The Detroit hustle comes in different ways. For this week’s Three Detroiters feature, we look into a day in the life of professionals whose side hustles are their wildest dreams. If you’ve ever asked yourself how certain people can get it all done, read to see how these three Detroiters make it happen each day
Ayanna Turner
Mother of 2, Legal Assistant, Owner of Curvy Girls Train Hard
8 am
"My morning starts way before 8 am, I’m usually up at 5 to get in my 30 minute 300 calorie burning workout in before anyone else in the house wakes up. Afterward I shower of course then wake my daughter up so that she can get ready for school, which is usually another 30 minutes because she’s not a morning person. By the time 8 a.m. rolls around, I’m usually packing up my lunch and double checking with my daughter to make sure she has all of her things before we head out the door for school and work."
12 pm
"It's lunch time for me and most Americans, I usually eat lunch at my desk because I don’t work a full 8 hours a day therefore I’m always working and eating at the same time. Lunch is pretty quick and easy, I don’t eat a lot at lunch time because it’ll slow me down and I want to get to finished with work as quickly as possible. Since I’m a fitness and healthy eating influencer, I also use my lunch time to post to my social media platforms my lunch and snack options for the day or I may post an inspirational quote about fitness and healthy eating."
6 PM
"At this time, I’m halfway through my second workout, I’m at the gym by 5:30 starting my workout. I attend Black Bag Athletics a gym that focuses on strength, mobility and endurance to help you reach their fitness goals. After my workout is complete I’m there for another 10 or 15 minutes cooling down and stretching. I also use this time to post about my workout usually picture before during and after."
9 PM
"At this time I’m logged in remotely at work checking emails or saving files. I do this for 2 to 3 hours then I’m off to bed. But don’t think that’s all I’m doing, I may be signing permission slips, listening to the TV more so then watching it, making sure my daughter has cleaned the kitchen and taking a break away from the computer to throw a load of laundry in the washer and or dryer and preparing for the next day."
Amber C. Sillmon
Project Accountant, Writer, Mentor
8 am
"I wake up, pray and set my intentions for the day. I write my intentions in my journal. It’s really a checklist of all the things I need to do for any given day. The key for my mornings is to try to wake up in good spirits and excited about the start of a new day. Once I’m actually at work, I check my emails and create the final to do list. On my final to-do list it will include work assignments as well as my personal work assignments (i.e. show notes for podcast, finishing a chapter or preparing for a newsletter)."
12 pm
"The great thing about my job is I’m able to create the workflow of my day (i.e. analyzing projects, preparing invoices or reviewing contracts). The downside of my job, is at any time something can pop up on a project that needs my attention. I really have to stay flexible and not get upset if my day get off track. If possible, I try to get majority of my work assignments done in the morning and early afternoon. Then I try to squeeze in time to finish up a chapter and/or do research for the podcast. I also use my lunch break to watch television shows or read a book."
6 pm
"Typically, during the school year on Tuesday and Thursday I’m participating in the Midnight Golf Program. I am a mentor in this program and I use my professionalism as an accountant but also my passion as a writer to show Detroit high school students that they can be multifaceted."
9 pm
"Just like I start my day is how I finish my day. I try to do something that makes me feel good before going to bed. That may be watching a television show that’s not discussed on the podcast. Or reading a really good book. The very last thing I do to finish the day is to write in my journal or doing some form of reflection about how the day went."
DAVID ELLIS
Museum Curatorial Professional, Music Blogger, Event Host
8am
"Other than getting ready for my work day at the museum, my mornings are dedicated to listening to the song that I am going to be reviewing later in the day. As I get dressed, make my morning coffee and breakfast, the select song is playing through my earphones on repeat. I check my work emails and daily agenda and I am out of the door."
12pm
"By noon, I have usually written condition reports, cataloged, and digitized artifacts in our museum collection. For lunch, I head to my apartment not too far away to record my review for my YouTube Channel SOULOMIND-- sometimes I record, edit, create the cover picture, upload and share on social media all within that hour."
6pm
"My work day is over but my work as a music blogger is far from complete. I begin to do heavy promotion on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. I take out small clips from my review and post the clips on social media as promotion, always adding the link to my full video in the post. I respond to the comments that I have developed on my video. This is also a time I call back anyone who inquired about me hosting an event since I was working during the day."
9pm
"A lot of the time, I spend my nights at a concert or showcase. Whether it’s a big artist or small artist, I am there. I don’t waste time when I get home from these events either. I spend the rest of my day working on freelancing gigs typically. I write reviews on the concert or an album and email the publication that I contribute to in the morning."
Are you living out your dreams while still working a day job? Share your side hustle in the comments!
