3 Surefire Ways to Transform Your Side Hustle Into a Full-time Gig

If you’re reading this, it probably means you’ve established a nice side-hustle for yourself. By now, you should have the basics down, your commission checks are rolling in more frequently and you’ve captured a few loyal clients. Now, it’s time to catapult your side hustle into a full-time gig. It may sound daunting but the good thing is you’re not alone.

Many travel advisors are leaving their 9-5’s behind and instead, dedicating themselves to their new career paths. It’s not hard to see why. The flexibility, being your own boss and even the money can entice any part-time travel advisor into going full-time. But you already know this! So let’s take you where you want to be. Below are three surefire ways you can transform your hustle into your full-time gig!

Have a Plan

Do you and your business a huge favor and create a solid business plan. Think about your goals, how you plan to market yourself and  Consider your overhead costs, membership fees, and any emergency expenses. Create a profitability plan for your business as well. This will help you determine how much you work you need to be doing to make, well, a profit. By understanding what makes you profitable and your business’s finances early on, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success.

And if you need to modify or adapt, do so willingly. A business plan should be your guiding light, not your anchor.

Push Yourself

Let’s be honest, if you don’t push yourself to go after that sale or client, no one else will. You have to keep yourself on the hook. Without the self-discipline, your side-gig will never get off the ground. Network with everyone you meet and tell everyone you know about what you do.

Self-promotion is the name of the game. Opportunities don’t come knocking, you have to find them. Or better yet, create them.

Be Passionate

Being a full-time travel advisor requires a lot of work and if you don’t have a passion for it, it’s best if you look for something else. Without having passion for what you do, you won’t maintain a lucrative, full-time business. In fact, being “passionate” is common trait among successful entrepreneurs and high-level executives.

You can also incorporate other areas of interest or personal hobbies into your travel business. If you’re really into fitness, focus on wellness cruises or resorts. If you’re really into movies, you can focus on customized FIT trips that take your clients to movie locations (think Harry Potter).

These three easy steps are an excellent start, but it takes a lot more to launch a successful full-time travel agency. Connecting with the right people and partnering with the right host agency makes all the difference. Scaling your business can seem like you’re on your own but you don’t need to be. Henry Ford said, “"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.” We think you can.

About the Author

Michelle Ferrand is a Marketing Specialist at Travel Planners International, a leading marketing and sales support office for small business travel agency owners. As the resident copywriter and “voice” of TPI, Michelle transforms bland marketing speak into captivating messaging that empowers travel advisors to harness their entrepreneurial spirit. After work, you can find Michelle obsessing over her spin class and fantasizing about her next adventure (Thailand 2020).