Bernadette Joy is the CEO of Crush Your Money Goals
Bernadette Joy generated $279,000 in earnings last year (Rs 2.3 crore), averaging about Rs 2 lakh monthly. This success stemmed from her venture, Crush Your Money Goals, originally conceived as a podcast detailing her journey with her husband to eliminate over $300,000 (about Rs 2.5 crore) in debt.
Mrs Joy, who now earns through coaching, freelance work, and speaking engagements, disclosed to CNBC Make It that she dedicates 20 hours per week to her endeavours.
In her interview with the media outlet, Mrs Joy shared her top recommendation for aspiring side hustlers: capitalize on your innate talents to create income streams.
Her approach mirrors the career advice often given by billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, a judge on Shark Tank.
"The things I ended up being really good at were the things I found myself putting effort into," said Mr Cuban. "When you look at where you put in your time, where you put in your effort, that tends to be the things that you are good at."
Mrs Joy told CNBC Make It revealed the hard-earned lesson she had learned in 2019 that trying to earn doing
Speaking with CNBC Make It, Mrs Joy shared a valuable lesson she learned in 2019: the importance of pursuing what comes naturally to her. This insight came after the closure of her prosperous business, Dressed, which initially began as a side project connecting owners of bridesmaid dresses with potential renters.
Initially, Dressed helped her pay off her student loans, and enabled her to leave her full-time job, open a storefront, and even hire staff. However, as the business flourished, Mrs Joy found it increasingly time-consuming and less personally satisfying. Consequently, in 2019, she decided to shut it down. Having tasted the autonomy of entrepreneurship, she was unwilling to return to a situation that might trigger what she described as an "existential midlife crisis."
Shortly after, Mrs Joy participated in a personal finance conference that presented her with fresh opportunities. Inspired by the speakers' presentations, she recognized her desire to empower others to feel more assured about their financial matters, even though she hadn't fully delineated the path forward yet.
"I spent [three months] wrapped up in my blanket on my couch thinking, 'What am I going to do?' because I didn't have a business anymore," Joy said.
During that moment on the couch, she gleaned a crucial insight, which she now regards as her top advice for initiating a side venture: "Try to monetise what comes naturally to you, instead of selling something just because you can."