In this special episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, host Brandon Laws gets a chance to be on the other side of the mic for an interview about his marketing side hustle. Interviewer and Client Development Manager at Xenium HR, Al Nodarse, asks Brandon all about how his side business got started, the ground rules that he set with Xenium, and the benefits he’s seen in both his personal and professional life since starting his side hustle over a decade ago.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
STARTING THE SIDE HUSTLE
Brandon Laws, host of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, has been with Xenium since 2008. He began in an operations role but ended up jumping into the marketing wing of the business when the company was in its infancy. As Xenium began constructing the marketing function of the business, Brandon found himself building a website and doing search engine optimization, along with many other tasks where he learned valuable marketing skills.
Brandon recalled, “As I was talking to people — whether while networking or even talking with some Xenium clients and others within my network — they were asking me how to do this and that, and so I started taking on little projects.” Eventually, these projects turned into a thriving side hustle. From 2010 to today, Brandon has been helping his clients with their marketing, website, and SEO projects, all while dedicating his days to his role at Xenium HR.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
Q: If executives support an employee’s side hustle, what positive benefits can it have for the company?
“If an employee wants to do a side hustle, the employer has to decide whether or not they’re okay with that. They should be okay with it because it’s reinvigorating, it keeps them engaged, and they’re learning new skills that they might be able to apply and bring to the organization. And then the other thing is you give him a chance to make more money. And so that means that they may be more satisfied with their pay than if they didn’t have a side hustle. […] There are a lot of employees now that might want to start a family, they might want to buy a house, and it puts a lot of pressure on an employer to keep raising their compensation. If you allow some space for employees to have a side hustle, it gives them an opportunity to earn more money, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Q: What would you say is the greater reward of having a side hustle?
“It’s so hard to pick one thing. Probably money. […] My wife doesn’t have to work a full-time job. We’ve got two young kids at home, so it’s pretty nice to have flexibility. But beyond the money part, I think it’s skill-building. And what I learn actually translates to the work I do at Xenium. […] The other thing is personal branding. And so I’m able to build a network that I otherwise wouldn’t have had, if that makes sense.”
Q: What about the CEO who is worried that the side hustle will draw employees away from the company?
“I think there’s some truth to that. I’ve had conversations where it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re trying to build something and you’re just going to eventually leave.’ And I think if CEOs, leaders, or managers are considering this, and if they’re afraid about it, the risks of not keeping them engaged and happy are worse. If you don’t allow them to do this, and they’re not engaged, I think your risk of losing them is worse than if you allow them the space to have a side hustle.”
Q: Does your side hustle help you become better at your day job? If so, how?
“For my side hustle business, I’m interacting with owners, leaders who are trying to build out a marketing function — essentially those are skills that I’m building. Or I’m able to network with people and just get in their minds of like concerning trying to drive leads and revenue and all these things, and I never would have had that otherwise. So I actually think it makes me a better marketer for Xenium because I’m getting into the minds of these business centers and how they’re thinking. And I know not every side hustle is going to have that opportunity, but it’s definitely helped me.”
Q: What are some parameters that CEOs and employees can set up to support the employee’s side hustle?
“Fortunately for me, Xenium is a very safe culture, open, authentic, and I haven’t run into too many situations where we really had to set ground rules. There were a couple not necessarily ‘conflicts of interest,’ but there were a couple of things that bubbled up like with a Xenium client and, to avoid souring an existing relationship, I needed to ask for permission.”
I think where it becomes complicated for the side hustle is if it is in direct competition with what you’re doing for your full-time job. […] I would say if a CEO or leader is listening and considering allowing their employees to become the best version of themselves by doing a side hustle, let them do it. What I would say is set some ground rules on the time that they can spend. Can they carve out a meeting during the workday if they really needed to? Or be clear that this is only an after-hours thing. Over-communication is the best advice I could give anybody. When anything comes up like this, I would err on the side of just over-communicating and setting clear ground rules.”
Q: What advice do you have for leaders who are on the fence?
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with people who support me, even in my outside endeavors. And I hope other people who are considering side hustles have those types of leaders who give them the space to do that. If you want your people to thrive and be engaged in the work, you’ve got to let them be the best version of themselves in and outside of work.”
LEARN MORE
Interested in learning more about the pros and cons of a side hustle? Listen to the full conversation above.