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Understanding Motivations of Your Own & Others in 4 Steps

Understanding Motivations of Your Own & Others in 4 Steps

An employee leaves shortly after receiving a raise. A team exceeds an ambitious stretch goal. A top achiever’s performance slides for no apparent reason.

Sometimes managers are surprised by these outcomes, which may be due to a mismatch between a manager’s beliefs about employee motivation and what actually motivates a particular employee. Complicating matters, what motivates one employee may not motivate another. Managers actually understanding motivations of their employees – not how they believe they are motivated but what actually motivated them – may lead to positive organizational outcomes.

Recently, researchers at the University of San Diego published a study in the Journal of Business Administration Research that developed and validated a psychological test to assess which motivational theories a manager believes in called the motivation beliefs inventory (MBI). The researchers explain that managers tend to hold erroneous beliefs about what motivates employees, overemphasizing certain factors, such as job security and compensation, and underemphasizing others, such as meaningful work and growth.

Using the MBI, managers’ beliefs can be assessed along four key motivation theories that have emerged since the early twentieth century: reinforcement theory (RT), expectancy-valence theory (EVT), achievement motivation theory (AMT), and self-determination theory (SDT).

Theories of Motivation
Reinforcement theory is based on using positive and negative reinforcements to incentivize employees to behave in a desired manner. In expectancy-valence theory, motivation can be determined by first examining the emotional desirability, attractiveness, and anticipated satisfaction of a particular outcome. A manager must then assess the likelihood of a particular course of action, such as assigning a particular project to an employee to bring about a desired result at a given time in the future.

Achievement motivation theory (AMT) purports that meeting three separate psychological needs motivate an individual: achievement, affiliation, and power. It is comprised of:

(1) socialized needs for achievement, affiliation, and power;
(2) striving to achieve something novel or record-breaking;
(3) challenge level of a goal;
(4) competing to win.

Finally, self-determination theory (SDT) posits, “individuals are naturally inclined to engage in and increase competence within their environments.” SDT suggests that the most important factor in motivating individuals is to create a positive environment that allows autonomy. In contrast to Reinforcement Theory, employees under SDT will be most successful and satisfied with their work in situations that are free of incentives and punishments.

The Three M’s
Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter of Harvard Business School discusses similar origins to motivation as the motivation beliefs inventory. She believes that mastery, membership, and meaning are the three “M”s that motivate employees. Kanter’s view intersects most with achievement motivation theory, both on mastery (achievement) and membership (affiliation). When discussing mastery, she advocates enabling people to develop deep skills and shape their future through stretch goals. In fact, behavioral economist Dan Ariely asserts that the more difficult the challenge the prouder a person feels of their achievement. This also aligns with achievement motivation theory in that the importance of the achievement is further magnified for the most challenging goals.

Kanter’s second “M,” membership, also aligns with the affiliation component of achievement motivation theory. The traditional view of affiliation focuses on pleasing others and gaining their approval. However, Kanter’s view of this sense of belonging is different. She believes that honoring individuality within the work community provides deeper connections than what she calls “superficial conformity.”

For Kanter’s third component she focuses on meaning rather than power, as in achievement motivation theory. However, these two concepts have more in common than initially meets the eye. Employees find their work meaningful when they understand the larger purpose of their daily tasks. As a manager, explaining the positive impact that an employee’s work has on the world is important. While in some industries and functions this may be more challenging than in others, an adaptation of this would be to show the positive impact that the employee’s function has on the organization itself.

According to achievement motivation theory, power is associated with the need to influence and have an impact on others. In fact, while Kanter’s concept of meaning focuses solely on impact, the power concept in achievement motivation theory adds another dimension through the need to influence and impact others. Also, the concept of power requires the work to simply have an impact, while meaning requires that impact to be positive.

So what can we do with this knowledge and growing opportunities to understand ourselves and others motivations with tools such as the MBI?

4 Steps to Understanding Your Own & Others Motivations:

1) Understand Your Perspective
Use comprehensive tools such as the MBI to develop a better understanding of your own assumptions of motivations in the workplace. Spend time to analyze the general factors that motivate people and your perceptions of motivation in the workplace. Try to recognize any biases you may hold and what motivates you personally; Incentives? Autonomy? Impact on your organization? Working with others? Objectively piece together your own motivation beliefs puzzle as you build your self-awareness.

2) Distinguish Between Perception and Reality
Are your assumptions about others’ motivations correct or incorrect? As The University of San Diego researchers note, managers often hold erroneous assumptions about employees’ motivation triggers. A good tool to determine if your past motivation techniques were successful can be found in past outcomes. What motivation techniques (incentives, autonomy) led to particularly great outcomes for an employee? What motivation factors were present when an outcome was negative? Each employee is motivated differently and a pattern should emerge about their preferences.

3) Put Yourself in Their Shoes & Initiate an Open Dialogue
Leave behind your own mindset and try to enter your employees’. Acknowledging that you have your own perceptions was the first step. Now you need to quiet that perception to understand someone else’s. Taking the time to be in the same mental space as your employee can have immense benefits.
After you have identified a plausible pattern and done your best to understand their perspective, open a discussion with your employee about your interpretations. This may help illustrate the differences between your motivation beliefs and theirs, as well as allowing you to hear what your team member thinks he or she needs.

4) Recalibrate Based On Your Findings
Reflection and discussion should bring clarity to your own views and the beliefs of your team members on what motivates them. Apply this new knowledge to adapt your leadership style. Use tools such as task allocation, incentives, and granting autonomy depending on what motivation style works best for each team member. While individuals are motivated in different ways, remember to remain fair and objective to maintain a sense of equity.

5) Track Your Results
As with any change, track the results of your motivation tools and outcomes. Positive outcomes will be amplified if you can identify and continue to implement them. Negative outcomes will be minimized by tracking their causes and discontinuing use of those tools.

To motivate employees effectively, managers would be well-served to develop awareness of their own views about what motivates employees. The motivational beliefs inventory may assist in this goal. After assessing their own beliefs in general, managers should also consider what factors motivate each of their employees. As managers assign various tasks and responsibilities among team members, they should seek to align those allocations with the factors they believe will motivate each of their employees.

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How to create a Habit

How to create a habit

Adopting new habits is only ever difficult for one of two reasons:

  1. You don’t understand how habits are structured and how to leverage that structure to your advantage.
  2. You are attempting to do too much too soon and setting yourself up for failure.

Let’s break both of these points down in greater detail.

1. The Structure of Habits

All habits can be broken down into three basic components:

  1. The Cue or Trigger: This is the part of the habit loop where you are triggered to take some sort of action through a cue in your internal or external environment.
  2. The Action: Good or bad, this is the part of the habit loop where you actually take action on the habit you want to adopt or drop.
  3. The Reward: This is the part of the habit loop where your brain receives a reward for taking the desired activity (or not as you will see in just a second).

Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, and an expert on behavioral psychology suggests that most people fail to adopt new habits because they do not understand the structure of habits.

More specifically, most people fail to adequately reward themselves for taking action on a beneficial habit.

Think about it this way…

Most addictive and destructive habits have a built in reward system that requires little or no input from you.

Smoking a cigarette, snorting cocaine, or drinking yourself into oblivion are all easy habits to adopt because they light up your brain with the neurotransmitter dopamine (and a slew of other pleasure chemicals).

These substances naturally reward your brain and encourage continued usage even though they are detrimental to your overall health and well being.

On the other hand, many positive habits such as exercise, meditation, focused work, and healthy eating don’t have immediately obvious rewards.

Yes, after extended practice, exercise, meditation, and focused work will all become activities that naturally stimulate your brain in positive ways and reward you for taking action.

But they need a little bit of help to get started.

For example, studies have shown that consuming a small amount of chocolate post-workout releases similar chemicals and neurotransmitters to those that will eventually be released by the workout itself.

Finding a motivating reward can be applied to any habit if you are creative enough:

  • Eat dark chocolate after your workout.
  • Buy a time based coffee maker that has a fresh cup brewed when you wake up.
  • Reward yourself with 15 minutes of gaming after an intense 90 minute work session.

If you are struggling to make a new habit stick, then you probably are’t aware or consciouly applying the habit loop.

Before moving on to the next point, ask yourself three simple questions.

  1. What are some cues that I can setup in my environment to remind me to take action?
  2. What are some ways I can limit the barrier to action for my desired habit? (E.g. working out from home so you don’t have to commute to the gym.)
  3. How can I reward myself in a positive way that will encourage me to continue pursuing these habits?

If you have seriously contemplated and applied all of these questions and you still can’t make your habit stick… Then you are probably making this mistake:

Setting Unrealistic Goals and Expectations

What would you say if one of your friends came to you and shared the following goals:

  • “I’m going to build a $1 Billion business in 12 months even though I’ve never even launched a profitable company!”
  • “I’m going to run a marathon in 3 months even though I need to lose 50 lbs. and haven’t gone running since high school.”
  • “I’m going to go out and successfully date a Victoria’s Secret Model even though I’m terrified of women and haven’t gone on a date in 2 years”

I don’t know about you, but I would probably laugh them out of the room (lovingly of course).

These goals seem absurd and completely unachievable to the outside viewer, however, these goals are very similar to the habits that most people set.

Think about it.

Habits are effectively just daily goals and most people’s “goals” sound something like this:

  • “Even though I haven’t worked out in years, I’m going to train 6 days a week for 90 minutes and become a bodybuilder.”
  • “Even though I eat fast food 4 times a day right now, I’m going to eliminate all processed foods and eat salad 5 times a day.”
  • “Even though my body is used to waking up at 9 a.m., I’m going to start waking up at 5 a.m. every single day starting tomorrow.”

When you think about them in this way, most people’s approach to forming new habits is so blatantly absurd it’s not even funny.

So what are you supposed to do?

Well, if you really want to make your new habits stick, then you need to be honest with yourself and approach your new habits in a realistic and progressive way (after all life is a marathon, not a sprint).

Here’s a simple 5-step process for creating any habit (courtesy of Mr. James Clear).

1) Make it So Small You Can’t Fail

Most people try to change too much too quickly.

The real key to making a habit stick is to make it so small that you can’t say no.

If you want to get in shape, start by doing one push up.

If you want to become smarter, start by reading one page.

If you want to build a business, start by prospecting for one minute a day.

Set yourself up for success and make your new habits so easy to achieve that they are impossible to fail.

2) Apply the Compound Effect to Your Habits

If you were to take the habits listed above and compound them by only 1% each day, in one year you would have improved each habit roughly 37%.

While that might not seem like a lot, if you compare this progress using something easy to understand - say finances - that’s the difference between making $100,000 a year and $137,000 a year!

If you were to extend the compounding effect to 10 years, you would start off earning $100,000 a year and $1,370,000 a year!

3) Break Big Habits Down

If you continue compounding habits, you will make dramatic improvements in the first 2–3 months.

But it’s important that you keep your habits easy and reasonable.

For example, if your goal is to write your new book for 60 minutes a day, break the 60 minutes in four 15 minute chunks that you complete throughout the day.

If you want to do 100 pull-ups a day, do 10 sets of 10 to make the habit easier to complete.

4) Never Miss Twice

Look, you WILL mess up and slip on your habits.

And it’s OK.

The rule of thumb is that when you fail, you get back on the horse immediately so that you never miss twice.

It’s ok to miss one workout this week, but don’t you dare let it extend to 2 or 3.

It’s fine to miss one day of meditation practice, but you had better plant your butt on a yoga mat tomorrow.

If you follow the rule of “Never Miss Twice” you can fail your way to any goal you desire.

5) Be Patient and Find a Sustainable Pace

If you are reading this and you are under the age of 40, then chances are very high that you will live past 100 years old.

So why in the world do you feel the need to rush everything in your life?

Greatness takes time, building an exceptional life takes time, and building exceptional habits that make you an exceptional human being take time.

Instead of fighting this law, work with it.

Play the long game, be patient, and go at a sustainable pace.

As you’ve already seen, even a 1% daily improvement will have a huge payout if you stick with it for long enough.

So be patient and remember that slow and steady wins the race.

18 Tricks to Make New Habits Stick

Wouldn’t it be nice to have everything run on autopilot? Chores, exercise, eating healthy and getting your work done just happening automatically. Unless they manage to invent robot servants, all your work isn’t going to disappear overnight. But if you program behaviors as new habits you can take out the struggle.

With a small amount of initial discipline, you can create a new habit that requires little effort to maintain. Here are some tips for creating new habits and making them stick:

1. Commit to Thirty Days

Three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic. If you can make it through the initial conditioning phase, it becomes much easier to sustain. A month is a good block of time to commit to a change since it easily fits in your calendar.

2. Make it Daily

Consistency is critical if you want to make a habit stick. If you want to start exercising, go to the gym every day for your first thirty days. Going a couple times a week will make it harder to form the habit. Activities you do once every few days are trickier to lock in as habits.

 

3. Start Simple

Don’t try to completely change your life in one day. It is easy to get over-motivated and take on too much. If you wanted to study two hours a day, first make the habit to go for thirty minutes and build on that.

4. Remind Yourself

Around two weeks into your commitment it can be easy to forget. Place reminders to execute your habit each day or you might miss a few days. If you miss time it defeats the purpose of setting a habit to begin with.

5. Stay Consistent

The more consistent your habit the easier it will be to stick. If you want to start exercising, try going at the same time, to the same place for your thirty days. When cues like time of day, place and circumstances are the same in each case it is easier to stick.

6. Get a Buddy

Find someone who will go along with you and keep you motivated if you feel like quitting.

7. Form a Trigger

A trigger is a ritual you use right before executing your habit. If you wanted to wake up earlier, this could mean waking up in exactly the same way each morning. If you wanted to quit smoking you could practice snapping your fingers each time you felt the urge to pick up a cigarette.

8. Replace Lost Needs

If you are giving up something in your habit, make sure you are adequately replacing any needs you’ve lost. If watching television gave you a way to relax, you could take up meditation or reading as a way to replace that same need.

9. Be Imperfect

Don’t expect all your attempts to change habits to be successful immediately. It took me four independent tries before I started exercising regularly. Now I love it. Try your best, but expect a few bumps along the way.

10. Use “But”

A prominent habit changing therapist once told me this great technique for changing bad thought patterns. When you start to think negative thoughts, use the word “but” to interrupt it. “I’m no good at this, but, if I work at it I might get better later.”

 

11. Remove Temptation

Restructure your environment so it won’t tempt you in the first thirty days. Remove junk food from your house, cancel your cable subscription, throw out the cigarettes so you won’t need to struggle with willpower later.

12. Associate With Role Models

Spend more time with people who model the habits you want to mirror. A recent study found that having an obese friend indicated you were more likely to become fat. You become what you spend time around.

13. Run it as an Experiment

Withhold judgment until after a month has past and use it as an experiment in behavior. Experiments can’t fail, they just have different results so it will give you a different perspective on changing your habit.

14. Swish – A technique from NLP

Visualize yourself performing the bad habit. Next visualize yourself pushing aside the bad habit and performing an alternative. Finally, end that sequence with an image of yourself in a highly positive state. See yourself picking up the cigarette, see yourself putting it down and snapping your fingers, finally visualize yourself running and breathing free. Do it a few times until you automatically go through the pattern before executing the old habit.

 

15. Write it Down

A piece of paper with a resolution on it isn’t that important. Writing that resolution is. Writing makes your ideas more clear and focuses you on your end result.

16. Know the Benefits

Familiarize yourself with the benefits of making a change. Get books that show the benefits of regular exercise. Notice any changes in energy levels after you take on a new diet. Imagine getting better grades after improving your study habits.

17. Know the Pain

You should also be aware of the consequences. Exposing yourself to realistic information about the downsides of not making a change will give you added motivation.

18. Do it For Yourself

Don’t worry about all the things you “should” have as habits. Instead tool your habits towards your goals and the things that motivate you. Weak guilt and empty resolutions aren’t enough.

 

Understanding Value to a Company

Understanding Value to a Company

Employers want to see their employees succeed, and would prefer to avoid losing top financial performers. By adding value to your employer, not only are you displaying a strong commitment to your team and the business as a whole, but it also holds you in good stride when it comes to career advancement. Here are five reasons why (and how) you should start adding value to your employer:

1. Be a keen problem solver

Employees who are eager to find creative solutions to business problems add value to their employers. Being able to find a solution to a problem can give businesses a competitive edge, especially if it allows employees to focus on other issues. An example of this might be finding a solution to meet a project deadline earlier than expected, allowing you and your team to turn your attention elsewhere.

2. Show initiative

Being able to pick up tasks as required or without being asked is a trait that many employers value. Showing initiative and helping team members during busy periods of business will not only benefit your employer but will put you in good standing with your team. If you’re aware that one of your colleagues is struggling to get through their workload, offering to help will be well perceived by your colleagues and show your employer you don’t only have your own interests in mind.

3. Continually looking for improvements

Time is money. If you are able to develop ways of improving productivity and increasing efficiencies, you are adding value by saving your employers’ valuable resources. This could come from streamlining a process within the business, or finding a solution for business partnering with internal teams on budgeting and forecasting.

4. Keep your technical skills up to date

Employers are seeking skilled professionals with current skills when they are looking to hire for a new position, but they also prefer candidates who keep up to date with relevant regulation and industry changes whilst they are in the role. Stay abreast of new accounting regulations by attending courses and webinars to keep your skills current. CIMA offers training and courses that can help further your qualifications and develop your technical skillset.

5. Improve your communication skills

The role of accounting and finance has evolved and it now plays a wider role in business. Employers expect that finance professionals are able to confidently communicate with other parts of the business. Improving communication skills allows professionals to interact more effectively within the business when presenting results or innovative solutions. Professionals who are able to communicate findings and explain their impact in a way that the rest of the business will understand is valuable to employers. Strategies for improving your communication skills include public speaking courses, volunteering to draft memos or leading meetings.

Successful professionals are constantly looking for ways they can develop in their careers and are continually improving their skill sets. The best way for finance professionals to improve their skillsets as a whole is to concentrate on one goal or skill at a time.

It never hurts to assess whether you are living up to your employer’s expectations and if you can increase your productivity. Why? When it comes to remuneration and career advancement, the best way to achieve either is by displaying how you have gone above and beyond what is asked of you. Being able to explain how you have added value to a company, with examples, will stand you in good stead when it comes to negotiating a pay rise or career development.

How to Add Value to Your Company & Contribute to Your Team

Everyone wants to get a raise or a promotion, but rare are those employees who ask, "What can I bring to the company?" What they don't know is, knowing how to add value to your company is the first step to getting a raise or promotion.

Companies succeed in part because they hire, train, and retain talented employees that add value to the organization and the people they serve.

Even if your job description looks like a mere to-do list, those tasks are there to achieve a specific outcome. How you execute these tasks affect your employer’s return-on-investment (ROI) on hiring you.

Employees who know how to add value to their job tend to command higher salaries, more exciting projects, and better job opportunities. Companies value talent like this so much that they'll do everything possible to keep that person, even in the event of a recession, layoff, or merger.

In this tutorial, we'll explore the concept of adding value to a company. I'll identify seven different ways you can add value to your company. Plus, I'll provide some job-specific examples of adding value to a company with real-life advice.

Debunking the Myth About Adding Value to a Company

I worked as a part-time Math and Science Tutor for high school students back in college. Since I could only tutor an hour or two on school days, I did extra hours on weekends and summers to earn more.

That was my first understanding of what it took to earn more in the corporate world: more hours, more money.

I applied the same concept when I started working in customer service. But then I wondered, what did it take to go from entry-level customer service associate to trainer, team supervisor, or operations manager? Some of my teammates had been at the same position for years so clearly, the same approach won’t work if I wanted to level-up.

Many employees go about their professional lives equating the years they’ve worked to the value they give. The corporate world doesn’t work like that.

For example, an office manager could spend two years doing a good job ordering office supplies so inventory doesn’t run out. Or that same manager could find ways to help his employer by negotiating discounts with vendors, buying in bulk to save more, or creating a sharing program between teams so supplies don’t stack up in one area, while another one is always lacking.

Such strategies may not be in the manager’s job description. You need to be proactive and creative to come up with these ideas, too. But going that extra mile saves the employer thousands of dollars in expenses annually. That’s how to bring added value to a company.

Now you might say doing similar stuff oversteps your boundaries. It may or may not, depending on your organization’s culture. If you get good results though, no one will complain.

Meeting Expectations, the Prerequisite to Adding Value to a Company

The first question you might ask is, “What can I bring to the company?” In reality, there’s a different question you should ask first:

Are you meeting the minimum expectations or requirements for your position?

A Gallup poll revealed that almost 50% of employees don’t know what their managers expect of them. Also, some companies have limited or no official job descriptions at all. Then there are roles where most of the items on your job description are outdated, while the tasks you’re responsible for aren’t even on the list. It can be confusing to figure this out on your own.

If you’re not 100% sure what’s expected of you, you should talk to your manager first before trying to add more to your plate. Ask your boss to enumerate the specific tasks you need to complete regularly and your ad-hoc duties, and how all these tasks impact the company.

If your manager is just as confused or clueless about your role, then it’s even more important that you talk things through. Together, you can define the core objectives and the resulting tasks related to your job, as well as the performance metrics you need to hit so you can objectively say that you met or exceeded expectations.

7 Different Ways Employees Can Add Value to Their Organization

It's not difficult to add value to your company if you know what to do. Here are seven specific actions you can take no matter what your current job is:

1. Good Customer Service

Customers are creatures of habit. They buy the same shampoo, eat the same food, and use the same products or services they love—until another business steps in and offers them something better.

Good customer service then isn’t just about serving the customer’s needs. You should make sure customers are so awed by the quality of service you provide that they wouldn’t think of checking another brand.

2. Bring In More Money

Adding a few thousand or an extra zero to your employer’s bottom line is one of the biggest and most obvious ways of adding value to a company.

This is easy for people in sales and marketing jobs, but what if you’re in IT support, admin, training, or customer service roles? What can you contribute to the team?

First, determine your impact on the bottom line by dividing the company’s revenue with the total number of employees. To increase your average contribution, employees in non-sales roles can:

  • Customer service - upsell products to existing customers
  • Training - train customer service in improving customer experience, and frontline retail staff in new sales techniques
  • Admin roles - make sure everyone has the paperwork, product samples, and other marketing paraphernalia they need to impress potential customers

3. Improve the Efficiency of a Protocol or Procedure

Just because something is working, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved. This applies to almost every routine, tedious, and repetitive task you do.

Examples:

  • Monthly reports
  • Client presentations
  • Minutes of the meeting
  • Price quotations
  • Contracts
  • Invoicing and billing
  • Inventory management

Anything that can be streamlined into a series of definite tasks can be automated. Even manual tasks can be streamlined if you examine the process carefully, and eliminate unnecessary steps.

Be careful not to automate or cut corners in the wrong places. You don’t want to take shortcuts that could lead to more problems in the future.

4. Save Resources

As in the office administrator example described above, helping your employer save money makes you a valuable employee.

It’s not just about money though. Completing your work on time, so you don’t have to work after hours counts as savings too.

5. Get Recognized as an “Expert” in a Specific Task

Have you noticed how companies usually have an “Excel guy,” “IT guy” or “Facebook Ads Whiz?” Sometimes their expertise isn’t their main job, but they’re the go-to people when someone needs help in the task they’re known for.

Being an expert in a task can increase your contribution to the company, more so if you help others with their work. If you help others, then they’ll spread the word about you and your contribution will no longer be limited to your own work but extend to the wide array of people you assist.

For instance, as the company’s resident copywriter, your wordsmithing skills can help the HR department write better job advertisements or the admin team to write clearer and engaging company memos. Helping employees from other departments also build your network, so you can count on them when you’re the one who needs help in the future.

Examples of skills you can learn that can be helpful in different roles:

  • Excel can help with anything from building a better invoicing system or a customized product inventory
  • Photoshop can help your employer design better brochures and marketing paraphernalia
  • Website design is great for people who work in small companies that don’t have enough funds to outsource this task, or hire an in-house developer full time. You don’t need to learn programming to create a beautiful site. Discover great WordPress themes on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver.
  • Social media, don’t let your employer get behind on social media. Create online accounts for them if they don’t have one, or offer to update their social media strategy if they’re not getting traction.

Need help with any of the skills listed above? Check out these tutorials:

 

25 Ways to Create Value at Work—According to Bosses

The world looks different now from how we shop to what we do on the weekends.
Unemployment has skyrocketed, we use the word furlough more frequently, and working from home looks a lot less glamorous than many previously thought. While COVID-19 has shifted us into working in a new reality, what about the people whose work, thus far, has been relatively unaffected?
People are working from home and getting the job done, but are still left wondering in these uncertain times, how do I keep my job? How can I add value at work to show my boss I’m an asset? What do employers like to see, so I can do my best to continue working now and in the years to come?
We spoke with nine bosses and asked them about valuation creation at work, what it looks like to them, and how you can create value today. Here’s what they had to say.

What Does Creating Value at Work Look Like to You?

Being a Team Player

“Creating value is more than being good at your job. In my experience, you also need to be a team player, and by that, I mean you need to uphold the purpose and values of your organization through your work and through your interactions with colleagues. You also need to be able to stretch beyond your comfort zone. Teams sometimes must adjust their vision and strategy to align more closely with overall organizational goals. When this happens, you may be asked to take on different projects, and it’s important that you are able and willing to do so.” - Stephanie, Vice President, Corporate Communications in the Medical Devices Industry

Trusting Your Employer

“Creating value looks like an outward expression of the belief and trust you have in the company's environment and future. Behaving like you truly care and are engaged with your position brings value to your job and to the company.” - Jennifer, Office Manager in the Dental Industry

Communication

“During COVID-19, value creation has been centered around one's ability to communicate and remain calm and collaborative. Within the Food and Beverage industry, supply chains are being stressed, and hard decisions are having to be made (allocation and shorting of customers, delays, transit issues). How employees respond to this pressure and communicate internally and externally sets them apart and makes them pivotal to the stability of the organization.” - Angela, Key Account Manager in the Food Ingredient Industry

Contributing in a Meaningful Way

“It means contributing in a meaningful way that accelerates or sustains company growth. So, not just doing your job, but doing the job that matters!” - Solu, Director, Business Operations in the Technology Industry and Executive Coach

Being Flexible

“As a hiring manager, I’ve had the chance to work with strong players, but the ones that stand out are the ones that can work with a bit of ambiguity and not have all the answers and communications completely spelled out. Mainly because everything that is happening now is new and can change in an instant. Being able to just ask the questions collectively helps us discuss what may be around the corner. “ - Ginny, Director of Recruiting in the Technology Industry

Considering Internal and External Stakeholders

“I think of value creation in two parts for both internal and external stakeholders. Value is created for our customers by providing solutions to their problems and top-notch service. We put the people back in recruiting and make it a human experience. Internal value creation comes from team collaboration, training, demonstrating our core values, and participating in process improvement initiatives.” - Suzanne, Partner in the Recruiting Industry

Thinking Critically

“Being able to critically think and not just be a task rabbit. If I give a member of my team a project to complete, I want and need them to look at it from every angle. They need to be able to efficiently execute the task and hopefully do so without a tremendous amount of guidance and hand-holding. They have to be able to critically think of what is being asked of them and have the confidence and autonomy to complete the task. Now more than ever, that is valuable.” - Erin, Events Director in the National Education Nonprofit Industry

Finding and Keeping Business

“Right now, creating value is all about seeking new business and keeping existing business. Many of our marketing programs were canceled or postponed for Q2 and Q3. In order to keep the business afloat through 2020 and beyond, we need to make up some of that work in Q3 and Q4.” - Brielle, Digital Marketing Manager in the Marketing and Advertising Industry

How Can Employees Create Value at Work?

Be Positive

“By coming to work engaged and ready to support the team or the systems, they are bringing vibrance and energy that can be felt by customers and their peers. That attitude and positivity is a value that can't be taught, but when present is one of the most powerful things an employee and effectively a company can possess.” - Jennifer, Office Manager in the Dental Industry

Be Electable

“An employee can stand out by being electable. To be electable means not only mastering your job, but always raising your hand to help others and take on additional tasks. Employees stand out when coworkers can call on them to help. It's never fun to have a teammate that only wants to do their job and go home. After all, we are in it together! However, be mindful to not wear yourself too thin and remember when it's ok to say your plate is full.” - Suzanne, Partner in the Recruiting Industry

Be Customer-Oriented

“Finding creative ways to meet customers’ demands or being able to defend and explain the reason expectations can't be met.” - Angela, Key Account Manager in the Food Ingredient Industry

Be Proactive

“Find something that needs fixing or improving and present ideas on how to do so to your manager.” - Anonymous

Be Vocal

“I see a lot of value in employees who say something when they see an unmet need within the team or the organization. You should have the courage to speak up, but before you do, you should give some thought to how that need could be met. Company leaders do not have all the answers—the views of people deep in your teams are valuable.” - Stephanie, Vice President, Corporate Communications in the Medical Devices Industry

Be Focused

“Prioritize and communicate what matters and let go of what doesn't. If you are doing the same thing over and over again, that's an opportunity to take a closer look and ask, what value does this bring?” - Solu, Director, Business Operations in the Technology Industry and Executive Coach

Be Forward Thinking

“Look at the week ahead and the projects that need to be completed and offer to take them on. Is there something they know I need to get done but maybe they can take off my plate to further support the team or be prepared for the meeting with the CEO, offer to step up. Also, value can be created in seeking out their own professional development. As a large scale conference events director, our entire team is having to pivot and learn how to move a week-long professional development conference to a virtual experience, so I need my team researching, seeking out knowledge that can help them do their job better. For me, that is huge.”  - Erin, Events Director in the National Education Nonprofit Industry

Be Creative

“This crisis is calling for creativity. We all need to think about our job and businesses differently. The more new ideas we can bring to the table, the better enabled we will be to save the economy.” - Brielle, Digital Marketing Manager in the Marketing and Advertising Industry

Fifteen Ways to Show Your Value at Work

 

Jan 24, 2019

 

By Blaine Loomer

The unemployment rate is higher than in the past and for many companies, business isn’t exactly booming. The best way to keep your job is to show your employer that you are so valuable that they simply can't live without you.

Here are 15 sure-fire ways to increase your value to the organization:

  1. Be part of the bottom line. If you want to be valuable to your company, then you need to help it make money. The company measures its ROI on you, so you should measure the ROI on yourself as well. Focus on the activities that use your time, skills, and resources most effectively to connect back to the bottom line.
  2. Remember that time is money. Your most valuable commodity is your time; spend it wisely. Don't invest eight hours in putting together a presentation when you can deliver the same results with less prep time. Management will value the content of your message, not a bunch of fluff and pretty artwork.
  3. Sing your own praises (but not too loudly). Your work generally won’t speak for itself. You must speak for yourself. Make sure that managers understand the effort you put into your job and the results you produce. A bit of modest bragging will not only help you come promotion time, but it will also help discredit any attacks levied against you. Provide the right amount of information about yourself, but don't beat your accomplishments to death. Too many trips to the boss's office may work against you.
  4. Recognize “deal or no deal” situations. Most people don't negotiate well because they really want what the other person has and they don't want to risk losing it. But whether it's a big contract, a job, a promotion, or a new car, you have to be willing to walk away. When you are willing to do so, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much better your negotiations turn out. Suddenly, what you offer carries value, and the tables often turn.
  5. Get smart. Too many people don't understand the basic operation of their companies. Familiarize yourself with the organizational chart and reporting structures. Study and understand the financials. You never know where your life may lead. Learn as much as you can along the way, even though what you're learning may not seem relevant at the time.
  6. Be a confident innovator. When you pitch your ideas to management, be prepared to defend your views and also to receive criticism. Management will challenge you simply to test your level of enthusiasm for the idea and its viability. There are a lot of variables to consider, and management wants to know you've thought about them. If you support your ideas with solid research and show some passion, management will be more likely to embrace your concept. Continue to build on your work value with our seminar class on developing "set up" skills.
  7. Keep an eye on your e-trail. Save all important e-mail and electronic data. If you have ever received an e-mail from someone asking you to confirm something, that person is likely covering himself. This is not a bad thing, and in many cases can clear up any confusion later. Disk space is cheap compared to the trouble it may save you.
  8. Don't be afraid to say no (assuming that you're doing such a great job your company can't afford to get rid of you). If you don't set limits, you will find yourself on a perpetual treadmill.
  9. Know which rung on the ladder is right for you. Do you want to be responsible for the success or failure of your company? If so, move up the ladder. Do you want to go home at five every day and forget about work until the next morning? Then moving up the ladder is not for you. The important thing is that you do your job to the best of your ability and that you are happy doing it.
  10. Shut up and listen. If you don't know what you don't know, then seek out some experienced advice. A mentor can warn you about things you may never have considered and keep you from being blindsided by unforeseen events or costs. As difficult as it may be, admit to yourself that you don't know everything.
  11. Learn the difference between e-communication and real communication. Communicating with people is an opportunity not only to transfer information but also to build relationships with them. In an age of electronic communication, our conversations are becoming increasingly impersonal. Effective employees must be able to interact with people and solve problems. If you can't interact with people directly, you have no value.
  12. Add sales to your skill set. When it comes to You, Inc., there is only one person on the sales team: you! Despite what your resume says, adding sales to your skill set is a must. Whenever you are trying to pitch a new idea to your company, you'll need a sales pitch that is convincing and sound. Moreover, if you are vying for a promotion or raise, you'll need to be prepared to pitch yourself. Be ready to defend your views and have answers for the tough questions. If someone disagrees with you, be ready to support your ideas with solid research and your own enthusiasm. You’ll soon persuade people to see things your way.
  13. If it isn't broken, don't fix it. The only reason to change something is to make it better. In business, change is often confused with progress. Likewise, employees feel the pressure to constantly make changes to keep up the appearance of productivity and to prove their worth. Put a time limit on your own goals so that you don't chase a bad idea longer than you should. In addition, if the system, idea, or product you currently have in place works well—then let it be, and concentrate your efforts on changing the things that truly need it.
  14. Get a life. It's good to be committed to the company, and corporate accomplishments are rewarding; but when all is said and done, a lifetime goes by quickly. Try not to take your job home with you. I am a firm believer that you get what you give. If you are happy, those around you will be happy as well.
  15. Say “no” to working vacations. When you take your vacation, take your vacation! Don't offer to check e-mail and voicemail while you are away. I have made this mistake and I can tell you if you do it, you might as well have stayed at work. A lot of companies offer rewards and perks like club trips or weekend getaways. Although these are great and can be a lot of fun, they are not vacations. They are still about the company, and you will still be working. You'll just be out of the office.

Finally, if you spend your workdays worrying about losing your job, you are probably headed for trouble. Push those negative thoughts out of your mind and focus on the work you do and how you add value to your company. Demonstrate positivity and a can-do attitude to your team. Work smarter than your competition and you’ll get ahead, every time. Continue to build on your skills to be an integral member and join our on-demand class on the subject.

Part of increasing your value at work also includes motivating yourself to take control of your own career. Click here to learn more about this AMA webinar.

7 Ways To Add Massive Value To Your Business

There are seven secrets to add value in your job and in the world around you.  Any one of these ideas or concepts can be sufficient for you to become financially successful. When you begin to combine these ideas together, you’ll begin to move ahead more rapidly in your financial life than you ever have before.

1. The Faster The Better

The first way to increase value is simply to increase the speed you deliver the kind of value people are willing to pay for.

Successful people know everybody is impatient.  A person who didn’t realize that they wanted your product or service until today, now wants it yesterday. People perceive a direct correlation between speed and the value of your offering.

A person who can do it for you fast is considered to be a better and competent person offering a higher level of quality than a person who does it slowly, or whenever they get around to it.

2. Offer Better Quality

The second key to creating wealth is by offering better quality than your competitors at the same price.

And remember, quality is whatever the customer says it is.  Total quality management can best be defined as: “Finding out what your customer wants and giving it to him or her faster than your competitors.”

Quality does not just mean greater durability or excellence in design.  Quality refers, first of all, to utility, to the use that the customer needs to put the product or service.  It is the customer’s specific need, or the benefit that the customer seeks, that defines quality in his or her mind.

3. Add Value

The third way that you can become wealthy is by looking for ways to add value to everything you do.

Remember, if everyone is offering the same thing, these factors of the product or service become the basic minimum, or the expected norm in the market.

If you want to stand out as a person or as a producer, you have to “plus” whatever you are doing so that your customer perceives you and your offering as being superior to that of your competitors.

You can add value to a product or service by improving the packaging or the design.  You can increase its value by simplifying its method of use.

Apple transformed the entire world of computers by making them easy to use for the unsophisticated person.

Simplicity became an enormous source of added value for Apple, and for countless other companies that have followed the same route.

4. Increase Convenience

The fourth way of increasing wealth is by increasing the convenience of purchasing and using your product or service.

Fast food stores by the thousands are a simple example of how much more people are willing to pay for convenience than they are if they have to drive across town to a major shopping center or a major grocery store.

5. Improve Customer Service

A fifth way of creating value and increasing wealth is by improving customer service.  People are predominantly emotional.

They are greatly impacted by the warmth, friendliness, cheerfulness and helpfulness of customer service representatives.  Many companies are using customer service as a primary source of competitive advantage in a fast changing marketplace.

6. Changing Lifestyles

The sixth key to creating wealth is changing life styles, and the impact they are having on customer purchasing patterns and behaviors throughout the country.

There is a national trend toward cocooning, or staying at home more and to making the home environment more enjoyable.  People’s tastes are very different from the tastes of people a generation ago.

More people want to travel and take vacations, thereby creating a boom in the travel, leisure, resort and cruise industries.

Changing lifestyles and demographics can create opportunities that will enable you to offer a product or service to a clearly identifiable market that can make you wealthy in a short period of time.

7. Offer Planned Discounts

The seventh key to creating to wealth is just planned discounting.  This involves finding ways to sell higher and higher volumes of products and services to more and more people at lower and lower prices.

You’ve heard it said that, “If you want to dine with the classes, you have to sell to the masses.”

How could you offer a product or service of good value at an even lower price?  How could you squeeze out the costs of getting that product or service to the customer and pass the savings onto him or her?

When you begin thinking of increasing the speed at which you deliver your product or service, improving the quality, add value at every stage of production, increasing the convenience for your customers, giving better customer service, catering to changing lifestyles and trends and finding ways to reduce the actual cost, you will be astonished at the incredible number of ideas and possibilities that exist around you.

And remember, one idea of insight for benefiting customers in a way that no one is currently offering can be the springboard that launches you into a life of financial success and achievement.

 

VC Posts (800 × 600 px) (23)

Easiest Ideas for Side Hustles

Easiest Ideas to Start a Side Hustle

11 BEST SIDE HUSTLE IDEAS TO MAKE AN EXTRA $1,000 A MONTH

What Is a Side Hustle and How Do You Make Money Through One?

A side hustle is a way to make money outside of your 9 to 5 job. It allows you to make more money that’ll give you the freedom to pursue your passions, buy things you need or want, and lower any financial worries.

Truth is, most 9 to 5 jobs don’t pay the bills. Especially if you’re just starting out in your career.

When you calculate the cost of rent, food, bills, and transportation, you might realize that you barely have anything leftover. What a bummer.

The worst part is that your financial growth is always capped. Maybe you get a bonus of a couple of hundred dollars a year with a 1 percent salary increase on your $30,000. But is that really enough to live the life you dreamed about? Maybe, but probably not.

So, you start a side hustle to make a couple extra hundred or thousand dollars a month. Something that can either help you make more money today, tomorrow or five years from now. Something that will act as your second income should you face an unexpected job loss.

Let’s dive into the best side jobs that’ll help you make more money while working from home.

start a side hustle

How to Make Money On The Side: 10 Great Side Hustles to Pursue

#1. Start a Dropshipping Business

Dropshipping is one of the best side hustle job ideas. It allows you to sell a product directly to the customer without having to buy any inventory. Why’s that great? You don’t need to have a big startup costs budget, keeping your risk low. The manufacturer not only carries the inventory but also ships it directly to the customer for you. Your main focus should be marketing and customer service – the lifeline of the business. If you have a strong marketing background and want a side hustle that plays to your strength, this is it. It’s one of the rare side jobs that allows you to scratch a true entrepreneurial itch. You get to be the owner of your very own business.

With dropshipping, you can start a business within any of your favorite passions. Do you love stocking your kitchen? You can sell kitchen equipment on the internet. Maybe you’ve found this unique solar-powered, smartphone-cooling accessory. You can start your own one product store and implement these store ideas. If you love doing your makeup? You can sell beauty products and build an audience who follows along to your makeup tutorials. Almost any niche can be pursued with dropshipping. Plus, if you’re a creative type, you can run wild with unusual business ideas. After all, as the owner of your own business, you’ll always have final say, which makes this a great side hustle to start out.

How much money can a dropshipper make? That depends on how much effort you put into your business and marketing. You can make an extra couple thousand dollars or more.

Dropshipping Tip: Want to start your own dropshipping business? Sign up for Oberlo on Shopify. The Oberlo app allows you to choose from millions of products that you can start selling on your store today. Plus, it automates several parts of the business process. You can add products in a simple click and process orders with the same swift action. To learn more about how to build your first online store, check out our dropshipping 101 course. 

#2. Start a Wholesale Business

If you like the idea of running an online business but would prefer to be a little more hands on, starting an online store using wholesale could be perfect for you. This business model means you buy products in bulk at a lower price and then sell at a higher retail price to your customers.

Because you’re hands on with your products and suppliers, you’re able to keep a close eye on the quality of your products. Unlike dropshipping, you handle the packing and shipping, which means you don’t have deal with one of the downsides of dropshipping – the long shipping times. Instead you can take advantage of getting those products into happy customer hands faster.

Much like dropshipping you’re still able to sell products related to any niche you can think of, whether it’s your passion for home decor, or your obsession with your pets. All you need to do is use a wholesale marketplace like Handshake, find the products you want to stock, and make your purchase.

Although running a business using wholesale requires having some money upfront, most wholesale marketplaces offer net terms, which provides a nice buffer. Buying products using net terms means you can purchase products and start selling them weeks or months before you need to pay for them.

Wholesale Tip: Want to start your own wholesale business? Sign up for Handshake on Shopify. The Handshake app allows you access to the wholesale marketplace where you can choose from thousands of products that you can purchase and sell in your store.

#3. Begin Freelancing

Does your 9 to 5 job pay fluctuate? If you don’t have a predictable income, you might need more money for some months and a little less others. If this sounds like you, you might choose to take up freelance gigs. These could be gigs that you create on Fiverr or the occasional freelance project on Upwork. You might create T-shirt mockups for a client one week and help someone build their social media following the next. The type of projects you work on could vary drastically. But if you love the variety and switching things up, this side hustle could be perfect for you.

How much money can you make with this side hustle job? You could make anywhere from $50 to $2,000 a month depending on the side gigs you take on and the platform you use. For example, if you’re looking to hit, say an extra $1,000 a month, freelance writing is a side hustle that can allow you to reach your second income goal.The secret to succeeding as a freelancer is to charge clients based on the value you’ll bring. Most freelance workers undercharge, which results in fast burnout with little payoff.

Freelancing Tip: The best freelance work opportunities are onWeWorkRemotely and Remote.co. Thousands of side job seekers visit these websites daily to find and apply to openings  . However, if you’re just starting out, you might want to focus on building your portfolio and skillset on Fiverr, Craigslist, or Upwork first, as it’s easier to land your first few clients on those websites.

#4. Become an Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketing is one of those side jobs that pay well over the long-term. However, you’ll need to go through a learning curve before you can start making money with affiliate marketing. It’s not just about finding the right product to sell, but also finding the right brand to partner with. . If you chose to be an affiliate marketer for ecommerce stores, your commission will likely be a lot lower than if you were to just dropship them yourself. However, there are tech companies that will pay a hefty price tag to affiliates who bring them new customers.

How much money can this side hustle make? It depends on what product you’re selling and what affiliate network you use. For example, if you were an affiliate marketer for a tech company like Shopify, you could potentially make an extra $58 for every merchant you refer. That means you could make over $500 with just 10 referrals. Sweet!

Affiliate Marketing Tip: Ask the affiliate program or content creator for assets you can use to help you market their product. For example, there may be a lead magnet or free tool you can use to incentivize people to purchase the product. Oftentimes, a piece of content can help ease a potential customer from a cold lead into a warm one, giving you a better chance of succeeding with this side hustle.

#5. Launch a Print on Demand Store

If you like to make custom graphics and artwork in your free time, running a print on demand store could be a great side hustle for you.

Print on demand (or POD) allows you to sell your custom artwork on products like t-shirts, bags, phone cases, mugs, and more. The best part about it is that you can create and sell products under your own brand. Also, you can completely automate the logistics of the business by choosing to dropship your print on demand products. This is where you design products, add them to your store, promote them, and take orders from your customers. The orders are fulfilled by the print on demand company that prints your designs onto the products, then ships the items directly to the customer.

How much money can you make selling POD products? That depends on how much people like your designs and the effort you put into marketing your range. With a bit of work, it’s possible to make an extra couple thousand dollars each month. If you're ready to jump in, check out this guide on how to start an online t-shirt business.

Print on Demand tip: Try to sell a profitable print on demand item like retail-quality custom tees. People are often willing to pay higher for retail quality shirts featuring their favorite designs. Find out the subjects and themes that your audience is interested in and then make custom designs based on those trends. Then find a t-shirt printing company that will print the designs onto retail-quality shirts. You could charge between $40-$150 a piece for these shirts (standard graphic tees sell for $20-$25 a piece, so the margin is pretty good).

Want to start your own Print On Demand business? Sign up for a free trial of Shopify and build your dream store. Today’s the day.

CREATE YOUR POD BUSINESS

#6. Start Blogging

Blogging is one of the best side hustle jobs to do from home, or anywhere else in the world. It allows you to build a personal brand while owning your own asset. You can even write about your passions. Starting a blog in aniche that you understand allows you to reach an audience who shares the exact same interest as you. Yoga, business, beauty, and cars are some popular niches for running a part-time blog. You can make money blogging in a few ways: adding affiliate links to your posts or linking to the online store where you sell  dropshipping products.

How much money can you make trying a side hustle like this? In the beginning, you’ll make nothing. But some bloggers who stick it out past the first few years have made enough money to quit their job and do it full time.

Blogging Tip: If you’re passionate about blogging, create an online store that you can monetize and add a blog onto it. This allows you to start monetizing your asset before you’ve built your audience. Plus, the combination of content and commerce is a powerful one. As your blog grows, you can use retargeting ads to monetize your blog traffic to land even more sales. If you pump out regular, quality content, you’ll quite possibly have a few home-run posts that bring you a ton of traffic that’ll be easier to monetize than if you were hoping for a few direct sales.

#7. Sell Information Products

If you’re looking for good side jobs to make money, selling information products might be the perfect option for you. This side hustle requires some research, invested time, and marketing skills for you to flourish. Are there topics that are really popular right now that you know a lot about? Did you find a popular topic that there isn’t enough information about? Monetize these opportunities by creating content around it. You can publish books on Amazon or sell courses to start earning.

How much money can you make selling information products? It depends on the niche, your marketing execution, and a variety of other factors. But a side hustle like this can result in a few thousand dollars each month. The key is to create several different pieces of content (ebooks, courses, etc.) that keep generating recurring income for you

Selling Information Products Tip: With this side hustle, focus on niches where people have a huge problem they need to solve. If you’re in the fitness niche, you can create a fitness workout course or a diet plan with a recipes ebook. If people are desperately trying to solve a burning problem, there’s an opportunity to provide value by helping them solve that problem. The content you create can guide them towards a solution. Best part: You could make money while helping people.

#8. Become an Instagram Influencer

Growing up, most people dream of being famous. But the truth is, not everyone can sing or act. Fortunately, you can still build a personal brand around yourself based on what you can do. Maybe you have a really cool fashion sense or can bake an awesome cake. On Instagram, anyone can start a side hustle by becoming an influencer. If you don’t like the spotlight, that’s cool. You can build an Instagram following around your dog or your photography. You can monetize your Instagram account in a couple of ways: sponsored posts, Instagram takeovers, or selling a product on your website.

Is being an influencer a good side hustle? Well, the average influencer charges between $200 to $400 a post. This can vary based on your audience size, so feel free to check out influencer rates.

Instagram Influencer Tip: Be consistent in the type of content you post, how often you post, and when you post. You’ll gain new followers if people know what they can regularly expect from your page. You won’t be able to monetize right away, so invest your time into growing your followers by posting several times a day, every day.

#9. Become a Virtual Assistant

Top side hustles have one big thing in common: There’s a high demand for them. A virtual assistant is an assistant who works in a remote location, as opposed to a company’s office. They can help with tasks such as administration, social media, bookkeeping, and more. There’s been a growing demand for virtual assistants from business owners who need help on various projects. As a virtual assistant, you can specialize in countless areas. In the past, I’ve hired virtual assistants for social media and customer service. And there are countless other businesses around the world that rely on virtual assistants to grow and maintain their brands.

How much money can you make as a virtual assistant? Most virtual assistants trade their time for money, so you might get capped based on the number of hours of work you can do each week. You can choose to set a total monthly earning or get paid by the hour. Some make minimum wage while others might make $35 an hour depending on their skills and experience.

Becoming a Virtual Assistant Tip: When starting this side hustle job, you can find clients on popular websites like Upwork. However, you could start to see better results when you branch out on your own as an independent contractor. Starting up might be a bit harder, as you need to find clients, but you could earn more money this way. You can join popular Facebook groups for businesses or online retailers to offer your services.

#10. Sell Your Photography

If you have got a camera and some basic Photoshop skills, photography can become your side hustle. If you like taking pictures of your city, you can sell your photography to your local publications such as a city newspaper or blog. Sites like Foap allow you to sell your pictures on its platform, and you can earn money with every photo you sell. If you’d rather not make money with your pictures, you can add your photography to products like canvases, T-shirts, and phone cases to make even more money. And if that’s not enough, you can even seek clients to venture into wedding photography, pet photography, or product photography.

Sell your photography to make extra money

How much money can you make as a photographer? If you sell your pictures online, you might make an extra couple hundred or thousand dollars a month. If you venture into wedding photography, you could make a couple thousand dollars or more per event. Good second jobs in this niche include working as a weekend photographer or running workshops in your spare time.

Photography Tip: If you plan on selling your photography on a stock photo site, it’s a numbers game. The more pictures you take and upload, the better chance you are to be found. You’ll need to make sure you use the right tags so that people can easily find your photos. The more pictures you take, the faster you’ll develop your photography skills over time. So, it’s an all-around win.

#11. Get a Part-Time Job

If you’d rather trade time for money, you might choose to get a part-time job. Side job ideas to make money include dog walker, babysitter, restaurant server, receptionist, administrative assistant, or barista. You can also find part-time jobs online within your industry. Maybe you’re a full-time marketer who takes on a part-time social media gig. The only downside to a part-time job is that you need to invest your time for money..

How much money can you make with your part-time job? Most part-time jobs float around the minimum-wage mark. However, you can find a few higher-paying side hustles if you dig around a bit.

Part-Time Job Tip: You can browse job sites to find side jobs you can do on evenings and weekends. Remember: After you work a full day, you’ll likely feel tired and exhausted, so pick a part-time job with a flexible schedule. If you have to work a four-hour shift Monday through Friday after an eight hour day, you could eventually burn out.

How to Start a Side Hustle

So, you have decided that a side hustle from home is the best way for you to make money online, but you don’t know where to start. Look no further, we have a list of steps to follow for you to start a side hustle today!

1. Make a list of what you’re interested in.


You need to love what you are doing as a side hustle for it to be successful for you. This job will be done on your own time and outside office hours if you have a day job, so it will take a lot of energy and motivation to make it stick. Only something that you are passionate about will drive you this much. Brainstorm side hustle ideas around your interests and skills to discover the best ventures to start or see if you can turn a hobby into a business.

2. Decide early if you will invest money.


Side hustles shouldn’t cost too much money, but they may require some investment upfront for things like hosting, branding, and tools. You may decide that you want to do social media marketing to get your first sale. Whatever your growth and expansion plan is for your side hustle, you need to be aware of your spend before it happens. Plan your spending accordingly, and measure your success to know whether you should continue.

3. Make sure there are no conflicts of interest.

If you have a day job or have connections that could lead to a conflict of interest with your side hustle, then it is not a good idea to continue with it. Sometimes, the best advice is to try something else or to shelf your idea for another time so that you don’t end up doing something you regret. Starting a side hustle with a conflict of interest could lead to costly lessons learned.

4. Schedule time for your side hustle.

A side hustle takes time out of your schedule daily, so ensure everything is going right. It is not possible to set up your website, schedule your content, and forget about everything until next month. Set aside time in your calendar regularly for your side hustle, and outline actionable goals for this time to ensure what you are doing is valuable. If you have a day job, aim to give three to four evenings a week and perhaps some hours on the weekend to your side hustle, depending on what it is.

5. Don’t forget about your day job.

If you are setting up a side hustle while also having a day job, remember to put 100 percent of your energy into your day job when you are there. A side hustle will give you some money, but you rely on a check from your day job that you need to pay the bills. Don’t try to juggle your day job and side hustle within your 9 to 5 hours, as this is a recipe for disaster.

What Side Hustle Can I Start With Little Money?

Dropshipping, becoming a freelancer, affiliate marketing, selling photography, and print-on-demand are all side hustles you can start with little money.

Conclusion

Your side hustle can help you make money online and earn some extra cash each month. But it can also help you develop new skills, build your personal brand or portfolio, and achieve more freedom. So, have fun with it! Take a risk by starting a business or pursue a new hobby you’ve always been curious about. A side hustle is your best opportunity to live life on your own terms. And with some more money in your pocket, there’s nothing stopping you from making your dreams come true.

What Are Good Side Hustles?

Here are 11 good side hustles to make extra money each month:

  1. Start a dropshipping business
  2. Start a wholesale business
  3. Work as a freelancer
  4. Become an affiliate marketer
  5. Launch a print on demand store
  6. Start a blog
  7. Sell information products
  8. Become an Instagram influencer
  9. Offer virtual assistant services
  10. Sell your photography
  11. Get a part-time job

Which side hustle appeals to you the most? Did we miss a great side job that pays well? Let us know in the comments below.

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