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In honor of Black Business Month, we’re so excited to announce our new mini advice column with Brianna Arps, the CEO and founder of award-winning fragrance brand MOODEAUX. Every Wednesday in August, Brianna will share her tips for building a business from the ground up.
Before launching MOODEAUX, Brianna spent 10+ years writing for major publications like Refinery29, ESSENCE, Us Weekly, INSIDER, and Elite Daily. After getting laid off in 2018, she became an “accidental entrepreneur,” and now she’s spilling her business secrets. 🤫
First up: How to tell the difference between a side hustle, a passion, and a business.
You’ve got a Notes app full of half-baked business ideas, a Pinterest board called “Entrepreneur Energy,” and at least three side-hustle projects you’re secretly plotting on your lunch break. It all feels super exciting—there’s this magnetic pull toward a different future that you can’t ignore any longer, even though the details are still a blur.
But sis…what exactly are you building? 👀🤔
Is what you’re pouring energy into a hustle, a passion, or the early days of a startup? Truth is, the answer really depends on the lens you use to look at it. Through one lens, it’s your passion, a creative playground. Through another, it’s your hustle, an extra income stream. And through yet another, it’s your business, a career with pathways to generational wealth.
The point isn’t to pick the “right” label, because there isn’t one. It’s about figuring out which one fits right now.
Passions can evolve into hustles, hustles can grow into businesses, and businesses can shift back into passions. It happens all the time, so don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis! The point is to get real with yourself so you can move forward with focus, intention, and the kind of clarity that turns momentum into real results = success on your terms.
Here’s what each one might look like IRL:
✨ Passion: A Creative Playground
Your passion is your personal outlet—the thing that enhances your life, fuels your fulfillment, and gives you a sense of meaning outside the daily grind. It’s self-defining, often becoming a central part of your identity and shaping how you see yourself and interact with the world. Finding it isn’t always instant, though. Passions can emerge over time, revealing themselves through exploration, trial and error, and simply following your curiosity. Whether it’s photography, restoring vintage goods, or community activism, a passion is less of an obligation and more like a natural extension of who you are today.
💼 Hustle: An Extra Income Stream
Your hustle is the extra income stream you work on outside your main gig. It’s practical, scrappy, and has a clear “why” behind it—whether that’s paying off debt, saving for a well-deserved vacay, or padding the cushion for a bold new chapter. Hustles can be pet-sitting, freelance graphic design, weekend tutoring… the list is limitless. They’re fueled by resourcefulness and determination, often constructed within the margins of your day, and they can help you hone the skills and discipline that bolster resilience. Just remember: a hustle doesn’t have to be forever; it’s a means to an end, with the potential to evolve into something scalable if you choose.
🚀 Business: A Career with Pathways to Generational Wealth
Your business is the main event, the work you depend on for your livelihood. It’s steady, structured, and extra strategic. Whether you’re flying solo or leading teams, a business runs on goals, guardrails, and an exit plan to guide the way. Aside from a chunk of change to get started, a business also demands 1,000% effort. Your vision, leadership, consistency, agility, and discernment to make tough calls—each holds the power to shape a lasting legacy and secure generational wealth. Trust me, when nurtured with care, an organized venture can do more than earn a profit—it can shift industries, unlock opportunity, and change the world.
To quickly recap! Pick a lane, superstar, and drive it like you’ve got somewhere epic to go!
xXBA
MORE ADVICE FROM BRIANNA
3 Hard Lessons I Learned in the First Year of Business
The $15,000 Mistake That Almost Cost Me My Business
How to Start a Business (Without Breaking the Bank)
