Welcome to the women's side hustle society. I'm so excited to introduce you to Erin.

Side Hustle

Erin's side hustling started when she was in school. She was always trying to find a way to learn something differently. It continued into college where in her senior year her and her twin sister decided to do a different kind of research project. They made a film from scratch using their own equipment and a teacher overseeing everything. That led to the business they still have today. Erin and her sister have been running a photography business called Double Take Productions for the last 6 or 7 years.

Biggest Struggle

Erin's biggest struggle was how much time her 9-5 job took from her. She wanted to do excellent work at her 9-5 job but her side business was waning. She found a way with still photography and video to be able to insert that into what she was doing.

Erin overworked herself in the beginning. Wanting excellence and over working often come hand in hand but they don't have to. Erin thought excellence meant working so hard you don't sleep, but that's not necessary all the time. You can have sprints of that but you can hustle without skipping sleep or self care.

Don't Get Burned Out

There is a mindset that's been around a long time that you have to work really hard to achieve greatness. But there is a new generation of us realizing that you can do self care. You have to hustle when you want to be productive but for the long haul and sustainability of you and your business remember to slow down. Don't overdo it and get burned out.

Erin's "aha" Moment

Erin started her business with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs with their social media strategy. Soon she was doing everything and quickly realized that wasn't necessary if she wanted to reach her goals and help as many people as possible. She couldn't help every single person to that same extent. From there she went into more consulting and strategizing with people.

Fear

When you want to quit your job and set out on your own there are a lot of fears to overcome. What is preventing you from quitting? Most people say money right away but it's usually about something else. Often times it is loyalty to the company or fear of not having benefits or the safety and security of a regular paycheck.

Erin found inspiration in her friend who had cystic fibrosis. He found what he wanted to do with his life and for a couple years he was doing what he loved which was painting. Then he passed away and Erin realized he was another person who was not going to realize their full potential. He became her inspiration then and there.

Advice

If you are just starting, consistency is a big thing. That doesn't necessarily mean posting on your Facebook page three times a day. Be consistent in supporting yourself. Don't put up a Facebook page, invite everyone to like it and then not post anything. Let people know you are doing work. Show them what your skills are and generate a buzz. Do something for your business at least once a day.

Freedom

When Erin was in her corporate job freedom means working from home every day, waking up when she wanted and being able to go to the gym every day. After she started working for herself freedom became being able to work from anywhere.

Contacting Erin

• Website for Erin's social media company, Elephant Social: www.elephant-social.com
• Facebook: Elephant Social
• Facebook group: Be a Social Elephant
• Website for Erin's photography and videography business, Double Take Productions: www.dbl-take.com