0:00:03 12 big ideas from 12 years of The Side Hustle Show.
0:00:08 Now, the first 10 ideas here aired in the milestone episode 500 back in 2022.
0:00:13 And I’ll be back at the end with a couple new ones to add for this 2025 edition.
0:00:20 Big idea number one is to set a vision for your life and determine why it’s important to you.
0:00:23 Where do you want to go and why do you want to get there?
0:00:25 And who do you want to take along for the ride?
0:00:30 Because without that driving motivation, it’s going to be too easy to quit.
0:00:33 It’s the same reason people give up on their New Year’s resolutions.
0:00:34 They didn’t want it bad enough.
0:00:36 It wasn’t that important to them.
0:00:39 Otherwise, by definition, they would have made it happen.
0:00:45 I was never much into vision boards or affirmations or anything like that.
0:00:51 But a couple people challenged me in 2018 to actually sit down and write out a three to five
0:00:54 year vision of what life was going to look like.
0:01:00 One of those people was Brian Scudamore, the founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK.
0:01:06 My number one tip would be anyone out there who wants to improve their life, improve their
0:01:10 business, grow a business, I’d say come up with your vision.
0:01:14 What is your painted picture, I call it, of where you’re going?
0:01:21 Now, I sat down on a dock in my parents’ summer cottage when I was at a million in revenue and
0:01:25 I wrote down on paper, one page double-sided, our painted picture, which said we’d be in
0:01:27 the top 30 metros in North America.
0:01:29 We’d be the FedEx at junk removal.
0:01:31 We’d be on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
0:01:37 All these things and more happened because we had a destination, a clear vision of what that
0:01:38 future would look like.
0:01:41 So for anyone in life, I think it’s what’s your painted picture?
0:01:44 What does your life look like in three to five years?
0:01:45 And write it down.
0:01:49 At that time when I recorded with Brian, his business was doing about a million dollars in
0:01:51 sales every day.
0:01:54 And maybe there’s some survivorship bias going on here.
0:01:59 But when an entrepreneur at that level gives that advice as his number one tip, you got to
0:01:59 take notice.
0:02:04 And since Bryn and I went through that painted picture exercise four years ago, we actually
0:02:07 made quite a few moves to get closer to it.
0:02:13 And maybe on the other side, it’s made it a lot easier to say no to projects and so-called
0:02:16 opportunities that don’t support that shared vision that we had.
0:02:20 Because if you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to be able to reverse engineer
0:02:21 a path to get there?
0:02:27 At some point, there needs to be a force, either internal or external, to get over the inertia
0:02:32 of doing the same thing and hoping for or expecting different results.
0:02:35 Mitch Davis put it this way in episode 324.
0:02:38 Number one tip is you got to do something.
0:02:42 Otherwise, tomorrow, the next day and the next month and the next year is going to be the
0:02:42 same.
0:02:45 That’s a line I refer back to quite a bit.
0:02:48 You got to do something or tomorrow is going to be the same.
0:02:55 And when you find that reality unacceptable, like Shane Sams did, you have no choice but to
0:02:56 take action and do something about it.
0:03:00 Long story short, I found out my son was being mistreated in a daycare.
0:03:01 He was being abused.
0:03:04 They were locking him in a bathroom for hours at a time.
0:03:08 And the day that I needed to take off work to deal with this, my boss told me that I
0:03:10 needed to handle my personal problems after work.
0:03:16 And that’s what inspired me and moved me to go work for myself.
0:03:19 And I promised myself that I would never be in that situation again.
0:03:22 I would control every second, every minute of my life.
0:03:26 Someday, somehow, it starts as a side hustle, but it ended up being more.
0:03:32 As a parent, that’s just a terrifying thought, but it illustrates how motivating a bad situation
0:03:34 can be to get out of.
0:03:39 If things in your life are pretty good, relatively speaking, you got to find another powerful why
0:03:40 to get going.
0:03:42 So that’s big idea number one.
0:03:47 This driving motivation or optimistic vision of what life could be.
0:03:50 But visions and motivations don’t pay the bills.
0:03:51 So what do you do next?
0:03:57 The second big idea I’ve noticed from the last 500 episodes is what I call the piggyback principle.
0:04:01 Find a hot trend and piggyback on that hot trend.
0:04:05 That would be my best advice for anyone starting out is find something that’s really hot or popular.
0:04:11 And instead of just going for that item, sell an accessory or an add-on to the really popular item.
0:04:14 That was Tony Anderson way back on episode 194.
0:04:18 So when you’re trying to come up with a side hustle idea, we’ve seen some great success stories
0:04:21 of people catching a rising tide.
0:04:25 In a sense, this is the old business model of selling shovels into a gold rush.
0:04:28 For example, you know, more and more people are hiring cleaning services.
0:04:33 Maybe you could start one of your own in your own town, like Anthony and Junoka Hartsog, like Chris Schwab.
0:04:37 Or maybe you could build some booking software that makes their life easier, like Jobber.
0:04:41 Or maybe you could help them collect more reviews, like Chris Lillini.
0:04:43 And more people are starting podcasts, as another example.
0:04:48 Maybe you could help them with the editing or the show notes, like Podcast Fast Track,
0:04:50 or Awesome Pros, who’s been on the show.
0:04:52 Companies are getting involved in content marketing.
0:04:55 Maybe you could offer a freelance writing service, like Georgia Austin.
0:04:57 More and more parents are homeschooling.
0:05:01 So maybe you could offer a class on out-school, like Jade Weatherington or Devin Ricks.
0:05:05 More and more people are using XYZ-specific software.
0:05:09 So maybe you could create some video training materials and consulting services, like Paul Miners.
0:05:13 Example after example of this big idea number two.
0:05:18 Catch a rising tide, piggyback on those trends, and I think you’re going to have an easier
0:05:21 time than, you know, fighting against the current, trying to convince someone that this is something
0:05:22 that they need.
0:05:27 So be on the lookout for new trends in your industry, because there’s an advantage to being
0:05:28 early as well.
0:05:29 So now we’ve got the motivation.
0:05:32 We’re keeping an eye on interesting trends.
0:05:34 Just paying attention to what we see happening.
0:05:40 Or you can use a tool like Google Trends to measure the relative interest in a search term
0:05:41 over time.
0:05:45 Or you could subscribe to a newsletter like Trends, Trends.co, which is really well done.
0:05:48 And I think there’s still a free trial over there.
0:05:52 But after that, it comes time to solve a problem.
0:05:54 And that’s big idea number three.
0:06:00 The vast majority of guests that you hear on the Side Hustle Show built a business to solve
0:06:01 a specific problem.
0:06:03 That’s what customers pay money for.
0:06:06 That’s what I pay money for as a business owner, as a customer, as a consumer.
0:06:11 I don’t particularly care about your passions and motivations as long as you can make my pain
0:06:12 go away.
0:06:14 Here’s John Lee Dumas to explain.
0:06:17 Frankly, a lot of people are getting some so-so advice out there.
0:06:21 One of the pieces of advice people are getting are, follow your passion.
0:06:22 That’s enough.
0:06:23 Just do that.
0:06:29 And that’s terrible advice because, listen, if it’s just your passion and there’s no value
0:06:31 to go with it, it’s just a hobby.
0:06:34 Because, listen, people are going to be happy for you that you’re passionate about something.
0:06:41 But unless it’s providing real value to their world, unless it’s providing a real solution
0:06:45 to their problems, they’re not going to care that much.
0:06:46 I promise you.
0:06:48 And that’s just called being a human being.
0:06:50 So you need to say, OK, what am I passionate about?
0:06:51 What am I excited about?
0:06:52 Good.
0:06:52 Check.
0:06:53 I know all these things now.
0:06:56 OK, now step two, what am I good at?
0:06:58 What skills do I have?
0:07:00 What value can I add to this world?
0:07:01 OK, step two is done.
0:07:02 I know those things now.
0:07:08 Step three, how can I combine what I’m good at, value that I can add to the world, skills
0:07:12 that I have with something that I’m passionate about and excited about and fired up about?
0:07:13 What does that look like?
0:07:18 What is that zone of fire that I call that lies in the middle, that intersects those two?
0:07:26 That’s a combination and a co-mingling of your passions and your skills, of your enthusiasm and
0:07:27 your expertise.
0:07:29 That’s your zone of fire.
0:07:31 That’s where your big idea lies.
0:07:33 Because now you’re excited about it.
0:07:34 You’re going to get up every day and do it.
0:07:35 But also, guess what?
0:07:37 You are going to be adding value to the world.
0:07:39 You’re going to be solving real problems.
0:07:45 And other people are going to care then because they will care when you provide solutions to
0:07:46 their problems.
0:07:51 Now, the good news here is that humans, we’re natural born problem solvers.
0:07:54 So how do you go find problems you can solve?
0:07:55 Number one, through conversations.
0:08:00 You can ask people questions like, you know, what challenges are you facing right now?
0:08:02 What are the biggest threats to your business?
0:08:04 What’s the most annoying thing in your life right now?
0:08:07 Number two, maybe your own pain points.
0:08:09 Where do you spend your own money?
0:08:12 And especially the money that you’re kind of meh about spending.
0:08:13 Like you wish there was a better option out there.
0:08:16 Julia Tunstall explained recently on the show.
0:08:20 She couldn’t in good conscience recommend any of the barware that was being sold on Amazon.
0:08:25 So she and her husband, Chris, ended up having their own stuff manufactured and they were off
0:08:26 to the races with that.
0:08:31 And then maybe the third thing is what do other people complain to you about?
0:08:35 If other people are complaining to it, maybe on the other side of that, there’s a business
0:08:40 opportunity because problems are everywhere, but it’s the solution that may be the money
0:08:42 making opportunity, the side hustle opportunity.
0:08:48 The trick is to find a pain, find a problem that’s both real and perceived and hopefully worth
0:08:49 spending money to solve.
0:08:52 This is Greg Hickman from episode 270.
0:09:02 Pay really close attention that you are falling in love with the problem that you solve, not the
0:09:04 solution to the problem.
0:09:05 Why do you say that?
0:09:06 Just because the solution may change?
0:09:07 Yeah.
0:09:07 All right.
0:09:09 Fall in love with the problem.
0:09:12 So can I just give a little backstory on that real fast?
0:09:13 Yeah, let’s hear it.
0:09:17 So before Systemly, I had a business called Mobile Mix.
0:09:19 It was a blog, podcast, turned into a mobile marketing engine.
0:09:23 We were selling mobile services specifically to independent retail.
0:09:24 Guess what?
0:09:29 Independent retail, A, didn’t think they had a problem at all.
0:09:30 So I had to convince them they had a problem.
0:09:34 Then I needed to educate them on mobile because they didn’t even know anything about it.
0:09:37 Then I needed to connect mobile as a solution to their problem.
0:09:40 These guys weren’t even using email yet.
0:09:44 Like if you think they’re going to be investing in mobile, it was a pain.
0:09:50 I was basically slamming my head into a wall for a year or actually more than that, where
0:09:53 we were just stuck at $5,000 to $7,000 a month in revenue.
0:09:54 Yeah.
0:09:55 You were the mobile marketing guy for years.
0:09:56 Yeah.
0:09:57 Over a decade.
0:09:59 And so talk about pivot, right?
0:10:05 But when I really looked at it, I was so in love with mobile because that was my background.
0:10:06 I spent a decade there.
0:10:07 I was the mobile guy.
0:10:10 Like literally, people sometimes even say like, and it got to the point where I was like,
0:10:12 I just had to have a really tough conversation.
0:10:17 I was like, do I care more about being the mobile guy or do I care more about having a business
0:10:19 that can create leverage and have longevity?
0:10:23 And obviously that decision came down to, yeah, I don’t care about being the mobile
0:10:24 guy anymore.
0:10:27 I can reinvent myself, which is what I had to do.
0:10:29 Now we’re here talking about funnels, not mobile, right?
0:10:36 So just be careful that you might be good at something or love something so much that you
0:10:41 become blinded to the fact that the person you want to sell it to, despite you knowing it
0:10:46 will help, if they don’t feel like they have a problem, you’re never going to sell it.
0:10:49 So fall in love with solving that problem.
0:10:53 And the solution will come and you will find a way.
0:10:57 But as long as you can be in love with that problem, you will always have a business because
0:11:00 you can always solve that problem no matter what the solution is.
0:11:05 Like fall in love with solving the problem, not the way that you solve the problem.
0:11:10 And in your conversations, and this is straight from Dane Maxwell, start from zero.
0:11:14 You can even ask people, well, what would your ideal solution look like?
0:11:15 How much would that be worth to you?
0:11:19 So now you’ve got your problem and a hypothesis on how you might go about solving.
0:11:23 But this is where so many people get stuck on the side hustle sidelines.
0:11:28 Hey, this is Pat Flynn from the Smart Passive Income Podcast.
0:11:34 One of my favorite productivity hacks involves just a little note that is on my computer that
0:11:35 says one single word.
0:11:37 And that word is start.
0:11:40 You know, an object at rest tends to stay at rest.
0:11:45 And for me, I do a lot of things often that just try to fill in that space before I know I’m
0:11:46 supposed to do something.
0:11:49 So I often just procrastinate is really what I do.
0:11:53 So I just tell myself through this note, just to post a note just on my computer, very simple
0:11:55 to just start.
0:12:00 Because once you get started, it starts to go a little bit easier, you build that momentum.
0:12:05 And that’s just the best thing that has helped me is just reminding myself to start because
0:12:08 we always try to get in our own way, don’t we?
0:12:10 This is a big idea.
0:12:13 Number four, just start out of all of my guests.
0:12:14 Number one tips.
0:12:16 This is far and away the most common.
0:12:21 And when so many entrepreneurs attribute their ultimate success to simply getting started,
0:12:23 again, it’s something you got to take notice of.
0:12:26 The frustrating part is what’s often left unsaid.
0:12:27 Just start.
0:12:29 Yeah, but start what?
0:12:30 What should I do?
0:12:33 And the truth is, it really doesn’t matter.
0:12:36 This is Julie Sharonosher from episode 123.
0:12:39 It’s like a chess game.
0:12:40 It doesn’t really end.
0:12:45 If we have chess lovers in the audience, please don’t throw things at me for what I’m about
0:12:50 to say, but it’s like, it doesn’t really matter what’s your very first move is going to be
0:12:55 if you’re the first player starting a match in chess, because whatever it is, you’re just
0:12:58 trying to drive response from your opponent.
0:13:00 And this is what we’re trying to do.
0:13:06 We’re trying to get some sort of feedback from the universe, from your clients, from your customers,
0:13:11 from the people around you, from the readers of your blog, listeners of your podcast.
0:13:14 We’re trying to feel what is the right thing to do.
0:13:15 And you know what?
0:13:21 Even if you get like a horrible response and people say, boo, this is not what we want.
0:13:22 This is crap.
0:13:24 You’re still in a better position.
0:13:25 You know what?
0:13:27 Because this is not a beauty contest.
0:13:31 Now you know which path not to go.
0:13:34 And it doesn’t testify anything about you or your abilities.
0:13:39 It just means that you are one step closer to finding the right thing to focus on.
0:13:44 One thing that’s interesting about the last nine years of interviews is we’ve seen a lot
0:13:49 of entrepreneurs where the business they’re running today isn’t the business they necessarily
0:13:50 started with.
0:13:53 I mean, for me, I started selling paint jobs by going door to door.
0:13:58 Never would have expected it would lead to talking to you and tens of thousands of other listeners
0:13:58 today.
0:14:02 Brian Finley described the phenomenon this way way back in episode 72.
0:14:07 Some of the best opportunities that you’re going to find in business are going to be found
0:14:11 once you’ve already started moving in a direction.
0:14:16 Like very infrequently, you see incredible opportunities before you even start.
0:14:20 Pretty much everything that’s happened around this business, the appliance school, all the training,
0:14:25 everything that’s come out of my buying and selling at Craigslist, there were just opportunities
0:14:30 that just kept presenting themselves after I had started and after I’d put in a bunch of
0:14:31 hard work.
0:14:35 I just want to encourage your listeners, try to get something to work and then just keep
0:14:37 your eyes open for opportunities along the way.
0:14:39 There it is.
0:14:41 One of my most frequently cited pieces of advice.
0:14:45 The best opportunities become visible once you’re in motion.
0:14:50 And if opportunities become visible once you’re in motion, the only rational thing to do is
0:14:52 to get moving and stay moving.
0:14:54 I’ll call it the Loper Law of side hustle physics.
0:14:56 Get started and stay started.
0:14:58 Big idea number five coming up right after this.
0:15:01 Who, not how.
0:15:07 That’s the unlock that transforms side hustlers into business owners instead of business doers.
0:15:11 You’re always going to run into problems and problem solving is a really important skill,
0:15:14 but I’m constantly trying to remind myself I don’t need to know how to solve everything.
0:15:18 I just need to be able to find the people that do know how to solve it.
0:15:20 Who, not how.
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0:16:15 One strategy I didn’t fully embrace or maybe wasn’t fully aware of when I was starting out
0:16:18 was this idea of the piggyback principle.
0:16:22 In the startup phase, that means you don’t have to start completely from scratch, but instead
0:16:27 you can take advantage of existing tools, templates, playbooks, best practices from the people who’ve
0:16:28 gone before you.
0:16:31 A perfect example of this is our partner Shopify.
0:16:37 Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses from household names to side
0:16:39 hustlers on their way to becoming household names.
0:16:44 With hundreds of ready-to-use templates, Shopify helps you build a beautiful online store and start
0:16:45 selling.
0:16:49 Plus, Shopify is packed with helpful AI tools to accelerate your workflow.
0:16:53 We’re talking product descriptions, page headlines, and even enhancing your product photography.
0:16:58 You can even easily create email and social media campaigns to reach your target customers
0:17:00 wherever they’re scrolling or strolling.
0:17:02 If you’re ready to sell, you’re ready for Shopify.
0:17:06 Turn your big business idea into with Shopify on your side.
0:17:12 Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash side hustle.
0:17:15 Go to shopify.com slash side hustle.
0:17:18 Shopify.com slash side hustle.
0:17:24 Big idea number five is to go where the cash is already flowing.
0:17:29 In fact, this idea was so big, I wrote a whole book about it in 2016 called Buy Buttons.
0:17:31 The thesis is this.
0:17:36 Go find the marketplaces and the meeting places and the connection hubs where your target
0:17:40 customers are already looking to buy the kind of thing that you’re selling.
0:17:46 That’s why we talk about Fiverr and Upwork and Udemy and Amazon and OutSchool and Facebook
0:17:51 Marketplace and Etsy and Redbubble and all of these places that make it relatively simple
0:17:57 to go put your product or service up for sale, tap into this big pre-existing audience of buyers
0:18:01 and make it easy for them to find you and do business with you.
0:18:07 I wasn’t necessarily thinking anything would come of this Fiverr account, but I made it
0:18:11 and I uploaded my first, I think it was just one gig at the time.
0:18:12 It was a website content gig.
0:18:16 And to my surprise, I got my first order within two days.
0:18:23 That was Georgia Austin from episode 479, who was doing 90 grand a month through Fiverr for
0:18:24 freelance writing when we spoke.
0:18:31 Now, think about that experience in contrast to if Georgia had just set up her own website
0:18:34 and said, I can write website content for you.
0:18:35 Crickets, right?
0:18:39 But no, she went to this marketplace where people were already looking for this type of thing
0:18:41 and put the offer in front of them.
0:18:47 Similarly, you can take a look at existing listings on these marketplaces to see what’s
0:18:47 working.
0:18:51 Here’s Rachel Jones on doing some initial product research on Etsy.
0:18:53 Success leaves clues.
0:18:58 So my biggest recommendation is to go on Etsy and just explore.
0:19:04 I mean, you can go as simple as just type in the word printables or digital download and
0:19:05 see what pops up.
0:19:08 And then one key thing you’re going to look for is bestseller tags.
0:19:13 So Etsy gives this information away, which I love for doing research.
0:19:18 But if you’re looking at listings, you can just kind of zoom out and glaze your eyes so
0:19:21 you’re not paying attention and distracted by the pretty pictures, but just look for that
0:19:22 bestsellers tag.
0:19:27 And then once you find that, you can dig a little deeper and that will give you clues as to things
0:19:32 that are selling because there’s, you know, I’m sure millions of products on Etsy and there’s
0:19:34 it’s hard to tell which ones are selling and which aren’t.
0:19:38 But you know if they’re a bestseller that they are getting sales, people are purchasing those.
0:19:39 And so there’s a reason why those are popular.
0:19:44 In just about every niche, there’s going to be a marketplace to set up shop and put your
0:19:45 product or service up for sale.
0:19:50 But if there isn’t an obvious marketplace, you can follow big idea number six.
0:19:54 And this can work with online businesses, with e-commerce products, with service businesses.
0:19:58 And that’s to fast track your side hustle with partnerships.
0:20:04 This is a super common marketing theme throughout the archives, even going back to 2013, 2014.
0:20:13 We had Ryan Cote on episode 34 talking about the value of strategic referral partnerships for his SEO agency.
0:20:19 We had Daniel DiPiazza the very next week talking about his marsupial method, he called it, I guess,
0:20:23 because you’re getting in the metaphorical pouch of a referral partner.
0:20:28 But the gist of it is thinking who your target customers are already doing business with and
0:20:34 then building relationships with those people as a fast track way to potentially connect with
0:20:34 their customers.
0:20:37 And it can be online or offline.
0:20:41 For example, here’s one way Erica Crouppen marketed her pooper scooper business.
0:20:43 What I did was something that was really creative.
0:20:49 I went to Dunkin’ Donuts and I went and got donuts and I broke them up into half a dozen
0:20:49 each.
0:20:56 I walked into local vet offices and pet supply places and I said, hi, my name’s Erica, blah,
0:20:56 blah, blah, blah, blah.
0:20:59 I have donuts and business cards.
0:21:01 May I leave both of them here?
0:21:02 Okay, okay.
0:21:03 Yeah.
0:21:04 And that worked really well.
0:21:08 And so they put my little, because I have a little hot pink cards, they put them up front
0:21:10 and center and they were like, this is the coolest thing ever.
0:21:14 Okay, yeah, that’s an interesting way to break through the clutter.
0:21:17 First, the hot pink business cards and then the donuts.
0:21:19 Like, hey, can I drop my business cards here?
0:21:20 Ah, who are you?
0:21:20 Get out the door.
0:21:21 But hey, you brought us donuts?
0:21:21 Fantastic.
0:21:23 Exactly.
0:21:28 And they get really excited, especially like I went to one pet store and they love donuts.
0:21:30 So they’re like, yes, this is amazing.
0:21:33 And so now they know me as like the poop scooping lady and the donut lady.
0:21:36 Could you go speak at a conference?
0:21:38 Could you guest on a podcast?
0:21:43 Some of the biggest spikes on the side hustle show download chart have come immediately following
0:21:49 a guest appearance on other relevant shows like Entrepreneurs on Fire, like Bigger Pockets
0:21:51 Money, Mad Scientist, Choose FI.
0:21:53 Could you display at an event?
0:21:58 These types of partnerships that allow you to tap into somebody else’s audience are super
0:21:59 powerful.
0:22:05 And I encourage you to brainstorm a list of your top 10, 20, 100 potential dream partners
0:22:08 and think of how you could be of service to them in some way.
0:22:15 We did a full episode on this recently with Dustin Lean in episode 465 and specifically on holding
0:22:20 partner workshops where you offer some free educational workshop.
0:22:24 You showcase your expertise, which is great for consultants and freelancers.
0:22:29 And in exchange, all the partner has to do is invite their audience.
0:22:30 It’s a win win for everybody.
0:22:34 Really, the biggest main question is, where are they already hanging out?
0:22:36 Where are they online already?
0:22:44 What other brand or website or company has a big, like maybe they have a really big budget
0:22:49 and they’ve already spent the money to acquire the customers that you also want to acquire?
0:22:50 So maybe it’s a software company.
0:22:55 When you’re filling out that dream 100 list of who to partner with, think about who has your
0:22:57 exact same target audience, but is not a competitor.
0:23:01 And that brings us back to talking about why niching down is important.
0:23:09 Because if you are, or in my case, I’m doing email marketing and SMS marketing for e-commerce brands.
0:23:17 So now I can go to another agency even, or someone who’s a blogger with a big audience,
0:23:21 but they teach about SEO, specifically SEO for e-commerce.
0:23:22 And now we’re not competitors.
0:23:26 So they don’t have to worry about me trying to siphon their audience for my business.
0:23:28 And I don’t have to worry about the same thing from them.
0:23:33 So we can actually form a good partnership, do a good workshop and cheer each other on
0:23:34 instead of feeling like we have to compete.
0:23:36 It’s definitely a win for everybody.
0:23:40 So let that be your homework for today to think of some potential partnerships
0:23:45 and start laying some of the initial groundwork to go out and make those a reality.
0:23:49 Now, these buy buttons, marketplaces, and strategic partnerships
0:23:52 are great ways to get customers quickly.
0:23:55 But they can also be a little bit fragile.
0:24:00 As anyone who’s ever faced a Google algorithm change or a Facebook update or getting your
0:24:04 social media account mysteriously shut down, those people will tell you,
0:24:08 yeah, you got to go take advantage of these platforms, but you also need to own your audience.
0:24:14 And even nine years later from the side hustle show, the primary way to do that is still through
0:24:15 an email list.
0:24:19 And that’s big idea number seven, build your own email list.
0:24:23 It doesn’t happen by accident, but it doesn’t need to be overly complicated either.
0:24:30 The basic formula is still to offer some sort of lead magnet, be it a cheat sheet, template,
0:24:36 a resource, a guide, a checklist, a free mini course, something of value in exchange for your
0:24:36 visitor’s email.
0:24:41 Here’s how Jennifer Maker broke it down, who, when we spoke, had an email list of something
0:24:43 like 380,000 subscribers.
0:24:46 And I’m sure it’s grown by leaps and bounds since then.
0:24:51 My big goal in everything I do is to get people onto my mailing list.
0:24:58 I don’t put a lot of faith in social media, like I use it, but at any time, Facebook or
0:25:01 YouTube or whatever could say, hey, no go.
0:25:06 So every blog post that I put out is typically it’s a how-to.
0:25:07 If it’s not, it’s something very similar.
0:25:11 And I funnel them to my lead magnet.
0:25:14 And my lead magnets are very high quality.
0:25:20 Typically, you can’t do the project without having my pattern or whatever it is that I’m
0:25:21 giving away totally free.
0:25:25 But it is something that another person might actually charge for.
0:25:31 So it’s something valuable and necessary to do the thing that I am teaching people how to
0:25:31 do.
0:25:34 So all the teaching is in the blog post or the video.
0:25:38 But to actually do exactly what I’m showing you how to do, you want to get onto my mailing
0:25:38 list.
0:25:40 Yes, there’s affiliate links in there.
0:25:42 Yes, there’s a little bit of advertising.
0:25:45 I’ve been actually decreasing that as I grow.
0:25:48 But mostly, it’s to get onto my mailing list.
0:25:52 And from my mailing list, then I nurture them.
0:25:55 I don’t like, like, hey, you want to buy this stuff?
0:25:59 I try to talk to them about me, find out about them.
0:26:00 I invite them to email me back.
0:26:05 And we build or attempt to build trust between us, right?
0:26:06 So that they feel good about me.
0:26:09 And I offer lots of awesome things free.
0:26:14 And when I feel it’s appropriate, then I say, hey, I have an ebook that might help you with
0:26:15 what you’re struggling with.
0:26:16 Or I have a course.
0:26:25 Another popular strategy is the quiz funnel, where you ask visitors to answer a handful
0:26:27 of questions in exchange for personalized recommendations.
0:26:33 This can be used very effectively in e-commerce, like we heard from Connor Meekin recently, and
0:26:35 in content businesses as well.
0:26:38 Here’s how it works for Tori Dunlap from her first 100K.
0:26:41 And here’s how she drives email signups from TikTok.
0:26:46 The caption was, if you want personalized resources, take the free quiz in my bio.
0:26:52 So I had created, along with my team, a system where if you come to my website, you can take
0:26:53 this free quiz.
0:26:56 It asks you questions about your financial experience.
0:26:58 You know, like, where are you at in your life?
0:26:59 How are you employed?
0:27:01 What’s your number one financial goal?
0:27:05 And when you take the quiz, in exchange for your email, you get these results.
0:27:07 You get this list of personalized resources.
0:27:14 And so by directing people to the link in bio, right, I was hoping that if this video did
0:27:17 well, I could, you know, increase my email list.
0:27:19 So the video blew up.
0:27:22 And within a week, we had gained 100,000 email subscribers.
0:27:24 Holy crap.
0:27:26 Which was insane.
0:27:30 So we had already had about 40,000 email subscribers on our general list.
0:27:33 And keep in mind, I had been at TikTok for like nine months at this point.
0:27:35 So we had increased our following quite a bit.
0:27:43 But that video, I think, increased my TikTok following by around 300,000 to 400,000 and
0:27:46 converted 100,000 people to my email list.
0:27:50 It also got me multiple features on BuzzFeed that then blew up.
0:27:54 Features in pretty much every language, a feature on CBS, a feature on NBC.
0:27:56 Like, it was insane.
0:27:59 And so for me, it’s not enough to just go viral.
0:28:03 I need you to have systems in place that can support that virality.
0:28:11 I need you to have very strategic ways that you can convert those followers into either
0:28:12 email list subscribers or paying customers.
0:28:19 And so for me, really how I’ve driven sales from TikTok is either sales of my own products,
0:28:23 my courses, my coaching, my workshops, or affiliate sales.
0:28:27 I’ll talk about a high yield savings account and link my affiliate partner and, you know,
0:28:29 be paid out that way through a conversion.
0:28:34 That is big idea number seven, and it’s really stood out over the last nine years.
0:28:40 Build that email list as a way to weather the storm, as a way to communicate directly with
0:28:45 your target audience without relying on some big tech algorithm to show them your stuff.
0:28:50 Building a similar quiz funnel is definitely something that’s on my project list for this
0:28:50 year.
0:28:54 I’m really inspired by what Tori’s built, and there are lots of other examples of people doing
0:28:55 similar stuff.
0:28:58 You know, building this email list is one of the most important metrics for me.
0:29:02 So if you’re listening to this, if you’re not subscribed, come on in.
0:29:02 The water is warm.
0:29:06 Sidehustlenation.com slash join is an easy way to do that.
0:29:10 You’ll get my weekly newsletter, my best side hustle tips straight to your inbox.
0:29:11 All that jazz.
0:29:13 Sidehustlenation.com slash join.
0:29:17 Now, big idea number eight is actually related to that.
0:29:22 If email is an important metric in your business, it makes sense to focus on that.
0:29:26 One common trait that you might have noticed from Sidehustle Show guests is this practice
0:29:34 of focusing on what matters as a business owner, and especially as a side hustler, you’re going
0:29:39 to face distractions all day long, but there are probably only a few core things that really
0:29:41 matter and move your business forward.
0:29:45 Rosemary Groner explained it this way in episode 268.
0:29:49 You don’t have to work 50, 60, 70 hours a week.
0:29:53 If you spend your time doing the things that make you the most amount of money consistently,
0:29:59 and you eliminate doing the things that make you less amount of money consistently, your
0:30:00 income naturally grows.
0:30:02 Like it’s almost impossible to fail at this.
0:30:08 She went on to explain what that looked like for her blogging business at BusyBudgeter.com.
0:30:14 So I eliminated anything that wasn’t the most important thing for my growth.
0:30:17 So I didn’t answer all of those spam emails that you get there that are like, hey, can
0:30:20 you put this as infographic and in your blog posts?
0:30:21 Like, no, I didn’t even like read them.
0:30:26 I didn’t answer every blog comment, which is something that pretty much everyone tells you
0:30:26 to do.
0:30:29 I didn’t do all the things that everybody else thought was important.
0:30:32 For me, this practice has a few parts.
0:30:36 First, I try and do a daily check-in as part of my nightly shutdown routine.
0:30:43 I ask myself what I got done that day and compare that to the list that I said the night before
0:30:44 were my top priorities.
0:30:45 If they match up, great.
0:30:47 If they don’t, why not?
0:30:47 What happened?
0:30:52 The next phase in this review process for me are my quarterly progress reports.
0:30:58 This is a chance to publicly reflect on what I worked on and the results of those projects.
0:31:02 It’s a great excuse to review a few times a year what’s working in your business and what’s
0:31:02 not.
0:31:07 Other people will call these, you know, after action reports or monthly or quarterly reviews.
0:31:09 But the idea is the same.
0:31:14 Stop for a second to ask yourself if the hours you’re putting in are making any meaningful impact.
0:31:19 Because if they’re not, that’s when it’s time to adjust course before you get in any deeper.
0:31:25 And finally, I run what I call revenue attribution reports once or twice a year.
0:31:28 And this is just a high-level analysis of what’s driving sales.
0:31:29 Like, where is the money coming from?
0:31:34 That way, you can hopefully pour more fuel on the fire for the channels that are working
0:31:37 and maybe cut back your hours on the projects that aren’t as lucrative.
0:31:43 And if you do the important things consistently and move to eliminate, automate, or delegate everything
0:31:47 else, you’re going to start feeling this sense of positive momentum and the flywheel gets
0:31:49 spinning, this sense of positive progress.
0:31:54 If I’m feeling a little bit antsy or stressed or whatever, I’m like, have I exercised today?
0:31:56 What am I behind on?
0:31:58 What is troubling me right now?
0:32:00 I think if you ask yourself, like, what’s troubling you?
0:32:01 Did today matter?
0:32:02 Did I do something that mattered today?
0:32:06 Or was it just kind of like a normal day where I can’t really identify something?
0:32:10 I think you want to have like more and more days where you’re like, yes, today was, it’s
0:32:11 not so much like a great day.
0:32:15 Like, it’s cool to be, to have a great day, but it’s like today actually mattered because
0:32:17 I made progress on something.
0:32:18 And that to me is very motivating.
0:32:20 That was Chris Guillebeau.
0:32:24 And that was a nugget that hit home because there are a lot of days or there were a lot
0:32:29 of days where I kind of felt like I’m in maintenance mode or I didn’t have this, you know, big block
0:32:32 of deep work time to make progress on some new projects, new initiative.
0:32:36 But this daily check-in of did today matter?
0:32:37 I think that can be really powerful.
0:32:41 My buddy, Chad Carson, even has t-shirts that say, do what matters.
0:32:43 I’m still trying to get myself one of those.
0:32:45 So hopefully he puts up some merch for sale soon.
0:32:47 But that is big idea number eight.
0:32:51 It’s this habit of reflection, analysis, and focus.
0:32:55 doubling down on what’s working and adjusting course as needed.
0:32:59 There’s this compound effect of aiming to get a little bit better every day.
0:33:05 More big ideas from 12 years of the Side Hustle Show coming up right after this.
0:33:10 Remember data from the Goonies, the guy with all the gadgets, or data from Star Trek?
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0:35:20 Big idea number nine.
0:35:21 We’re on the homestretch here.
0:35:24 Big idea number nine is growth through mentorship.
0:35:31 The idea of mentors and coaches and masterminds and paying for courses, that was all pretty
0:35:35 foreign stuff to me nine years ago, but I’ve benefited tremendously from all of the above
0:35:36 since then.
0:35:43 I definitely had this sense of maybe ill-placed self-confidence in that, yeah, you know what,
0:35:44 I can figure everything out on my own.
0:35:50 And maybe I could, given an unlimited time horizon, but there’s certainly some value in
0:35:51 shortcutting the learning curve.
0:35:58 First off, by paying attention to what other people in the space are doing, but also paying
0:36:02 for coaching, building your own mastermind group of people working towards similar goals.
0:36:07 Now having been a part of several mastermind groups over the last nine years, it’s hard to
0:36:12 imagine going at it without them, without some sort of peer accountability.
0:36:18 But more than that, it’s the camaraderie and the honest feedback and the glimpse into other
0:36:23 online businesses, it’s super helpful to have a group of other business owners to bounce
0:36:26 ideas off of and help each other work through challenges.
0:36:32 If you’re currently going at it alone, I would prioritize creating some sort of mastermind or
0:36:33 accountability group.
0:36:35 It’s an overused quote, but there’s some truth to it, right?
0:36:38 You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
0:36:41 So surround yourself with people on the same path.
0:36:45 Just a few weeks ago, Joan Farrell left us with this hit home for me.
0:36:50 No matter what you choose to do, you should educate yourself.
0:36:59 Even if you know some about it, the best thing to do is to take a course, go on to YouTube, do
0:37:03 your research before you start it, which is what we did.
0:37:12 And when Jack told me about the Flea Market Flipper University course, it was the perfect venue
0:37:17 because you need education to further yourself no matter what you do.
0:37:22 And you can still be considered learning it on your own.
0:37:28 But when you have somebody tell you exactly the trials and tribulations you’re going to run
0:37:35 into and how to perform the business and how it actually works, it’s a lot easier than trying
0:37:37 to try to do it all on your own.
0:37:40 And education is cheap compared to ignorance.
0:37:48 So you want to just continue to build your knowledge no matter what you choose to do.
0:37:50 Education is cheap compared to ignorance.
0:37:53 It’s the same reason why reading books has a tremendous ROI.
0:37:59 It’s this ability to download somebody else’s experience and skills and knowledge and apply it to your situation.
0:38:04 And it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, but mentorship and investing in your own entrepreneurial
0:38:07 education is definitely a common theme from Side Hustle Show guests.
0:38:12 And again, it probably sounds like common sense to you, but it wasn’t something that was really
0:38:14 on my radar when I started the show.
0:38:21 And that brings me to big idea number 10, which is to level up, to create systems and to become
0:38:24 the business owner more than the business doer.
0:38:31 Tyler Gillespie dropped this challenge slash thought exercise on us in episode 430 in what
0:38:32 he called the laptop test.
0:38:38 If you closed your laptop today, how long would your business survive?
0:38:44 And that’s really important because if someone’s going to buy your business, it’s a huge tell like
0:38:46 how dependent the business is on you.
0:38:53 And the more team you can have implemented and built around yourself where you could close
0:38:58 your laptop and step away for two weeks, a month, which is like kind of the goal I try
0:39:00 to set, then the better off your business is going to be.
0:39:02 That’s going to be really attractive for an investor.
0:39:04 The laptop test.
0:39:10 This is something that I’ve done okay with in certain areas, but for full disclosure, have
0:39:11 completely failed in others.
0:39:17 One exercise that I’ve used in the past is to create a detailed time audit, and I’ve
0:39:20 got a time tracking template that you can download.
0:39:21 I’ll put it in the show notes for this episode.
0:39:23 But the idea is this.
0:39:25 You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
0:39:29 So you need to measure what you’re actually spending your time on.
0:39:34 Do that for a week or two weeks, and you’re going to start to see some patterns of tasks that
0:39:38 you can hopefully eliminate if they’re not really that important, that you can automate and
0:39:42 create some recurring system or process around, or delegate those.
0:39:47 Could you write up the recipe, create the process, and have somebody else on your team
0:39:48 go and follow that recipe?
0:39:50 When is it time for a system?
0:39:57 Jeff DiOrio from EliteChess.net in episode 487, he said, as soon as I got something unmanageable
0:40:01 to where I’m staying up all night doing something, that’s when I think, okay, it’s time to get
0:40:07 a system to get to that next level and pursue some other fun projects or experiments that
0:40:08 I’d like to.
0:40:13 I really need to scale back my involvement in certain day-to-day operational tasks.
0:40:20 So this type of laptop test and systemization is kind of a high priority for me this quarter
0:40:24 and is a big idea from nine years on the show to consistently level up.
0:40:27 You’ve got to be working on your business rather than in it.
0:40:33 Hey, 2025 Nick here with a couple more big ideas to add in the three years since this episode
0:40:34 originally aired.
0:40:39 Number 11 is what I’m calling the only constant is change.
0:40:45 We’ve seen so many industries interrupted by AI or algorithm changes lately, and it feels
0:40:49 new and scary, but we kind of have to take a step back and realize this kind of change and
0:40:51 disruption has been going on for centuries.
0:40:57 The entrepreneurs and businesses that endure are the ones that can adapt the fastest.
0:41:03 The answer may lie in this excellent bit of advice from Jill Tietz in episode 535.
0:41:07 My number one tip is iterate.
0:41:15 If something is not working in the way that you want, don’t just say, you know, it must be
0:41:22 the algorithm or because that person’s lucky or, you know, everyone’s out to get me, make
0:41:22 some changes.
0:41:24 Try something new.
0:41:28 Like a lot of times we’ll do the same thing over and over and over and over and it’s not
0:41:32 working and we don’t know why, but then we keep repeating it.
0:41:37 So just like I did with my posts, make new iterations, try a new thing and then you’ll see,
0:41:38 oh, that was even worse.
0:41:44 So I should change it back or change this and like, so just be willing to try new things
0:41:46 and new versions of what you’re doing.
0:41:47 Iterate.
0:41:50 And if you’ve been listening to the show for any length of time, you’ve probably heard some
0:41:55 of those iterations, starting out with the voiceover hype guy from Fiverr, phasing him
0:41:57 out, working in different intros, different formats.
0:42:01 The latest is the little music bed at the top of the show to see if that brings a bit more
0:42:04 energy, gets people more excited to stick around.
0:42:08 That was a tip from Glenn James at FinCon, big personal finance podcaster in Australia.
0:42:13 Another iteration has been adding the, you might also like section to the bottom of my
0:42:17 newsletter, which inadvertently unlocked a new revenue stream in the form of newsletter
0:42:17 sponsorships.
0:42:23 The answer to growing your business or getting that initial traction, it’s probably evolution
0:42:24 and not revolution.
0:42:29 There may be some small incremental tweaks that you can make to your message, you know, a one
0:42:33 degree shift in direction versus a, you know, a wholesale 180.
0:42:38 And those little changes to your marketing, to your message, to your product, those can
0:42:39 have a big impact.
0:42:43 But doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, that’s the
0:42:46 definition of insanity, at least a quote attributed to Einstein.
0:42:48 Hashtag not fact checked on that.
0:42:53 The 12th big idea I want to share is to remember it’s just a game.
0:42:54 Yes, you should play to win.
0:42:55 That’s the whole point.
0:42:59 But if you’re not having fun, maybe it’s time to find a different game.
0:43:04 This is a variation of finding the work you love to do that lights you up and figuring
0:43:06 out how to remove or delegate the rest.
0:43:13 It’s about finding a state of flow and excitement and energy around your business and tasks such
0:43:15 that you wake up in the morning and you’re excited to get to work.
0:43:19 In episode 511, Matt Ruttenberg gave this advice.
0:43:26 Especially when you’re looking for a side hustle, I think using your superpower, whatever that
0:43:31 is, whether it’s are you analytical, are you kind of a networker, do you like to talk to
0:43:32 people, do you like to connect with people?
0:43:38 Find something that will always be natural for you and that’ll help you be as successful
0:43:40 as you can be and be interested in it.
0:43:44 Truthfully, I’ve always found this advice to be a little bit stressful.
0:43:45 Like, look, I don’t have a superpower.
0:43:51 I don’t have the ability to knock through walls or predict the future or even edit amazing videos.
0:43:56 But I’ll give the example of a superpower I’ve come to embrace the last couple of years, which
0:44:00 years ago never would have even considered a skill, let alone a superpower.
0:44:05 But it’s Matt’s words were, you know, what comes natural to you?
0:44:09 And so the one that came up for me was this natural curiosity.
0:44:14 And this comes up again in the Side Hustle Nation surveys or podcast reviews or conversations
0:44:19 with listeners like, hey, you seem genuinely curious or you ask the follow-up question that
0:44:20 was on the tip of my tongue.
0:44:26 And I think that curiosity is something that’s helped me produce 600 plus episodes of the show.
0:44:27 It’s fascinating.
0:44:30 What makes all these businesses tick?
0:44:31 How’d you come up with the idea?
0:44:33 How’d you find your first customers?
0:44:35 How’d you figure out how much to charge?
0:44:37 How, when did you feel comfortable leaving your day job?
0:44:39 I love all of that stuff.
0:44:43 And it works or has worked on the written side, written content side of the business too.
0:44:48 Some of my best performing pieces of content started from my own curiosity.
0:44:50 Well, how, how does this app work?
0:44:52 How do people make money doing, you know, fill in the blank?
0:44:55 And so that’s a superpower that I’ve been leaning into lately.
0:45:00 And I think the kids are helpful on the curiosity front too, because they’re naturally curious
0:45:02 about how things work.
0:45:09 And it forces you to stop and look at the leaves and bugs and stuff that you would normally walk
0:45:10 on by without even questioning.
0:45:14 Actually, on that note, a story from FinCon, I think is relevant.
0:45:17 A tale of two very different networking strategies.
0:45:21 First guy comes up and he’s like, hey, I had the goal to hand out 50 business cards tonight.
0:45:22 I’ve only got five left.
0:45:23 Would you take one?
0:45:24 Sure.
0:45:25 You know, and then he walks away.
0:45:26 They’re like, great, dude.
0:45:31 Second guy, a friend of mine, you know, looking around this crowded networking happy hour.
0:45:34 He’s like, the way I see it, I’m surrounded by teachers.
0:45:36 And I just love that quote.
0:45:37 I’m surrounded by teachers.
0:45:39 I can learn something from everybody.
0:45:42 So, so in that scenario, please try to be more like guy number two.
0:45:50 So to summarize, we’ve got 12 big ideas from 12 years and 670 plus episodes of the Sign Hustle
0:45:50 Show.
0:45:54 It was a big challenge to narrow these down to just 12 because it’s weird.
0:46:00 I felt like I was a reasonably well-educated and reasonably successful entrepreneur when the
0:46:01 show started.
0:46:04 Yeah, I have learned so much from my guests over the years.
0:46:04 It’s incredible.
0:46:10 The knowledge that rubs off both from individual conversations, but really from the repetition
0:46:16 of doing it and the cumulative advice and common themes and traits that start to bubble up to
0:46:18 the top over the years.
0:46:23 But to recap, we have number one was to set the vision and figure out why it’s important to
0:46:24 you from Brian Scudamore.
0:46:27 Number two was to piggyback on trends.
0:46:30 We’ve got a recent episode all about the piggyback principle.
0:46:32 Number three is to solve problems.
0:46:35 People pay to make problems go away.
0:46:38 Number four was to just start and stay started.
0:46:42 An entrepreneur in motion tends to stay in motion and just start.
0:46:44 Remember, choosing what’s next doesn’t mean choosing what’s forever.
0:46:45 Just start.
0:46:49 One of the most common pieces of advice from entrepreneurs when asked for their number one
0:46:50 tip for sign-ass all nation.
0:46:54 Number five is to go where the cash is already flowing.
0:46:56 Go where your audience already is.
0:47:00 In the words of Charlie Munger, the first rule of phishing, go phishing where there’s fish,
0:47:00 right?
0:47:04 Number six was to fast track with partnerships.
0:47:08 Who is already speaking to the people that you want to get in touch with?
0:47:10 Fast track with partnerships.
0:47:12 Number seven is to build your email list.
0:47:14 How are you going to algorithm proof your business?
0:47:15 Think of it that way.
0:47:19 Something that you own and control and can be proactive about communicating with people about.
0:47:23 Number eight is to do what matters and to do it consistently.
0:47:25 Remember that advice from Rosemary Groner.
0:47:31 It’s almost impossible to fail if you do what matters, what has ROI, and you do it consistently.
0:47:34 Number nine is to accept mentorship and education.
0:47:37 There’s a sense of pride in, well, I figured this out all on my own.
0:47:42 But to fast track your learning curve, lean into mentorship and education.
0:47:45 Number 10 is to level up.
0:47:48 Become the business owner more than the business doer.
0:47:50 This is the call to create systems.
0:47:53 This is Tyler Gillespie’s laptop test.
0:48:00 This is the automation, elimination automation delegation framework, like leveling up in your
0:48:01 life and your business.
0:48:07 Number 11 is the first of the new ones that we added for the 2025 edition was to iterate.
0:48:08 The only constant is change.
0:48:10 That has never been more true.
0:48:13 It seems like the pace of change has absolutely accelerated.
0:48:18 But it is a constant that we can almost, you know, set our watch to, we can rely on.
0:48:23 And so you have to be prepared to continue to innovate and iterate in your business.
0:48:24 And finally, number 12.
0:48:26 Remember, it’s just a game.
0:48:29 And if it’s not fun, go find a different game.
0:48:37 This is the call to follow what seems easy or effortless to you and follow that direction.
0:48:40 Swim downstream versus trying to paddle against the current.
0:48:46 So I owe a huge heartfelt thank you to every single guest over the years, over 600 of you
0:48:48 and to you for tuning in.
0:48:52 I also owe a big thank you to our sponsors for helping make this content free for everyone.
0:48:54 That is it for me.
0:48:59 If you found value in this episode or any other over the last 12 years of the show, the greatest
0:49:00 compliment is to share it with a friend.
0:49:03 Until next time, let’s go out there and make something happen.
0:49:05 and I’ll catch you in the next edition
0:49:06 of the Side Hustle Show.