Is Hustle Culture Dead?
Here’s something I’m hearing all the time in my online social circles and ads.
“Hustle culture is over.”
“We don’t hustle anymore.”
“My anti-hustle era is over.”
Everywhere.
Most new business owners underestimate, or point-blank refuse to believe in, the amount of work that goes into building a business. And this message I’m seeing right now is partly to blame.
Here’s the point-blank truth:
You want a business?
You have to work.
Part of that work includes some hustle. Heck, if you are in the beginning stages of a business, ALL the work is hustle.
Building a business is not for the faint of heart. If you’re bootstrapping, which most new freelancers are, you need to set a schedule and hustle to see any sort of progress.
What I think, realistically, the posts need to say is:
“Hustle culture to the point of burnout is dead.”
“We don’t hustle and refuse to take time for ourselves anymore.”
“My anti-hustle era where I work all the time with no breaks is dead.”
Because when you believe that hustle is something you no longer need in your life when building your business, then you are going to be left behind and your business will fail.
When I work with clients to banish that mentality of working all the time, we create a schedule that hones in on the best way to utilize your time and marketing efforts. Within that schedule, I advocate to make sure that you are setting timers that go off, and when they do, you are done. Finito. Close the laptop, put it away.
The schedule and timer are crucial to moving your business forward, hustling to make it happen, but not overworking and burning out.
And YES, you can do this, even if you have limited hours in a day. I was working full-time and my freelance business started as a side gig. I would wake up early in the morning (my “flow” state) and do a lot of marketing and would prospect in the evening.
It involves hustle, of course, but if you make sure you are being smart about it, you won’t burnout. In fact, you’ll grow addicted, will love building the business, and you’ll see it soar to great heights.
Limited hours or not, building a business involves some hustle, but if you’re smart about it, you won’t see burnout.
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