Writer Heather Larson

I had this fear as an early content creator.

I have friends who created pen names so they wouldn’t be “found out” for their side hustle. (Some still do this!) Which is fine, if you want to be a ghostwriter.

But if bylines and “getting your name out” as a writer / content creator matters to you, this is going to make you sweat 😥

The Problem With “Hiding” Your Writing

There have been many times I’ve chosen to take a writing job even though I wouldn’t be “seen.” I’ve done this in news and various forms of media. You do the work, but the world doesn’t know it was you who did it because someone else gets the credit—or no one does—but you get paid.

So you can eat.

But you’re hardly building a name for yourself. You are building a resume and getting paid, which is something to be proud of as a writer. But none of those gigs showed off that I am a writer with certain talents.

What Do You Want To Be Known For?

• If you want to be known as the next great journalist, then you don’t want to write for a news service that will give your byline away to someone more visible. (Been there, done that).
• If you want to be known for writing about 5-star dining options in your city, then you have to posture yourself to own that niche.
• Don’t get a job for a homeschooling website, “just to get your start,” if they’re going to “let you get exposure” in exchange for your hard work. Start your own thing. Own it. Grow it.

If you’re a new writer and content creator, you can benefit from hitching your wagon to someone else in order to get a foot in the door, get paid something, or gain exposure. I’ll never knock anyone for that! I’ve done it!

There shouldn’t have to be a choice between getting paid and getting credit for your work.

~my opinion

The best employers will give you both.

The best employers will encourage learning and won’t be threatened by whatever you choose to do on the side. If you’re a full-time worker who’s attached to a 40-hour a week job in order to get health benefits, I’ve been there. I know that it sucks and finding a balance between paycheck and passion is hard!

Let them have you for the 40 hours a week, but no more than that!

Don’t let them rent space in your head for the other 128 hours of your week. Don’t let it ruin your side hustle and hold you back!

Here’s more on how to deal with the fear of having your content creation side hustle be “found out” by an employer 👇

How To Get Over The Biggest Fear You Have As A New Content Creator: The Fear Your Employer Will Discover Your Side Hustle

The biggest side hustle fear is that an employer will become threatened…

I started out side-hustling in 2014 as a morning radio personality with an interest in Reiki. 

I had become a Reiki Master, made flyers, hung up my shingle, and started a blog. Of course, my employer didn’t want me to promote it on the air. I had to keep the two interests separate. 

They hadn’t let me promote my charity work with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society either.

So Began My Long-Term Fear Of “Showing Up Fully” 

This “double life” led to a fear of success. 

What if the blog takes off? What if people who come to me for Reiki realize I’m the moring radio chick? What if… 

There were many ways my “paying gig” in radio held me back from showing up fully in Reiki, although I did well enough to subsidize my radio career. 

Do You Have To Pick One? 

Or can you live with each foot in two worlds? 

When doing Reiki, my mind would wander to all I had to do “at work.” When “at work,” my mind would wander to ideas for my Reiki business. Or I’d end up exhausted from trying to do ALL the things. 

To avoid burnout, eventually, something needs to be taken off your plate! 

Read. Your. Contract.

Get a lawyer to look at it. 

The biggest side hustle fear is that an employer will become threatened and say that the content you create online is their property, or that they will release you because your online activity doesn’t represent them well. These aren’t the types of employers to stay with; get out as soon as you can. 

The right employer will look with interest and admiration for your side hustle, not disdain.

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