Unleashing Your Side-Hustle Potential: Women Over 50

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Today, we're diving into a topic that I believe is

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crucial, side hustles for women over 50.

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But this isn't just about padding the

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purse. It's about redefining retirement

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into a time of growth purpose and yes, a little

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extra cash. So whether you're looking to

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explore a passion, save for that dream vacation,

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or simply enjoy the challenge of starting something

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new, this episode is for you.

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Hello, beautiful ladies. Welcome back to another episode of 5

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to Thrive. I'm your host, Valerie Hatcher. Our

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mission is to provide empowering tips for women over 50 to

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help us navigate this vibrant stage of life with grace,

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style, and a whole lot of fun. Each week, I bring

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you 5 practical and engaging tips on a specific

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topic. I hope you find them relevant and relatable,

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and we'll come back for more. Ready for today's episode?

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Then let's go.

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Hey girl. So side hustles,

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It turns out that women over 50 are

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embracing them more and more. We don't have exact

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numbers, but let's face it. We're redefining

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what retirement should look like. More money,

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more purpose, and taking charge of our futures.

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But I'm not going to lie juggling a side gig,

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my full time job, and you know, life

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can be a challenge. Today, we're ditching the idea

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that this stage is about slowing down. What

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if we ramp up just a bit to

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make our retirement years truly golden?

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Let's talk side hustles, smart time management,

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and how all of this makes you unstoppable in the

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years to come. Get your favorite beverage

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or turn up the volume in the car and let's dive

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in. Let's start with the why.

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Why are side hustles particularly important for

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us? You know, the over 50 crowd. First

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off, retirement savings.

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We've all seen the stats. Many of us could use a

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boost in our retirement funds. A side hustle

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can be that boost for retirement savings, but

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it can be deeper than that. Aside hustle reignite

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your passion, taps into the skills you might have

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forgotten you had. It's a way of taking care

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of your future on your own terms.

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Picture your ideal retirement

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travel hobbies, finally getting their due

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or less sexy, but vital peace

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of mind, knowing those bills are covered

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aside, hustle puts that vision into reach.

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Now there can be a feel factor attached to this.

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I'm too old. I don't have the tech skills.

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What if I fail? We've all felt those

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whispers, but here's the thing.

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You've already survived careers, maybe

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raising kids and life's curve balls.

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You're way tougher than you give yourself credit for.

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Now, look, I know what you're thinking, Who has

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time for all of this? Where do I magically

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find extra hours? Truth is,

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you don't find them. Time is in hiding.

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We all have to steal it back. You

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make time. I've had some side

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hustles or some kind of side hustle for years now.

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When my son was graduating from high school, I thought

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I needed something to fill a void that I assumed that I

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was going to have. So I became a Stella and Dot

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stylist. I love the jewelry and I

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probably bought more than I sold, but then I later

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realized it really wasn't for me because

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I honestly didn't like to go to people's houses and having parties to sell

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stuff. That's just me. I've always

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wanted to own a boutique. So at one point during this

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time, a friend and I started an online boutique. It

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was fun and cool doing it with someone. Now

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it was a lot of work, but shortly after

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our 1st year, my role at my full time job

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changed and I didn't have time to dedicate to the business

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or anything else for that matter. So we went our separate

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ways. Then when my son was graduating

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from college and I knew basketball was about to be over

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for good, I decided I'd start blogging again.

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Actually, I didn't think of it as a side hustle at that time.

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It was just going to be something to do.

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See, I had blogged several years prior and it seemed like something

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good to get back into well,

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blogging and content creation and podcasting

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has since turned into an unexpected side

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hustle. One that I enjoy. While

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it's fun and rewarding, it does

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require some serious time management.

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Here are a few time management strategies.

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1 is do a time audit. So if you're thinking

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about side hustle and where are you going to find this time, then maybe

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track how you spend a typical day

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to show it will show you where you might have

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time and even where your time disappears.

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Or 2, what they say they say,

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early bird catches the worm. Well, I've read a

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lot of books that support getting up early and knocking out a few

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items, even 30 minutes before most folks wake up is

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beneficial. Now, most days I try to

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allow 30 minutes to an hour before work to get things

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done. I usually plan it out the night

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before, so I'll know what I need to do.

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Number 3, so that lunch break power

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hour. So instead of maybe mindlessly

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scrolling, batch some side hustle task. I

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at times use my lunch break to either get things done

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or it may serve as my workout time so that it frees up

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my evening. A couple of techniques

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that I've used are the Pomodoro

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doro rather, where you work in short

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sprints. So for instance, you work on one thing for

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say, I don't know, 25 minutes, and then you take a break. And

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then you start back up again, either on that same thing, or maybe

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you're going to start up and you're going to work on something else for

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another 25 minutes or so. So it was like working in

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sprint. The other that I actually prefer

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is time blocking where I block out a certain amount of

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time to get tasks done. So for instance,

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let's use today. I am having my office painted

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this week, and so I knew I needed to do a lot to

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prepare for paint, like move stuff. So I actually blocked out a period of

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time to prep for the painting.

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And then I had blocked out some time to

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get my desk clean. I even blocked off time to call my mother,

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and I blocked off time to record this this podcast. And

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so when those time blocks are over, then I move on to

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the next thing. I actually use an app called

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structured, and it helps me with my time

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blocking. I mentioned batching

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earlier. Batching work tasks can really be a game

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changer. Batching is about doing

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similar tasks together to minimize distraction

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and to maximize efficiency. So for instance,

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say I have editing to do, then I am going

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to spend X number of time, like maybe an

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hour, 45 minutes or whatever. And all I'm going to do during that period is

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editing. Or I have writing to do. All I'm

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going to do is write. So I am doing that

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same task during that period of time. So it

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helps me to stay focused on the task at hand.

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Then lastly, something to consider is outsourcing

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and what it can do for you. So for instance, if

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paying someone to clean, freeze up your Saturdays,

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then it might be worth the investment.

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Other small tasks for outsourcing could be doing

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laundry, having someone do your laundry or grocery

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delivery, etcetera. As you can see,

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managing time is crucial. It's about being

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realistic. We all have the same 24 hours in

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a day. It's how we use them. That counts.

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Now, one last thing, protect your personal time,

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like it's goal and learn to say no.

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It's not just a word, it's a

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strategy for keeping your time your

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own.

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Choosing the right side hustle is key. Think

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of your side hustle like, I don't know, small investment.

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What skills or experience do you already have that

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people will pay for? This is where we shine.

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Maybe you're a wizard editing or a marketing

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guru, or you have some killer organizational

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skills. Don't chase what's trendy,

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follow what's sustainable, tap into your experience.

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So consulting or freelancing in a former field or

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a field that's adjacent to it, or online

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teaching, maybe share knowledge on platforms like Udemy.

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Or if you love creating, I have a friend who

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makes t shirts and she has for years. And

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so her t shirts are on Etsy, and she

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does vendor shows or fairs. And

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the income has now that she's retired, it has

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gone to help supplement her retirement. So

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it's something she loves to do and she makes money from it.

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So turning her talent into profit. There are

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even services. So if you like dogs, maybe dog walking

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or dog sitting, home organization,

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maybe helping people organize their closets or

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eldercare. Those things are are in high

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demand, but how do you know? Here's

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some things to ask yourself. What am I good at?

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Even if it feels rusty. What did I

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enjoy previously that has income potential?

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And then do I want online flexibility?

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What kind of flexibility do flexibility do I want? You

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know, not everyone just wants to be online. Maybe you want to

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go to a center to do your work, or maybe you're going to

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volunteer or not necessarily volunteer, but do some

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work for your church. Part time,

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you know, what is it that you want to do? How much time and ability

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do you need? Try something with a low startup

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costs. We're not trying to break the bank. We're

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trying to build it. So the possibilities are endless.

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One of our listeners, Sarah turned her love

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for photography into a freelance business, taking

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portraits and selling prints online, her startup

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costs. Well, it was just the camera that she

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already owned and a website.

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So let's think big picture. This isn't just

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about earning some extra cash. It rewires

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your brain. You become a problem solver,

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a self starter. That's exactly the

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mindset that you'll want when formal retirement rolls

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around. Think of your side hustle as

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a transition trainer. Plus, let's be real.

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Seeing those extra savings add up, that's some serious peace of

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mind. So this could, the side hustle could

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be the cornerstone of your retirement plan. Think

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about scaling it into something that can provide a

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steady income post retirement.

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So your bank account gets a boost, but then so will

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you, your side hustles will build

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confidence. So taking even a small risk

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reminds you what you're capable of. It

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will build problem solving skills. So clients,

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tech hiccups forces you to be resourceful. It

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builds community in connecting with other

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side hustlers, especially in this age group. It can be

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empowering, and then it's meaningful work.

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So maybe your day job has lost its spark.

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Well, this is where you can rekindle

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it. Here's a financial tip though. Even

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a small side hustle income can contribute to an

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IRA to help grow your nest egg

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tax efficiently. Let's think about a

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tax implications though. And yes, the tax man

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cometh even for side hustlers. A

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simplified chat with an accountant can maybe

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demystify this whole tax situation for you,

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ensuring that your hustle is as

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efficient as possible. Now here's what I have

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to say. Don't let fear stop you. I've

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linked in the notes for you a free side

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hustle brainstorm worksheet to get those

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ideas flowing and let's create a community.

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Leave me a voice message at pod.agingwithgraceandstyle.com.

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And let me know if you're current, if you currently have a side

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hustle, or if you have one that you're thinking about

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starting now, I'm no expert, but I'll be happy

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to talk to you about it. Let's support each other.

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Because, listen, we are not alone,

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and we're not done yet. We are just getting started.

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So there you have it. Side hustles are not just a way to make

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extra money. They're a path to reinvention,

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a safety net, a potential goal mine for

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retirement planning. And as I mentioned, I'd love

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to hear your side hustle stories or any questions that you might

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have. Who knows? Your story just might be the

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inspiration that someone else needs to take that leap.

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Remember it is never too late to start something

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new until next time. Keep hustling

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side hustling that is.

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Thank you so much for joining me for 5 to Thrive Tuesday. If you

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haven't already done so, please subscribe so that you don't miss an

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episode. If you enjoyed this segment, please rate,

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review, and share it with a friend. Let's stay connected

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on Instagram, Facebook, and or threads at I am

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Valerie Hatcher, or email me at hello at aging

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with grace and style.com. Until next time, let's

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continue to age with grace, style, and a touch of

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sass.