Side Hustles with Amanda Duff
We are officially in the second to last month of the podcast, so I decided my final topic would be around side hustling and entrepreneurship, which, you can imagine, are subjects near and dear to my heart. The Financial Gym has taken me on an 11-year entrepreneurial journey, and it would have started as a side hustle if I was allowed to coach people on the side from my day job as a financial advisor. In August of 2013, I made the wild decision to jump full force into an entrepreneurial journey without testing it via a side hustle. While I'm thankful for the journey, I would advise everyone else to start with the side hustle before it becomes the full hustle.
This month I'm sharing stories from side hustle through full entrepreneurship and everywhere in between. Joining me today is long-time podcast listener and long-time Financial Gym client Amanda, who has recently launched an HR-based side hustle called Now What HR. She joins me to share her journey to side hustling and why she decided to start one now, especially when it was never a destination on her financial roadmap.
What are we drinking?
Amanda – Home brewed lager
Shannon – Nighthawk Bota Box
Podcast Notes
The Journey to Side Hustling
Amanda is a long-time podcast listener and has been a Financial Gym client since 2015. Her journey with Shannon and the Gym started with planning a wedding and has since expanded into marriage, children, homeownership, and growing their net worth.
Amanda's HR career spans over ten years, and although a side hustle wasn't part of her initial career plan, she realized she wanted a creative outlet, and there was a need for the expertise she could provide.
Amanda's friends and family have always reached out to her for help with resumes, interviews, and career development. This was the inspiration for Now What HR. Amanda had a strong support during her career, which was incredibly valuable for her. She now provides that type of support for others through her business.
Her goal is to help both employees and professionals in HR departments. Not every company has an HR department; if they do, it is sometimes small. Now What HR fills the gap and provides affordable support for people who need it.
The Role of HR and Company Culture
Shannon and Amanda discuss the common negative perception of HR, which bothers Amanda. She believes a strong HR department should advocate for employees and the business. It is their job to foster cohesion and trust throughout the company.
Transparency between HR and employees is key to keeping everyone aligned with the goals and values of the company. When companies don't openly communicate decisions, employees tend to make assumptions. These assumptions can create a divide and fracture trust.
HR plays a crucial role in aligning employees with company goals, which ultimately supports the company's success. If a company cannot reach its financial goals, employees also suffer.
A huge part of Amanda's HR consulting work involves helping companies, especially startups, establish HR policies, employee handbooks, and benefits. Not every company can afford full-time HR staff, but can benefit from effective HR support.
Consulting & Career Advice
What started as a blog has blossomed into Now What HR, where Amanda works with professionals making career shifts, companies looking for HR support, and HR professionals working in small departments.
There can be so much value in feedback from a third party, especially when you're navigating tricky workplace dynamics or situations. Amanda offers an outside, objective perspective, which can help you avoid potential pitfalls. It can be hard to find safe spaces at work to talk about challenging situations, and Amanda has created a space for exactly that.
One of Amanda's favorite parts of Now What HR is reaching new managers who are learning leadership skills. Many of the things that feel like common knowledge to her are not obvious to others. Through writing and one-on-one coaching, she can share this knowledge with others.
Core values are essential for every business. Clear values can provide a roadmap for employees and leaders on how to engage with the company, make decisions, and work together.
Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is that side hustles can come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, they will make us money; sometimes, it's to grow a network or a skillset, or sometimes, it's meant to give us an outlet for work we love. No matter what the path, if you feel called to start something, don't get caught up in the need for it to make money right away, you'll be robbing yourself of the journey you're meant to go on.
Random Three Questions
If you were not in the HR field, what would you be doing?
If you were given $25,000 to travel, where would you go?
What do you do to relax?
Connect with Amanda
Website: https://nowwhathr.com/
Instagram: @NowWhatHR
If you have any topics you would like me to cover on this podcast, or if you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me at Shannon@fingyms.com or join the private Martinis and Your Money Facebook Page, and let me know what you want to hear.
As many of you know, other than running this podcast, I’m the founder and CEO of The Financial Gym, and we are celebrating 10 years of this journey. Now more than ever, I see the importance of the work we do every single day. Rising inflation, the return on student loan debt, high-interest rates on loans and mortgages, and volatile stock markets make it a time where, now more than ever, you need a best financial friend to help you make the best choices along the way.
At Financial Gym, you get paired with a Certified Financial Trainer, who we call your BFF. Our team has coached clients through every financial season, whether they were living paycheck to paycheck or headed into Financial Independence and Retirement. As a reminder, we work with individuals, couples, or business owners.
The exciting news of 2024 is that Financial Gym now has a sister company, FG Advisory Services, available for people looking for more traditional financial advisory services like asset management delivered by a team that looks and behaves nothing like a traditional financial advisory services company. We literally have a solution for you, no matter where you’re starting from. So what are you waiting for? Head over to or send friends to financialgym.com to get started today. Our warm-up calls are free of cost and judgment, so you have nothing to lose.