The Enabler of Success is Hustle
In the “Side Hustle” series, students and professionals reveal their current side projects intended to improve their careers. When writing your own post, use #MySideHustle in the piece.
This post investigates the ways in which Side Hustles can add value to career development to offer insights to those seeking to progress in their careers. Detailed within include aspects relating to relaxation, business model design, extra-curricular learning, social innovation and start-ups. Each section describes personal experiences and how it provides a benefit.
Hustle #1: Take Time to Relax and Meditate
Headspace is meditation made simple. A well structured and comprehensive resource of meditative exercises led by Andy Puddicombe. I encountered Headspace after numerous professionals and bloggers, including those of (and interviewed by) Lewis Howes and Tim Ferriss. Initially thought of as ‘just a fad’, I downloaded the trial ten days and have not looked back since.
The Benefits: HeadSpace brings a sense of calm and relaxation to my life. A fresh mind. I meditate for 15 minutes per day, sometimes more. More than anything, the key benefit has been the time-out away from everything. I have found the practices to open my mind up to new ways of thinking and even new ideas. In the last month, I did stop focusing as much on HeadSpace and witnessed an increased level of agitation and frustration… this ‘fad’ definitely works for me!
Hustle #2: Invest in Yourself
To develop a successful career, you must be your number one investor. SIYLI was an investment following this post-MBA realisation. SIYLI provides evidence-based practices to grow in self-mastery. It’s about navigating our opportunities and challenges with more resilience, more engagement, and more happiness. SIYLI visits London on the 18th/19th February.
The Benefits: Following sign-up, the ‘Search Inside Yourself’ book by SIYLI pioneer Chade-Meng Tan proved an incredible lead. The book taught skills and techniques to develop ourselves as human beings. To focus on much more than our career but our lives and work-life balance as a whole. Teachings to truly bring out our purposes. Attendees of SIYLI have noted the practices as been fundamentally life-changing… Exciting times ahead for mid-February!
Hustle #3: Continually Add Value Beyond Your Means
As with an aspiring leader, a big impact is essential to demonstrate your worth beyond your current means. This is where identifying opportunities in our current ‘jobs’ is essential.
The ‘Social Innovation Framework’ is a practice I am developing within Hewlett Packard Enterprise which incorporates the vast potential of our employees to leverage the mass volunteer hours already on offer to drive cohesive Social Innovation projects. A practice which sits right alongside our Living Progress Challenge. The project is currently undergoing execution.
The ‘HP Fast Stable’ was a proposition which arose through my award-winning MBA Thesis. The focal point was upon creating a high-performance culture, particularly upon the top-tiers of leadership development. The filling of a gap between the graduate scheme and senior leadership development. The proposition was presenting to the Human Resources board and elements are been taken forward in business.
The Benefits: Many of my generation underestimate the opportunities open to them. Senior leaders will listen to what you propose. If it makes sense and adds value, they will help to implement. Throughout my Thesis, I was given the opportunity to interview Hewlett Packard’s most senior leaders… something which only a few of the World’s top journalists are presented within the opportunity to do! Have some belief in yourself and your ideas. Schedule that call to make them happen.
Hustle #4: Learn Something New… and Show It!
One Month (@Castig) teaches you how to become a tech entrepreneur with the world’s top teachers. You can learn how to code websites, build apps, and grow your business. I joined One Month as an investment project over a year ago. My undergraduate major was in Computing Science yet I had not coded for years.
My Blogs, mostly on LinkedIn, offer a variety of Technology, Innovation and Leadership insights (Follow Me for updates). I write these as an exercise to both provide my views on the World, offer insights to my followers which otherwise may go missed and to develop my personal brand.
The Benefits: The key here is your personal brand. The more you know, the more potential value you could add. Example: the OneMonthRails, OneMonthHTML and OneMonthPayments courses have allowed me to develop my own website (StephenJBaines.com). This has placed me in a position to understanding more about technical requirements of projects. Similarly, the blogs through research and insight offer a constant pulse check on the latest developments and their subsequent impacts.
Hustle #5: Demonstrate Support to Social Issues
Back in 2013, I had my eyes opened by One Young World and all of the amazing Ambassadors. One Young World is a UK-based not-for-profit that gathers together the brightest young people from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change. Through One Young World, I have experienced a first-hand education beyond my normal job whilst also been offered the opportunity to apply my skills to help others.
The Benefits: Attending One Young World opened my eyes to the issues a number of people, nations, continents face which are often unheard of in the mainstream press. The most prominent being the emotional story, of Yeonmi Park, an exclusive at the time to One Young World. One Young World offers the opportunity to engage with and develop your own projects with widespread support. The previously noted ‘Social Innovation Framework’ was an idea born out of One Young World engagement. And likewise, the network created through One Young World has offered an opportunity to coach Social Innovation start-ups, thus developing my skills further.
Hustle #6: Build a Strong Network of Advocates
Conferences are one of the best opportunities to network, learn new things and develop your personal brand. Having attended One Young World in Johannesburg, Web Summit in Dublin, parts of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Discover in London and the What Next Conference in Manchester, conferences have become a favourite of mine. My upcoming attendances will likely be99U (New York), SXSW (Texas) and possibly TNW (Europe). Notice the Tech and Start-Up theme…
The Benefits: I find conferences fascinating. Thousands of people gathered for almost identical purposes… to network, learn, educate and promote. You never know who you will meet at conferences. In the past, I have met some truly fascinating people running with amazing projects. Much of my network today has arisen through attendance at conferences. Many of the opportunities I am presented are a result of conferences. Similar to a number of my side-project ideas!
Hustle #7: Build Something New… From Scratch!
My Final Side Hustle is the start-up scene. Not many people know this about me, but I have a number of early-stage start-ups, alongside my partner, bubbling away in the background. These start-ups are one of the core outcomes of a number of my ‘#MySideHustle’.
The Benefits: Side-Projects help to provide stimulation outside of work, although experience suggests they are by no means easy to balance! Hence a lack of serious progress. Yet the potential gains are huge. The core of it is growing your ‘baby’ from the ground up. Laying the foundations before (hopefully) letting it blossom. So… the projects…
Fyyt
I am a fitness fantastic… I love running, football and cycling. I *used* to be a pretty good runner (5km, 10km, Half Marathon, Marathon, Sprint Triathlon & Half Ironman distances). Fyyt was born out of a gap in the market, a severe frustration by myself and my partner and an MBA Project. Fyyt, under the previous brand of ‘Fitifi’ was a finalist in the Manchester Business School Venture Further competition. In the same year, it was the winner of the What Next Conference best business pitch.
Fyyt is in the early stage of start-up. The value proposition is to provide a results-driven, on-demand fitness service! Fyyt delivers professional coaching, sessions, information and training at your convenience. However, this is through a technologically advanced platform, supported by a widespread network of trainers. There is a uniqueness to the model which will be disclosed at a later stage of development as will specific ‘campaigns’.
The Benefits: Whilst Fyyt is far from a success story, it has enabled a focusing of my time on something I am highly interested in and that can make a massive benefit to people’s lives. Fyyt has received commendations by many working professionals, doctors and athletes… having this ‘belief’ just provides a motivation to keep on going. It keeps the mind busy, stimulated and helps to develop new skills.
Other Start-Up Projects
Since starting (and finishing) my MBA and I guess commencing all of #MySideHustle, I have witnessed a plethora of ideas coming to mind. I see the World differently. I see problems and ways to solve them rather than simply accepting things as the way they. Example: I was in the barbers on Saturday and found myself starting at the plug-socket. Why do we need them? They tie us down to a wall and location. Why can hair-dryers not come with a solar panel on top? An absurd question as there are plenty of reasons why this is the case, but it is the thoughts which #MySideHustle have brought out in me.
The Benefits: Quite a simple one here… looking at other projects opens your eyes to new potential opportunities. New skills which you can develop. New ways of working!
To Bring It All Together
Almost all aspects of #MySideHustle has helped me to develop an acceleration agenda. Some more than others. The not listed Global MBA studies at Manchester Business School is one of the key contributors. Yet to me, it is a collection of #MySideHustle that has helped me to develop the most.
About Stephen
Stephen Baines is a Senior Management Consultant and MBA currently working for Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and pursuing a number of external entrepreneurial ventures. The views within this post are explicitly those of Stephen and have no representation of any organisation Stephen represents. If you wish to contact Stephen, please contact him via LinkedIn or his Twitter handle (@baines1986).
Read more about Stephen at Stephen’s personal website
You may repost elements of this article on the proviso that you include the following (including the links): “This article originally appeared on the LinkedIn profile of Stephen Baines. Follow @baines1986 or visitwww.stephenjbaines.com for more articles like this”.
#MySideHustle #LifeBeyondTheClassroom #OutsideWork
