Lessons From Building Side Hustles With Hailey Ben-Izhak
For many professionals, balancing a full-time career with a passionate side hustle is the new normal. But juggling multiple ventures is a constant challenge, and navigating the waters of time, energy, and communication can easily lead to burnout. If you're dreaming about launching a side hustle or are already trying to keep a few plates spinning, we share lessons we’ve learned from building and maintaining multiple side hustles while working demanding full-time jobs.
We talk to Hailey Ben-Izhak about her experience balancing multiple ventures, from running a photo booth company to working in healthcare tech, and the hard-earned lessons she’s learned about time, energy, and focus along the way. This episode is full of insight on how to grow without burning out.
Actionable Tips & Takeaways
Define boundaries for your time and energy
Time block your commitments: Treat your side hustle like a key project on your full-time calendar. Block out dedicated time slots to prevent the side work from bleeding into your full-time job or personal time.
Know when to pause or pivot: Constantly assess whether your efforts are driving significant growth or merely causing unnecessary stress. Sometimes the greatest lesson is knowing when to delegate, pause, or pivot your focus entirely.
Differentiate discomfort from overwhelm: Learn to distinguish between the uncomfortable feeling of growth (which is necessary) and the debilitating feeling of overwhelm (which requires stepping back and re-calibrating priorities). Overwhelm is a sign to set better boundaries, not a sign to quit.
Strategize your communication with your employer
Understand the policies first: Review your employee handbook for guidelines on outside employment, conflicts of interest, and intellectual property. Knowing your company’s stance is crucial before you launch.
Frame it as a skill builder: If you choose to share your side hustle with your manager, frame it around how the venture makes you a stronger employee (e.g., developing leadership, financial acumen, or market insight).
Maintain peak performance: Ensure your full-time role performance remains high. Your success in your primary job builds the professional capital and trust needed to gain flexibility and support for your outside ventures.
Build long-term resilience
Leverage your professional toolkit: The organizational skills, processes, and network you build in your day job can be directly applied to streamlining and scaling your side hustle operations.
Prioritize self-reflection and support: Long-term success requires self-reflection (through journaling, therapy, or whatever helps you) to regularly check in on your energy levels and true motivation.
Lean on your community: Utilize your personal community for emotional support and honest feedback to help manage the emotional and mental load of balancing multiple major commitments. The shared experience can normalize the struggle and provide practical solutions.
