From Side Hustle to Main Meal: How Nicaila Matthews Okome Scaled Her Passion Project

Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel

Careers, Business

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Millions of professionals are balancing side hustles alongside their full-time jobs. But what does it take to turn that extra project into something bigger? In this episode from the Hello Monday archives, Jessi Hempel sits down with Side Hustle Pro creator and host Nicaila Matthews Okome to explore how side work can lead to a meaningful, lasting career. Nicaila didn’t always see herself as an entrepreneur. She built her résumé with big-name employers, earned her MBA, and followed a traditional career path. But she kept testing new ideas on the side — and eventually turned her podcast into a full-time business. Now, she helps others navigate the same transition. If you’ve ever dreamed about turning your passion project into something more, this conversation is for you. Jessi and Nicaila discuss: Why side hustles can be a smart career safety net How to know when a side project is ready to grow The difference between hobbies and businesses Building a brand while holding a day job How to manage your time for real progress without burnout What stability looks like when you’re your own boss Nicaila also shares her journey from NPR and Google to building Side Hustle Pro, a thriving platform for Black women entrepreneurs. Keep the conversation going at Hello Monday Office Hours. Join us on the LinkedIn News page this Wednesday at 3 PM ET.

Transcript

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0:00.0	LinkedIn News
0:02.0	Hey, it's Jesse coming at you in the dog days of summer with one of my very favorite episodes from our archives.
0:16.7	It's on side hustles. And anyone who's looking around and trying to read the tea leaves on the job market knows that it is really to our own benefit to control our future as best we can by controlling our work when we can.
0:32.1	And one excellent, excellent way to do that is to keep a side hustle fresh.
0:37.4	Now, when I say side hustle, you may think,
0:40.6	oh my goodness, I'm working so hard. I can't imagine doing more work. I want you to rethink that.
0:45.6	I want you to reposition the amount of effort you are putting in and reimagine what is possible
0:53.1	with a little bit of creativity.
0:55.4	Our guest today is the amazing Nikala Matthews-Acombe.
1:01.4	She has a wonderful podcast on Side Hustles, and she's got a lot of very practical advice.
1:08.3	Okay, here we go. I'm Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn's chief product officer. If you're just as
1:19.7	curious as I am about the way things are built, then tune into my podcast, building one. I speak with
1:25.5	some of the best product builders out there.
1:29.9	I've always been inspired by frustration.
1:31.9	It came back to my own personal pinpoint.
1:35.4	So we had to go out to farmers and convince them.
1:37.9	Following that curiosity is a superpower.
1:40.4	You have to be obsessed with the human condition.
1:44.0	Listen to Building One on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:51.1	From the news team at LinkedIn, I'm Jesse Hemple and this is Hello Monday. It's our show about the changing nature of work and how that work is changing us. I've always had a side hustle.
2:00.0	I think it's pretty common.
2:01.4	A lot of you do too.
	...

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