239 | Secrets to a Successful Side Hustle with Chris Misterek

The 6-Figure Freelancer Podcast | Freelancing | Entrepreneurship | Clients | Finances | Motivation | Personal Development | Mindset

Getting started as a freelancer or with self-employment of any kind can feel like a big risk. There are many unknowns that often become roadblocks. Fear of taking a risk and failing can be debilitating without the right mindset.

Chris Misterek, the founder of Self-Made Web Designer, joins me today to talk about how you can give yourself permission to take risks, and how you can reframe your mindset to help you feel empowered rather than fearful.

When Chris got started in web design, it was out of necessity — he wanted to bring in more income for his family. But within his first 18 months as a freelancer, Chris more than doubled his full-time salary. He knew he had made the right decision, and never looked back.

Chris credits much of his success to taking the leap — jumping in and consuming as much information as he could to both build his portfolio and knowledge base.

A couple of years ago, Chris decided to go back to full-time employment as a designer. And he noticed that the biggest thing holding most people back from starting a side hustle wasn’t a lack of talent, but fear — fear of failure, risk, the unknown, etc.

Knowing he’d been through all of that before and that his experiences could be helpful, Chris launched his coaching business, Self-Made Web Designer.

In this episode, Chris and I talk about how he got started, the pivotal moment that led him to make the jump into web design, and how you can overcome imposter syndrome and get started!

"Winners lose a lot more often than losers. Give yourself permission to fail, and do it a lot. Because you're going to learn a lot of things from those mistakes. And one day you're going to be able to look back, and it might be really slow, progress might be a lot slower than you would hope, but you're going to look back and you're going to realize, you just scaled this mountain.” ~ @ChrisMisterek

Main Takeaways

• Some people are more risk-averse than others, and that’s ok. But don’t look at nudges toward self-employment as bad. It’s empowering!
• For those just starting out with self-employment, know what you want to accomplish and let those goals drive your decisions. But don’t let it hold you up for too long; jump in and figure out the details later.
• Have the mindset of being able to pivot and shift to attain your goals, even if it means dropping clients.
• Do something for another designer or freelancer that you wish someone would have done for you.

Links and Important Mentions

• Self-Made Web Designer
• Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement by Rich Karlgaard
• Chris on Twitter
• Chris on Instagram

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