when you are making taking
that leap of faith, because it really is going from
a side hustle to making it the you know, the
real thing the nine to five is you really have
to support yourself with a support system, right, So you
(30:23):
mentioned before part of why you've enjoyed your side hustles
is because it's allowed you to expand your network and
then you then have to lean on those people when
you are making this big decision to form your business
or you know, go into content creation full time. So
I love that she mentioned that, And I also thought
it was funny when she mentioned having a backup plan,
to the backup plan, to the backup land, which is
(30:45):
so me because I feel like if I was ever
making that leap, you know, the anxiety would be through
the roof. So I don't even think you need like
three backup plans, but really to say, Okay, this doesn't
go Plan A, then what is my plan being because
there are going to be hiccups.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Absolutely. One thing that can really help with that is
creating a business plan. Once you really want to do this,
sit down and really start mapping out what you want
that business to look like. Because everything you're doing, whether
it's comparing your competitors to how you want to see
yourself in the market, it's going to set you up
for success. And I feel like it gives the girlies
a little bit more structure. And then the last thing
(31:25):
I will say that really stuck with me, because I
am a woman of faith, is that you have to
have an unshakable sense of faith in this. Okay. Now,
whether it's about you believing in a different power or
you even just believing in yourself. There are going to
be a lot of good days, but there are also
going to be a ton of bad days. Your job
is to survive the bad days. And I love that
(31:45):
she gave that as an actionable takeaway because I think
that if you can conquer those limiting beliefs, you got
to tell yourself that you already are the sugar honey
iced tea. You gotta look yourself in a mirror and
say that you are that girl. Yeah, And I know
a lot of people are like but I don't feel
confident yet.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
Fake itaake it, so you make it. Maybe I love that. Okay,
I think it's time we do some cringe or cool.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Oh my gosh, I love grinder cool. So if this
is your first time tuning in, y'all, cringe are cool
is when Gianna and I introduce a topic of the
week and we get to discuss is it cool or
is it a little cringe? And I mean honestly, like
we've we've been pretty a line.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Yeah, yeah, sometimes we're cringing.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
I think I think we're hard cringing. So, Giana, what's
the topic this week?
Speaker 2 (32:26):
All right? Today we're talking about sending voice memos and
set a text messages. And I'm going to tell you something.
I am so here for this again. That's let us know. No, okay,
this is my thing, which I don't know if I'm
subjecting my friends and family to this and if I am,
(32:47):
guys letting you know. But I can't string a thought
together at the end of the day, especially I type
all day. I write all day, like I can't text you.
If you need me, call me. And if I'm going
to message you, and it's like three, I'm most likely
sending you a voice memo. Also like there's nothing like
just catching up with the girls over the weekend with
voice memos, like sending what happened? I'm so here for it.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
I agree. I think that when I send large chunks
of text messages, it naturally gives me anxiety, and I
know it for a fact it gives other people anxiety.
But when I send a nice voice memo, you can
hear it in my voice, like if I'm happy or
if I'm sad. I also cannot string a thought to
save my life. I very much so have the attention
(33:32):
of a squirrel. So like I'm always thinking of things
in the moment as So that's kind of the challenge,
right because with the voice brain dumb. Though, here's the
problem that's me. I'm not going down my philosophical bag.
I'm gonna be like, okay, I'm you know, I'm sending
Gianna a voice memo about this project. But then also,
oh my god, Gianna, but then I saw gossip Girl
this weekend. But then also do this on my end.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Being like, here are the bullet points I need to
hit my response.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Honestly, the best thing that ever happened was for them
to give transcripts to voice memos, because who was keeping up?
Speaker 2 (34:04):
I mean, it was it's homework. Sometimes it's homework. Like
if you're sending me a four minute voice memo, now
it's homework, which I will, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
I've definitely hit the limits of voice memos before, and
I kept talking because I didn't know I hit the limit.
Where do you think it could ever be cringe? Because
I definitely have an idea.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Well, I do think it's cringe if it's just a
brain dump, Like yeah, I'm not your therapist, I do
love you so much, but like you know, keep it tight, yeah,
keep it quick. And I think we're also can get
cringe if you're expecting a voice memo in return, like
some people are not voice memo girlies, and that's totally fine.
So I think if you send it out there, like
(34:41):
I've definitely sent it to people on the team who
I would not ever expect it to send one back,
and I'm like, hey, just like you know, I give
context around the voice memo because when you first get one,
you're like, what is this?
Speaker 1 (34:52):
Right? I want her to click?
Speaker 2 (34:54):
So definitely give some context because getting it randomly. Ooh,
that's scary.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Well, you guys, let us know cooler. I have a
feeling everyone's gonna be like their call.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Can you send us voice memos, guys, we would love that.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
No literally. If for a listener questions, send us voice memos.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Speaking of listener questions, thank you so much Louisa for
your amazing question this week. You guys, you can be
just by her. Send us your questions. Information on how
to do that is in the show description. Do not
say that I did not tell you. Look in the
show description.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
Also, make sure you guys are following the newsletter. If
you're not already, it's called you guessed it. Let's talk offline.
We go even deeper into the topics we discuss on
the pod. There's some exclusive content. All the things you
can find the link in the show description and it's
also in my LinkedIn bio.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
Yes. Now, one last thing we got to remind you, guys,
do not forget to rate and follow the show. We
don't want you to miss this good content. Okay, I
know you have been laughing with me and Gianna. You
can keep laughing, rate and follow the show.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
And before you go, remember we've always got your back.
So if something comes up, Let's Talk Offline.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
And I'm Jama Jackson Gadsden, Stay Thriving.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Let's Talk Offline is a production of LinkedIn News and
iHeart Podcasts. This show is produced by Western Sound. Our
producer is Sabrina Fang. The show is edited by Savannah Wright.
Our associate producer is Sarah Dilley. Alex mckinnis is our engineer,
and Ben Adair is the executive producer.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
Executive producers at iHeart Podcasts are Katrina Norvel and Nikki Etour.
We got support from LinkedIn's Jesse Hemple, Sarah Storm, and
Ayana Angel. Maya Pope Chappelle is director of Content, Dave
Pond is Head of News Production, Courtney Coop is Head
of Original Programming, and Dan Ros is the editor in
(36:44):
chief of LinkedIn
LinkedIn News. I mean, I've always been a hustle queen.
Like I remember even in elementary school. I was like
going to the school store buying your racers notepads and
then flipping them. Oh my god, like, yeah, you could
buy it for a dollar there, but I'm gonna charge
your dollar.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
An entrepreneur from day one, because.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I would stand outside classrooms and I'd be like, oh,
you got your notepad here?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You always that kid. Everyone had that kid that was me.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Baby. Thank God I didn't turn to a life of crime.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
But from LinkedIn News and i Heeart Podcasts, this is
Let's Talk offline, a show about what it takes to
thrive in the early years of your career without sacrificing
your values, sanity or sleep. I'm Gianna Prudenti.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
And I'm Jamay Jackson Gadston. Listen, y'all. Gen Z came
out the womb hustling. There's always been this talk about
young people and how people are lazy, y'all don't want
to work. But the truth is that nearly half of
the young workers are balancing that nine to five with
their side gig, whether it's them building businesses or even
just creating content online. It's really admirable how y'all are
(01:09):
out here a hustling. You are pursuing those passion projects,
and most importantly to big Auntie Jamai, you are diversifying
those income treas.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Ooh, yes, it's so true. Side hustles really can like
lay the foundation for a full time career. But obviously
that doesn't happen overnight. It can be a long, rocky,
rocky road which starts with figuring out what do you
even want your side hustle to be and how do
you eventually turn it into the main thing. We're gonna
talk through the ups and downs of managing a side
(01:38):
hustle and what you can do to make that journey
just a bit easier.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Okay, guys, so today we are talking all about side hustles,
which is actually one of my favorite topics. We're gonna
be talking about how to manage them alongside your full
time job and possible how to turn it into that
full time career. Okay, your side hustle doesn't have to
be the side chick anymore. She could be the main squeeze.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I don't know if you guys have heard this, but
gen Z's allegedly been called the side hustle generation Gianna
in your reporting, What have you seen or found that
supports or denies that.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, that's definitely been the narrative for the past like
year or so, maybe the last two years, that gen
Z is openly embracing side hustles, And I do think
it's true. I think with any you know, headline like that,
it's a bit of a generalization, you know, to be transparent, like,
I don't have a side hustle, you know, hustle that
we need. Do I've been thinking about one and I'll
(02:40):
share more about that, But yeah, I think in general,
like we've been called the side hustle generation because we've
been approaching work differently, just based on the time that
we enter the workforce. And I think something that a
lot of gen Zers really believe is in the importance
of having more of a portfolio career, right, Like, we
don't expect to get one hundred percent from our nine
(03:02):
to five jobs, so we're pursuing our passions and interests elsewhere,
whether that be you know, creating content online or actually
having a side business and selling something. So we're finding
fulfillment through different avenues rather than just relying on our
nine to five job to do that. I like that, yeah,
And another reason is side hustles allow us to diversify
(03:22):
our our income. Right. So we saw over the last
few years with mass layoffs that employers can kind of
just drop you on a dime. It's a sad reality
of maybe a worker loyalty now, yeah, and it's totally
made us question company loyalty.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
So I think it's a way to have financial security
in a time where there is no stability, and side
hustles are a way for us to you know, not
only make more money, but also diversify our income streams
just in case something does happen. And then I think, ultimately,
like gen Z, being called a side hustle generation just
comes down to us not wanting to be boxed in
(03:59):
by our jobs and wanting to have one single identity.
So a lot of people do have side hustles. Some don't,
like myself, but I haven't thinking like should I turn
my baking into a side business. But I'm like, if
I make money off of something I get so much
passion out of, will it lose the sparkle?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Sometimes that's the challenge. Yeah, because once you actually start
having to create structure and the thing that you just
naturally love to do. It can make you kind of
fall out of.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Love despite how much I love structure.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
But there's like something different about But what I will
say is there is a benefit to having a side
hustle while also having like a full time something else.
You are not obligated to have to make a certain
amount in order to hit your quota or pay your rent.
So I would say, you know, maybe dip your tone.
I want to eat some cookies or something.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, I won't make you pay for them.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Charging.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
I'm wondering for you, how did you even get started
with your side hustles?
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Like how did that even? Yeah, I mean I've always
been a hustle queen. Like I remember even in elementary school.
I was like going to the school store buying your
racers notepads and then flipping them God like, yeah, you
could buy it for a dollar there, but I'm gonna
charge your dollars. An entrepreneur from day one, because I
would stand outside classrooms and I'd be like, oh, you
got your notepad here?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
You always that kid? Everyone had that kid that was baby.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Thank God I didn't turn to a life of crime.
But I've always had a very entrepreneurial spirit. My dad
is a business owner, and he was very like, you
got to go out here and you got to make
your own luck. And I've always loved that drive for me. Though,
a lot of what you mentioned about why gen Z
finds side hustles enticing is exactly why I fell into it.
So back in the day, my side hustle was all
(05:47):
things content creation. I would create video, I would create
blog posts. I was girl always selling sponsored ads on
my website. I was making that money, okay, And so
a lot of it was like in the content creation,
especially like written so like blogging, writing for out reputable outlets,
et cetera. But now I do a lot more in
the entertainment space, so acting, working and maybe consulting with
(06:11):
brands on how they can speak to marginalized communities. So
the side hustle has changed a little bit. But what
thing has not changed. I had to do all of
this because I had to pay rent. And when I
moved to New York, in particular, I was like, this
job I have as a contractor is not going to
pay my bills. And so I always knew how to
put my foot in different things, whether that was bartending
(06:33):
or waitressing, all the way to you know, writing for
other outlets, which is how honestly, I got a lot
of my bylines in the beginning part of my career,
so everything always paid off, and then for me, I
just sort of found that to your point, content creation
was just something that I naturally loved. But honestly, what
you mentioned about having like a separation of work and
(06:54):
state from your job, I think is really key, because yeah,
when you don't have anything else to do, work can
become your life. And I'm not saying that that's always
a bad thing. Some people really find meaning in their
identity at work, but I think that it's always nice
to have something else, just to be on the safe side.
I have seen friends get laid off. I myself have
already survived for layoffs in my career so and been
(07:17):
impacted by one, so I know what it's like to
feel like the rug is being pulled from underneath you.
I don't ever want to feel that way. Another thing
that I think is really important about side hustles, which
is why I always said it's good to have something else,
is it's building network and community whether it is something
completely related to what you want to do, or it's
something that you just tend to be good at that
(07:38):
you really don't want to become a full time career.
It's helping you get out there, build connections with other people,
and ultimately that network and those connections are who's going
to look out for you when you're looking for a
new job, when you're looking for your next opportunity, who
are going to advocate for you when you're building this
online digital presence. So I don't know if you guys
(07:58):
gonna tell it not, but Jim is fully one invested
in side hustles. The only thing is it can get
super tricky when you're trying to juggle those and your
nine to five time management is the most important thing.
And when you take on a little bit more than
you can chew, you will end up burning the candle
from both ends, right Because for me, I was like, Okay,
(08:19):
I know what hours I'm working my nine to five,
but then I also had a ton of hours both
before and after work that I was pouring into my
side hustles, and including weekends nights. I always say that
I gave up my twenties and I hustled so that
I could kind of relax a little in my thirties.
So looking back on it, there were a lot of
things that I missed out on weddings, birthdays, trips, and
(08:44):
some of that I do look back and I'm like, uh,
you know, Jamay, you could have probably pushed your deadline
back to your editor and done this. But at the
same time, I do think that it's positioned me in
a way that I can benefit from the fruits of
that labor. So I think, like everyone has to sort
of evaluate, But what I think we don't need to
evaluate is if Geohn needs a side hustle, make some
(09:04):
cookies on it.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Oh my god, does that mean I have to do taxes?
Because I know absolutely I want to get more into
the balancing piece. But I do just want to clarify.
I think with side hustles it can be a bit
confusing because there also has been a narrative of gen
Z working multiple jobs, and I think that is separate
from side hustles. Like you mentioned you were bartending. All
that like working multiple jobs a lot of times is
(09:28):
financially motivated right to make ends meet, where a side
hustle really is something that allows you to be a
bit more creative, and it's something that allows you to
pursue kind of a passion or a purpose outside of
your nine to five, which in your case was freelance
writing while you were working your nine to five jobs.
So I'm wondering when you were doing that, was there
any I don't know, if you want to get into this,
(09:49):
Oh gosh, were there any times where it was like
conflict of interest or like frowned upon for you to
be doing that, because I think that's a lot of
the hesitation is Well, my company find out and we
know that some employers are like, you can't have side
hustles where some who if you know, if you're an
employer and you want to retain gen Z talent, except
(10:10):
side hustles, So you know, some some do, some don't.
So I'm wondering did you ever receive pushback and how
did you navigate that?
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yes, I have always always had to disclose and advance
what the things that I'm working on to create visibility
as to what that can look like. I would definitely
say in the beginning part of my career, especially as
a journalist, you are supposed to to some degree be
an extension of the brand that you write for. Right,
It's the blessing and sometimes the curse of being a journalist.
(10:38):
Your personal identity does not matter as much as the
corporate identity in which you add. I never liked that
because at the end of the day, I have a
personality and I also believe that I could build my
own personal community of people who then become enticed by
the professional identity that we offered. I would say that
now over the last couple of years, it's been a
(10:59):
little eas right. I think like as more people are
speaking about the creator economy, as more people are coming
in very bullish saying I'm not giving this up.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
You know.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
I have had to walk away from opportunities before because
I was like, if you won't let me still be
able to, you know, fuel the flame of this thing
that brings me passion, then I have to evaluate. I've
always been willing to bet on myself, and I think
that the challenge is the older you get, the more
uh what's the word risk averse? Yes, you don't want
(11:28):
to make as many risks, like maybe I got dogs,
if feed they like snacks.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
And they're hustling.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
They are hustling, right, I imagine my dog being like, oh,
so you can just sit on the couch, right, she
was like, ah, I'm paid for the premium treats. But
you do get a little bit more risk adverse, I
think as you start adding in different elements. And so
I would say when you're young, Oh, that's when you
really got to just like throw caution to the wind
to some degree. Right, Like, obviously take into account your
(11:53):
particular situation and what that can look like. But I
always have believed that if you take the bet on yourself,
you will.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
And so how do you know when it's time to
take that leap of faith and turn your side hustle
into a full time job. We're talking with career coach
Jauline Dulnay about how to grow your business and follow
your entrepreneurial spirit. Ooh that's next.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
All right, y'all, So we are back. We are talking
all about side hustles today, which, oh god, I love
this topic. But it's not just about me and Gianna
talking about it. We needed to bring an expert, someone
who has lived walked these miles in her beautiful, delicious shoes. Gianna,
who do we have this week?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Okay? I am so excited. We're bringing my friend Jeline Dulnay,
who is the founder of The Postgrad Playbook, a media
organization that helps guide new grads on how to release
mindset blocks and go after their professional goals. She was
in New Grads Shoe. It was not too long ago.
Jelline graduated college in twenty nineteen and pursued a career
in sales, but she always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so
(13:08):
she started creating personal development content on the side, and
ultimately that became her nine to five job. Jelline, welcome
to the show. Hi, We're so excited.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I'm so excited to be here also, and that was
an amazing intro. I'm so excited that, like I just
want to sing like jelly Jellye.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
So let's lay the ground out for our listeners before
we even begin, and we get into our listener question
of the week. Talk us through how your coaching business
even came to be.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yeah, so it was a windy journey a little bit.
Like Gianna mentioned, I started creating personal development and career
cared related content back in twenty twenty and people were
resonating because I tailored it around the postgrad experience. A
lot of times right when you graduated college, especially twenty
twenty grads, there was this sense of loneliness, like loss
(14:04):
of connection. A lot of people didn't get to walk
the stage, and now you're sort of thrust into adulthood
and it's like what do I do now? So I
was sort of in this period as well, so I
was reading a lot of personal development and career related
things and sharing them online. Over time, that audience grew
and I branched out into other platforms. Like Jihanna mentioned,
(14:26):
I worked in corporate sales and a big part of
that was social selling and social selling specifically on LinkedIn.
So what I would do is I would post a
lot of my thoughts and my insights and eventually started
to grow a following there to not only build my
personal brand but also generate leads. And I think the
most rewarding part of that whole process was people saying, oh,
(14:47):
this really helps me. So it led to speaking engagements
and ways to help people. But I found that there
was sort of like a one on one gap, so
I felt like it naturally segued into coaching since I
was all aready sharing, so much of this information on
a broad platform in a media format. And you know,
I was able to get my coaching certifications that was
(15:09):
really honed in on the personal development piece so that
I can support the career piece, and eventually that became
my full time thing.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
So how did you make that transition from your career
in sales to going full time on content creation.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
It didn't happen the way that I expected it to.
I worked in tech, and I worked in sales, and
anyone who works corporate knows that sales teams are the
first ones to go. In twenty twenty three, I remember
at one point there were ninety thousand tech layoffs. So
my team and I we were looking left and right.
We're like, oh gosh, I hope we're not next. But
(15:41):
one day, on a random Wednesday, we all got the
laid off message. So by then I'd been creating content
for some time. I had some really good indicators. I
had signed up for my coaching certification the week prior,
so I felt like God was telling me, okay, you
into your next chapter. And I'd also been preparing mentally
(16:03):
for what do I want to do next. It's also
really important to note that working in sales it's a grind,
you know, you were constantly putting in a lot of effort.
So after working in sales for so many years, in
my first post grad job and my second, I got
to the point where I was a little bit burnt out,
and so I said to myself, you know, in conjuncture
(16:25):
with everything else that was happening, I want to be
able to give so much of that energy that I
was giving my nine to five back to myself and
let's see what I can do.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I want to bring up one of our listener questions next.
This is our segment Dear Work Bestie, where we answer
your questions. This week's comes from Luisa in New York.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Something that I'm really curious about and would love your
input on is how I can best balance my passion
projects with my day job without compromising the quality of
my work in each area.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Okay, so that's a really good question because balance seeing
that side gig with your nine to five job is
definitely a turkey. So when you were in that position,
working your corporate sales job and also creating content on
the side, how did you find balance And what's your
advice to someone like Luisa who doesn't want to, you know,
compromise the quality.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
Of her work.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
So what I did is I took stock of when
I was the most creative and how to start my day.
So that meant waking up a little bit earlier, because
I'm my most creative and I have my best ideas
in the morning. So the first thing that I would
do in the morning after my morning routine is get
my content ready, or start to get my ideas ready,
(17:38):
or write start to write a new blog post. So
maybe if it's for an hour or two before work,
I know that can be a lot, or you can
split it to an hour before work an hour after work.
You can sort of start to fall into a pattern
and routine. Also, I would say that it is easier
if you schedule and plan over the course of a week.
(17:59):
So let's say you are someone who's a graphic designer, right,
and then you want to have more clients. Maybe some
days you are specifically pitching, some days you're specifically working
on the graphic design, and so on. So that way
it's not like, oh, everything's so up in the air,
I have no schedule, I have no routine. Things feel
(18:19):
out of my hands. It's like you're structuring every single day,
and that way, you know your brain is able to
go through a task a lot faster, because when you're
jumping from task to task to task, it slows down
your productivity.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I feel like my whole Like for You page is
like my five to nine before nine to five, or
my five to nine after my nine to five. It's
really about like finding the time that works best for you.
And I love that you like took an audit of
when you were most creative and allocated you know that
work to those periods.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I agree. So you were in Louisa's position at one point,
and you've talked about how you know you made the
decision to go all in in your side hustle. But
one thing that I constantly hear from people is is
this the right time? What are your thoughts? Is there
ever really a perfect time for one to hop into
(19:10):
entrepreneurship or is this sort of like a baby, I'm
a jump and let the net appear hopefully.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
That's terrifying.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Are we just shooting shooting out and just hoping for
the best.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Oh god, Oh no, I don't think that there's ever
a right time to really jump in. I was listening
to a podcast called Balanced Black Girl, and the founder
Les was talking about what happened when she wanted to
go into full time entrepreneurship and do her podcast full time,
(19:43):
and she was saying that someone advised her that there
will never be a right time, but you'll know when
it is the right time. And I completely one resonate
with that sentiment. For me, the time was chosen for me.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I wanted to.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
I wanted to, eventually, like you know, be the person
who says, you know what today's going to be the
day I quit my nine to five and I'm pursuing
the post grad playbook and everything that I've built myself.
But sometimes it's chosen for you and you might not
feel it's the right time. But like you are saying, Jamat,
it's like you jump and then the net appears. I
think that one thing that you can do is just
(20:21):
have that insurmountable faith in yourself. I don't think that
there really is any one hundred percent perfect time, but
I think you'll know in your gut and in your
intuition when the time will be.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
So you mentioned the decision was kind of Maine for
you to go full time on the postcrab playbook. But
for somebody who you know has the decision to leave
their nine to five job and go all in on
their side hustle, how should they even go about navigating that?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
Like?
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Is there an action plan they should have in place
before deciding to go all in?
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Yes, there are definitely a couple of things that you
should have first. The main reason why so many people
don't want to jump ship finances.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Yeah, finances.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
You do not want to jump without any kind of
financial plan, So make sure you know you have your
finances in check. I know that a lot of gurus
recommend having an emergency fund, so you can have an
emergency fund. I personally had a goal of your dream
fund outside thank You, because I wanted to give myself
(21:23):
that opportunity. So I personally set aside a specific amount
of savings for myself to be able to pursue this opportunity.
Think about your projections, you know, so, if you're making
a certain amount of money in your business month over month,
do you have the demand of clients coming in or
opportunities coming in that if your corporate job wasn't there anymore,
(21:44):
you'd be able to take on more work and then
it supplements your needs and lifestyles, and also of course
account for taxes and things like that. I'm not a
financial advisor, but check with an accountant, right. I would
also say having a clear business plan of what you
(22:04):
want to do, So who's your company going to serve,
what is the competitive analysis, what's the projections of how
your industry is growing over the next year, has it
been trending up? So having some sort of tangible evidence
that you are going to be okay and that there
is opportunity available for you is super important. I would
also say you need to have a network and a
(22:27):
community of people that are going to support you through
this transition. This is one of the hardest transitions that
you can make because there is some level of a
big what if in financial quote unquote insecurity. I don't
want to say it's completely insecure, but you are betting
on yourself one hundred percent. If you don't have a
supportive network and group of people around you saying that
(22:48):
you can do it, you're going to want to go back.
And trust me, no matter what, You're probably going to
have thoughts that you want to go back. I've had
thoughts that I wanted to go back, but I stuck
it out. I had a great support system also having
multiple streams of income, So figuring out ways that you
can grow with scale and expand the business because without
a doubt, you probably will have to pivot at some point.
(23:10):
So you don't want to just have Plan A. Probably
have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and so on.
But work is hard. You can to make sure that
Plan A is what works out.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
I'm curious when you were starting your business, were there
any resources that you utilize to, you know, figure out
what you were doing? Like I can only imagine, like
you have to file taxes for the first time, maybe
by yourself, so how did you even navigate all of that,
and like were there specific mentors that you relied on?
Specific resources?
Speaker 4 (23:41):
Yes, okay, this is like the number one best resource
that I ever came across. It's called score Score. It's
one hundred percent free, and it's for new business owners,
so it's completely free business mentorship. Like everyone sign up
for it right now, and basically what they do is
they will pair you with a senior executive or an
(24:04):
industry leader for free that will help you grow and
scale your business and provide executive level advice. So let's
say you have this idea, they'll really poke holes to
your idea so that it gets to the point where
it's bulletproof, and they'll be like, okay, so what have
you done for your taxes? Do you have an accountant?
Do you have a lawyer? These are the things that
you need to do. So personally, in my experience, I
(24:26):
got paired with an executive ex executive memorial and she
was a marketing leader and so she helps me through
a lot of the things that I'm doing with my
business and helps put me up for opportunities as well.
She's amazing. And if you do have other aspirations, let's
say you are looking for someone who's going to help
you SEO optimize your website. They have a whole network
(24:48):
of mentors so they can cross mentor you so they'll
pair you with someone who will teach you how to
SEO optimize your website so that way you can get
more leads. So that's the first one I think. Another
resource that I used is YouTube University. There's so much
information on there about what you can do and people
who are very good sharing a lot of expert level information.
(25:15):
Oh last thing, let people know what you're doing. A
lot of times we do want to build in private,
and we might be a little bit shy about what
you're doing. If people can help you, if they know
what you're doing, So be loud about yourself.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Oh, but it's so embarrassing.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
No it's not.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
It's only embarrassing if you let it be embarrassing.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Oh, I feel so cringe when you post things that
it's like, oh, I didn't get this or this didn't
go right. But yes, you're right. There's a community element
and I love that. A lot of the tips that
you share talk all about how you are building community.
But also you don't have to go for broke in
order to get that access, like the same way you
(25:53):
vet if someone is credible or professional or if they're
sharing good information. There are a lot of people out
there who are doing that, and so I really appreciate
you for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
I have a few last questions to ask you about,
you know, like looking back on your journey now. Two questions.
One is like, what's the biggest lesson you've learned through
all of that? And then is there something you wish
you knew when starting out that you want to share
with people? Who are considering a similar path.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
I think the number one thing that I learned is
you have to have an unshakable faith in yourself. The
amount that you believe in yourself is exactly how much
you're going to be able to accomplish. Having that confidence
in yourself and what you're selling and your own sense
of worthiness is going to be the absolute game changer.
Not to sound like a Disney Channel movie, although we
(26:44):
wouldn't be mad about that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they had
some good lessons in there. Okay, but yeah, I think
believing in yourself and working on those limiting beliefs if
you do have any, because if you do have any,
because I promise they will come up at every single
level of success.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
And secondly, I will say.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
That work on your wellness and have those boundaries around
your life and your work, like make sure you're still
making time with your friends and your family and to
do the things that you love. Because when you have
a side hustle, that's your hobby, that's what you just
love to do, that's your escape. But when that escape
becomes your full time job, it takes on a different
(27:26):
place in your life. So make sure that you're refilling
that first cup, so that way you can still have
that joy and you're not burnt out from your passion.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Yeah, you talking about believing in yourself and even acknowledging
what I guess can also be considered imposter syndrome to
some degree is so important because I often think about, like,
if you don't know who you are, or if you
don't know the gifts that you bring when you go
on to social media and you see this person your
age pop in bottles in Miami on the yacht and
(27:58):
you're like, wait, what am I doing here? Like social
media can easily make you feel so small, and so
you knowing who you are and knowing how to pour
back into yourself, but also knowing that you are the
sugar honey iced tea and you to the life at
a party, you are the girl when you walk in
us in there like that is going to help combat
some of those limiting beliefs that can creep in. So
(28:20):
I really appreciate you saying that because I think we
all go through it at every stage of our careers.
You know. Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Also I want to say before we let you go
that if you guys are listening to this, it follows
Jelline on Instagram LinkedIn all the things because the work
you do to help people overcome those limiting beliefs. I mean,
I was in like a workshop of yours at one point,
I think is incredible. So if you're looking to kind
of make this big transition in your life, you are
definitely a resource to everyone. So give her a follow,
(28:49):
and I appreciate you coming on the pod. This is
so much fun. I feel we could talk to you
for like literally.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Hours about that. I want to know, like write down notes.
I'm like, sure, I'm writing down now. I need to
enroll into class. Girl, Okay, I haven't been postgrad in
a while, but I'll be postgrad for you.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
This was so much fun. We really appreciate you sharing
all these insights with us. I know so many people
are gonna gain so much from this.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Thank you so much for having me, Jamy and Gianna like,
this was just the best time it went. It felt
like five minutes. I don't know how that went by
so fast. I could talk to you for hours. As
a certified yapper, I could. But it's fine.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
If you already couldn't tell. We love Charlie and she's
just one of the many many young business owners out
there hustling and thriving coming up. How do you feel
about sending voice memos? Convenient, annoying? That's next.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I'm sad she's gone. I loved that.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I am obsessed.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
So she's the best. No, she's the best. Okay. So
a few things that are sticking with me from that
conversation that Jeannine mentioned is when you are making taking
that leap of faith, because it really is going from
a side hustle to making it the you know, the
real thing the nine to five is you really have
to support yourself with a support system, right, So you
(30:23):
mentioned before part of why you've enjoyed your side hustles
is because it's allowed you to expand your network and
then you then have to lean on those people when
you are making this big decision to form your business
or you know, go into content creation full time. So
I love that she mentioned that, And I also thought
it was funny when she mentioned having a backup plan,
to the backup plan, to the backup land, which is
(30:45):
so me because I feel like if I was ever
making that leap, you know, the anxiety would be through
the roof. So I don't even think you need like
three backup plans, but really to say, Okay, this doesn't
go Plan A, then what is my plan being because
there are going to be hiccups.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Absolutely. One thing that can really help with that is
creating a business plan. Once you really want to do this,
sit down and really start mapping out what you want
that business to look like. Because everything you're doing, whether
it's comparing your competitors to how you want to see
yourself in the market, it's going to set you up
for success. And I feel like it gives the girlies
a little bit more structure. And then the last thing
(31:25):
I will say that really stuck with me, because I
am a woman of faith, is that you have to
have an unshakable sense of faith in this. Okay. Now,
whether it's about you believing in a different power or
you even just believing in yourself. There are going to
be a lot of good days, but there are also
going to be a ton of bad days. Your job
is to survive the bad days. And I love that
(31:45):
she gave that as an actionable takeaway because I think
that if you can conquer those limiting beliefs, you got
to tell yourself that you already are the sugar honey
iced tea. You gotta look yourself in a mirror and
say that you are that girl. Yeah, And I know
a lot of people are like but I don't feel
confident yet.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
Fake itaake it, so you make it. Maybe I love that. Okay,
I think it's time we do some cringe or cool.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Oh my gosh, I love grinder cool. So if this
is your first time tuning in, y'all, cringe are cool
is when Gianna and I introduce a topic of the
week and we get to discuss is it cool or
is it a little cringe? And I mean honestly, like
we've we've been pretty a line.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Yeah, yeah, sometimes we're cringing.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
I think I think we're hard cringing. So, Giana, what's
the topic this week?
Speaker 2 (32:26):
All right? Today we're talking about sending voice memos and
set a text messages. And I'm going to tell you something.
I am so here for this again. That's let us know. No, okay,
this is my thing, which I don't know if I'm
subjecting my friends and family to this and if I am,
(32:47):
guys letting you know. But I can't string a thought
together at the end of the day, especially I type
all day. I write all day, like I can't text you.
If you need me, call me. And if I'm going
to message you, and it's like three, I'm most likely
sending you a voice memo. Also like there's nothing like
just catching up with the girls over the weekend with
voice memos, like sending what happened? I'm so here for it.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
I agree. I think that when I send large chunks
of text messages, it naturally gives me anxiety, and I
know it for a fact it gives other people anxiety.
But when I send a nice voice memo, you can
hear it in my voice, like if I'm happy or
if I'm sad. I also cannot string a thought to
save my life. I very much so have the attention
(33:32):
of a squirrel. So like I'm always thinking of things
in the moment as So that's kind of the challenge,
right because with the voice brain dumb. Though, here's the
problem that's me. I'm not going down my philosophical bag.
I'm gonna be like, okay, I'm you know, I'm sending
Gianna a voice memo about this project. But then also,
oh my god, Gianna, but then I saw gossip Girl
this weekend. But then also do this on my end.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Being like, here are the bullet points I need to
hit my response.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Honestly, the best thing that ever happened was for them
to give transcripts to voice memos, because who was keeping up?
Speaker 2 (34:04):
I mean, it was it's homework. Sometimes it's homework. Like
if you're sending me a four minute voice memo, now
it's homework, which I will, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
I've definitely hit the limits of voice memos before, and
I kept talking because I didn't know I hit the limit.
Where do you think it could ever be cringe? Because
I definitely have an idea.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Well, I do think it's cringe if it's just a
brain dump, Like yeah, I'm not your therapist, I do
love you so much, but like you know, keep it tight, yeah,
keep it quick. And I think we're also can get
cringe if you're expecting a voice memo in return, like
some people are not voice memo girlies, and that's totally fine.
So I think if you send it out there, like
(34:41):
I've definitely sent it to people on the team who
I would not ever expect it to send one back,
and I'm like, hey, just like you know, I give
context around the voice memo because when you first get one,
you're like, what is this?
Speaker 1 (34:52):
Right? I want her to click?
Speaker 2 (34:54):
So definitely give some context because getting it randomly. Ooh,
that's scary.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Well, you guys, let us know cooler. I have a
feeling everyone's gonna be like their call.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Can you send us voice memos, guys, we would love that.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
No literally. If for a listener questions, send us voice memos.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Speaking of listener questions, thank you so much Louisa for
your amazing question this week. You guys, you can be
just by her. Send us your questions. Information on how
to do that is in the show description. Do not
say that I did not tell you. Look in the
show description.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
Also, make sure you guys are following the newsletter. If
you're not already, it's called you guessed it. Let's talk offline.
We go even deeper into the topics we discuss on
the pod. There's some exclusive content. All the things you
can find the link in the show description and it's
also in my LinkedIn bio.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
Yes. Now, one last thing we got to remind you, guys,
do not forget to rate and follow the show. We
don't want you to miss this good content. Okay, I
know you have been laughing with me and Gianna. You
can keep laughing, rate and follow the show.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
And before you go, remember we've always got your back.
So if something comes up, Let's Talk Offline.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
And I'm Jama Jackson Gadsden, Stay Thriving.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Let's Talk Offline is a production of LinkedIn News and
iHeart Podcasts. This show is produced by Western Sound. Our
producer is Sabrina Fang. The show is edited by Savannah Wright.
Our associate producer is Sarah Dilley. Alex mckinnis is our engineer,
and Ben Adair is the executive producer.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
Executive producers at iHeart Podcasts are Katrina Norvel and Nikki Etour.
We got support from LinkedIn's Jesse Hemple, Sarah Storm, and
Ayana Angel. Maya Pope Chappelle is director of Content, Dave
Pond is Head of News Production, Courtney Coop is Head
of Original Programming, and Dan Ros is the editor in
(36:44):
chief of LinkedIn
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