This month’s podcast is an interview with Bec Evans, author of the new book, How to Have a Happy Hustle: The Complete Guide to Making Your Ideas Happen. It’s very much drawn from her own experience of turning her own side hustle into a successful business. I think you’ll love it as much as I did.

One thing I took from our conversation is that the opportunity to start something new is available to everyone, though people don’t always realise it. Bec shares lots of stories from people who’ve done it themselves.  The book takes you through the entire process but here are three quick ideas to give you a taste:

Brainstorm the right way—According to Bec, the best way to come up with a good idea is to have lots of ideas. Don’t dismiss anything too quickly. Innovate and be creative. If you do your best work alone, try using a mind map but it you prefer working in groups, make it a diverse one. You’ll get lots of different points of view you can build upon.

Start small—Don’t let the idea of a monumental task overwhelm you. Instead, think of the smallest, simplest version of your idea and use that as a starting point. It will help you stop procrastinating and will build your confidence. It also leads to the next point:

Prototype and test—When you’ve got that small version of your product or idea, test it, bearing in mind it doesn't have to be a physical product.  See if it has potential and/or what adaptations you need to make to it. If you think of your business as a series of tests, you’ll lose your fear of failure.  Sometimes the tests fail but that doesn’t mean your entire idea is a bad one. Learn from setbacks.  Maybe even embrace them.  Above all, remain positive. Find the joy in your process and go from there. 

To learn more about Bec’s business, Prolifiko, go to her website prolifiko.com

For more information about her new book:  How to Have a Happy Hustle, The Complete Guide to Making Your Ideas Happen