Side Hustle Pro

A rejection from Google was the best thing that ever happened to me. Two years ago I was an MBA intern at Google. I didn’t get the offer. Dejected, I refused to talk about it, unsure of how to unpack the experience. On today’s episode I’m sharing why that experience, along with other “rejections” were really blessings that positively fueled my side hustle mission. Here are just a few nuggets from...

Today’s featured guest Emmelie De La Cruz is best known for her ability to empower entrepreneurs, college students and young professionals to become more competitive in the market. Emmelie will be the first to tell you: “Entrepreneurship isn’t cute. It’s not an exit strategy or an alternative to a job you hate.” As a personal branding strategist and brand auditor, Emmelie is here to empower us all...

On this episode, I'm sharing the art of reaching out to potential collaborators, customers and clients via the cold email. While many of many of my guests are people I know or have met, 50% of the women I interview on my podcast were complete strangers before I reached out to them via email. In this episode I’m sharing the art of writing enticing cold emails that get responses. Here are some of my...

At the age of 5, Denise Sarkor escaped the Liberian Civil War with family and lived as a refugee in Ivory Coast. Raised in a rough part of NJ by a determined mother, she would go on to graduate from The Wharton School on a full scholarship and obtain her Masters in International Finance and Economic Policy from Columbia University. Although entrepreneurship tugged at her heart, she took a safer pa...

How did a former wedding planner turn her side hustle into a million dollar business? Today’s guest has the answer. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “bias for action” she is the epitome of that. When she thinks of an idea, she doesn’t just sit on it, she acts on it. She’s founded two successful businesses in her lifetime with no business degree and only education from the school of hard knocks. I’m...

What’s it like to be a 13-year seasoned blogger in the age of Instagram and Snapchat Influencers? On this episode I sit down for a conversation with Luvvie Ajayi to talk Branding 101. Luvvie is is a writer, digital strategist and creator of entertainment and humor blog AwesomelyLuvvie.com . As a fellow writer and avid blogger, I’ve always been inspired by Luvvie’s journey to full-time entrepreneur...

On this episode, we are welcoming back Meiko Drew, the Side Hustle Pro Entrepreneur-in-Residence. We’re following Meiko for an entire year to chronicle her journey from Corporate America retiree to the Founder of Food and Lifestyle brand MeikoAndTheDish . For those of you who don’t know, Meiko walked away from a six-figure salary at Target to focus on Meiko And The Dish full time. Though it hasn’t...

When you’re starting your own business, the company you keep is more important than ever before. On this episode, I'm answering a listener’s question about how to ignore the haters and find a true entrepreneurship support group. I talk about how I found my own tribe and created a mastermind group, and what you can do to find your own entrepreneurship support system. I also get into updates on my o...

In 2009, Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche lost her job as a preschool teacher. Unable to afford her mortgage, she moved back home with her parents at age 29. At her lowest moment, she was 31 years old, with no job, no money, and no home of her own. After hitting rock bottom, she determined it was time to put the financial wisdom she had learned growing up to good use. In this week’s episode, she s...

In 2009, Courtney Sanders found herself drowning in debt, bad grades, and almost having to leave college. Three years later, she had paid off all her debt, earned a scholarship, started a business and graduated from college magna cum laude. How did she turn her life around? Find out on this week’s episode. Courtney is an entrepreneur, speaker, and goal ­achievement specialist. Through her training...

On this episode, I'm providing an update on how my own side hustle is going. How am I balancing my 9to5 at NPR with my podcast and burgeoning Side Hustle Pro brand and business? I talk about the challenges I’m facing with time management and why I believe time management is a myth. I’m also sharing the best tools I’ve found to help me manage my calendar and organize the Side Hustle Pro process (Sh...

How did the product of a once homeless single mother become the Founder and CEO of a rising startup? This week’s guest, Stephanie Lampkin, shares how an influential aunt led her to coding at a young age, setting the stage for her to graduate from Stanford and MIT Sloan. Later, a surprise rejection from Google would lead her to found Blendoor, a mobile job matching app that hides candidate name and...

The number one question I get asked is how to leverage social media to build a brand. When people ask me this, I know that they're really searching for a quick and dirty shortcut to get thousands of followers without having to put in a lot of work. Well I hate to break it to you, but there's no way to build an engaged social media audience without consistent and authentic effort. With over seven y...

What goes into the making of a YouTube personality? CeeDotCee is this episode’s special guest. Whether it's recapping the latest episode of Love & Hip Hop or reviewing the hottest new music and gossip in pop culture, CeedotCee is an all around entertainer. Trailblazing the internet with her hilarious videos from YouTube to Facebook, she has over four million views combined. Her hilarious videos, l...

The words "Side Hustle" means different things to everyone. In this episode I’m breaking down: The real definition of a side hustle How to tap into your talents to determine what your side hustle should be 5 steps you can take to get started on your side hustle TODAY Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a Corporate America retiree, Meiko Drew walked away from a 6-figure salary to start a lifestyle and food empire. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. As the Side Hustle Pro Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Meiko will share the real picture of entrepreneurship after quitting your job. On this episode we talk about: The steps she took to prepare herself mentally and financially to quit her job Her ea...

What goes into the making of a Venture Capitalist? Wharton graduate and Michigan MBA Stefanie Thomas shifted from a career in banking at Citigroup to centering her passions around support for under-resourced entrepreneurs. But the road to VC was not always clear. Learn about the key experiences she gained at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, the steps she took to feed her entrepr...

Today’s guest is Genese Jamilah, Founder of I Don’t Do Clubs, a successful events and lifestyle blog that caters to African American  professionals across the country. In 2015, Genese also created the popular Must Love Beards Day Party Series and the first ever Black-Owned Restaurant Month. You’ll hear how Genese built I Don’t Do Clubs into a profitable business and how she got her brand and coins...

Welcome to the very first episode of Side Hustle Pro. In this episode I’ll share the vision for this podcast and tell you more about me, your host Nicaila Matthews. You’ll hear why quitting my first job at 24, a rejection from Google and taking the path less traveled inspired me to create and grow my side hustle into a profitable brand.  Plus, I’ll tell you what to expect each week on the show and...