The Art Of Hustling – Adam Harder
Adam Harder – @CoachAdamHarder
To some people hustling is a negative word. To me, it’s a way of life. I currently have a resume that would be about 6 pages long if I listed all of my jobs and skills that I have. This isn’t me bragging that I am great at everything I do, but it’s a testament to all the skills that I have gained throughout the years.
It all started when I was 16. I had been helping my dad wash cars my entire life, and finally I had my own car. I kept it clean like everyone else in my family has done, but not only did I keep mine clean, I had neighbors and family friends asking for a detail too. This is how I started my first business in my own driveway. I grew this into a monster of a business and actually picked up enough customers that I made enough money in one summer to pay for a semester of college.
This is when it all clicked for me. I had started a business and hustled to gain more and more clients—so there had to be other ways to make money doing something I enjoyed. So I looked at the things I thoroughly enjoyed doing. I loved all sports, and I really loved wrestling. Then I figured out a way to make money from those things. First I became a high school wrestling coach in college to help pay for things. Then I found officiating, and this is where I began to realize even more, there is plenty of money to be made out in the world if you just look in the right places. While yes, being an official is not an easy job, if you know the rules of the sport and are confident in yourself, you can make a killing as a side job. I know some officials that made an extra 30 thousand dollars in 2017. Now you tell me, do you really think that where you are in life that you couldn’t use an extra 30k?
A term I often use to describe myself is a “Jack of all trades, master of a few.” This means I keep acquiring more and more skills and the ones I thoroughly enjoy doing, I master. Am I saying I am perfect at everything? No. Actually I am far from it, but mastering the basics is really what it takes when it comes to hustling. I can officiate almost any sport based on presenting myself in the right manner, knowing the rules and mechanics, and also dealing with people in a friendly but controlling way. These are just the basics of officiating, I already know I am not going to get every single call right, but I also know that only makes up a small percentage of what makes a great official. You don’t have to be perfect at what you do to make money, you just have to master the basics.
Going off the topic of gaining new skills, in 2017 I learned a few more, the first was the use of power tools. Myself and Zach Kotecki had a big part in building the new locker room, little did Zach Homol know I had never used a power saw, and barely used a cordless drill. But, I said screw it and learned a new skill that I can now forever use. The second skill I am still learning at the moment is photography, I am under the wing of IVB’s camera man Charlie Garwood. He has been showing me the ropes the past couple of months, and just recently I decided to mix my love for wrestling and my new-found interest in photography. This has led to a chance at me shooting pictures for the state finals for wrestling in Indiana.
Never would I have begun to think that I could make money from any of these things, but if you just keep putting your name out there, and continue gaining new skills, and mastering the basics of what you like doing, you are bound to make some. Lastly, one major key is don’t be afraid to try new things, you might find that you enjoy doing it and can make some money while you do!
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