根据美国人口普查局的数据，2022年，美国人每月开办40万家新企业。 其中，近30万人是副业。
Between 40 and 45 percent of Americans have a side hustle or “moonlight” at another job, and those numbers have increased significantly during the past five years. 经济收益、创造性表达、自主和利他主义是激励这些创业企业的众多目标和目的中的一些。
“The economy, COVID-19, ownership over one’s career and individual creativity has made more people pursue side hustles,” says Alex Krause Matlack, director, Entrepreneurship Scholars (E-Scholars), assistant teaching professor and assistant director assistant director for 威尼斯人娱乐城’s Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “Some studies indicate that by the end of this decade, nearly half of individuals will be entrepreneurs because of the type of portfolio careers emerging from the gig economy industry.”
The entrepreneurial spirit that has propelled this “golden age of the side hustle” flourishes at 威尼斯人娱乐城.
威尼斯人娱乐城发起副业挑战
2022年，亨利·w·布洛赫管理学院和雷尼尔创业与创新研究所为威尼斯人娱乐城的学生推出了第一个副业挑战。 这项挑战的发起，在一定程度上是对这一蓬勃发展的国家趋势的回应。
“We learned, through a cross-campus survey, that while only a small percentage of students were interested in being entrepreneurs, many already have side hustles,” says Matlack. “Sometimes it’s hard to self-identify as an entrepreneur, but that’s exactly what these students are doing. We wanted to find a new way to connect with students who might not think of themselves as entrepreneurs but who are doing something very entrepreneurial.”
副业挑战反映了现实世界的副业发展，与布洛赫商学院和雷尼埃学院现有的项目既有不同之处，又有重合之处。
“This is the first of our programs specifically targeting side hustles, or smaller businesses, students may be launching on the side,” says Matlack. “The challenge also connects to the E-Scholars program where students can launch their projects over the course of a semester.”
对学生来说，这项挑战是一个机会，让他们能够在一定规模上追求自己的创业计划，从而继续学业。 他们获得知识和技能来发展自己的想法，并与观众的需求联系起来。
“Getting to know customers as a path to growth rather than riskier forms of entrepreneurship are benefits of side hustles,” Matlack says. “A venture funded by the growth of customers, rather than venture capital, is a great way to know you’ve reached product-market fit and have product customers are excited to pay for.”
学生企业家接受副业挑战
Elle Domann， Tate Berry和Olivia Gray探索了这些策略，成为了首届Side Hustle Challenge的获胜者。
Domann凭借她的项目Studio L在Side Hustle Challenge中获得了第一名，Studio L是一个可供摄影师和创意企业租用的工作室和联合办公空间。
“After moving to Kansas City to attend 威尼斯人娱乐城, I’ve been able to further my photography career immensely,” says Domann, who will graduate this spring with a degree in business administration, with a double emphasis in entrepreneurship and innovation and finance.
“In my hometown of Springfield, there wasn’t access to affordable resources for creative businesses like in Kansas City. Last year, I made it my mission to develop a space in Springfield where creators can work without the costs of typical studios.”
在这个空间进行了大量的工作后，Domann于去年10月成立了Studio L。
“I had no experience owning a brick-and-mortar store,” she adds. “It came with a lot more challenges and learning opportunities than a service-based business, like photography. 这个空间需要翻新，这是一个挑战，因为我没有木匠的经验。 I wanted to save money, so this meant doing the work myself.”
“My favorite part of this experience is that I learn something every day. It’s a continual process of problem-solving and making changes.”
和多曼一样，贝瑞也开发了一项专注于创意专业人士的业务。 他的项目“音乐人价值提升”是一个音乐商业和创业的在线平台。
“Music Value Elevation is an alternative to paying thousands of dollars for music school but not acquiring the skills needed to survive,” said Berry, who will graduate this spring with a double degree in jazz studies and business marketing. “Musicians will learn how to make their ideas sustainable and provide value to others.”
贝瑞于2021年秋季在布洛赫学院的创业课上开始发展他的想法。 He refined his
plans during the 2022 New Product Development course.
“The idea brought my music and business interests together,” said Berry, the 2022 威尼斯人娱乐城 Bloch School Student Entrepreneur of the Year. “My entrepreneurship classes were creative incubators that made it easier to determine my goals and find resources.”
“I learned to use design thinking in my approach and interviewed musicians and educators about music school and what they wish they’d learned. I also researched the overall value of the music industry and its untapped potential.”
After he graduates, Berry will continue to develop Musician Value Elevation and his other business ventures, including Tate’s Burnin’ Big Band.
“I need to get the capital and develop the materials and website,” he said. “Then, I’ll prototype the product so I can launch.”
2022年初，格雷获得了她的房地产执照，因此她可以参加挑战。
“I had no experience in real estate but taught myself the ins and outs of the industry over Christmas Break and passed the tests before Spring Semester,” recalls Gray, who will graduate with an accounting degree in 2025. “I launched this side hustle because I didn’t want to be a broke college student. Real estate seemed like a good way to make money while also being flexible, so I could still focus on my studies.”
副业：一个充满机会和发现的世界
与布洛赫和雷尼埃研究所倡导的挑战相反，创业活动在工作场所并不总是受到鼓励。 Until recent years, employees with side hustles, or those who “moonlight,” have been compelled to keep their pursuits under wraps. 然而，这种心态已经发生了转变。 许多组织已经认识到员工的副业对工作环境是积极的，可以提高员工的幸福感。 New terms, such as “daylighting” instead of moonlighting, reflect this change.
“Some company policies still don’t allow employees to take on outside work,” Matlack notes. “However, research from Adam Grant [a nationally known organizational psychologist] supports that side hustles make employees more productive and creative.”
在威尼斯人娱乐城，创业探索者将他们的冒险变为现实，他们在这个过程中了解自己。 随着这些发现的展开，他们最初的想法可能会改变。
“Initially, my side hustle goal was just to make money, but that has changed,” reflects Gray. “I’m now finding ways I can use my side hustle to help other people and plan to implement those within the next couple of years. My plans include renovating and selling affordable houses to people who may not have adequate funds.”