Why My Biggest Asset With Side Hustles Is Talking Money

Here’s the thing about side projects. 

They are only lucrative and worthwhile if you account for one crucial thing. One big question defines the success of an endeavor. 

What do you consider yourself worth? 

Or, if you have as many side projects as I do: 

What is this skill worth? 

If someone asks me, “Hey, why do you charge so-and-so for your [insert product or service here]?” I am always ready to talk it out. I want people to understand why I pick the numbers that I do. 

More than that, I want to ensure that I am taking on extra projects that are worth it. 

(Full disclosure: I don’t charge money for all my projects. Some of them I do specifically for extra money. That is what I am talking about here.) 

Here’s a “for instance.” 

From start to finish, each ornament that I am in takes about 30 minutes to burn. It takes another 5 to do the ties to hang them, and another 10 to clean, finish and sign each one. I charge $12.00 per ornament. 

This means I make about $16.00 an hour off of my ornament project (the same I make at my part-time job), and I have to subtract a few cents to account for the cost of the wood pieces I use. 

I am beyond willing to explain to people that I charge enough that I am making the same as I do at my job.

It makes sense to me. 

They are high enough quality as well that they are worth it. 

But a lot of people are defensive about money. Even to the extent that I have witnessed other artists change their pricing instead of justifying it. I get it. It’s uncomfortable. It’s weird. 

But if you start a side hustle, you are creating it with the intention of making money. This means that to succeed, talking about money is essential. 

I have learned that being blunt is better than being timid. Being honest about what you think your time is worth is a game changer, and people are usually very responsive.