Lemonada

Not every side hustle takes off right away.

Not every new small business is an overnight success.

A lot of them may take a year or more to stabilize. But a slow start, if that's the case,

is not necessarily failure. It is information. And the real issue isn't just profit, like how much

money is coming in, how much you're actually making. It is what matters most to the creator in terms

of creative satisfaction, extra income or a path to replacing a job. Of course, you do want to pay attention

to some business metrics as well. So in today's listener question, we've got someone who wants to know

if their slow start is normal or a warning sign that another idea might be better. And I think

this is a key decision to make. So not every slow start is abnormal, but sometimes it's good as well to

redirect or pivot. So let's give them a couple of things they can do or a couple of tips to decide

whether to double down, redesign, or walk away. Thanks for tuning in today. Detailed question from

our listener and my answer coming right up.

Hey there, this is Renna calling in after listening to many episodes and learning along the way. I've been crafting for a while, and I spend nights knitting quirky pet sweaters and

selling them on Etsy. After eight months on the marketplace,

I've netted about $600 total, and my spouse says the time might be better spent on freelance

work that pays immediately. Part of me thinks every business needs a slow burn. Another part worries

I'm ignoring solid feedback. How do you tell the difference between healthy persistence and stubborn

denial,

especially when the person questioning you is someone you trust?

So before we talk about the metrics, I think it's important to name your primary motivation.

A side hustle can exist for a lot of different reasons. Not everybody is trying to get rich or quit their job and such.

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