Angela Yee, co-host of The Breakfast Club radio show on Power 105.1, respects the side hustle so much that she’s signed on to help AMP ENERGY Organic find five lucky finalists selected to showcase their product, experience or service at Power 105.1’s annual event, Powerhouse NYC 2018, attended by some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B, including this year’s headliners Cardi B, Lil Uzi Vert and G-Eazy.
The contest kicked off August 27, 2018 and will run through Sept. 16, 2018, with a national call for entries in the categories including food, fashion, beauty, art, or music. The online submissions will be evaluated by the AMP ENERGY® Organic team and Yee. (More details can be found on Power 105.1’s website.)
“In this day and age, it’s so important for people to have side hustles,” Yee told TNJ.com. “I live in New York and I know how expensive it is to live here. So just having that day job doesn’t cut it sometimes. And also, sometimes our side hustle turns into our main hustle. Many of us use our day jobs to take care of our financial responsibilities and that means we have to dream big to one day make our side hustle a reality if that’s what you love and what you’re passionate about.”
Yee speaks from experience. She’s someone who has several hustles in addition to her work on The Breakfast Club. She has a podcast with State Farm that focuses on personal finance as well as a podcast she herself launched that focuses on relationships and everyday life.
“Podcasts are the wave now. They’re really helpful for people who don’t have a big following, don’t have advertisers, and are not on a network. Sometimes you have to figure out how to make something happen. There might not be an immediate pay out, but you have to stick with it; in the long term it could end up being beneficial for you,” she reveals.
The five winners of the contest will have the opportunity to have face time with Yee for advice, but here ahead of the selection, she shares her top tips for pursuing your side hustle:
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. Starting or growing a side hustle can be stressful when you think about everything that needs to happen to get it off the ground. Don’t let that deter you from getting started or realizing the potential of what the company could be. Set realistic goals and prioritize. Everything will come in time.
- Commit to a timeframe. I’m not talking about a “this has to be perfect by this date” kind of timeframe. What I mean is, dedicate a certain amount of time per week to working on your side hustle. It can be as much or as little as you’d like. If you want to dedicate five hours a week, great. If you want to dedicate 20 hours a week, that’s great too. Figure out what works best for you and your schedule, and have the discipline to stay on track.
- Never give up. Starting a business is tough, and I’d be lying if I said there aren’t going to be setbacks. Ignore the detractors and naysayers and, no matter how big or how small your goal, persevere and don’t give up. Rome wasn’t built in a day and not every idea will immediately take off. Stick with it and keep working hard, and you’ll see the payoff soon enough.
- Set yourself up for success. Do your research. Is there anyone else out there with the same idea or business model? How do you stand out or do what they do better? Being aware of what else is out there and differentiating yourself from the masses will give you succeed in the long run.
- Hustle the right way.Being an entrepreneur takes hustle. The problem is, many people think hustle is about becoming a workaholic. In reality, hustle is an act of focus. It’s not about doing more, it’s about concentrating on the things that you need to do, in order to move your business forward.
In addition to receiving two tickets to Power 105.1’s Powerhouse NYC 2018, free round-trip airline tickets for them and a guest, and a hotel stay, each Grand Prize Winner will be awarded the opportunity to showcase his or her side hustle at Power 105.1’s Powerhouse NYC 2018 pre-event on October 24 and at the main show on October 28. They will also have the opportunity to promote their business on Power 105.1’s channels.
And when it comes to promoting one’s business, Yee says an understanding of marketing is a plus. “I started my career in satellite radio at Sirius FM radio, and my background is in marketing. It’s an area that is important for anything you want to do whether it’s marketing your talent or starting a business and coming up with creative ways to market that business,” she notes.
She goes on to describe her early days in radio when budgets were tight and she had to find ways to promote her show. “This was back when Twitter had just started. There was no Instagram yet, and I had to find ways to promote online,” she recalls. “I would have people come in and film segments of my show so I could post it, but that content was getting picked up.”
“And even now, there are so many people and so many outlets looking for content. So, if you can come up with something great and creative, and be an asset to somebody, that is something that people really need right now,” she adds.
She continues, “There are people who didn’t go to school to become a filmmaker yet they’re making films and shorts. Look at Issa Rae with the success of Insecure. It started off with her doing her own online content. It really is possible and it might take years, but as you’re working on it you should be getting better and your audience should be growing – even if it’s 10 people a week, that’s progress.”
