If you’ve browsed the internet in the last decade, you’ve noticed a certain phrase popping up again and again: side hustle. It’s certainly something we talk a lot about at On The Dot. Though hustling has had negative connotations in the past, often referring to a scam or swindle, these days, hustling—and side hustling, in particular—is seen as considerably more positive. Women side hustle to start their passion projects while also maintaining their 9-to-5 jobs. Many of these lady side hustlers cultivate those endeavors into full-time—and lucrative—gigs. Today, think about what your passion project would be. You never know, with a little dedication and elbow grease, it could lead to your dream job!

WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 3rd-Most Popular

Another reason many women side hustle is to break into a tough industry in pursuit of a dream job. Consider writing, for instance. Though it’s something we learn to do in order to communicate in life, making a career of writing can be a far more daunting challenge. But that doesn’t stop young women from dreaming about writing the next best-seller. In fact, according to The Washington Post, becoming a writer, journalist or novelist is the third-most-popular childhood dream job for women, despite the fact that the median annual salary for writers and reporters is only $36,000 to about $55,000. But after all, doing what you love pays more than just money.

WOMAN TO WATCH: Jaclyn Johnson, Founder of Create & Cultivate

Ladies, there’s no better time to turn your dreams into reality. That’s precisely what today’s Woman to Watch, Jaclyn Johnson, did, launching her blogging and digital-marketing side hustle into a full-blown entrepreneurial movement called Create & Cultivate, which now includes what has widely been called “the ultimate conference for women everywhere.”

A longtime digital marketer, Jaclyn has been blogging and actively engaging in the digital space for more than a decade. She was the founder of a successful digital-marketing and events agency called No Subject, with big-name clients like L’Oréal Paris, Microsoft and Levi’s. In 2011, she raised the stakes, introducing Create & Cultivate, an online platform and offline conference series meant to provide a place where women can engage in conversation about entrepreneurship and how to be successful in the modern digital age.

With the goal of helping women, particularly millennial women, dig a little deeper into their entrepreneurial spirit, the Create & Cultivate conference now spans the United States, with events taking place throughout the year everywhere from New York City to Los Angeles, and Atlanta to Dallas, gathering hundreds of thousands of women, from curious creatives to the next generation of entrepreneurs. The conferences feature jam-packed programming, including panels, workshops, breakout sessions, spectacular keynote speakers and mentor power hours that give women the chance to connect and learn.

Also an angel investor in a variety of female-owned businesses and named on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Marketing and Advertising list, Jaclyn has no time to rest on her laurels. In August, she’ll release a book titled WorkParty: How to Create & Cultivate the Career of Your Dreams, a tell-all about embracing and overcoming career failures, reconciling your femininity with being a boss and having a little fun along the way.

Jaclyn is the perfect example that with some ambition and commitment, every woman can turn her dream job into her day job. So, ladies, how will you create and cultivate the career of your dreams?

QUITE THE QUOTE

Let’s close today’s On The Dot with a bit of inspiring wisdom from one woman who is masterful at reinventing herself and her career, the one and only Madonna:

“No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.”

This is Melinda Garvey signing off until next time. Remember, ladies, empowered women empower other women. Share On the Dot so more women can have a voice. Thanks for getting ready with us.

To learn more about our conversation, check us out at OnTheDotWoman.com and talk to us @OnTheDotWoman on Twitter and Instagram. We’d love to hear your voice.