The Future is Female —Lessons for and from female Side Hustlers
“The future is female because… it’s about damn time!”
– A fellow attendee. I could not have said it better if I tried.
On Saturday 19th September, I had the pleasure of attending the Now You’re Talking Network’s Future is Female Conference alongside ~100 other ambitious, go-getting female millennials. I had a blast. Given the challenge thrown up by Covid-19, I didn’t think a virtual event could match — never mind top! — the buzz that bounced through last year’s multi-roomed event, but I was proven wrong within the first hour.
Before the event kicked off — #Excited!
The best part? A couple of this year’s speakers were last year’s attendees, and they had returned to talk about and share learnings from the side hustles they had built since then. The Network does an amazing job of retaining and recirculating knowledge — and this is just one example of that.
So many valuable gems of wisdom and insight were shared that day and it would be impossible for me to include everything that resonated with me, so I’m including only my top 3 takeaways.
1. Leverage lessons learned 📝🔗
Jaz Broughton (@justjaz.co) never fails to light a fire inside me. She talked about the importance of allowing the skills and subsequent value you build from both your side hustle and your main job to be transferable across both. Jaz made me think long and hard about areas of overlap across my side business and my full-time job. I’m always learning something. There are skills I’ve picked up as a Management Consultant that allow me to dissect my own business and, equally, starting up a side hustle has forced me into a new world of digital storytelling and social media marketing — age-old business techniques that have been beaten into new shape by an increasingly digital world. There are tons of areas of not-so-obvious overlap between my two worlds which means there are tons more opportunities for me to leverage one to create value for the other.
2. (Re)Define what ‘Networking’ means to YOU 🤝
Tomi Ibirogba (@mycareercouch) made me realise that I find networking daunting not because I am a naturally reserved, introverted person, but because my idea of what networking should look like is warped. My days as a small graduate cog in a global ever-whirring machine left me with the impression that Networking with a capital ’N’ meant skittishly moving through crowded rooms, drink in hand, in a Corporate venue in Central London, regurgitating my elevator pitch in exchange for a business card I’d never look at again. It was misery. I won’t pretend I have it down pat 5 years later, but I’m making a more conscious effort to reframe how, why and who I network with.
3. Protect Your Coin! Understand which legal armour your side hustle needs 📑™️
Ayo Odusanya (@leadcollective1) took me back to school for a much-needed 30-minute crash course. I dove for my notebook as she was talking us through Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks, Non-Disclosure Agreements, Terms of Services and all that legal good stuff. Whilst it can feel more urgent (and let’s be honest — more fun) to focus on the branding and marketing side of things, Ayo reminded me to not neglect the legal admin side of running a business. Being an entrepreneur means wearing all the hats but I’m still only human and I must share my 24 hours with my full-time job and other responsibilities. Self-care isn’t only a bath and a face-mask — sometimes it’s doing my future self a favour today and leak-proofing my hard work and the future reward. Protect your coin should be reason enough but in case it needs to be spelt out: #PeopleAreShadyOutHere! Protect not just your coin; protect your creative ideas too.
If you made it this far, maybe I produce content that isn’t super boring after all. In the spirit of The Future Being Female, this is where I shamelessly plug my own side hustle. @MALTheBoutique is a vintage/pre-loved store selling one-off pieces for the timeless yet modern wardrobe. We’re sustainable, but we still make it fashion 👖🌍 — come take a peek on IG.
And if you’re only just now hearing about the Now You’re Talking Network, find them on their socials below. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
