<h3>Hello Clever partners with Una Brands to bring ‘Buy-To-Earn’ solutions to APAC’s #1 e-commerce aggregator</h3><h3>Hello Clever, Australia’s leading real-time payment and loyalty solution, has announced its partnership with Una Brands, a Singapore-based e-commerce aggregator, to introduce instant shopping rewards to consumers.</h3><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*8ds1fcraPP-n9gQpA6ewig.png" /></figure>The strategic partnership will help Una Brands grow in Australia and take advantage of the New Payment Platform (NPP) which has access to more than 13 million users.Customers of the aggregator’s three major brands NorthDay, ErgoTune and EverDesk will be able to pay for their purchases and earn instant rewards through Hello Clever.The cross-border collaboration is one-of-a-kind in Asia, opening the door to millions of Australians and creating a better ecosystem for the customer where they can pay now and get rewarded now.Hello Clever CEO and Co-Founder Caroline Tran said: “Hello Clever is proud to be partnering with Asia’s leading e-commerce business Una Brands. Together we’ll bring customer’s access to smarter and more rewarding ways to pay, which helps Una Brands deliver on its consumer promise to always put its customer first.”Una Brands CEO Kiren Tanna said: “We’re excited to work with Hello Clever as our scale-up loyalty payment business partner. The partnership aligns with our values as being tech-driven and digital-first as we continue to embark on our mission of acquiring and growing well-loved and enduring brands in Australia.” Launched earlier this year, Hello Clever has over 30,000 active users in its Buy-To-Earn ecosystem and has built partnerships with over 1,000 retailers.In July 2022, Hello Clever became the first Australian payment gateway to support PayTo for secure pre-authorised payment technology. As an ecosystem, Hello Clever has been designed to make fast payments (PayTo and PayID) possible for individuals and businesses. Hello Clever utilises open banking, fast payments, and AI technologies to put together an end-to-end experience for shopping, bill payments, and spending management.Founded in 2021, Una Brands raises $85M USD in total funding, is APAC’s leading multi-channel e-commerce aggregator whose mission is to shape the future of e-commerce by acquiring great brands and growing them into global, well-loved, and enduring household names. Una Brands has since acquired and operates &gt;20 e-commerce brands across six countries.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=b380c919ce81" width="1" height="1" alt="">

Hello Clever partners with Una Brands to bring ‘Buy-To-Earn’ solutions to APAC’s #1 e-commerce…

<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*nxvuCuEY69Fn-J4ySpALZA.png" /></figure><h3>This year, Hello Clever celebrated our first year in market and two years since our founding in 2021.</h3>2022 has been an exciting year as we’ve been working diligently to launch our suite of product including Hello Clever Consumer and Hello Clever Payment and this has led to thousands of transactions we process every month. And in the new year, we’re expected to see this number to rise north of five times.Over the past three months, the public and private market have seen a restructure where a lot of companies in our industry have been facing difficulties to keep up with the rise of factors like interest rates, monetary or fiscal policy, government edicts or commodity price swings. We are lucky to still retain our position in the market with the ability to innovate, build new capabilities and secure long-term prospects while at the same time deliver the sustainable, profitable growth our stakeholders expect from us.We are a team of pioneers and entrepreneurs who are motivated by the needs of our solution and overcome the challenges with expertise and determination.We’re proud to officially share with you our 2022 highlights and what’s next for 2023.<h3>Our Capital Raise Announcement</h3>We successfully closed our seed round at $4.5M AUD in September with participating from leading investors include Vectr Fintech Partners, Yolo Investments, Boson Ventures, CrossFund and sophisticated angels such as Peter Warren Family, Daniel Johnson and Ken Cheung.This marked the start of our growth journey and rapid product development in 2022 with the onboarding of more than 1,000 merchants and 40,000 customers who are loving the Hello Clever brand<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*qsI9xSO861I7psipWhU5cw.png" /></figure><h3>Our Product Announcement</h3>We continue to ship products at rapid speed with the launch of Hello Clever 2.0 in the new year and Hello Clever Payment across multiple markets. New features are being delivered every three weeks and our biggest achievement to date was to be able to mark the first EVER PayTo transaction in Australia that no one else had been able to.Merchant Dashboard: our merchants have the ability to register an account with Hello Clever automatically and integrate our payment gateway at the record time of five seconds. Merchant integration platforms include Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCart and Customised API with BigCommerce to be live in 2023.<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*QbmRqTPiF8mbfvFlJI1WhA.png" /></figure>Merchant API: Universal no-code API to connect with real-time payment in seconds. This product is suitable for merchants that require customised integration such as telcos, financial services and government departments.<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*67Q_0TnvIGzMGyMctMPnGg.png" /></figure>Payment Gateway: Hello Clever is Australia’s first company to utilise the new payment platform &amp; introducing the next generation of rewards — the all new ‘buy to earn’ payment.Hello Clever generates a PayID and utilises the use of PayTo, Credit/Debit Card and QR code at checkout page allowing merchants to receive payments instantly at a very low cost with no chargebacks, zero reconciliation and a safer way for their customers to pay whilst giving them an instant cashback which is the integral part to drive traffic to our merchants.<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*ykq1DlqmKjRtPll7S8UV7Q.png" /></figure>Compliance: This year we earned our highest level of compliance — Level 4 which is for businesses that process fewer than 20,000 e-commerce card transactions, or those processing up to 1 million total annual card transactions.<h3>Our Team Announcement</h3><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*lYxqkUWaF5d5zY7psc86SQ.png" /></figure>We’re fortunate to have onboarded additional four engineers from Vietnam and one Senior Product Manager based in Finland to start developed next phase of product roadmap as we head toward the end of 2022 and prepraring for a massive growth in 2023.As of October 2022, we have 25 employees (both FTE and PTE) working across Growth, Design, Technology and Marketing from 11 cities of 7 countries and of which, more than 30% of our employees are female working in Growth and Technology. We’re very proud of our diverse team and employees who have been working tremendously hard these last few months to focus on our GTM strategy and product deadlines.What’s next in 2023 and beyond? The answer is simple, growth and expansion — we look forward to 2023 as we’re on the mission to bring world’s class products to our customers and thank you for being there with us from day one. So much more to come from here.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=3b62827a7a99" width="1" height="1" alt="">

Hello Clever’s Year in Review 2022: It’s A ‘Clever’ Ecosystem

<h3>Australian real-time payments Fintech Hello Clever today announced it has partnered with telecommunications provider Launtel to deliver an Australian first for bill payments.</h3><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*XCz8cxkCt9Kibk-aWPTTFQ.png" /></figure>Launtel will become the first Australia-wide Telco to use Hello Clever’s Pay ID for Business and the New Payments Platform (NPP) to send and receive customer payments faster, more securely and at a lower cost when compared to traditional payment methods like BPAY or credit cards.Launtel CEO, Adam Poulton explained that Hello Clever’s PayID for Business technology allows Launtel customers to pay for their service in real time.“The service settles funds in seconds including weekends and public holidays compared to other account-to-account solutions like EFT or BPAY which typically take several days to settle and only work during business hours,” Mr Poulton said.“Right off the bat we have 23% of new customers and 13% of existing customers using Hello Clever’s solution after just six weeks, which is way higher than we thought. We have also had new customers join us specifically because we are offering this payment option.”Hello Clever CEO, Caroline Tran said: “In today’s real-time economy, businesses like Launtel require a payment system that aligns with its business model, not the other way around. Launtel provides their customers the ability to dynamically control their service but until now, Australia’s payment systems couldn’t keep up. Now, that’s all changed.”When comparing Hello Clever’s PayID for Business to credit cards, Adam Poulton said: “We were having a lot of problems with credit card payments, like resolving chargebacks when customers inadvertently overpaid their bills and then processing refunds which took up to 10 days to be received. It added cost to our business and led to a poor customer experience.”“Now, when customers make a payment it’s pre-validated and received in seconds. And if we need to process a refund, they also receive those funds immediately. It just makes sense for us. Our payment options and flexibility now match our service flexibility thanks to Hello Clever’s PayID for Business,” he added.PayID for Business from Hello Clever is now available to all Australian businesses and is expected to transform the way Australians pay their bills, helping payment systems keep up with the real-time economy.Pay ID for Business also helps to reduce the occurrence of payment redirection scams which are becoming increasingly common in Australia.The ACCC estimates Australian businesses lost $227 million to payment redirection scams in 2021, a 77 per cent increase compared to 2020<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a>. And accounting platform Xero reports that 1 in 5 small businesses have been targeted by invoice fraud with 18% falling victim<a href="#_ftn2">[2]</a>.With built-in features like “Confirmation of Payee” and its use of unique and pre-verified PayID’s, PayID for Business helps to reduce fraud and adds additional layers of protection for Australian consumers.<a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/payment-redirection-scams-cost-australian-businesses-227-million-last-year">https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/payment-redirection-scams-cost-australian-businesses-227-million-last-year</a><a href="#_ftnref2">[2]</a> <a href="https://www.xero.com/au/media-releases/nearly-one-in-five-australian-small-businesses-a-victim-of-invoi/">https://www.xero.com/au/media-releases/nearly-one-in-five-australian-small-businesses-a-victim-of-invoi/</a>About Hello CleverLaunched earlier this year, Hello Clever has over 30,000 active users in its Buy-To-Earn ecosystem and has built partnerships with over 1,000 retailers.In July 2022, Hello Clever became the first Australian payment gateway to support PayTo for secure pre-authorised payment technology. As an ecosystem, Hello Clever has been designed to make fast payments (PayTo and PayID) possible for individuals and businesses. Hello Clever utilises open banking, fast payments, and AI technologies to put together an end-to-end experience for shopping, bill payments, and spending management.About LauntelLauntel is Australia’s fast and most flexible Internet Service Provider, offering a range of high-quality Residential and Business Internet solutions across Australia. Launtel prides itself on offering flexibility and great service to its 13,000 customers all around Australia, which is evident from the consistently great customer reviews they receive.Launtel were recently named ‘Fastest NBN Provider’ by <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/electronics-and-technology/internet/connecting-to-the-internet/articles/best-nbn-providers">Choice Magazine</a>: and has been named the best RSP in Australia by <a href="https://www.productreview.com.au/c/internet-service-providers">Product Review</a> two years running.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=aab744beacfc" width="1" height="1" alt="">

Hello Clever makes real-time payments a reality in a first for Launtel customers

<h3>Building a business is hard especially fundraising during this climate, let alone being one of the few female-led fintech startups. The journey from zero to one is super exciting.</h3><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*-29I6EEImre_tgrgKG77cQ.png" /></figure>Today, we’re excited to announce <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/startup-hello-clever-hits-45m-seed-funding-for-budgeting-app/news-story/52d9aacc287a7b99465955d4f3311e70">$4.5M in funding </a>consisting of a previously unannounced $1.7M pre-seed round and a $2.8M seed round. The round was led by Vectr Fintech Partners with participation from CrossFund, Yolo Investments, Magnivia Ventures, Son Tech Ventures, Boson Ventures and notable angels such as Anthony Warren and Olivia Warren of Peter Warren Automotive, Ken Cheung (former Founding Head of Asia Pacific — Facebook and Instagram and Co-Founder of OurSong with John Legend), Daniel Johnson of Mercurien Insurance and Bosco Tan.First and foremost, I wanted to share how grateful we are to those that really believe in what we’re building at Hello Clever — our incredible network of investors, supporters, and our super star team members who have been there with us from day zero.<h3>1. It’s a ‘clever’ ecosystem!</h3>2022 has been an exciting year. We have been working diligently to launch our full suite of products and now we have achieved a significant milestone — being the first company to pioneer ‘Buy to Earn’ or a new category in payments that democratises rewards in a different way.The economics of scale is indeed exciting as we have seen strong demand over the past six months and we have finally joined the “industry disruptors” club, lifting the needle to shake up an old industry that is worth $500 billions in Australia alone.<blockquote>Our vision has always been to “create a bold ecosystem for everyone to win financially”, as we are showcasing this to the world I am so proud and excited to finally reveal the real ‘Clever’ ecosystem.</blockquote>We want to introduce a new ecosystem that allows consumers to be financially healthier and our merchant partners to increase sales / reduce operating costs. That’s why we are not a single product, it’s a ‘Clever way’ of executing payment strategies to achieve better business outcomes. From Hello Clever as a consumer facing app, we have now evolved into building Hello Clever Business, Hello Clever Business API and Hello Clever Yield — which is our path into financial investing for Gen Zs.<h3>2. Empower young generations at every step of the way.</h3>Hello Clever is the first Australian buy-to-earn platform designed with the customer in mind. Through our real-time payment API — an instant payment solution powered by the New Payments Platform (NPP), PayTo and PayID — Hello Clever provides real-time cash back for customers and allows users to be clever with their spending by tracking across multiple bank accounts in real-time.We utilise open banking, fast payments, and AI technologies to put together an end-to-end experience for young people around shopping, payments, earning cash back, and manage spending. With our suite of products our customers can find the best merchants for their needs and they can be sure that their spending earns them rewards, at the same time merchants can unlock new customers from our ecosystem and securely transact with reduced fraud and chargebacks.Our lead investor, Mark Munoz, shares why he led the round:“We hadn’t seen a fintech app for young audiences in the market with the same kind of traction and positive customer reviews, and we could tell Caroline was a force of nature and knew the industry inside-out. We forecast Hello Clever being able to grow into Southeast Asia through Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. These are all large markets with big, young, and tech-savvy populations that can benefit enormously from a payment solution like Hello Clever.”<h3>3. High school mates turned Co-Founders.</h3>You can never be on this journey alone. I am super lucky to have a Co-Founder like Gavin who is also my best friend, soulmate and business partner.I normally say to everyone that Gavin is a ‘male version’ of myself, we have the same commercial and product thinking mindset. We have never argued once, and from high school mates we are now Co-Founders. Together, we have created a chance to make a difference.<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*MFn2RsH09daqKNGn-WLBYg.jpeg" /></figure>While we’re just getting started, we’re proud of our fast growing community of happy users. If you’re interested in joining our journey, drop us a line at careers@helloclever.co<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=bac929392049" width="1" height="1" alt="">

We’ve raised $4.5M to empower consumers to be more ‘clever’ with their money.

<h3>I’ve been thinking about passive income — here’s our thoughts.</h3><h3>We don’t think there is a single human on earth who hasn’t fantasised about winning the lotto. Yachts, mansions, champagne, luxury hotel rooms all over the world… All of that money, none of the work.</h3><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*vY0qcL1JcyOm5KcVxDwOZg.png" /></figure>Passive income is kinda like that.Okay, not really. It can (and likely will) take a lot of work at the outset, but the beauty is in what happens after you get past that. Passive income is defined as an income stream that occurs without requiring continuous effort to create. On the other hand, active income requires effort &amp; time in return (eg. a sales associate earning an hourly wage or a baker who has to make each cake he sells). ‘Usually, a mixture of both passive and active income streams is your secret to levelling up your financial success.Check out 3 examples of passive income below &amp; let us know if you have a passive income stream.<h3>Downloadable media</h3>Influencer presets, study notes, stock imagery &amp; resume templates are all examples of downloadable media that are commonly sold online and are great examples of passive income.Do some research and think about what form of downloadable content you could create &amp; sell online. Sure, it may take a bit of effort on the outset, but once uploaded to your preferred sales platform, it should take little upkeep and involvement compared to creating new content every time someone orders from you.<h3>Invest (wisely)</h3>While real estate &amp; the stock market may immediately spring to mind when you think of investments, they certainly aren’t the only options. In fact, in the last few years, the options have expanded exponentially. Micro investing, cryptocurrency &amp; ETFs are all options to explore. Make sure to do your research &amp; know the risks before making any investments, as it can be easier to lose money than make it if you’re not careful.P.S. Stay tuned as we will cover investing options on Hello Clever blog super soon (you can subscribe to our email list to stay up to date!)<h3>Share you knowledge</h3>Are you surprisingly good at the guitar? A master at knitting? Know your way around an Excel spreadsheet?While teaching or tutoring students directly would be counted as active income (which is still valuable and a worthy consideration!), sharing your talents online can also be a great way to make passive income. Depending on the skill, creating eBooks, short courses or even a podcast are all methods of turning that skill into cash.Have you got a passive income stream?Enjoy this post? Spread the words and tell your friend. The more the merrier and big rewards to come. Let’s make a difference &amp; be Clever!<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=5dbff4403305" width="1" height="1" alt="">

I’ve been thinking about passive income — here’s our thoughts.

<h3>In general, it takes a Gen Z five to ten years to save up for a property deposit. So your first action is to start saving today, even if you’re not sure when you’ll buy. 😎</h3><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*puczdoGX-WbZQFiLj_ayFg.png" /></figure>“Oh hey I’m Oshin! I graduated with a degree in marketing and communication. Currently I’m an Account Manager and also do a bit of PR and Social with a design agency called Designlogic. I have worked with amazing clients like BI, Jansen, BMS, Nestle, Westpac and right now Accenture.”Oshin is one of the not-so-many Gen Zs out there who was able to purchase her first investment property at a very young age. 👏🏼<h3>So how can a Gen Z succeed in wealth creation through property?</h3>It started off with renting an apartment with a few friends.Before moving into my own apartment, I was sharing a 3 bedder with some housemates. I remember requesting our ledger from the real estate agent for job and that’s when reality hit me — the moment I saw the amount of money we poured every week for someone else’s mortgage. Literally, rent money is empty money! Then this question kept popping up in my head that maybe if I worked a little harder and saved a bit more I could get my own apartment?My partner and I weren’t set on the idea just yet but one day we decided to go on an apartment hunting trip to see a few brand new apartments in the neighbourhood (as a joke). Turned out we really liked it and I ended up showing it out my parents too (who would have thought?).Here’s my take on this: I put aside more than half of my pay check every month for 3–4 months and so did my partner. We wanted to save up to additional $15,000 each and because he already owned a place we were able to use that as an equity, that was a huge help for us.Buying my first apartment wasn’t easy at all because it took a lot of work and lots of trips to the lawyer, broker, and banks! (Prepare yourself for the worst! 🤓).I was completely new to this and had no clue about buying an apartment so it was a huge learning curve for me. Although there were a couple of hiccups with the family as for us traditionally, moving in before marriage was not “ideal”, we knew financially for the long run this would be a wise choice for us.I plan to continue growing my portfolio in the years to come, this time, engaging property professionals to help me make the right decisions, minimise risks and maximise my earning potential.The takeaway?<ol><li>Rentvesting — is buying an investment property and rent it off to someone’s else. That way, you can be close to employment or lifestyle factors you enjoy, while someone else pays off the mortgage for you.🏡</li><li>Research, research and research — do you own research to clearly understand the Australian property landscape. Make the real estate market something you feel excited about. 🤙</li><li>Start today — The earlier you start in the property market, the more time, leverage and compounding will work for you. So: save, sacrifice, and have a plan that sets you up for a financially secure future.💪🏿</li></ol>Enjoy this post? Spread the words and tell your friend. The more the merrier and big rewards to come. Let’s make a difference &amp; be Clever!<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=41bf686e450d" width="1" height="1" alt="">

FYI, you can be a savvy property investor too.

<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*K05BQ-nGPfpGLfG84hp2ow.png" /></figure><h3>Is the Hello Clever app legit? Sooo we’re ready to answer your questions and tell you why we are here.</h3>Shoot us an email for the best money hacks, new product updates, pop culture things and *ehemm dad jokes too 👀Hello Clever’s mission is to empower the ‘brokest’ generations.Gen Z’s are more connected, savvy and demanding than ever. So our mission is to create an intelligent app and the most end-to-end platform for millions of young people across the globe.We treat our customers as fellow humans — unique and incredible individuals navigating their way on this planet the best they can. We value this and strive to make it simple for everyone to access and understand their financial information. Because knowledge is power, and with that power, we can realise our full potential to kick our goals out of the park!So who are we?Hello Clever is a ‘Buy-To-Earn’ ecosystem connecting individuals &amp; businesses — making shopping, payments &amp; money management easier for all.Hello Clever is founded by two high school friends who got fed up with their misspending behaviours, and credit cards and wanted to share their story that you could be more ‘clever’ with your money (pun intended).What is ‘Buy-To-Earn’?Buy-To-Earn is a new term, we reinvent the way you shop and get cashback because we believe once you spend your money more ‘clever’, you should get your rewards instantly.We are currently working hard and partnering with brands that we think will deliver the best deals and cashback values to you. Download our app on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aircrex/id1499192377">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aircrex">Android</a> to find out more.Can you trust us?You can. We’re a bunch of passionate people who are just like you — young, eager to learn, in their twenties and ready to change the world starting from the little things such as getting your finances together. Also, we love emojis 👋 as you can tell.We’ve partnered with platforms like banks and other financial institutions to make sure you get the best outcome from our services and start being ‘clever’ with your money.<h3>💛 Our Core Values</h3>These values are more than just aspirational jargon that we come up with to check a box. They are the foundational framing we use when assessing potential partners to join our team.🥑 Customer is Our Obsession💡 We create Clever Ideas💁‍♀️ You are your authentic self🚀 We reinvent and we simplify👬 A team that’s empowered💜 Build with heart and balanceTo sum this up, our mission and vision are simple — we’d like to see you succeed and achieve your financial goals. That requires the first step of being ‘Clever’ with your money. You in?If you’ve still got questions, slide into our DMs or you can email support@helloclever.coBig things are ahead of us and we will see you shortly!Enjoy this post? Spread the words and tell your friend. The more the merrier and big rewards to come. Let’s make a difference &amp; be Clever!<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=2616ff307b71" width="1" height="1" alt="">

We say this often! It seriously starts from being ‘Clever’ with your money.

<h3>Whether you’re working, studying, doing neither or doing a little bit of both, your twenties are a great time to consider starting a side hustle. Chances are, you’re relatively commitment-free and a bit of extra cash would go a long way. If you have an idea that you think could become a business, these are my top tips to take it from hobby to hustle.</h3><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/750/1*8BaOt6At32WeMXQDIk-qGw.png" /></figure>1. Choose Something you’re Happy to Hustle for 🤩Starting a side hustle means signing up for a lot of work. Typically, there will be little reward for this work until things get off the ground, which could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. To make sure that you don’t run out of steam before that point, you should choose something that you have a genuine passion for. Love travelling? Start a travel blog. Got a talent for DIY? Open an Etsy shop. Whatever you choose, make sure you enjoy it enough to keep going once the initial thrill wears off.<h3>2. Have a Clear Vision</h3><blockquote>When it comes to choosing a side hustle, the options are limited only by your creativity.</blockquote>Just because you can do anything, though, it doesn’t mean that you should do everything. From the outset, know what your business will include and what it won’t. Establish your niche and stick to it. This means that your efforts are focused in one place and your audience knows exactly what you do. Once you have an established presence, you can slowly expand your offering and grow your business.<h3>3. Get Set Up 👩🏾‍💻</h3>Make sure you do all the boring stuff at the beginning. Register for an ABN (it’s free to do so), start recording all your expenses, prepare your key documents and plan for the future.a. Your expenses could include things like a percentage of your phone bill and home internet each month, any raw materials you buy to make your products, website hosting fees and equipment.b. You will need to create a basic invoice template and a media kit or price list. You can find free samples of these documents online, which you can easily adapt or use to create your own.<blockquote>Making sure that you have this framework set up from the beginning will help you to seem professional, avoid unnecessary costs, understand where your money is going and gain clients.</blockquote><h3>4. Invest Smart</h3>No one wants to have all the gear and no idea. Chances are, you actually don’t need that much to get started. For many side hustles, a smartphone and an internet connection are enough. Don’t overspend when you first start out on expensive equipment, memberships or software. Do your research and work out exactly what is necessary to kick things off and what the best deal is for any key investments. Once you start making a bit of cash, you can use some of it to reinvest back into your side hustle and take things to the next level.<h3>5. Build your Brand</h3>Once you’ve built a bit of momentum, it’s important to make sure that your audience recognises and remembers you. The key to long-term success is making sure that you are front of mind when somebody is looking for your products or making a recommendation to someone else.<blockquote>“To do this, you need to establish a clear brand.”</blockquote>Everything that you do as a business should align with the same message, aesthetic and quality. Consistency allows people to trust and understand your business. Once you develop your brand, stick to it. If you do decide to change your branding, you should communicate this to your audience so that they know why you have done so and that they can still trust you.<h3>6. Have Patience</h3>All good things take time, and your side hustle is no different. Nurture it, watch it grow and, above all, be patient. You won’t make money overnight! Give it time and sooner or later your hard work will start to pay off. Focus on slow and consistent growth rather than your ‘big break’. The more you fixate on hard deadlines or high expectations, the more likely you are to feel like your side hustle is failing. Often, the only problem is that you haven’t given it enough time. Try to ignore what other people are doing or how fast their businesses are growing. Focus on you, what you offer and how you can make that offering better. The rest will follow naturally.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=2f6976b62f31" width="1" height="1" alt="">