There are numerous reasons those with “day jobs” pick up “side hustles” to add to their daily routine. These reasons include, but are not limited to:
1. The need for extra money
2. The desire to explore a new career
3. The side hustle is truly their passion
I have been to many networking events and panel discussions where the topic of the side hustle has come up. Women who have worked as both top executives and new hires in several different industries have expressed their daily rituals in juggling two or more jobs at the same time. One particular maven, who is well known for both her literary successes as well as her other entrepreneurial feats, expressed that while serving as Editor-in-Chief at a major publication, she also was an author at night, penning her first book. She was careful to mention that she never utilized company time to work on her book, so she saw nothing wrong with pursuing two career goals.
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Though this worked for the maven, every employer is not okay with this, even when your side work is not done on company time. Some employment agreements (not just contracts, but agreements and work policy documents) attempt to forbid full time employees from having second jobs, whether they are entrepreneurial efforts or not. I think this is total and utter bull crap, but it really hones in on the notion that most day jobs want their employees to be focused on one thing and that is the goals and objectives of the company that has hired them.
I have purposely not signed some employment agreements because I did not agree with this language of focusing all of my energy on one job. On the flip side, I have also been “coerced” into signing such agreements just to get my checks that were withheld due to this “missing paperwork.”
I recently became reacquainted with a young lady who is making a name for herself in digital media. She is a full time employee of a major media entity, but I also noticed on her signature line that she is an adjunct professor, entrepreneur and contributor to other publications. Seeing these many titles behind her name sang heavenly songs to my soul.
It is refreshing to see this young woman making a name for herself in every area that she holds gifts. Instead of limiting her realm of employment to one day job, she has chosen to exercise and utilize her time and talents to fully explore everything that she is. Additionally, a client who has achieved national success with her fashion movement once told me that while working in fashion production, she never let her employers or colleagues know about her new business. I did not understand this at first, because I naively believed that they would support her efforts in showcasing new designers. She would later tell me that she noticed her boss was treating her differently when she even mentioned ideas about spearheading a movement for new designers. It was as if her boss resented her for thinking outside of the production box, even if she never used company time to work on her ideas. She later quit that job.
Before moving to New York, one of my friends in Houston told me that I will have four different streams of revenue at the same time in my career. When she told me this, I had just taken the Texas Bar Exam, was still clerking at a law firm, and I still held the mentality (as I would for many years to come) that one job is all I need. If it pays well, I only need one job. Experience has taught me to not rely on one stream of revenue. Recessions, companies going out of business, unfair employers, health issues and family emergencies have all taught me that there is no certainty and/or stability in a job.
I am a heavy proponent of self, i.e. doing for self, working for self, making opportunities for self, of course with the assistance of others, but making things happen for you in more than one conventional way.
However, here is my word of caution. Self-made side hustling is not for everyone, and even if you have determined that due to a need for additional revenue or the need to feed your soul with passionate work, be certain to know the rules and weigh the consequences surrounding your day job before moving forward.
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Rashida Maples, Esq. is Founder and Managing Partner of J. Maples & Associates (www.jmaplesandassociates.com). She has practiced Entertainment, Real Estate and Small Business Law for 9 years, handling both transactional and litigation matters. Her clients include R&B Artists Bilal and Olivia, NFL Superstar Ray Lewis, Fashion Powerhouse Harlem’s Fashion Row and Hirschfeld Properties, LLC.
