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We are going to be talking about marketing and a whole lot in this feature. As you must have noticed, we’ve been sharing articles over the last few weeks on everything related to side hustling.
This time around, we are taking it a step further by sharing the story of Jamila Kyari. She is a full-time worker and has a side hustle that aligns with her day job!
Isn’t that the best of both worlds?
Most people find it difficult to discover their passion. Some others find it quite challenging to find out their career path. Continue reading to find out how Jamila discovered her career path, side hustle, and started making income from it.
Download: 30 Side Hustles for Full-Time Workers
“My background in public relations, marketing and communications has prepared me for the current position I now fill in the not-for-profit sector.
I am the Communications Manager at one of Canada’s leading providers of environmental education programs for youth in the areas of energy, climate change and green economy.
Within that role, I am responsible for managing the brand, content and voice of the organization while developing a variety of response-generating marketing communications material.”
She shares with us how she came to discover her side hustle and what motivated her to start one. Often times, we wonder how people started their projects, what exactly inspired them, and why.
“My side-hustle is a passion project that basically involves some of the same things I have done throughout my career but for a distinct niche and with a slightly different purpose.
I help brands resonate with their audiences so they can increase their digital footprint, build brand recognition and make a profit.
The world of fashion, beauty and lifestyle also fascinates me. After carefully studying the work of emerging designers, entrepreneurs and brands in the industry, I realized that most of them had a firm handle on creative aspects of the business. But I observed an opportunity to offer value in the area of marketing and/or communications so that is where all my experience comes in as a relevant resource.
In a nutshell, I help brands market themselves better.
What started out as a mere hobby without any concrete shape or form is gradually growing into a business that has structures and systems. At this stage, balance is key. I do my best to strike an equilibrium between the 9-5 and my side hustle.
As a lifelong learner, I will continue to grow and refine my craft while I journey along this path of turning a passion into a paycheck.”
Read: How To Discover Your Side Hustle (With 6 Easy Tips)
If you are curious to know what a day in her work life feels like, you’ll find out in a bit. In the Magazine section of Zinny Factor, it’s an opportunity for us to get inquisitive and share stories from inspiring workers in diverse fields.
“Working in my industry means that everyday is busy, different and no two days are ever the same. Due to this, I have perfected the subtle art of multitasking because it enables me to work on various projects at one time with the ability to flip from one to the other with ease.
I spend most of my days at work coming up with strategic marketing methods to promote the organization and its programs to various target audiences.
My job involves a lot of writing and critical thinking as I often have to draft communication plans and develop creative content for proposals, presentations, press releases and much more.
If you have an appetite for work that is interesting and varied, you will enjoy what I do because there is never a dull moment. One minute I could be working on corporate partnerships and the next, I am handling social media, updating websites or designing of creative collateral.”
Do you want to know how she decided to do a side hustle that aligns with her day job of marketing? Keep reading!
“My inspiration for launching a side hustle stem primarily from the fact that I really want to help people get better. I want lifestyle entrepreneurs to be able to connect with their audiences in ways that enable them to reach the core goals and objectives of their business.
The secondary inspiration is that I consider myself a creative, multifaceted individual who is enthusiastic about many things. As a millennial, I find a lot of meaning in pursuing different areas of interest or endeavour that I am not just passionate about but also good at.
I am just fortunate enough to have found pleasure in activities I do during my day job but that also seem to be in demand outside of the 9-5 window.
“How are you able to manage your full-time job and side-hustle?” This question came up as a result of our curiosity to learn how she decided to create a side hustle out of something she does in her full-time job, marketing.
“Time-management is key. We all have access to the same twenty-four hours in a day but the reason why some people get more things done than others is the way they manage their time.
Therefore, I have studied my peak hours of productivity which are usually first thing in the morning and late at night. I use those times to my benefit when I need to churn out a lot of work in a limited amount of time.
Next, Google calendar is my best friend. I schedule everything I do from daily tasks to phone calls and even medical appointments. It is so important to schedule everything you do and that includes time for self-care as well because burnout is a real thing.
Rest is so important that I even take breaks from all my social media pages and electronic devices on a regular basis. Managing a full-time job and a side hustle is a balancing act that requires you to ensure things get done on time and without compromising the quality of work.
I am very careful about the projects I commit to in my side hustle and I set very realistic time-frames around them. Thus far, I must be doing well because I have never missed a deadline and I always get great feedback on my work.
Last but not the least, I use checklists. To-do lists are getting a bad rap these days but to me, there is nothing quite like the feeling of looking at your list by the end of day and seeing that everything has been crossed off as done. It is not just a good relief, it is completely exhilarating!”
Read: How To Balance Your Side Hustle With A Full-Time Job
What do you do for fun?
“To unwind, I enjoy relaxing in my apartment with a cup of tea and a good book. Other than that, I love engaging in endless phone conversations with friends and family.
Prior to this, I used to be all over the “Netflix and Chill” trend. These days, I find pleasure in the simpler things like taking a brisk walk down the street to clear my thoughts. And stopping by my favourite parks to admire nature. I’m very fond of the great outdoors.”
Favorite quote/book? Something related to marketing?
“I am currently reading The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau and it is a fantastic book, which I think every side-hustler should have in their library. It’s great not just for entrepreneurs on a lean budget, but it has nuggets of wisdom for those who truly want to get paid doing what they love.
Meanwhile, I have been following Gary Vaynerchuk (also known as GaryVee) for a little while now and his sayings have grown on me. My favourite quote from him is:
“All your ideas may be solid or even good. But you have to actually execute on them for them to matter.”
This is so true especially because I have learnt that there are no secret sauces in life. Taking daily action towards one’s personal and professional goals is the real plug. People need to pivot away from what I call short-lived short cuts and take actionable steps towards achieving long-lasting dreams.”
Did this feature inspire you to discover your side hustle or maybe keep working on your side hustle? Share with us in the comment section.
You can visit Jamila’s website jamilakyari.com to know more about her. Follow on Instagram: @jamilakyari. Also, check out the previous interview featuring a personal finance and travel expert. He shared some amazing tips with us. You can read up on past interviews as well.
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