Your brother drives for Uber, your mother rents out your old room on Airbnb, your sister sells candles that smell like your grandma, and your grandma is running a quilting blog.

哥哥在開優步，媽媽在 AirBnB 把你的房間租出去，妹妹賣聞起來像阿嬤的香氛蠟燭，而阿嬤則在經營一個縫被子部落格。

Almost 44 million Americans are reported as having a "side hustle."

將近 4,400 萬美國人有副業。

Most people start them for one of two reasons.

大多數人開始副業的原因不外乎是這兩個。

One: they want to make more income.

第一：想要更多收入。

Or two: they want to start carving a path out of their current job.

或是第二，想要離開現在的工作。

A side-hustle can definitely help you achieve these goals, but not without proper research and planning.

副業絕對可以達到這些目的，但一定得好好研究與計畫。

So here are five things you need to know to make sure that your side-hustle won't be hustling you.

成為斜槓族之前，得了解五件事，才不會讓副業變成你的業障。

[Two Cents]

[小建議]

Number one: do market research.

第一點：市場調查。

This is Jenny.

這是 Jenny。

Jenny wants to quit her job and work for herself selling sweaters for hedgehogs.

Jenny 想要辭職，然後自己創業來賣給刺蝟的毛衣。

After all, she's a member of the 20,000-strong Facebook group Hedgehogs 4 Lyfe.

畢竟她可是 20,000 人大型臉書社團－刺蝟教的成員。

If just 10 percent of those people bought a 30 USD sweater, that's 60,000 USD!

只要 10% 的成員買她 30 美元 (約 900 台幣) 的毛衣，就有 60,000 美元 (約 180 萬台幣) 了！

That's a nice dream, but before she starts knitting, it's time for a reality check.

這是個美夢，但在她開始編織之前，先做個可行性評估。

Are there people out there who are currently making money at a venture like this?

是不是也有人做類似的生意？

According to one study, 85 percent of side-gig workers make less than 500 bucks a month.

一個研究指出，85% 的副業一個月賺不到 500 美元 (約 15,000 台幣)。

AirBnB has the highest average profit of 924 USD a month.

AirBnB 平均賺最多，一個月約 924 美元 (約 27,500 台幣)。

Uber comes in 4th at 364 USD a month and Etsy, where Jenny's hedgehog sweaters will probably end up, is number seven at a measly 151 USD a month.

Uber 排在第四，一個月平均 364 美元 (約 10,800 台幣)，而 Esty (也就是 Jenny 的刺蝟毛衣所在的類別) 排在第七，一個月平均只有 151 美元 (約 4,500 台幣)。

Maybe Jenny should sell a more established product—like supplements or makeup—with one of those network marketing companies.

或許 Jenny 應該和網路銷售公司合作賣既有的產品，像是營養補充品、化妝品。

After all, she's got Facebook friends who are always looking for new recruits.

畢竟她有些臉書的好友也不斷在徵人加入。

If you're considering joining up with a network marketing company, be extra cautious.

如果你在考慮加入網路銷售公司，要特別小心。

According to a government study, only 1 percent of network marketing participants actually turn a profit.

根據政府研究，只有 1% 的網路銷售員真的賺到錢。

By law, these companies have to share some of their financial data with you, like average income.

依據法律規定，這些公司得公開一些財務資訊，如平均收入。

Before diving into any new venture, you should seek out every piece of information you can get your hands on that will give you some idea of how much you can realistically expect to make.

在投入另一項投資之前，應該要搜集好所有的資訊，這樣才能預估究竟能賺多少錢。

Number two: track your costs.

第二點：追蹤支出。

This is Tim.

這是 Tim。

Tim found out that the going price of used textbooks almost doubles around the beginning of the school year.

Tim 發現二手教科書的價格在學年剛開始會幾乎翻倍。

So, he figures if he sinks his savings of 8,000 USD into a metric ton of Intro to Biology, he can sell them on Amazon in September and double his money!

因此他想，如果他花 8,000 美元 (約 24 萬台幣) 的儲蓄買進一堆生物學概論，這樣 9 月時他就能亞馬遜上賣出這些書，翻倍他的投資。

Not so fast, Tim.

別想太快了，Tim。

Just because you're not making a product doesn't mean you won't have costs.

雖然你不用親手做產品，但這不代表你沒有額外花費。

Tim will need somewhere to keep all those books for the next 6 months, which means renting a storage space.

將來六個月，Tim 將會需要一個地方來存放這些書，這表示他得租個倉庫。

Each book will have to be mailed to the buyer, which means 400 individual packing and shipping fee, and online retailers like Amazon take a cut of every sale you make.

還得郵寄每個書給買家，這代表 400 個包裹與郵寄費，況且像亞馬遜的網路銷售商還會再抽成。

Congratulations, Tim! You're still making a profit, but when you calculate how much time you're spending listing, selling, packaging, driving from the storage space to the post office, how much are you really making per hour?

恭喜 Tim，你還是會賺，但算算你花了多少時間上架商品、銷售、包裝、載貨到郵局，最後你一小時只賺了多少？

Essentially, Tim is the sole investor in his own company, and no smart investor would put a single dollar into a new venture without seeing a honest list of expected costs and revenues.

基本來說，Tim 是他公司的唯一投資者，而沒有任何聰明的投資者會投資一個新公司，除非它有清楚的預期收支表。

If you want your side hustle to be a real business, you've got to treat it like one.

如果你想把副業當成真的事業來經營，就得認真看待它。

Which brings us to number three: use a separate bank account.

這就帶到了...第三點，幫副業開一個銀行帳號。

Kendra wanted to make some extra money so she started driving for Lyft on weekends.

Kendra 想要一些額外收入，所以她週末開始開 Lyft。

After six months, she had more cash in her pocket and decided she liked it more than her day job.

六個月後，她有比較多現金了，而她也覺得比起正職，她更喜歡這個副業。

But since all the costs and earnings were mixed up with her personal finances, she can't tell whether it's a good idea to go full-time.

但所有的收支都跟混合在一起，她無法算出轉為全職司機是不是個好點子。

If Kendra had started a separate bank account for her rideshare income, and paid for expenses like gas, maintenance and car insurance strictly from that account, she'd have a much clearer idea of how profitable her side-hustle really is.

如果 Kendra 有為副業開一個帳號，並且用它來支付生活花費，如汽油、車子維修與保險等，她就能明確知道這個副業究竟賺多少。

You don't need anything fancy.

不用做得太過頭。

Just open a separate account in your individual name at the place you're currently banking.

只要在同一家銀行，用你的名字再額外開一個帳戶即可。

It's a simple way to keep track of your new income, and will make your life way easier come tax time.

這可以簡單地追蹤你的新收入，當繳稅日來臨時你也會輕鬆許多。

Speaking of which, number four: set aside taxes—now.

說到這個...第四點：把要繳的稅撥出來，現在就做。

After a year, Kendra's made enough money to put a down payment on a new car.

一年後，Kendra 賺夠了錢可以付新車的頭款。

There's just one problem.

但還有個問題。

This is the most consistently nasty surprise we see sneaking up on side-hustlers.

這是做副業的人最常遇到的痛苦「驚喜」。

They've been making money from a new business but haven't put anything aside for when the government comes knocking.

他們有從副業賺到錢，但當政府來敲門時，卻發現他們沒有撥出一部分的錢給稅金。

We can't stress it enough: Do not make this painful mistake!

再強調此事也無為過，不要犯這個錯誤！

If it's your first year as a side-hustler and you don't know how much you'll have to pay in taxes, start by setting aside 25 percent of every dollar you earn for Uncle Sam.

如果這是創業首年，而你不知道要撥出多少錢給稅金，就先撥出 25% 的收入吧！

[Consult a local accountant to find out how much you should be setting aside in your area!]

[諮詢當地會計師，來看自己該撥出多少收入。]

After your first year of business, you will be required to pay an estimate of your taxes on a quarterly basis.

第一年過後，你每一季都得付預估的稅金。

Just go to this website to set up an online account directly with the IRS.

只要到這個網址設立一個美國國家稅務局的網路帳戶。

Believe it or not, they actually make it pretty easy to pay them.

說真的，他們讓付錢變得相當容易。

Number five: jump with a parachute.

第五點：記得帶降落傘。

Jenny's hedgehog sweater company is really taking off thanks to an endorsement in Erinaceidae Aficionado.

Jenny 的刺蝟毛衣生意開始起飛了，多虧了刺蝟雜誌的介紹。

But is it safe to quit her job at the widget factory?

但為此辭掉機械工廠的工作安全嗎？

Before she leaps out of that plane, she needs to make sure her parachute is big enough.

在她跳出那台飛機前，她得確保自己的降落傘夠大。

First off: Does your side-hustle profit equal at least half of what you make at your day job?

第一：你的副業賺的錢，是否至少有你正職的一半？

If Jenny makes 3,300 USD a month at Widgets, Inc. and her side-hustle is making a profit of 2,000 USD a month, she's probably in a safe position to give her two weeks notice.

如果 Jenny 一個月在機械工廠薪水為 3,300 美元 (約 99,000 台幣)，而她副業一個月賺 2,000 美元 (約 6 萬台幣)，那她或許就可以考慮把副業轉正。

Second: Does she have three months worth of expenses saved up for emergencies?

第二，她是否有三個月的存款，以防有緊急事件？

82 percent of small businesses fold because of cash flow problems.

82% 的小企業因現金流問題而倒閉。

And if the market for hedgehog sweaters temporarily dips, Jenny will need those funds to stay afloat until it goes back up again.

且如果刺蝟毛衣的市場暫時下跌，Jenny 也會需要一些資金來支撐自己，直到下一次市場復甦。

If that means she has to keep her day job for a little while longer… well, that's better than having to ask for it back!

或許這表示她這份正職得再做久一點...但至少比之後求老闆讓自己回來好。

This might seem like a lot of work and planning for something that was supposed to be "on the side," but it's essential that before you invest your time and money into a new venture, you understand what you're getting into.

對於「副」業，這感覺好像需要許多準備與計畫，但在真的投資自己的時間與金錢進一項新事業時，明白自己即將面對的事情是很重要的。

It's not uncommon for people, once they find out what's actually involved in starting a side business, to decide they like their day job more.

許多人在真的開始副業後，才發現其實比較喜歡自己的正職工作，這也很正常。

That's why your side hustle should be something you genuinely like to do.

這就是為何副業應該要做你真的有興趣的事。

After all, extra money only has value if it's contributing to your overall happiness.

畢竟呢，多餘的金錢只有在它能帶給你快樂的時候才有價值嘛。

And that's our two cents!

這就是我們的小建議！