The term ‘side hustle’ entered our vocabulary a few years ago and quickly became familiar, even to the elderly. It’s a great testament to this country’s willingness and determination to succeed in life. However, what people do with their side hustle can be wide-ranging. There are those that do it just to make a little extra cash and there are those who want to make their side hustle turn into their main hustle (eventually).

But when it comes to a side hustle combined with entrepreneurship, you should see a noticeable commitment level difference. It is something these people are far more passionate about and it is quite common to see their life is more and more consumed by a side hustle.

It does not, however, need to be totally consuming. Of course, there are lots of fledgling entrepreneurs who flee to a basement, sell everything they own, move back in with their parents and think about their side hustle 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But for many people, this is simply not a feasible option, no matter how tempting it may be.

What should occur though, no matter what your side hustle looks like, is having clear and distinct goals of what success will look like. Making a little cash on the side is great, but only if that’s all you want/need. If you want to evolve your side hustle into a main hustle, better goals need to be in place.

They need to be realistic goals too. Have markers of success or timelines in mind of what you want to see after a period of time. Where do you want your sales to be, for example, after a period of time? And of course, reflect on them and review them.

A successful side hustler is someone who wants to learn from the best. You simply cannot be afraid to be humbled, to listen and to learn. Believe it or not you are not an expert yet, no matter the success you enjoy in your main job. Learn and consult with people who have had side hustle success.

Having a good ‘lifeset’, as in living out your choices and decisions is important. Similar to a mindset, a good lifeset aids in the success of a side hustle because there is a pedigree of success, if you will, from life choices and decisions. There’s no point in having a side hustle if it is going to come at the expense of relationships, love and health.

Finally, sales should be driving the momentum of your side hustle; otherwise, it is literally just wasting your time. Investing time and money into a venture outside of what you already do and not seeing returns will simply throw the balance of your lifeset out of balance.

For many folks, a side hustle is a job they actually want to do. But if you asked these people if they could do their side hustle and get paid the same as their regular job, I wouldn’t hesitate to guess you would get 100% taking that offer! For others, a side hustle is a way of getting their ‘foot in the door’. Knowing how to make it successful though, should not be the unique focus. It should be a focus for any side hustler.

This article was written based on Episode 21 of the Simplifying Entrepreneurship Podcast with Carrie Bohlig and Craig Clickner. You can watch the full interview below