Angela Yee and AMP ENERGY® Organic want to make your side hustle go viral -- Here's how to apply
In today’s world, we not only seem to want to do it all, but more often than not, think that we actually can.
Blame it on low wages, lack of adequate employment options or simply a sense of ‘stuck-ness’ in an unfulfilling career path, but many are turning to ‘side hustles’ as passionate means to an end in addition to the daytime jobs they’re already running.
Digital and social media have helped bring attention to (and, in and of themselves, created) so many niche markets and needs that have made people’s side businesses, endeavors, products — anything you can think of — more accessible and more marketable than ever before.
Side hustle queen herself and Co-host of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, Angela Yee, explained the benefit and potential payoff of having an established side hustle:
“I think that having a side hustle actually affords you the opportunity to grow and learn more about what it is that you really want to do in life, because a lot of us have 9-5s that were not that thrilled about … it gives you the opportunity to dip your toe in so that when it’s time for you to jump all the way in, you have a foundation already established there.”
This year, Yee is teaming up with AMP ENERGY® Organic in ‘The Search for the Ultimate Side Hustlers Powered by AMP ENERGY® Organic’ which will search for the five ‘most unique’ side hustlers in the country:
“I was excited about [the contest] just because I always talk about how important it’s been for me to get to where I’ve gotten to based on all of the side hustles that I’ve had and that I still have to this day … being multifaceted and being able to not just have one stream of income coming in, but to have multiple — for me, I love to pay that knowledge forward and just let people know what it is that I’ve been through and helping people out also.”
The contest, which runs from August 27 to September 16, is calling for consumers to visit Power 105.1’s website to submit an explanation of their side hustle (along with photos and videos) across the categories of food, fashion, beauty, art or music.
The team is looking for the weirdest of the weird, the innovators and shakers that make you step back and say 'Why didn't I come up with that?'
In addition to judging whether or not contestants’ side hustles can be ‘amplified in a larger way’, Yee will be looking for a few major things when it comes to selecting finalists:
“[We're looking for] people who are really passionate — you can tell sometimes how successful a person will be based on how passionate the person is when they’re describing what they want to do … even if you’re not making any money, when you love something and you’re passionate about it you’ll still do it … [and] people that are putting that work in … people who are doing whatever they can to make sure their business is successful … setting aside time to master something and learn and educate yourself more.”
It’s that notion of passion and mastery that Yee is familiar with, having accidentally picked up a side hustle while working her first ‘real world’ job right out of college:
“When I graduated from college, I was working as the assistant to the CEO at Wu-Tang and one thing that I did to make more money was [to] write bios for artists … I was an English major in college and I could write really well and knock those bios out pretty quickly. I didn’t even look at it as a side hustle … I was getting paid $500 here, sometimes it would be $1,000 … those things really helped me pay my bills.
What was great about it was that it was something that I actually really enjoyed doing and I had a skill for it — it didn’t feel like work, it felt like ‘I’m doing something I enjoy and I’m getting paid for it.’”
What’s worked for Yee has been finding opportunities through connections she’s already built — and she’s encouraging aspiring and established entrepreneurs to do the same:
“You have to network. Make sure you get out there and go to different events … whatever it is, wherever you need to be and whatever rooms you need to be in wherever those people that can provide those opportunities to you are at, make sure you go to those rooms. Thats work in itself … it’s an investment in you and what you need to do for the future.”
The five finalists will be selected to showcase their side hustle at Power 105.1’s Powerhouse NYC 2018 pre-event on October 24 and at the main show on October 28, where headliners will include Cardi B and G-Eazy.
