Like many enterprise house owners, for the primary 5 years of getting my firm off floor, “founder” was my total identification. My video creator platform, Sightworthy, took up all of my vitality as we went by way of an accelerator, thought-about fundraising and finally determined to bootstrap, and grew to a worthwhile firm engaged on advertising and marketing tasks with the likes of Nike, Morgan Stanley, GSK, and Madewell. Whereas I had all the time thought-about myself a multi-passionate inventive, I didn’t really feel like I had time to dedicate to my different passions whereas additionally being a profitable entrepreneur.
However focusing solely on my enterprise was additionally draining. I discovered myself commonly working all hours of the day, hustling to get the following sale for Sightworthy, and barreling in direction of burnout due to it. The truth that I had no inventive vitality left to do issues that lit me up was weighing on me.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, I may have used the additional time lockdown gave us all to work extra on my enterprise, as so many entrepreneurs did. However, not solely did that not appear to be the healthiest alternative, a brand new concept had sparked my inspiration.
It began as a one-off video that includes my cousin who’s an ER physician speaking about a few of the fundamentals of COVID to assist cease the unfold of misinformation. The video went viral, and different feminine physicians of colour began reaching out to me desirous to share their experiences. I didn’t wish to let the chance to seize this historic second go, so I spent the following 14 months crowdfunding and creating my first documentary telling the tales of six South Asian and Black feminine ER physicians in the course of the pandemic. One factor finally led to a different, and a manufacturing firm joined on as govt producers to assist me make the venture greater than I may have ever imagined. (We’re now speaking to movie festivals, streaming providers, South Asian-led manufacturers, and even medical colleges and universities about serving to us launch and distribute the movie.)
Earlier than I knew it, I had this huge facet venture I used to be engaged on whereas persevering with to run Sightworthy at regular capability—and I beloved it. Somewhat than overwhelming me, my facet venture reignited my inventive spark and love for the work that I do, gave me new vitality and concepts to convey again into my shopper work, and reworked how I consider using my time successfully. And, finally, it helped me see prospects for a way I may evolve my enterprise to remain aligned with my “why.”
My facet venture gave me a lot worth that, because the documentary wound down, I began engaged on one other concept: writing a pilot for a TV collection about 4 South Asian ladies coming of age in NYC referred to as Lonely Lady. Whereas the primary facet hustle occurred accidentally, the second has been rather more intentional—and I had already constructed the railroad tracks to make it simpler to work on a venture whereas I labored on my enterprise. Listed below are a few of the issues which have helped me succeed at each up to now few years.
I Received My Enterprise to a Secure Place Earlier than Beginning One thing Else
The primary few years of rising Sightworthy, I couldn’t even think about having time for a facet venture. My schedule and a focus have been utterly wrapped up in determining who our buyer was, the way to make a sale, and customarily the way to do each little piece of my enterprise for the primary time. However, by the point the documentary began gaining traction, a couple of issues had modified.
For one, my funds have been in a very good place. Not solely had I constructed a worthwhile enterprise, however a couple of private investments had accomplished very well. My funds have been such that I had sufficient for myself and my staff within the occasion that I wished to scale shopper work again to give attention to different issues.
However greater than that, I had the enterprise programs in place that I wouldn’t have to reduce with a purpose to flip a few of my consideration elsewhere. We had discovered product market match and had spectacular case research and a powerful community that made gross sales lots simpler. I had employed an amazing group and found out what work I wanted to do and what I may delegate. We had a number of ongoing shopper work and processes for collaboration that made every particular person venture much less of a elevate.
I don’t suppose it’s crucial to succeed in profitability earlier than contemplating spending time on a facet venture. However for me, it was useful to have some stability in my enterprise to have the house to come back up for air and spend time on different issues.
I don’t suppose it’s crucial to succeed in profitability earlier than contemplating spending time on a facet venture. However for me, it was useful to have some stability in my enterprise to have the house to come back up for air and spend time on different issues. – Aneri Shah, Founding father of Sightworthy & Lonely Lady
I Selected a Aspect Venture That Related to My Bigger “Why”
One thing that basically helped me steadiness my facet venture with my enterprise was the truth that they have been so linked, and each taught me issues that might contribute to the success of the opposite.
Clearly, they have been each based mostly round video content material. The video storytelling work I used to be doing for the documentary impressed some new greatest practices for our promoting companions. I additionally found a brand new potential buyer base of parents within the movie trade. In the meantime, all of the work I had accomplished when contemplating fundraising for my enterprise made crowdfunding the documentary really feel a lot much less daunting.
However, greater than that, they’re each tied to a bigger goal. One thing I’ve lengthy tried to push by way of my work at Sightworthy is extra inclusivity in promoting, with a specific fondness for furthering South Asian illustration. Engaged on the documentary and the TV pilot has given me much more alternatives to inform South Asian tales that I’ll by no means get to inform by way of promoting work alone. That “why” was sturdy sufficient that the facet venture felt prefer it was contributing positively to each a part of my life, in a approach that I don’t suppose would have been true if I simply selected one thing random.
I Discovered Methods to Be Extra Intentional With My Time
Essentially the most stunning factor about this entire endeavor was how including extra work to my plate finally made me extra environment friendly.
Earlier than I had one other venture I cared so deeply about, it felt like I may replenish my total day with work (and I used to be positively headed in direction of burnout due to it). As soon as I began engaged on facet tasks, I needed to get actually intentional on how a lot time I used to be spending on every. I began working with a coach (the sensible Amy Lombardo), who helped me quickly develop new productiveness habits like time blocking my days. I’d begin by blocking all the things I wanted to do for the best income turbines in my enterprise, since that’s the place the cash was coming from, after which may see a transparent image of how a lot time I realistically had for the facet venture. That helped as a result of I may simply say, “Nicely, I may be doing all these items for my facet venture, however I truly don’t have time for that, so how do I set up accordingly?”
It additionally pushed me to get leaner and meaner in my enterprise: I used to say sure to each venture that got here our approach, and now we’ve actually honed in on the shoppers that may present recurring income.
After all, all of this was made simpler within the early days of the pandemic as a result of my social calendar was utterly empty. Since issues began opening again up, I’ve needed to “sacrifice” a while for social outings with a purpose to proceed work on my facet venture—however to me it doesn’t actually really feel like a sacrifice as a result of this work actually seems like an act of service that’s giving my life extra which means.
I’m Letting My Aspect Venture Evolve My Enterprise
This wasn’t the unique intention, however as the dimensions of my facet venture grew (together with my ardour for it), I began considering critically about how all of the totally different transferring components and items may match collectively into a brand new future for my enterprise.
If, as a substitute of serving to manufacturers create video in an agile approach, my new “why” is centering and celebrating South Asian ladies by way of media, how would the enterprise evolve? Would we solely work with manufacturers that focus on that viewers? Would we change into a manufacturing firm that helps different individuals create media centering South Asian tales? Or would I quite promote Sightworthy and put all of my vitality into creating my very own work underneath the Lonely Lady umbrella?
I don’t know the reply but, however it’s enjoyable to have the ability to brainstorm freely since my enterprise is bootstrapped. And, whatever the path I select, I’ve realized a lot from my facet tasks that I feel it’s going to repay eternally.
Primarily based on this expertise, right here’s my recommendation for different founders: A facet venture generally is a facet venture simply in your personal success, and that may be sufficient. However giving your self permission to work on a facet venture can finally operate as just a little microcosm so that you can check issues in your future enterprise, profession, and life.
Primarily based on this expertise, right here’s my recommendation for different founders: A facet venture generally is a facet venture simply in your personal success, and that may be sufficient. However giving your self permission to work on a facet venture can finally operate as just a little microcosm so that you can check issues in your future enterprise, profession, and life. – Aneri Shah, Founding father of Sightworthy & Lonely Lady
