We recently connected with Halima Hussein and have shared our conversation below.

Halima , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

It was the summer of 2019 and I was in a headspace where I needed something outside of my “9 to 5” that allowed me to be creative and tell stories, and so I started playing around with the idea of starting a podcast. At first, I wanted the platform be a place where people could share the stories or healing, of getting back to what made them happy and allowed them to keep going. I kept going back and forth with the idea of how could I talk about mental health, drive, ambition and happiness through the hardest of times and how do we incorporate that into our daily lives. Our daily lives of hustle and noise, how do we find the quiet and motivation to keep going; and so “What’s Your Hustle” was born. I would find guests and we would talk about everything. From topics of main and side hustles, love, mental health. human experiences, etc. while staying to true to healing and inspiring the day to day.

Throughout this experience, I’ve learned that through using my platform to share these unique stories has created a sort of rippled impact that has made the podcast worthwhile. The measure of success of “What’s Your Hustle” is always something that is always growing and evolving. It is based on providing a safe environment where individuals can come and share their stories as well as, keeping in mind that everyone has a similar path; that at one point or another we will find someone on a similar journey as us.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Getting into this industry of storytelling and podcasting was something I kind of just picked up and ran with, and I would be lying if I said, “oh yeah it was easy, I knew exactly what I was doing!” It was not easy at all, from the equipment to editing I was on this sort of island on my own, with my life raft being Google. I googled everything and with the help of, Anchor (what is now, Spotify for Podcasters) I created a podcast platform that celebrates entrepreneurs and creatives. What’s Your Hustle Podcast allows for me to have a public platform where I can share the stories of entrepreneurs, creatives and every-day people; My guests are able to share their stories, build their businesses, promote their causes, and just inspire.

What sets this podcast and my work apart from the others is, I believe vulnerability. The intention was to create a safe space where my guests could feel comfortable with sharing their journeys in such a public way. I want my guests and listeners to feel like they are on the living room floor with a bunch of friends having late night conversations. I am so proud mainly of my guests. It is very humbling that they want to share their paths with me, and I am honored that they trust me with their story. If I could leave my audience with anything it is that the podcast is a platform where people can come and have an honest conversation about what it means to hustle. Whether it be in business or everyday life.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Throughout the four years of building the podcast and my guests I have had to learn how to network. Both virtually and in-person. When I first started this podcast, I wasn’t participating in a lot of in-person networking. I think from one event in 2019 I was able to get 2 new guests and a handful of new social media followers. After we entered the pandemic however, my clients came from social media. Mostly Instagram. It was about following creatives and business that I had an interest in that held the same values as I do in terms of hustle and conversation. After the pandemic, I found myself in-person networking a lot more. And a lot of these networking events are things I have an interest in. From going to markets, being in rooms with driven and creative individuals to even going to events where you just want to have a good time and fun. Being surrounded by like-minded people has been the best way for me to find new guests. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself. You have nothing to lose..

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

This is very important to me. I mostly stay connected by paying it forward. If a guest was a restaurant owner or chef, I will visit the establishment or recommend them for an event. Other times, I will go to their shops or buy the ticket to their event. Support them any way I can, even if its just a quick message on social media or saying “hi” if I see them out. I was raised that if you see someone you know, you shouldn’t just pass them, say “hi”. And I carry that with me in business. Whether it is, 10 seconds or 20 minutes. My guests always deserve my time because they gave me theirs..

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @whatsyourhustlepodcast
• Other: Add: @halima_huss (Instagram) whatsyourhustlepodcast@gmail.com