In this episode of Architecture Business Club, host Jon discusses starting his own architectural design side hustle in 2010. He takes us through his motivation for starting a side business, shares details about the challenges he faced including dealing with job insecurity due to redundancy and his drive to create a location-independent business. Jon provides insights on how he got off the ground with consultations, grant funding opportunities, and forming a business plan. He also highlights the importance of having a proper presence for the business and a great online presence. In the latter part of the episode, he provides advice for those thinking of pursuing a similar path about avoiding perfectionism, understanding their motivations, and advice on possible conflicts of interest with current employers. The episode concludes with Jon sharing his lessons learned and answering key considerations for anyone thinking about starting an architecture side hustle.

Episode Highlights...

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:08 Understanding Side Hustles

01:32 Why Start a Side Hustle?

03:20 Starting the Side Hustle Journey

07:35 Overcoming Perfectionism and Launching the Business

10:31 Reflections and Lessons Learned

12:37 Tips for Starting a Side Hustle

13:50 Closing Remarks and Future Episodes

Key Takeaways...

👉 Starting a side hustle in architecture can provide additional income and flexibility.

👉 Side hustles are usually extra jobs or small businesses done outside of a regular job.

👉 Starting a side hustle can be motivated by factors like job insecurity, the desire for location independence, and the need for extra money.

👉 To start a side hustle, it is important to have a plan and consider factors like business goals, products/services, competition, and financial forecasts.

👉 Seeking advice from professionals, such as mentors, accountants, and insurance brokers, can be beneficial when starting a side hustle.

👉 Establishing a virtual office, creating a website, and setting up business listings are important steps to establish a presence for the side hustle.

👉 It is important to consider why you are starting a side hustle and whether you want it to remain a small venture or grow into a larger business.

👉 Contingency plans should be considered in case the side hustle grows more quickly than expected or takes up more time.

👉 Finding a niche and being clear about who you want to serve can help differentiate the side hustle and attract the desired types of projects.

👉 Connecting with professionals, peers, and industry organisations can provide valuable advice and support for running a side hustle in architecture.

Free Places To List Your Business Online

Apple Maps > https://businessconnect.apple.com/

Bing Places > https://www.bingplaces.com/

Free Index > https://www.freeindex.co.uk/advertise.htm

Thomson Local > https://www.thomsonlocal.com/product/freelisting

Yell > https://www.yell.com/free-listing/

Yelp > https://business.yelp.com/advertise/free-online-business-advertising/

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In The Next Episode...

Next time, Jon chats with award-winning social media trainer and strategist, Sarah Clay about how architecture practices can leverage LinkedIn to accelerate their business growth.