Life After College by Jenny Blake » Work

I’m a Free Agent: From Six Figures to Suitcase

Jenny — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:35:26 +0000

Grab a cup of coffee, friends — this is an epically long post. (Update: had to change the link, so the Facebook/Tweet counts started over. Thanks to everyone who shared so far!)

This post has three parts:

Some jumbo news; the biggest in the history of this blog (and my life). No, I’m not pregnant.
A 5-minute reader survey that I would LOVE for you to take. Pretty, pretty please?!
A Q&A with myself for those contemplating a great leap in their own lives. Live big, baby!

1. The big news

There’s this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can’t abide standing outside the fire.
Life is not tried it is merely survived
If you’re standing outside the fire.
–Garth Brooks, lyrics to Standing Outside the Fire

My heart is pounding as I write this…I’m exhilarated, nervous, and excited to share some big news with you. I’m moving to New York (more on that in another post)….aaaaand…

I quit Google.

After five years at the company and near-daily deliberation during my sabbatical, I’ve made the very difficult decision not to return to Google. Friday was my last day.

I checked all the boxes for my own Life After College, and yet something was still missing. I worked at a start-up, got a job at Google, became a manager, bought a house, bought a car, ran a marathon, and wrote and published a book. I checked every box along the “template” American Dream life that I grew up aspiring to have…and yet, after I turned 27 and saw many of my friends getting married and having babies, I realized I might not fit the mold I had created for myself. I found myself wanting to break free from it all, and move toward a life full of spontaneity, travel, independence and FREEDOM.

So I am walking away from a six figure salary, three meals a day, yoga classes, gym, the best health care money can buy, and 25,000 brilliant co-workers to see if I can hack it as a solopreneur.

For better or worse, my life (and identity) has revolved around Google for many years…and for a long time I was afraid that I wouldn’t be interesting or “valuable” to people if I no longer worked there.

And yet, my heart lies elsewhere. It lies here, with you — with Life After College and Make Sh*t Happen and everything else I’m building.

In the end, I’m choosing to leave all of the perks behind for the uncertain promise of a more passionate future. My co-workers deserve someone who is fully committed to them, and you — my readers — deserve someone who is fully committed to you.

I was supposed to go back today…but I just couldn’t.

I couldn’t knowing how alive, happy and engaged I’ve felt these last three months.
I couldn’t subject myself again to the stress of trying to manage two full-time jobs.
I couldn’t look you in the eyes and write blog posts, coach clients and deliver speeches with integrity if meanwhile I was ignoring my own heart and gut.
I couldn’t continue signing books with “live big!” and “take great leaps!” if I was unwilling to take my own advice.

So here I am, taking the greatest leap of my life.

The goodbye email I wrote to my co-workers sums things up pretty well:

I’ve stepped into life as an author these last three months, and yet — somehow I find myself overcome with writer’s block as I try to find the words to say goodbye.

After five amazing years at Google (on the Training, Career Development and Authors@Google teams), I have made the incredibly difficult decision not to return after my sabbatical. As much as I wanted to come back, my heart was torn; I knew it wouldn’t be fair to Google or to my team if my attention was focused elsewhere. For that reason, I will be directing my full time and energy on pursuing the many ideas I have related to my book, blog, coaching and speaking business — also known (only half-jokingly) as Jenny Blake Enterprises. What was once a side project has become a full-blown love affair, and though I am slightly terrified about how to feed myself in the real world, I am taking my own advice about “living big” and pursuing my passion by making the leap into self-employment.

It’s now Jenny Blake Enterprises or bust — so get ready for a roller-coaster, baby!!!
Stick around for Part 3 of this post for a Q&A with myself about the decision…

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2. I would love to hear from you!! Click here to make my day

If it’s wrong for me to want to change the world with what I got
Let me make my own mistakes,
That’s a chance I’m gonna take
If I’m right, I saw you all,
In my dreams so long ago
–Lyrics to All I Want (by Kate Earl)

As the lyrics to this song describe, I saw you all in my dreams a long long time ago (cue sappy music). From the time I was a little girl, I spent my days making worksheets, writing a monthly family newspaper and video-taping myself practicing to be a news anchor.

I was born to fly this plane full-time, and I finally mustered the courage to do it.

The way I see it, I now have all of my energy and creative faculties available to me to try to make a positive impact in all of your lives. And I want to do that over and over again.

I truly believe that’s what I’m here to do.

That’s where you come in. I would *love* to know what you’re struggling with and how I can help. I can fly this plane blindfolded or with help from all of you, and I much prefer the latter!

Please, pretty please — take 5 minutes and share your thoughts in this survey. 1,000 karma points included!

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3. An Interview with Myself on my Departure

I’m going to share the details behind this decision with you Q&A style. If this bores you to tears, feel free to skip this part of the post, but since Google has been such a big part of my life (and income!) I want to spend some time explaining my decision for others who may be contemplating a big leap of some kind in their lives. (As you get to the end, you’ll see that my gremlin snuck in some questions too.) Those who subscribe to my Inside Scoop newsletter already heard this two weeks ago — but I wanted to make sure I gave all of my co-workers the respect of telling them first before announcing publicly through my blog.

Was it an easy decision to make?
No. This was one of the hardest decisions I have EVER made, and I did not make it lightly. How could I walk away from my “dream” job as a Career Development program manager, where I worked for one of the most innovative companies in the world, where thousands apply and get rejected every day? I struggled with this decision for almost every day of my sabbatical — every day I felt differently than the one before, and the limbo-mode became very tiring.

The thought of going out on my own struck TERROR in my heart — and yet, once I made the decision I knew with 100% certainty that it’s the right thing to do. I’m still scared, but mostly hopeful and excited. Deep down, I knew what I needed to do in January when I declared this year my Year to Fly. I hate to disappoint those of you who saw me as an example of working at a company AND maintaining a successful side hustle, but in the end, I just couldn’t do both for the long haul given the momentum around my side hustle — so I knew (and have always secretly hoped) this day would come.

When did you realize it was the right thing to do?
That’s where you come in. As I said in my Book Tour Best Moments post, you have given me wings. During my 3-month sabbatical I felt lighter, freer and happier than I’ve ever felt in my life. I connected with inspiring people every day. I worked many 14-hour days on my own projects. I started Life After College as a website six years ago, and the blog almost four years ago. I built it during nights and weekends, with whatever time and energy was left over after my intense Google responsibilities were taken care of. I started wondering what I might be capable of — and how I could serve you even better — if I directed 100% of my energy back into my business.

There were also many angels along my book tour who looked me in the eyes and said they saw more for me — and that they would not let me fail if I chose to make the leap, despite my intense trepidation and desire to be fiscally responsible.

So how will you make money? What if you end up in a van down by the river?
As Danielle LaPorte said at The World Domination Summit, “The universe speaks in cash flow.” Here’s hoping!!! There is a part of me that deeply trusts that things will work out, AND a part of me that knows I will have to work my ASS off to meet the Universe halfway. I have a lot to learn about sales, marketing, accounting, health care, and all kinds of other unexpected things. But that’s the exciting part! I’m ready for a challenge, and I trust myself to put every ounce of brainpower and effort available to me into trying to get my business off the ground. And if I fail? At least I know that I tried.

I can only hope that my audience (all of you!) don’t run away in protest once I start offering paid products…which has been a very real fear for me for a VERY long time. After almost four years of blogging, my book was the first thing I ever felt comfortable pitching…and that’s because I put THREE years of work into it! But I know that with my full energy and creativity that I can create things in a shorter time frame that people will love and value. And it doesn’t have to be everyone — many can continue to enjoy all of my free content and templates without ever spending a dime on coaching or courses (except for hopefully the $12 to buy my book .

Are you going to start telling everyone to quit their jobs and become location independent?
Absolutely not. I was very happy working for a company for many years, and I fully realize the self-employed path is not right for everyone (though I can tell you that I’ve never felt freer or lighter). But at this moment in time it is right for me.

I care WAY MORE that you are following your heart and gut and deepest desires — no matter what those end up to be. I would have felt like a complete fraud if I continued signing books with “Live big!” and “Take great leaps!” while being unwilling to follow my own advice. I’ve known for YEARS that this work — coaching, speaking and writing in service of inspiring others to live their best lives — is what I was born to do; I just needed the courage to do it full-time.

What if you regret leaving? What about all those people that would kill to work at Google? What if you fall on your face and have to beg for your job back?
For the first time in my life, I am willing to go all in on JBE. I am willing to spend my entire savings, sell my stocks, sell my car, and even sell my house if I have to. I will live out of a suitcase and I will go back to “frugality smackdown” mode until I give this a fair shot. At the end of the day, what do I have to lose? I will forever regret it if I don’t try the self-employed thing. I’ve worked at a start-up and now a big corporation; it’s time to go balls-to-the-wall and see what I can do on my own. Going back to Google would not have been fair to them or to me — my heart wouldn’t be in it, and I’d be giving every project the short-shrift by burning out again trying to do it all.

I thought about going back part-time, but at this point, I’m not even willing to spare an hour a week on something that isn’t directly in line with making sure my book and blog are successful. Another factor is that my book still has a loooong way to go in terms of sales if I ever want to get another book deal — with ~2,000 down, I’ve got about 10,000 more to sell.

So what’s next?
Over the next few months I plan on ramping up my speaking and 1:1 coaching, and applying my 5+ years of Training & Career Development knowledge toward building widely accessible coaching products that will directly benefit my audience without costing as much as individual sessions — I like to call it “inspiration at scale.” I’m incredibly excited about spending the month of July preparing to launch the 8-week Make Sh*t Happen course that will take people’s biggest, scariest goal and turn it into an inevitable snowball of momentum. I live for helping people achieve their big dreams.

Speaking of which, how did you come up with Make Sh*t Happen as your next project?
In my work with dozens of coaching clients and interactions with hundreds (if not thousands) of book and blog readers, I’ve realized that just about everyone I talk to has a big giant goal that they are tip-toeing around. These goals are so gigantic that it’s hard to even say them out loud, let alone start taking action.

I put together this program as a natural extension of my book; after people get clear on their ideal vision for every area of their lives, they are ready to pick one or two major areas in which to take meaningful action. Besides, I’m right in the thick of my own “Make Sh*t Happen” goals (including a move to NYC in the fall!!) — so I look forward to participating right alongside with everyone. This book (and coaching program) will take your goal from impossible to inevitable — and I can’t wait to share it with those of you who are ready for the challenge!

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If you made it this far, HIGH FIVE!!!

This is the last time I’ll bug you: please take this reader survey if you haven’t already — I will love you FOREVER.

Oh heck, who are we kidding. I love you all anyway

What’s your soul-on-fire superpower? On Seth Godin, Spreadsheets and Creepy Crawlers

Jenny — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:05:46 +0000

I was on the phone with my brother yesterday, and I gave him some career-related homework (the pro or the con of having a sister who’s a life coach, depending on how you see it). I asked him to write this question at the top of a piece of paper:

What am I uniquely suited to do, given my random talents, skills and interests,
that makes me feel ALIVE?

Dig back to your childhood. My brother manufactured and sold Creepy Crawlers and hustled so that he could own every new gadget — probably to a fault (remember MiniDisc players? Biiiig mistake). I practiced being a news anchor, took dance classes, started a family newspaper, hosted a neighborhood carnival, and opened a library operation out of my bedroom.

What lights your SOUL on fire?

It might be a set of skills so random you have NO clue how they relate. Write them down anyway. Those of you who have been around a while know that I love teaching, organizing, inspiring people and dancing (ideally on tables in Las Vegas if we’re getting really serious — ha).

Enter Seth Godin, The Domino Project and a peek into my crazy brain

Yesterday was a ~~big~~ GIANT day for me. Seth Godin linked to my 15-tab book marketing spreadsheet from The Domino Project blog, and it set my inbox ablaze. Within an hour we had 100 retweets. I watched with glee as dozens of people seemed to exhale a collective sigh of relief upon seeing the spreadsheet — something that at one time I was afraid to share for fear that it makes me look LIKE I’VE LOST MY DAMN MIND to a bout of uber-neurotisism and compulsive organization.

But alas! Yesterday clarified that one of my superpowers is organizing complex ideas in service of making people’s lives easier. How many thousands of authors have gone before me, and yet — none have chosen to share their process in this much detail before. If you’re promoting a book — or anything really — check it out. You can read the full back-story of how the Seth connection came about here. An excerpt:

Against today’s conventional book marketing advice, I decided to self-fund a 14-city ACTUAL book tour (in person! not virtual!). When I was invited to share my experience with Seth Godin and his team at The Domino Project headquarters in New York (by my good friend Willie Jackson), I jumped at the chance.

I had 15 minutes to present something related to my experience as an author. With a bit of nervous excitement, I decided to share the book marketing spreadsheet, which also felt very vulnerable. I was sure that sharing my spreadsheet with Seth and his team would brand me as a Type-A obsessive compulsive freak. But there was also a small chance that they would like what I had done — and that my crazy template brain could be put to use to make other author’s lives easier too.

Long story short, everyone loved it. Willie remarked that my spreadsheet “glows in the dark,” and Seth’s literary agent Lisa wanted to recommend it to every single one of her clients as a way to get organized. Seth offered to share it with his readers — and that’s when I knew I was really on to something.

Here’s one of my favorite tweets from the day:

Pop on over to The Domino Project blog to check-out the post — HUGE thanks to Seth for the great opportunity!

Speaking of superpowers…the Only72.com personal development fire-sale ends tomorrow morning! (9am Pacific Time on Thursday)

I can’t think of a better way to reveal, dig-into, enhance and plot world-domination-style greatness around your unique strengths than with the Only72 mega-pack of over 22 personal development products. A quick reminder for those of you still thinking about grabbing a set: the bundle is valued at $1087 and is selling for $97…but for three days only (ending Thursday at 9am PT). It will not be offered again.

I think this is a killer deal, but it won’t be for everyone. This offer is great for anyone who has considered buying these products independently (a particularly good deal if at least three or more look interesting), and for those of you who are looking for a summer boost on productivity, relationships, and goal-setting.

If you purchase the bundle, you’ll get a sneak preview at the course I’m launching later this summer called Make Sh*t Happen. This is my new baby: an 80-page e-book formatted very similarly to my actual book that I started working on in January to help you tackle a GINORMOUS goal. I think you’re going to love it To receive a free preview of 3 sample chapters and to get on the early notification list for when the 8-week Make Sh*t Happen coaching course launches this summer, sign-up here.

I leave you today with a set of questions to consider:

What lights your soul (and your brain) on fire? What fills your heart with glee (beyond puppies, wine and chocolate)? What would you pay someone to be able to do?

What brings out your inner hustle? What gets you out of bed in the morning on your very best days?

Given your random background, education, job history and skillset — what are you UNIQUELY qualified to do or talk about? It might be the psychology of stardom, how to crush it when your parents are no longer with you and you’re allergic to the 9-to-5, or first-class hustlin’ — buying office supplies from stores going out of business and selling them BACK to Office Depot for profit (ahem…my brother).

If you weren’t waiting to be good enough, smart enough, skilled enough or rich enough — what would you share with the world?

Don’t know the answers? GOOD! That means we’re running your brain through some new and exciting calisthenics. Write these questions at the top of a piece of paper and let them marinate for a week or two. And answer in the comments when you think of something! Nothing lights me up more than hearing about what gets you going

Guest Post: 10 Tips to Shred the Competition in your Skype interview (by Jenny Foss)

Jenny — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 07:28:05 +0000

Editor’s Note: Before we jump in — for those curious about how the book is doing: sales have gone up and down, but the book is holding steady at #36 in Career Guides (after peaking at #11). I’ll post a more detailed update next week. As for Amazon reviews — we’re at 49 out of my goal of 100…halfway there! If you haven’t left your thoughts yet, please post a review when you get a chance Thank you all for an incredible launch!

This is a guest post from Jenny Foss (Jennys FTW!), the firecracker career maven behind JobJenny.com, a site that provides job-seekers with practical advice that is relevant to TODAY’S job market and technology. Jenny describes herself as “Your job search BFF and tough love expert on finding career passion.” She just launched her first ebook, To Whom It May Concern: Or, How to Stop Sucking at Your Job Search.

I’m excited to give Jenny the floor today because a lot has changed since I was last out there job-hunting, and these tips are relevant and incredibly helpful for anyone who uses Skype — not just job-seekers (they’ve been great reminders for me as I do book interviews, and are great tips for networking calls via Skype as well).

10 Tips to Shred the Competition in your Skype interview (by Jenny Foss)

You may already know this, but allow me to reiterate: corporate HR has discovered Skype. And they’re using it with increasing frequency to interview candidates. It’s cheaper than flying you in, and it’s more personal than a phone call.

Welcome to your huge advantage in the job search. Do use it accordingly. Even if you’re not job searching, these tips are helpful for any Skype calls you do, including informal interviews and networking.

If you’re competing with older candidates for your dream job, they may very well have the “years’ experience” edge. But if you’re already comfortable using Skype? You really, truly could outshine that senior level candidate if he or she is “green” with this technology.

Of course, you must then make this your mission. Outshine, friend. Outshine.

To ensure this mission is successful, here are 10 tips to help you shred the competition on your next Skype interview:

When confirming the interview, provide your Skype account name. Show the interviewer that you’re comfortable with the technology right from the start. Also, ask if you are to dial them, or if they will call you. No sense starting off on this weird note.
If your Skype name is cutesy or unprofessional, set up another account. And not MadSkillz or HireMaddie. Just your name, please. Or something close to it if yours is already taken.
Practice first. I recognize that this might sound obvious, but you’d be amazed by how many people don’t do it. Dial up a friend, relative or professional mentor and run through a few mock questions. Check the audio levels, make sure the room lighting looks normal
Get the eye contact thing down. This can feel a little strange on Skype, but eye contact is VERY important in an interview. Be sure and look into the webcam a large portion of the time. You’ll be tempted to stare at the screen, because that’s where the interviewer’s image appears. But if you look there the whole time? It will come across that you’re looking down the entire time. Eye contact. A must
Don’t even think about doing it in a coffee shop. Quiet, clean room. Absolutely no environmental hustle and bustle, none. Oh, and when I say “quiet, clean room?” Assume I mean “quiet, clean room with no weird crap in the background.
Silence any other phone or potentially interrupting technologies before the interview. That’d be your cell phone, your land line and any other audible alerts that could pop up on your computer during the call.
Go professional, but remember you’re probably sitting at home. Some professionals will argue me on this, but I think that, for most positions, it’s unnecessary to get all spiffed out in an “interview suit” for a Skype interview. “Hi, I’m sitting in my apartment in pinstripes. Just a regular old day here.” It just seems odd to me. Absolutely look polished, ironed and professional (and wear pants, for heaven’s sake,) but I say suit is not required (unless, of course, you’re in the running for some big Wall Street or CPA gig, then yes, probably.)
Prepare in the exact same way that you would for a face-to-face interview. Research the company, the industry and the players with whom you’ll be interviewing. Come to the interview with thoughtful questions related to these. Listen. Listen. Listen. And then answer questions calmly and succinctly. Smile. Just like you’d do in person.
Don’t panic if you have a dropped connection. More than likely, the interviewer already knows that this happens sometimes with a Skype call. In the event it happens on your interview? Take a couple of deep breaths and wait for him or her to re-connect. If five minutes passes and he or she doesn’t? Redial.
Say thank you. And do so while you’re looking at that webcam.

Finally: pat yourself on the back when it’s over. Your comfort level with newer technologies like Skype may well help you land the dream job!

Looking for more? Check-out Jenny’s just-released ebook, To Whom It May Concern: Or, How to Stop Sucking at Your Job Search. You can also find Jenny on Twitter @JobJenny.

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Note: the e-book links in the post are affiliate links, but I am HIGHLY selective about guest posts and the content I recommend. I only bring you the best because you deserve nothing less!

Life After College Launch: Mid-Week Report

Jenny — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:30:04 +0000

Speaking at my first book signing!

My heart is exploding with gratitude right now…so much that I can barely find the words to express a proper thank you.

Even amidst the thrilling chaos of launch day, I left the house (points!) to go for a run (double points!) and had a moment where I realized that Tuesday was THE proudest day of my life.

Partly because of the book being officially launched and unleashed to the world. Partly because it skyrocketed up to the top #1,000 on Amazon (#747 to be exact). But mostly because I felt such a sense of pride and overwhelming gratitude at the outpouring of support and community. I am truly honored and humbled.

Because of you: the book shot up to #750 overall on launch day, and peaked at #11 in Career guides!
Because of you: countless friends, family members, Facebook readers and Twitter followers heard about the book and checked it out.
Because of you: there are nearly 40 Amazon reviews to encourage those on the fence to buy the book (including an awesome video review from Marc Luber of Careers Out There!).

1. In other fun news:

I was quoted in US News & World Report yesterday (with a full interview coming out next week). If you have a minute, check out And on the Side, I’m an Entrepreneur.
Michael Bungay Stanier (@BoxOfCrayons) also interviewed me for his Great Work podcast – give ‘er a listen! I talk about how to find your passion, deal with “expectation hangovers,” listen to physical cues about your great work, diffuse your inner critic, time-management strategies and tips for navigating your career within an organization.
Video interview with @SeanOgle on Location 180 – 5 Things That Almost Didn’t Make it Into the Book
A peek into my brain through the eyes of my desk at Google in a fun feature on TagBento (click on the boxes for a story behind each piece of desk flair)
Check out more awesome reviews and interviews on my book website’s Around the Web page.

2. Here are some behind-the-scenes screenshots of the statistics I see on my Author’s Central page on Amazon:

Statistics as of 10pm on March 30:

Sales over the last month: up and to the right, a very good thing! (Click to enlarge)

P.S. Amazon is tricky, huh? Their graph makes it look like my book is at #1 even though it’s #834. But hey, out of 8 million that’s not too shabby!

3. I still need your help in two major ways:

Launch Week Push until Monday – If you have the book on your wishlist and plan on buying it eventually, please buy it between now and Monday! Launch week, from Tuesday, March 29 to Tuesday, April 5, is the best chance I have at making a bestseller list. Every book counts. If you’re on the fence, check out some of the great Amazon reviews — I know you won’t be disappointed, and the book is currently selling for less than $9!
Speaking of Amazon -- I still have a goal to get to 100 reviews by Friday (we’re in great shape at 38!). If you have a copy of the book, I would be thrilled if you could leave an honest Amazon review sharing your thoughts — social proof is an amazing motivator for those who don’t know me (or my work) to get their own copy.

4. Coaching Giveaway — Reminder from Tuesday:

Two readers will win an autographed copy of Life After College: The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want and a 45-minute private coaching session ($300 value!) to help you find clarity and inspiration around whatever topic you choose.

Giveaway Rules:
Each of the actions below equals 1 or 2 entries. After you’ve completed one or more, leave a comment on Tuesday’s post telling me how many entries you’ve earned (we’re on the honor system here!):

Share this post on Twitter with the hashtag #LACBook – 1 Entry
Share this post on Facebook – 1 Entry
“Like” the Life After College Facebook Page – 1 Entry
Let me know you are subscribed to the Inside Scoop newsletter – 2 Entries
Write an honest review on Amazon.com (obviously only if you have already read the book!) – 2 Entries
Copy and paste this template email to let your networks know about the book – 3 Entries

The contest ends on Wednesday, April 3rd at 5pm PST.

5. Reader Testimonials…with pictures!

I’ve seen other authors do this and I think it’s a great way to share excitement about the book, put faces to readers’ names, and cross-promote all of you! If you send me a picture of you with the book and a testimonial (send to lifeaftercollege [at] gmail [dot] com), I’ll tack them on to the footer of my posts. This week we kick of with Bradley Will of Forward Looking Entrepreneurship!

From Bradley:

“I wish this came out 5 years ago (wow…it’s been that long). It would have saved me a lot of time and struggles!”

Thanks again for an amazing launch week everyone!! I can certifiably say I’m the happiest I’ve ever been…thanks to you.

6 Ways to Manage a Side Hustle Without Going Insane

Jenny — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:24:50 +0000

Note: This is a re-post of a guest blog I did for Brazen Careerist (GREAT discussion happening in the comments) to promote our upcoming 30-minute webinar and Network Roulette tomorrow (launch day!) at 5EST/8PST.

During the webinar I’ll share my career development philosophy and side hustle tips for 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of Q&A; after that we’ll head into a 30-minute Network Roulette where the first five people to get paired with me will win signed copies of Life After College. Join us if you can, and stay tuned for an exiting launch day post tomorrow!

6 Ways to Manage a Side Hustle Without Going Insane

Side hustles (a term I first heard from Pam Slim of Escape from Cubicle Nation) are all the rage these days. A side hustle is anything you are doing outside of your full-time job (you know…the one that pays the bills), and often involves an entrepreneurial enterprise of some sort — something you’re building on your own for personal satisfaction and for profit.

As Pam says, “Everybody needs a side hustle.”

Side hustles are great for the following reasons:

1. They allow you to experiment with business ideas without the pressure of trying to make your full income from them right away.

2. They are great for self-expression and self-identity — you get to build a business (or a blog) around something you are passionate about; you get to be your own boss and set your own strategy.

3. They create a parallel career track that you could leap over to at some point — or if you were to lose your “day job” — you would already have a bank of skills and experiences that could either create a new income stream or help you land your next gig.

However, side hustles are not for the faint of heart:

1. You essentially have two jobs.
2. Work/life balance becomes even more challenging — nights and weekends are easily consumed by one of the two.
3. You risk giving each scattered focus, which could result in a sub-par position on both if you don’t correct course.

A little bit about me:

My 3-Year Side Hustle (from my first book signing!)

I’ve been managing side hustles — gigs in addition to my full-time jobs — for over six years. When I was working at a start-up company after college, I started doing web development tutoring on the side (which was a great way for me to grow my skills, earn extra spending money, and learn how to find and work with clients). Then in 2007, I started this blog while working full-time at Google in Training & Development. In 2008, I started the process of writing a book and training to become a life coach.

By the time I got the book deal in 2010, my side hustle (author, blogger, coach, speaker and yoga teacher extraordinaire) had become a full time job in itself. Paired with the intense, fast-paced environment of managing global programs through my work at Google (I am a Career Development Program Manager though currently on a 3-month sabbatical) — it has been all I could do to maintain my sanity these last three years!

With that, I share some tips with you to help you keep your marbles together during the exciting pursuit of what you love.

6 Tips to Keep Your Sanity While Side Hustlin’:

1. Draw clear boundaries and create routine. Draw clear boundaries for when you will work on your side hustle. Nights and weekends? Just weekends? No weekends? I chose nights and Sunday afternoons for mine (at least until things got really ramped up with the book, when I found myself working through most weekends). Drawing boundaries will help you stay focused and stay sane — you will never get everything done, but you will at least know what your “big push” windows are.

2. Be transparent with your employer. I realize not everyone feels that they can share what they work on outside of the office with their manager — but to the extent that you can, this may actually help him or her support you and give you projects related to your area/s of interest. In my case, it helped tremendously to share what I was doing. Because I’ve kept Google in the loop, they felt comfortable letting me take a 3.5-month unpaid leave of absence to promote the book.

3. Set goals for your side hustle. What are you trying to build? How much extra income are you trying to generate? With limited time to work on your pet project, you will need to be laser focused on what you’re trying accomplish and by when.

4. For bloggers — assume everything you write will be read by your boss and every co-worker. Does it still pass the “publishable” test? I’m not trying to censor you, but there is a level of discretion required when writing outside of your day job. I can’t tell you how many co-workers of mine reference my blog posts when they run into me — many of whom I had never met in person prior to our interaction.

5. Stay committed to your social life and be clear about your mission with friends and family. I have made the mistake (far too many times) of letting my two jobs suck up every second of my spare time (partly because I am so motivated to make my side hustle successful). So don’t forget to get out of the house every now and then! Do what you can to enroll friends and family in what you’re doing too — it’s likely that you will see them less as you ramp up your side hustle — at least for a period of time. If they know what your greater mission is, they will hopefully understand the times you have to to buckle-down and provide support in the process (though don’t get discouraged if they don’t — not everyone will see your vision right away).

6. Unplug, recharge, and TAKE A VACATION. No matter how energized you are by what you are doing outside of your full-time, everyone needs a break…or you’ll soon be headed for a break-DOWN. Take it from a girl who has had several hair-pulling hot mess moments over the last few years — vacations (in which you totally unplug from both jobs) are critical to maintaining your sanity while you juggle. I recently took a week off for SXSW and a spontaneous road-trip detour to Las Vegas — even though I fell far behind during a critical time for the book launch, the relationships I built and memories I created were unforgettable. No side hustle is worth depriving yourself completely of life’s best moments. After all, isn’t creating MORE of that why we’re doing it in the first place?

Side hustles are a lot of work, but they can also be incredibly rewarding. It’s an amazing feeling to build something of your own and watch it grow.

For those of you already hustlin’ — what did I miss? How do you maintain your sanity while growing your business while working a full-time job?

Want to learn more? Join us for a LIVE 30-minute webinar and Network Roulette on Tuesday, March 29 at 5PST/8EST (with a chance to win one of FIVE signed copies of Life After College)!

You’re Invited: Free 4-Part “Inbox Freedom” Webinar Series

Jenny — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:17:09 +0000

Hi all – just a quick post today to extend an invite to a free four-part “Inbox Freedom” webinar series that I’m co-leading with my friend Pierre Khawand of People On the Go. Each of the 30-minute installments will be part instruction, part workshop to help you get a better handle on your inbox. The series starts tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. PST — join us if you can!

Overwhelmed by email? For many of us, what we’re doing isn’t working when it comes to managing our inboxes. We know there is a better way, but we haven’t found it yet. Pierre and I are here to help, as we also learn and practice right alongside you. I will bring the coaching/big picture perspective, and Pierre will help you focus on process with practical systems and tools. We will share tips and exercises that raise awareness (what types of emails cause the most stress/annoyance?), set vision (what is your ideal state of inbox management?), and brainstorm solutions (to help you start walking the talk).

Here’s a brief description from the sign-up page:

This four-week webinar series is designed to help you re-assess your behaviors and attitudes toward your e-mail inbox. Through a series of tips, demonstrations, and interactive exercises, we will teach you new practices to transform the way you look at email and manage e-mail. Your inbox activities will go from ad-hoc, inefficient, and anxiety-producing to structured, effective and anxiety-free. Instead of letting your inbox rule your mood and even your life, become the master of your own email domain through this four-part series.

Pre and post surveys: Those who participate in the pre- and post-surveys and attend all 4 webinars will get a free copy of the eBook “The New New Inbox–How Email and Social Media Changed Our Lives–The Complete Survey Report” ($19.95 value).

Hope to see you there!

**UPDATE: Listen to the recordings and sign-up below:

Session One: Awareness - Part 1 (~14 minutes, led by me) and Part 2 (~12 minutes, led by Pierre)
Session Two: Vision/Goals - Part 1 (me) / Part 2 (Pierre)
Session Three: Action/Next Steps – Part 1 (me) / Part 2 (Pierre)
Session Four: Putting it all Together – Part 1 (me) / Part 2 (Pierre & Jared)

***

P.S. Keep an eye out for my next post…book trailer videos will be ready any day now – can’t wait to show you!