Sell Those Jeans & That Tea: The Unconventional Hustle Is Still A Hustle

As I browsed Twitter, I stumbled upon tweets about women getting paid to host parties and sell weight loss teas on Instagram. The consensus was that this wasn’t a respectable way to make money and at some point, you’re going to be too old and should find something else to do.

To that I say: Keep getting that check for as long as they keep paying you.

You’re probably working because you don’t have the luxury of having someone else pay your bills. Judgemental people who don’t know you and wouldn’t donate one dollar to your GoFundMe if you needed it, should not make you feel bad for the way you choose to make an honest living. Let’s face it, there is nothing wrong with you modeling jeans on Instagram for $1,000 a week, nor is there anything wrong with making $5,000 to spend two hours in the club twice a week. Those may be unconventional hustles, but they’re still a hustle.

If you’re not robbing, scamming, or engaged in illegal activity, you shouldn’t feel guilty because your job is different from everyone else’s. Sure, you don’t have to punch in and sit at a desk all day but that doesn’t mean that what you do isn’t work. Working a 9 to 5 isn’t the only way to make an honest living and entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be confined to starting a clothing line. There are so many ways to get paid, often times while doing the things that people do for free.

Not long ago, people did not know that you could make money by simply using social media. Less than five years ago, people were clueless about how they could monetize their tweets. Now, more and more people are monetizing their social media usage and making a substantial enough income that they are living comfortably. At the Revolt Music Conference in 2016, Cardi B said that she made around $4,000 every time Flat Tummy Tea hit her to post advertisements on her page. Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner have made roughly $10,000 just to post one advertisement on their page. The unconventional hustle is soon becoming the norm and it’s nothing to feel ashamed about.

If you worked hard to grow a large enough following that people will pay for your endorsement, use it. There is no age limit on your version of entrepreneurship. If someone is willing to pay you $5,000 for an hour or two at the club, do not listen to the person who tells you that you’re “too old” to be making club appearances. As long as they’re still offering you the coin, take it, and when you’re ready to quit, let it be on your terms. Same goes for your fit tea endorsements and fashion nova jeans. Do what makes you feel happy for as long as you can. Your grind is no one else’s but your own.