AI transcript
0:00:07 In 2014, I had the chance to give a TEDx talk, which was this really exciting and equally
0:00:12 nerve-wracking opportunity, and today I want to replay that audio for you.
0:00:18 It’s on the three C’s of side hustle, happiness and entrepreneurship, creation, connection
0:00:19 and contribution.
0:00:22 And at that time, the site didn’t have a ton of traffic.
0:00:24 The podcast didn’t have a huge audience.
0:00:26 It was legitimately still a side hustle.
0:00:32 My main focus, which you’ll hear me reference, was the price comparison shoe shopping site.
0:00:37 Getting on that stage at that stage definitely meant battling some imposter syndrome.
0:00:39 Like, who am I to be up here?
0:00:44 The organizers of the event asked, “Will do you have any speaking experience?”
0:00:48 And I remember being like, “Well, I’ve got this podcast,” and that surprisingly counted
0:00:49 for something.
0:00:52 So how this episode works is there’s a little pre-intro setup.
0:00:54 They give some additional context.
0:00:59 There’s the audio from the 2014 TEDx event, which unfortunately isn’t the highest quality
0:01:00 that you’re used to.
0:01:02 I appreciate you bearing with that.
0:01:05 You can hear the audience reaction to certain parts, which is kind of fun.
0:01:09 And then at the end, you can judge how well did this talk age.
0:01:14 And I’ll share some 10 years of hindsight post-game analysis on what I might change
0:01:17 or add if I had to do it again.
0:01:18 Ready?
0:01:19 Three C’s.
0:01:23 I believe everyone needs to live a happy, healthy, productive life, whether that life
0:01:25 contains a side hustle or not.
0:01:28 The three C’s are creation, connection, and contribution.
0:01:30 And I’m going to get into all of those.
0:01:35 I’m actually going to play you the audio of my TEDx talk, where I explain what I mean
0:01:38 by those and why they’re so important.
0:01:44 The talk centers on the millennial generation and our pull toward entrepreneurship.
0:01:49 But while it’s rolling, whether you’re a millennial or not, I want you to think about the extent
0:01:54 that you have creation, connection, and contribution in your own life.
0:02:01 And if not, what you can do to introduce more of the three C’s, either into your day job,
0:02:03 into your personal life, or through your side hustle.
0:02:08 To go around to the end of the show, and I’m going to share what you can do to give yourself
0:02:14 the best chance of landing a TEDx presentation, if that’s something that is on your bucket
0:02:17 list or that’s something that you would like to do, if that’s something I get some questions
0:02:18 on.
0:02:25 The idea for this episode comes from an email I was writing last week or the week before.
0:02:32 And in the statistic that I’ll touch on in a moment is that only 30% of us are engaged
0:02:35 and inspired by our work.
0:02:41 And the problem isn’t that we’re a bunch of disengaged, apathetic zombies just going
0:02:46 through the motions, because we do have things that we like to do, and things that excite
0:02:47 us.
0:02:52 The challenge is there’s often a gap between, sometimes a big gap, between what we like
0:02:55 to do and what we get paid to do.
0:03:01 So for what that means, for the 70% of us uninspired workers, it kind of leaves us only
0:03:06 two choices, is we can, number one, learn to love our work.
0:03:10 This is the crossbeast hills in Hashah, love the one you’re with.
0:03:15 Or number two, we can learn to work our love.
0:03:19 Side hustle nation may be the perfect example of that, because I love creating this kind
0:03:23 of content, these kind of case studies and experiments and everything that goes along
0:03:28 with it and talking with the amazing, amazing guests that share their side hustle stories
0:03:30 and the tactics that went behind it.
0:03:34 And on top of that, I thought it would be a fun project, you know, when I started two
0:03:36 years ago, and it absolutely has been.
0:03:42 But when I started, I didn’t have a clear monetization model.
0:03:49 And if I was going to keep it going, I was going to have to learn to work my love, essentially.
0:03:55 And today, it’s not quite a full time income yet, but it does ring the cash register in
0:04:01 a variety of ways, like affiliate relationships, the occasional sponsored posts, my private
0:04:06 mastermind and the coaching and consulting work that’s come of it.
0:04:11 And so let’s kind of go through the three C’s and see how it applies.
0:04:18 So for creation, like writing and recording this type of fun and hopefully helpful content,
0:04:24 plus attempting to create a number of different side hustle income streams along the way,
0:04:27 absolutely does check the box for creation for me.
0:04:34 And on connection, I have met more amazing people since starting this site than I did
0:04:40 probably in the 10 years prior to that, it’s opened up doors in a really serious and really
0:04:42 meaningful way.
0:04:47 So there’s no question that connection has been a huge part of that.
0:04:52 And then contribution, this may be the best part because of the emails and the tweets
0:04:58 that I get from people, the interaction that I see in the Facebook community.
0:05:04 People putting this material into action and seeing results and genuinely trying to help
0:05:10 people build these job free income streams is a contribution that I’m very, I don’t
0:05:14 know, it just makes me happy to do it.
0:05:18 It’s a ton of fun and I’m really grateful to be able to do it.
0:05:23 So those three C’s for side hustle nation are definitely there.
0:05:28 But as you’re listening, I want you to think of what the three C’s are for you and if they’re
0:05:32 missing, whether or not those could be found through a side hustle.
0:05:33 Let’s roll the tape.
0:05:34 Thank you.
0:05:35 Thank you, Dominique.
0:05:36 Thank you all for having me.
0:05:41 I’d like to start off with a show of hands, everyone who’s working right now, part-time,
0:05:44 full-time, run a business, that all counts.
0:05:47 And don’t worry, no audience volunteer here, they’re thankful.
0:05:53 Now, keep your hands up and be honest with this one, if you would call yourself engaged
0:05:59 and inspired at work, and I was being a TED Extra and I suspect you’d be a little bit
0:06:03 above average, which looks like you are, but the truth of the matter is, we live in a world
0:06:07 where only 30% of us are inspired by the work we do.
0:06:09 I think that has some pretty great consequences.
0:06:13 Imagine instead, where the majority of us were inspired by our work.
0:06:17 You could solve some problems if we worked, we really cared about.
0:06:21 Imagine the impact they would have on our productivity, our economy.
0:06:24 The surprising thing is, it’s not that far fetched.
0:06:28 There’s a shift that’s going on right now in the millennial generation.
0:06:31 My generation is leading the charge.
0:06:35 We may live in a world where only 30% of us are inspired at work, but we also live in
0:06:40 a world where we have an unprecedented opportunity to create our own work, which is exactly what
0:06:42 millennials are doing.
0:06:47 We’re channeling our energy into entrepreneurial pursuits faster than ever before, and that
0:06:52 translates into a new era of innovation, job growth, and prosperity.
0:06:53 How is that possible?
0:06:58 Are we the generation that’s supposed to be drowning in student and consumer debt and
0:07:01 battling 15% unemployment?
0:07:02 Exactly.
0:07:03 That’s us.
0:07:07 And we’re taking matters into our own hands.
0:07:12 The Department of Labor projects a 600% increase in entrepreneurship by 2025.
0:07:13 600%.
0:07:18 In the meantime, we’re still trying to shake the label of the entitled generation, which
0:07:23 in fairness, there may be some truth to the entitled narcissistic stereotypes, because
0:07:26 after all, we are a generation that invented the word “selfie.”
0:07:31 Let me see if I get the tag letters in there.
0:07:38 But there’s a disconnect, I’m here at the spell, between, here’s the selfie, between
0:07:41 the entitled myth and the entrepreneurial reality.
0:07:46 As a generation, we realized we can’t rely on the government or some corporation to be
0:07:47 there for us.
0:07:51 And more importantly, we’re doing something about it, in record numbers.
0:07:55 Instead of self-entitlement, we’re seeing a return to self-reliance.
0:08:02 If the last 100 years were characterized by mass employment, the next 100 would be characterized
0:08:04 by mass entrepreneurship.
0:08:09 Ask anyone, if they expect to receive a dime of social security benefits when they retire.
0:08:13 You’re not going to find a single rational person to say, “Yes, nobody.”
0:08:18 We’re paying into the system, fully expecting nothing in return.
0:08:19 Does that sound entitled?
0:08:25 A quarter of millennials see the best way, the best way to get ahead financially is to
0:08:28 break out, play on, and start a business.
0:08:30 Does that sound entitled?
0:08:33 And a third of millennials have already started one of our businesses.
0:08:36 That’s tripled the rate of the rest of the population.
0:08:40 Does that sound like the behavior of an entitled generation to you?
0:08:41 No.
0:08:46 We’re a generation held up creating a future in our own terms.
0:08:54 It’s time for a new set of labels, proactive, commit the entrepreneurial generation.
0:09:00 The result of this shift, this entrepreneurial shift, is a generation of workers more connected
0:09:05 to the work they do, feel like they’re making more positive contribution in the world.
0:09:10 And that brings us to the three ingredients for a happy human existence.
0:09:16 I call them the three Cs, and they’re different from Annie’s three Cs.
0:09:21 Creation, connection, and contribution.
0:09:22 Think about this.
0:09:27 If you’re working on something you care about that helps other people, and you’ve got healthy
0:09:30 relationships, you’re a happy camper.
0:09:36 I’m excited because the three Cs are contagious and they’re already spreading.
0:09:42 You may have heard Sir Ken Robinson, one of the most, maybe the most popular tech talk
0:09:49 of all time, define creativity as the process of having original ideas that have value.
0:09:56 And those two components, ideas and value, are the building blocks of animation.
0:09:59 But here’s where Sir Ken gets it wrong.
0:10:04 He makes the argument that schools are killing creativity, but gives it too narrow a definition,
0:10:07 talking only about art and music and dance.
0:10:12 With so much more than that, it’s an innate potential that we all share.
0:10:16 It’s in our genes, mine, yours, everyone’s.
0:10:22 I like to think creativity is a ripped six-pack stomach that we all have, or at least we all
0:10:23 have the potential for.
0:10:24 It’s in there.
0:10:25 The muscles are in there.
0:10:26 It’s biology.
0:10:27 It just might not be visible yet.
0:10:32 The tools, it’s advanced to working on mine too.
0:10:37 The tools at our disposal, the technology, connectivity, they’re fueling innovation and
0:10:39 accelerating things.
0:10:41 Creativity isn’t dying.
0:10:42 It’s thriving.
0:10:45 And for millennials, it’s thriving out of necessity.
0:10:53 At once, it’s our reactive response to a world with no guarantees, our proactive drive to
0:10:55 build a better future.
0:10:59 We’re asking the question, and I encourage you to ask this too, “What can I create that
0:11:02 has value for myself, for others, for the world?
0:11:03 What product can I sell?
0:11:04 What service can I offer?
0:11:06 What pain can I use?
0:11:09 What solution can I provide?”
0:11:17 The ability to answer these questions now more than ever is a 21st-century survival skill.
0:11:22 So how do we exercise our creative muscles and work together to build a more prosperous
0:11:24 future for everyone?
0:11:29 It’s simple.
0:11:32 We put the three C’s into practice in our daily lives.
0:11:33 This is my wife, Bryn, and our friend, Brooke.
0:11:37 They love to take pictures of our friends, kids, and pets and family pictures for Christmas
0:11:40 cards, and they would geek out in their camera settings for hours.
0:11:42 It was their creative process.
0:11:47 Then one day, they went from hobbyist photographers to professional photographers.
0:11:50 And you know what it took to go pro?
0:11:58 This year, they shot more than a dozen weddings, made a healthy profit, helped these young
0:12:03 families capture and share their big day contribution.
0:12:04 This is Pat.
0:12:09 Pat’s an architect who, a few years ago, was studying for the LEED exam, the certification
0:12:12 to design energy efficient buildings like the one we’re in.
0:12:17 Now, during this process, Pat decided to put his study notes online, so he’d have a central
0:12:19 repository accessible from anywhere.
0:12:24 His creation later found out that thousands of other architects had discovered his site
0:12:28 were using his notes to help study for and pass the same test connection.
0:12:34 Now, LEED certified or not, Pat’s job did not survive the Great Recession, but because
0:12:39 of this resource he created and given away, his contribution, he was able to bundle his
0:12:44 test prep materials into a study guide and sell them directly.
0:12:49 In his first month, he made more than he ever had in his day job and has gone up and sold
0:12:52 more than half a million dollars up to these things.
0:12:57 And today, Pat helps thousands of people share their own unique ideas with the world, create
0:13:02 their own online businesses, and then there’s this guy.
0:13:07 Maybe you’ve got an idea, and the only way to know for sure if it’s going to work is
0:13:12 to put it out in the world and see what happens, and that’s my story.
0:13:20 I learned that people were buying shoes online, and so my theory was able to find out which
0:13:22 online shoe store had the best price.
0:13:29 My theory was if I could build a footwear-only comparison shopping site, my creation, I could
0:13:33 deliver more accurate results than the larger shopping engines and work more closely with
0:13:37 the retailers to negotiate better deals, connection.
0:13:43 The site went on to sell $10 million of the shoes for our retail partners to serve thousands
0:13:44 of customers.
0:13:45 A contribution.
0:13:51 But more importantly than that, the income from this side hustle eventually gave me the
0:13:57 freedom and the confidence to walk away from my less than inspiring nine-to-five job, start
0:14:00 new ventures, and try out even more new ideas.
0:14:06 It might take several failed experiments before you land on a winner.
0:14:10 And I can say it because I’ve had my share, but it’s worth it to keep trying, to keep
0:14:16 pushing because these small acts of creativity serve a higher purpose.
0:14:20 They’re each adding a little bit of value to the world, a whole lot of value to the
0:14:22 lives of these entrepreneurs.
0:14:27 Your sense of independence and self-worth is skyrocketing the moment you’re in that first
0:14:31 dollar outside of a traditional job.
0:14:36 Now, the pushback I get on this is, “I’m not creative, I don’t have any business ideas,
0:14:38 I’m not an entrepreneur.”
0:14:41 And neither was I.
0:14:46 I convinced myself I wasn’t creative because every personality aptitude test I’ve ever
0:14:52 taken has identified me correctly, by the way, as the analytical, process-driven, excel-spread
0:14:54 sheet-loving kind of guy that I am.
0:15:00 Again, I’ve fallen into the trap of defining creativity as art and use it in dance, and
0:15:05 I wasn’t out there painting original murals or composing symphonies, so I must not be
0:15:06 creative.
0:15:13 It sounds familiar, but I’ve found creative outlets in the most unlikely places, and
0:15:15 I’m confident you will, too.
0:15:19 For example, there was a routine report I had to write in excel, and it took four or
0:15:21 five minutes every day.
0:15:24 So one morning I sat down, trying to figure out, “There’s got to be a better way.
0:15:26 How can I automate this process?”
0:15:32 It took a little bit of time to figure out, and ultimately turned that five minutes every
0:15:34 day into 15 seconds.
0:15:39 An original idea that had value, she was going to say, “Me and my team, five minutes a day,
0:15:41 for years, we’d better have value.”
0:15:47 And watching these rows and numbers fly by, this orchestrating my own silent little nerd
0:15:52 crowd.
0:15:54 Yes, I am creative, and yes, you are, too.
0:15:58 Now, let’s zoom out for a second, because this is where it gets really exciting.
0:16:03 Brandon Brooke and Pat and myself are just four out of 75 million millennials who make
0:16:08 up a quarter of the U.S. population, that’s us in blue in the corner.
0:16:10 They look good, don’t they?
0:16:14 Remember, one in three of us has already started one or more businesses.
0:16:19 I want you to think of the compound effect of 25 million new businesses and the entrepreneurs
0:16:20 at their homes.
0:16:25 We’re staring down the barrel of an unprecedented surge in small business growth, which as you
0:16:28 know is the biggest driver of our economy.
0:16:31 And sure, these are small companies, especially at first.
0:16:37 Let’s not forget, Apple started in a garage, Facebook started in a dorm, Google started
0:16:39 in a university computer lab.
0:16:44 The next big thing almost always starts as a quiet small thing.
0:16:49 With these kind of numbers, with this wave that’s already started, I like our odds.
0:16:54 We’re building a future that’s more creative, more self-reliant, and more entrepreneurial
0:16:57 than anything that’s come before.
0:17:01 So to the millennials in the audience, you are entitled.
0:17:05 You’re entitled to pursue the career path you want to pursue.
0:17:10 You’re entitled to be behind your own values, and you’re entitled to create something about
0:17:11 them.
0:17:15 And to everyone else, you are too.
0:17:18 There’s no end restriction on the three Cs.
0:17:19 In fact, we all have access.
0:17:24 We have the exact same creative muscles, the exact same tools at our disposal.
0:17:28 We can flip the script so that 70% of us wake up, inspire, and excited on Monday morning
0:17:30 instead of the 30% we do today.
0:17:34 And how we’re going to get there is for each of us to harness the three Cs and turn this
0:17:37 way into a revolution.
0:17:41 This is my challenge to you.
0:17:44 What will you create?
0:17:47 How will you connect?
0:17:48 What will you contribute?
0:17:55 What will we collectively accomplish when we individually pursue this creative path in
0:18:01 this room, in this city, in this country, and on this planet?
0:18:02 Thank you.
0:18:06 What would I add for the 2024 edition?
0:18:11 That’s something that’s been on my mind lately, and that’s coming up right after this.
0:18:15 Being an entrepreneur and being able to work remotely definitely has its perks.
0:18:20 I’ve recorded podcasts everywhere from Vietnam to Italy, drafted newsletters from Japan,
0:18:24 hosted mastermind meetings from Spain, ended up being the middle of the night to get to
0:18:28 US business hours, and outlined courses in Mexico.
0:18:32 The common thread of all of these trips though is Airbnb.
0:18:36 We love being able to get exactly what we’re looking for in a place to stay and have a
0:18:41 more local experience than staying in some giant hotel chain.
0:18:42 And you know me.
0:18:45 I’m always thinking about the next side hustle idea, the next income stream, right?
0:18:50 And one that’s at the top of the list is hosting our place on Airbnb while we’re traveling.
0:18:52 That way, the house doesn’t have to sit empty.
0:18:56 We could use the income to help pay for the trip, and we’ve heard from several successful
0:18:58 Airbnb hosts on the show.
0:19:03 And what’s interesting is a lot of them started with almost that exact strategy, running their
0:19:07 place or even a spare room while they’re out of town.
0:19:11 Taking inspiration from that, you might have an Airbnb right under your nose.
0:19:14 In fact, your home might be worth more than you think.
0:19:18 You can find out how much at Airbnb.com/host.
0:19:24 That’s Airbnb.com/host to find out how much your home is worth.
0:19:28 Lots of scrappy side hustlers start their business with just their personal phone number.
0:19:29 And I love that.
0:19:33 But at a certain point, you can’t be limited to just your cell phone and notes app to get
0:19:34 your work done.
0:19:39 With our sponsor, OpenPhone, you can stay connected while powerful AI features help keep your business
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0:19:50 OpenPhone works through an app on your phone or computer and then integrates with HubSpot
0:19:52 and hundreds of other systems that you might be using.
0:19:57 One of my favorite features is their AI-powered call transcripts and summaries so you can
0:20:01 streamline client communication and have a summary of every phone call with action
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0:20:06 That means no more note-taking or forgotten to-do items.
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0:20:20 And right now, OpenPhone is offering 20% off your first six months when you go to openphone.com/sidehustle.
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0:20:39 Standing ovation and I’m out.
0:20:42 Learn to love your work or learn to work your love.
0:20:46 Either way, the path still runs through the three C’s.
0:20:51 So as promised, how to get selected as a TEDx speaker.
0:20:56 Contrary to popular belief, you do not need extensive public speaking experience, which
0:21:01 I definitely did not have, although I do think that may help you deal with the nerves.
0:21:08 I was an absolute wreck before this thing, elevated heart rate, couldn’t sleep, just
0:21:11 not good.
0:21:16 But what I learned was the vast majority of the speakers at this event were either in
0:21:22 the first or second degree personal or professional networks of the organizers of the event.
0:21:29 So what that means is you should go to TED.com under, they have a tab that says attend.
0:21:35 Under the attend tab, they have a link for the TEDx events where you can search for the
0:21:37 local ones happening in your area.
0:21:42 And from there, they’re going to have information on the organizers and oftentimes there’s going
0:21:47 to be a dedicated website for that specific event where you can find contact information,
0:21:48 dates.
0:21:50 They may even have a speaker submission page.
0:21:54 If they don’t know who you are, there is zero chance of getting selected.
0:21:57 So don’t feel bad about reaching out and making your case.
0:21:59 That’s exactly what I did.
0:22:05 Now one thing to note is that each event is usually going to have a specific theme.
0:22:07 In our case, it was creativity.
0:22:11 So if you’re going to send a pitch, make sure to tie it into the theme somehow.
0:22:14 This is a mistake that I made.
0:22:18 The theme last year and the website hadn’t been updated was education.
0:22:24 And so I sent my original pitch on entrepreneurial education or something, and it wasn’t a great
0:22:25 fit.
0:22:29 It still started a conversation, so it served its purpose, but if you can figure out what
0:22:33 the theme is, tie your pitch into the theme, I think that would be a good idea.
0:22:36 And also, of course, if you have any common ground or connections that you can think of,
0:22:42 like if you’re a local, you probably have some common connections on LinkedIn.
0:22:43 Maybe you attended the same university.
0:22:48 Maybe you were an attendee at the TEDx event the year before.
0:22:51 So that’s just my two cents on the topic.
0:22:56 I think if you can figure out who the organizers are, get on their radar and somehow you can
0:23:00 stand a pretty good chance because they do have to fill up a speaker roster.
0:23:04 And if you can send them examples of your work, you’re going to be in good shape there.
0:23:07 So thank you so much for listening.
0:23:10 Hope you enjoyed hearing my talk, my take on all this stuff.
0:23:14 And I’m going to link up the actual video in the show notes of this episode.
0:23:17 So it’s been 10 years since that speech, since that day, which makes it a good time as any
0:23:23 to play Monday morning quarterback and ask, “Well, if you had the chance to do it over,
0:23:24 what would you do differently?
0:23:26 What would you say if you had the same stage today?”
0:23:31 I think the three Cs have actually aged pretty well because over the last 10 years, we’ve
0:23:38 definitely seen the rise of and even the branding of the so-called creator economy that centers
0:23:39 on this exact idea.
0:23:42 And I still love the challenge of creating helpful content.
0:23:46 They can find an audience and help them solve their problems and reach their goals.
0:23:49 That’s the work that was really fun and rewarding.
0:23:51 Then that’s still really fun and rewarding now.
0:23:56 So I do still think you’ve got to find what that looks like in your life, in your business.
0:23:58 Now, what would I add?
0:24:01 I mean, that’s the challenge of the 10X Format.
0:24:06 It’s intentionally brief by design where a podcast episode can be as long as it needs
0:24:07 to be.
0:24:14 Now, a few things have definitely emerged, a few ideas, concepts, just points of view
0:24:19 have definitely emerged over the last 10 years that would not necessarily replace the three
0:24:24 Cs of creation, connection, and contribution, but could certainly supplement them.
0:24:28 And for the sake of consistency, I’m going to call them the three Es.
0:24:32 Those are equity or ownership, energy, and experimentation.
0:24:34 I’ll break those down here.
0:24:39 The equity piece is something that’s definitely been top of mind.
0:24:41 This is super important.
0:24:46 You’ve got to think about building ownership in something, some sort of asset that has
0:24:49 value outside of your direct time.
0:24:51 That’s how you’re going to build leverage.
0:24:55 That’s how you’re going to be able to scale back, trading hours for dollars.
0:24:59 That’s how you’re going to be able to build up the passive or time leveraged slice of
0:25:01 your income pie chart.
0:25:02 It could be your business.
0:25:04 It could be traditional stock market investments.
0:25:09 It could be real estate, but super important to have some ownership in something.
0:25:14 And this may be the distinguishing factor between side hustles like driving for Uber,
0:25:17 where you don’t really have any equity or ownership, and side hustles that have some
0:25:22 more entrepreneurial upside where you’re calling the shots, the things that can really scale,
0:25:26 that can ultimately set you free from your day job.
0:25:28 That’s E number one, equity.
0:25:31 The second piece is energy.
0:25:36 This is something I think I took for granted early on, but think of this like the fuel
0:25:37 for the fire.
0:25:40 There’s a couple parts to it, the mental and the physical.
0:25:43 On the physical side, this is the foundational part.
0:25:48 This is like the taking care of your body in such a way that you have the physical energy
0:25:52 and capacity to do the work you want to do and show up as your best self.
0:25:58 That’s a really critical foundation where if this isn’t in place, it makes everything
0:25:59 else so much more difficult.
0:26:01 This is your sleep.
0:26:02 This is your diet.
0:26:04 This is your exercise, your movement.
0:26:06 Are you giving your body what it needs?
0:26:12 Or are you making the near term compromises that have long term consequences?
0:26:13 That’s the first part, the physical part.
0:26:17 The second part of energy is the mental part.
0:26:20 Are you doing the work that excites you, that lights you up, that follows your curiosity?
0:26:22 Do you feel challenged?
0:26:26 Are you giving yourself time to think through problems and figure out what you really want
0:26:27 and where you want to go?
0:26:29 It’s uncomfortable.
0:26:35 It is hard to do that saw sharpening time when there’s a whole proverbial forest of
0:26:37 trees that need chopping.
0:26:42 You almost have to schedule it in, block it off in your calendar, get your spouse or partner
0:26:47 involved, get on the same page, get in alignment and start working toward those common goals
0:26:48 with energy.
0:26:50 That is E number two.
0:26:53 The final E is experimentation.
0:26:57 There’s a truth, I believe, in online business and probably all business.
0:26:59 Nobody really knows what they’re doing.
0:27:03 Everything is just an experiment until you find the thing that works.
0:27:05 You don’t need to have the answers.
0:27:09 You just need to set up the test and be willing to find out.
0:27:10 This is asking questions.
0:27:11 This is setting up the experiment.
0:27:17 This is measuring the results like a couple months ago, Alex Goldberg talked about running
0:27:21 paid traffic to his affiliate site, to these affiliate marketing landing pages.
0:27:23 Could that work for me?
0:27:24 Only one way to find out?
0:27:25 Test it.
0:27:28 Could we use AI to speed up video production?
0:27:30 Only one way to find out?
0:27:31 Test it.
0:27:35 Could we hire an audience member to review side hustle apps for us?
0:27:36 Only one way to find out?
0:27:37 Test it.
0:27:45 This E, the experimentation E, is really all about making incremental positive progress.
0:27:51 Bjork Ostrom called it his 1% infinity habit, trying to make the consistent daily improvements
0:27:54 that make the business a tiny bit better one day at a time.
0:27:57 That was the name of his holding company, Tiny Bit.
0:28:00 He’s ingrained that into the company culture.
0:28:01 I love that.
0:28:06 I think we can all benefit from putting on our side hustle scientist lab coats and embracing
0:28:08 experimentation.
0:28:13 If I had the chance to do TEDx around two, 10 years later, I would supplement the original
0:28:21 three C’s of creation, connection, and contribution with the three E’s, equity, energy, and experimentation.
0:28:22 Let me know what you think.
0:28:23 Would love to hear from you.
0:28:24 That is it for me.
0:28:26 Thank you so much for tuning in.
0:28:29 Until next time, let’s go out there and make something happen, and I’ll catch you in the
0:28:32 next edition of The Side Hustle Show, hustle on.
0:00:12 nerve-wracking opportunity, and today I want to replay that audio for you.
0:00:18 It’s on the three C’s of side hustle, happiness and entrepreneurship, creation, connection
0:00:19 and contribution.
0:00:22 And at that time, the site didn’t have a ton of traffic.
0:00:24 The podcast didn’t have a huge audience.
0:00:26 It was legitimately still a side hustle.
0:00:32 My main focus, which you’ll hear me reference, was the price comparison shoe shopping site.
0:00:37 Getting on that stage at that stage definitely meant battling some imposter syndrome.
0:00:39 Like, who am I to be up here?
0:00:44 The organizers of the event asked, “Will do you have any speaking experience?”
0:00:48 And I remember being like, “Well, I’ve got this podcast,” and that surprisingly counted
0:00:49 for something.
0:00:52 So how this episode works is there’s a little pre-intro setup.
0:00:54 They give some additional context.
0:00:59 There’s the audio from the 2014 TEDx event, which unfortunately isn’t the highest quality
0:01:00 that you’re used to.
0:01:02 I appreciate you bearing with that.
0:01:05 You can hear the audience reaction to certain parts, which is kind of fun.
0:01:09 And then at the end, you can judge how well did this talk age.
0:01:14 And I’ll share some 10 years of hindsight post-game analysis on what I might change
0:01:17 or add if I had to do it again.
0:01:18 Ready?
0:01:19 Three C’s.
0:01:23 I believe everyone needs to live a happy, healthy, productive life, whether that life
0:01:25 contains a side hustle or not.
0:01:28 The three C’s are creation, connection, and contribution.
0:01:30 And I’m going to get into all of those.
0:01:35 I’m actually going to play you the audio of my TEDx talk, where I explain what I mean
0:01:38 by those and why they’re so important.
0:01:44 The talk centers on the millennial generation and our pull toward entrepreneurship.
0:01:49 But while it’s rolling, whether you’re a millennial or not, I want you to think about the extent
0:01:54 that you have creation, connection, and contribution in your own life.
0:02:01 And if not, what you can do to introduce more of the three C’s, either into your day job,
0:02:03 into your personal life, or through your side hustle.
0:02:08 To go around to the end of the show, and I’m going to share what you can do to give yourself
0:02:14 the best chance of landing a TEDx presentation, if that’s something that is on your bucket
0:02:17 list or that’s something that you would like to do, if that’s something I get some questions
0:02:18 on.
0:02:25 The idea for this episode comes from an email I was writing last week or the week before.
0:02:32 And in the statistic that I’ll touch on in a moment is that only 30% of us are engaged
0:02:35 and inspired by our work.
0:02:41 And the problem isn’t that we’re a bunch of disengaged, apathetic zombies just going
0:02:46 through the motions, because we do have things that we like to do, and things that excite
0:02:47 us.
0:02:52 The challenge is there’s often a gap between, sometimes a big gap, between what we like
0:02:55 to do and what we get paid to do.
0:03:01 So for what that means, for the 70% of us uninspired workers, it kind of leaves us only
0:03:06 two choices, is we can, number one, learn to love our work.
0:03:10 This is the crossbeast hills in Hashah, love the one you’re with.
0:03:15 Or number two, we can learn to work our love.
0:03:19 Side hustle nation may be the perfect example of that, because I love creating this kind
0:03:23 of content, these kind of case studies and experiments and everything that goes along
0:03:28 with it and talking with the amazing, amazing guests that share their side hustle stories
0:03:30 and the tactics that went behind it.
0:03:34 And on top of that, I thought it would be a fun project, you know, when I started two
0:03:36 years ago, and it absolutely has been.
0:03:42 But when I started, I didn’t have a clear monetization model.
0:03:49 And if I was going to keep it going, I was going to have to learn to work my love, essentially.
0:03:55 And today, it’s not quite a full time income yet, but it does ring the cash register in
0:04:01 a variety of ways, like affiliate relationships, the occasional sponsored posts, my private
0:04:06 mastermind and the coaching and consulting work that’s come of it.
0:04:11 And so let’s kind of go through the three C’s and see how it applies.
0:04:18 So for creation, like writing and recording this type of fun and hopefully helpful content,
0:04:24 plus attempting to create a number of different side hustle income streams along the way,
0:04:27 absolutely does check the box for creation for me.
0:04:34 And on connection, I have met more amazing people since starting this site than I did
0:04:40 probably in the 10 years prior to that, it’s opened up doors in a really serious and really
0:04:42 meaningful way.
0:04:47 So there’s no question that connection has been a huge part of that.
0:04:52 And then contribution, this may be the best part because of the emails and the tweets
0:04:58 that I get from people, the interaction that I see in the Facebook community.
0:05:04 People putting this material into action and seeing results and genuinely trying to help
0:05:10 people build these job free income streams is a contribution that I’m very, I don’t
0:05:14 know, it just makes me happy to do it.
0:05:18 It’s a ton of fun and I’m really grateful to be able to do it.
0:05:23 So those three C’s for side hustle nation are definitely there.
0:05:28 But as you’re listening, I want you to think of what the three C’s are for you and if they’re
0:05:32 missing, whether or not those could be found through a side hustle.
0:05:33 Let’s roll the tape.
0:05:34 Thank you.
0:05:35 Thank you, Dominique.
0:05:36 Thank you all for having me.
0:05:41 I’d like to start off with a show of hands, everyone who’s working right now, part-time,
0:05:44 full-time, run a business, that all counts.
0:05:47 And don’t worry, no audience volunteer here, they’re thankful.
0:05:53 Now, keep your hands up and be honest with this one, if you would call yourself engaged
0:05:59 and inspired at work, and I was being a TED Extra and I suspect you’d be a little bit
0:06:03 above average, which looks like you are, but the truth of the matter is, we live in a world
0:06:07 where only 30% of us are inspired by the work we do.
0:06:09 I think that has some pretty great consequences.
0:06:13 Imagine instead, where the majority of us were inspired by our work.
0:06:17 You could solve some problems if we worked, we really cared about.
0:06:21 Imagine the impact they would have on our productivity, our economy.
0:06:24 The surprising thing is, it’s not that far fetched.
0:06:28 There’s a shift that’s going on right now in the millennial generation.
0:06:31 My generation is leading the charge.
0:06:35 We may live in a world where only 30% of us are inspired at work, but we also live in
0:06:40 a world where we have an unprecedented opportunity to create our own work, which is exactly what
0:06:42 millennials are doing.
0:06:47 We’re channeling our energy into entrepreneurial pursuits faster than ever before, and that
0:06:52 translates into a new era of innovation, job growth, and prosperity.
0:06:53 How is that possible?
0:06:58 Are we the generation that’s supposed to be drowning in student and consumer debt and
0:07:01 battling 15% unemployment?
0:07:02 Exactly.
0:07:03 That’s us.
0:07:07 And we’re taking matters into our own hands.
0:07:12 The Department of Labor projects a 600% increase in entrepreneurship by 2025.
0:07:13 600%.
0:07:18 In the meantime, we’re still trying to shake the label of the entitled generation, which
0:07:23 in fairness, there may be some truth to the entitled narcissistic stereotypes, because
0:07:26 after all, we are a generation that invented the word “selfie.”
0:07:31 Let me see if I get the tag letters in there.
0:07:38 But there’s a disconnect, I’m here at the spell, between, here’s the selfie, between
0:07:41 the entitled myth and the entrepreneurial reality.
0:07:46 As a generation, we realized we can’t rely on the government or some corporation to be
0:07:47 there for us.
0:07:51 And more importantly, we’re doing something about it, in record numbers.
0:07:55 Instead of self-entitlement, we’re seeing a return to self-reliance.
0:08:02 If the last 100 years were characterized by mass employment, the next 100 would be characterized
0:08:04 by mass entrepreneurship.
0:08:09 Ask anyone, if they expect to receive a dime of social security benefits when they retire.
0:08:13 You’re not going to find a single rational person to say, “Yes, nobody.”
0:08:18 We’re paying into the system, fully expecting nothing in return.
0:08:19 Does that sound entitled?
0:08:25 A quarter of millennials see the best way, the best way to get ahead financially is to
0:08:28 break out, play on, and start a business.
0:08:30 Does that sound entitled?
0:08:33 And a third of millennials have already started one of our businesses.
0:08:36 That’s tripled the rate of the rest of the population.
0:08:40 Does that sound like the behavior of an entitled generation to you?
0:08:41 No.
0:08:46 We’re a generation held up creating a future in our own terms.
0:08:54 It’s time for a new set of labels, proactive, commit the entrepreneurial generation.
0:09:00 The result of this shift, this entrepreneurial shift, is a generation of workers more connected
0:09:05 to the work they do, feel like they’re making more positive contribution in the world.
0:09:10 And that brings us to the three ingredients for a happy human existence.
0:09:16 I call them the three Cs, and they’re different from Annie’s three Cs.
0:09:21 Creation, connection, and contribution.
0:09:22 Think about this.
0:09:27 If you’re working on something you care about that helps other people, and you’ve got healthy
0:09:30 relationships, you’re a happy camper.
0:09:36 I’m excited because the three Cs are contagious and they’re already spreading.
0:09:42 You may have heard Sir Ken Robinson, one of the most, maybe the most popular tech talk
0:09:49 of all time, define creativity as the process of having original ideas that have value.
0:09:56 And those two components, ideas and value, are the building blocks of animation.
0:09:59 But here’s where Sir Ken gets it wrong.
0:10:04 He makes the argument that schools are killing creativity, but gives it too narrow a definition,
0:10:07 talking only about art and music and dance.
0:10:12 With so much more than that, it’s an innate potential that we all share.
0:10:16 It’s in our genes, mine, yours, everyone’s.
0:10:22 I like to think creativity is a ripped six-pack stomach that we all have, or at least we all
0:10:23 have the potential for.
0:10:24 It’s in there.
0:10:25 The muscles are in there.
0:10:26 It’s biology.
0:10:27 It just might not be visible yet.
0:10:32 The tools, it’s advanced to working on mine too.
0:10:37 The tools at our disposal, the technology, connectivity, they’re fueling innovation and
0:10:39 accelerating things.
0:10:41 Creativity isn’t dying.
0:10:42 It’s thriving.
0:10:45 And for millennials, it’s thriving out of necessity.
0:10:53 At once, it’s our reactive response to a world with no guarantees, our proactive drive to
0:10:55 build a better future.
0:10:59 We’re asking the question, and I encourage you to ask this too, “What can I create that
0:11:02 has value for myself, for others, for the world?
0:11:03 What product can I sell?
0:11:04 What service can I offer?
0:11:06 What pain can I use?
0:11:09 What solution can I provide?”
0:11:17 The ability to answer these questions now more than ever is a 21st-century survival skill.
0:11:22 So how do we exercise our creative muscles and work together to build a more prosperous
0:11:24 future for everyone?
0:11:29 It’s simple.
0:11:32 We put the three C’s into practice in our daily lives.
0:11:33 This is my wife, Bryn, and our friend, Brooke.
0:11:37 They love to take pictures of our friends, kids, and pets and family pictures for Christmas
0:11:40 cards, and they would geek out in their camera settings for hours.
0:11:42 It was their creative process.
0:11:47 Then one day, they went from hobbyist photographers to professional photographers.
0:11:50 And you know what it took to go pro?
0:11:58 This year, they shot more than a dozen weddings, made a healthy profit, helped these young
0:12:03 families capture and share their big day contribution.
0:12:04 This is Pat.
0:12:09 Pat’s an architect who, a few years ago, was studying for the LEED exam, the certification
0:12:12 to design energy efficient buildings like the one we’re in.
0:12:17 Now, during this process, Pat decided to put his study notes online, so he’d have a central
0:12:19 repository accessible from anywhere.
0:12:24 His creation later found out that thousands of other architects had discovered his site
0:12:28 were using his notes to help study for and pass the same test connection.
0:12:34 Now, LEED certified or not, Pat’s job did not survive the Great Recession, but because
0:12:39 of this resource he created and given away, his contribution, he was able to bundle his
0:12:44 test prep materials into a study guide and sell them directly.
0:12:49 In his first month, he made more than he ever had in his day job and has gone up and sold
0:12:52 more than half a million dollars up to these things.
0:12:57 And today, Pat helps thousands of people share their own unique ideas with the world, create
0:13:02 their own online businesses, and then there’s this guy.
0:13:07 Maybe you’ve got an idea, and the only way to know for sure if it’s going to work is
0:13:12 to put it out in the world and see what happens, and that’s my story.
0:13:20 I learned that people were buying shoes online, and so my theory was able to find out which
0:13:22 online shoe store had the best price.
0:13:29 My theory was if I could build a footwear-only comparison shopping site, my creation, I could
0:13:33 deliver more accurate results than the larger shopping engines and work more closely with
0:13:37 the retailers to negotiate better deals, connection.
0:13:43 The site went on to sell $10 million of the shoes for our retail partners to serve thousands
0:13:44 of customers.
0:13:45 A contribution.
0:13:51 But more importantly than that, the income from this side hustle eventually gave me the
0:13:57 freedom and the confidence to walk away from my less than inspiring nine-to-five job, start
0:14:00 new ventures, and try out even more new ideas.
0:14:06 It might take several failed experiments before you land on a winner.
0:14:10 And I can say it because I’ve had my share, but it’s worth it to keep trying, to keep
0:14:16 pushing because these small acts of creativity serve a higher purpose.
0:14:20 They’re each adding a little bit of value to the world, a whole lot of value to the
0:14:22 lives of these entrepreneurs.
0:14:27 Your sense of independence and self-worth is skyrocketing the moment you’re in that first
0:14:31 dollar outside of a traditional job.
0:14:36 Now, the pushback I get on this is, “I’m not creative, I don’t have any business ideas,
0:14:38 I’m not an entrepreneur.”
0:14:41 And neither was I.
0:14:46 I convinced myself I wasn’t creative because every personality aptitude test I’ve ever
0:14:52 taken has identified me correctly, by the way, as the analytical, process-driven, excel-spread
0:14:54 sheet-loving kind of guy that I am.
0:15:00 Again, I’ve fallen into the trap of defining creativity as art and use it in dance, and
0:15:05 I wasn’t out there painting original murals or composing symphonies, so I must not be
0:15:06 creative.
0:15:13 It sounds familiar, but I’ve found creative outlets in the most unlikely places, and
0:15:15 I’m confident you will, too.
0:15:19 For example, there was a routine report I had to write in excel, and it took four or
0:15:21 five minutes every day.
0:15:24 So one morning I sat down, trying to figure out, “There’s got to be a better way.
0:15:26 How can I automate this process?”
0:15:32 It took a little bit of time to figure out, and ultimately turned that five minutes every
0:15:34 day into 15 seconds.
0:15:39 An original idea that had value, she was going to say, “Me and my team, five minutes a day,
0:15:41 for years, we’d better have value.”
0:15:47 And watching these rows and numbers fly by, this orchestrating my own silent little nerd
0:15:52 crowd.
0:15:54 Yes, I am creative, and yes, you are, too.
0:15:58 Now, let’s zoom out for a second, because this is where it gets really exciting.
0:16:03 Brandon Brooke and Pat and myself are just four out of 75 million millennials who make
0:16:08 up a quarter of the U.S. population, that’s us in blue in the corner.
0:16:10 They look good, don’t they?
0:16:14 Remember, one in three of us has already started one or more businesses.
0:16:19 I want you to think of the compound effect of 25 million new businesses and the entrepreneurs
0:16:20 at their homes.
0:16:25 We’re staring down the barrel of an unprecedented surge in small business growth, which as you
0:16:28 know is the biggest driver of our economy.
0:16:31 And sure, these are small companies, especially at first.
0:16:37 Let’s not forget, Apple started in a garage, Facebook started in a dorm, Google started
0:16:39 in a university computer lab.
0:16:44 The next big thing almost always starts as a quiet small thing.
0:16:49 With these kind of numbers, with this wave that’s already started, I like our odds.
0:16:54 We’re building a future that’s more creative, more self-reliant, and more entrepreneurial
0:16:57 than anything that’s come before.
0:17:01 So to the millennials in the audience, you are entitled.
0:17:05 You’re entitled to pursue the career path you want to pursue.
0:17:10 You’re entitled to be behind your own values, and you’re entitled to create something about
0:17:11 them.
0:17:15 And to everyone else, you are too.
0:17:18 There’s no end restriction on the three Cs.
0:17:19 In fact, we all have access.
0:17:24 We have the exact same creative muscles, the exact same tools at our disposal.
0:17:28 We can flip the script so that 70% of us wake up, inspire, and excited on Monday morning
0:17:30 instead of the 30% we do today.
0:17:34 And how we’re going to get there is for each of us to harness the three Cs and turn this
0:17:37 way into a revolution.
0:17:41 This is my challenge to you.
0:17:44 What will you create?
0:17:47 How will you connect?
0:17:48 What will you contribute?
0:17:55 What will we collectively accomplish when we individually pursue this creative path in
0:18:01 this room, in this city, in this country, and on this planet?
0:18:02 Thank you.
0:18:06 What would I add for the 2024 edition?
0:18:11 That’s something that’s been on my mind lately, and that’s coming up right after this.
0:18:15 Being an entrepreneur and being able to work remotely definitely has its perks.
0:18:20 I’ve recorded podcasts everywhere from Vietnam to Italy, drafted newsletters from Japan,
0:18:24 hosted mastermind meetings from Spain, ended up being the middle of the night to get to
0:18:28 US business hours, and outlined courses in Mexico.
0:18:32 The common thread of all of these trips though is Airbnb.
0:18:36 We love being able to get exactly what we’re looking for in a place to stay and have a
0:18:41 more local experience than staying in some giant hotel chain.
0:18:42 And you know me.
0:18:45 I’m always thinking about the next side hustle idea, the next income stream, right?
0:18:50 And one that’s at the top of the list is hosting our place on Airbnb while we’re traveling.
0:18:52 That way, the house doesn’t have to sit empty.
0:18:56 We could use the income to help pay for the trip, and we’ve heard from several successful
0:18:58 Airbnb hosts on the show.
0:19:03 And what’s interesting is a lot of them started with almost that exact strategy, running their
0:19:07 place or even a spare room while they’re out of town.
0:19:11 Taking inspiration from that, you might have an Airbnb right under your nose.
0:19:14 In fact, your home might be worth more than you think.
0:19:18 You can find out how much at Airbnb.com/host.
0:19:24 That’s Airbnb.com/host to find out how much your home is worth.
0:19:28 Lots of scrappy side hustlers start their business with just their personal phone number.
0:19:29 And I love that.
0:19:33 But at a certain point, you can’t be limited to just your cell phone and notes app to get
0:19:34 your work done.
0:19:39 With our sponsor, OpenPhone, you can stay connected while powerful AI features help keep your business
0:19:40 on track.
0:19:45 OpenPhone, if you’re not familiar, is the number one business phone system for modern businesses.
0:19:50 OpenPhone works through an app on your phone or computer and then integrates with HubSpot
0:19:52 and hundreds of other systems that you might be using.
0:19:57 One of my favorite features is their AI-powered call transcripts and summaries so you can
0:20:01 streamline client communication and have a summary of every phone call with action
0:20:03 items right when you hang up.
0:20:06 That means no more note-taking or forgotten to-do items.
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0:20:12 with over 1,700 reviews.
0:20:20 And right now, OpenPhone is offering 20% off your first six months when you go to openphone.com/sidehustle.
0:20:28 That’s O-P-E-N-P-H-O-N-E.com/sidehustle for 20% off six months.
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0:20:37 OpenPhone will port them over at no extra charge.
0:20:39 Standing ovation and I’m out.
0:20:42 Learn to love your work or learn to work your love.
0:20:46 Either way, the path still runs through the three C’s.
0:20:51 So as promised, how to get selected as a TEDx speaker.
0:20:56 Contrary to popular belief, you do not need extensive public speaking experience, which
0:21:01 I definitely did not have, although I do think that may help you deal with the nerves.
0:21:08 I was an absolute wreck before this thing, elevated heart rate, couldn’t sleep, just
0:21:11 not good.
0:21:16 But what I learned was the vast majority of the speakers at this event were either in
0:21:22 the first or second degree personal or professional networks of the organizers of the event.
0:21:29 So what that means is you should go to TED.com under, they have a tab that says attend.
0:21:35 Under the attend tab, they have a link for the TEDx events where you can search for the
0:21:37 local ones happening in your area.
0:21:42 And from there, they’re going to have information on the organizers and oftentimes there’s going
0:21:47 to be a dedicated website for that specific event where you can find contact information,
0:21:48 dates.
0:21:50 They may even have a speaker submission page.
0:21:54 If they don’t know who you are, there is zero chance of getting selected.
0:21:57 So don’t feel bad about reaching out and making your case.
0:21:59 That’s exactly what I did.
0:22:05 Now one thing to note is that each event is usually going to have a specific theme.
0:22:07 In our case, it was creativity.
0:22:11 So if you’re going to send a pitch, make sure to tie it into the theme somehow.
0:22:14 This is a mistake that I made.
0:22:18 The theme last year and the website hadn’t been updated was education.
0:22:24 And so I sent my original pitch on entrepreneurial education or something, and it wasn’t a great
0:22:25 fit.
0:22:29 It still started a conversation, so it served its purpose, but if you can figure out what
0:22:33 the theme is, tie your pitch into the theme, I think that would be a good idea.
0:22:36 And also, of course, if you have any common ground or connections that you can think of,
0:22:42 like if you’re a local, you probably have some common connections on LinkedIn.
0:22:43 Maybe you attended the same university.
0:22:48 Maybe you were an attendee at the TEDx event the year before.
0:22:51 So that’s just my two cents on the topic.
0:22:56 I think if you can figure out who the organizers are, get on their radar and somehow you can
0:23:00 stand a pretty good chance because they do have to fill up a speaker roster.
0:23:04 And if you can send them examples of your work, you’re going to be in good shape there.
0:23:07 So thank you so much for listening.
0:23:10 Hope you enjoyed hearing my talk, my take on all this stuff.
0:23:14 And I’m going to link up the actual video in the show notes of this episode.
0:23:17 So it’s been 10 years since that speech, since that day, which makes it a good time as any
0:23:23 to play Monday morning quarterback and ask, “Well, if you had the chance to do it over,
0:23:24 what would you do differently?
0:23:26 What would you say if you had the same stage today?”
0:23:31 I think the three Cs have actually aged pretty well because over the last 10 years, we’ve
0:23:38 definitely seen the rise of and even the branding of the so-called creator economy that centers
0:23:39 on this exact idea.
0:23:42 And I still love the challenge of creating helpful content.
0:23:46 They can find an audience and help them solve their problems and reach their goals.
0:23:49 That’s the work that was really fun and rewarding.
0:23:51 Then that’s still really fun and rewarding now.
0:23:56 So I do still think you’ve got to find what that looks like in your life, in your business.
0:23:58 Now, what would I add?
0:24:01 I mean, that’s the challenge of the 10X Format.
0:24:06 It’s intentionally brief by design where a podcast episode can be as long as it needs
0:24:07 to be.
0:24:14 Now, a few things have definitely emerged, a few ideas, concepts, just points of view
0:24:19 have definitely emerged over the last 10 years that would not necessarily replace the three
0:24:24 Cs of creation, connection, and contribution, but could certainly supplement them.
0:24:28 And for the sake of consistency, I’m going to call them the three Es.
0:24:32 Those are equity or ownership, energy, and experimentation.
0:24:34 I’ll break those down here.
0:24:39 The equity piece is something that’s definitely been top of mind.
0:24:41 This is super important.
0:24:46 You’ve got to think about building ownership in something, some sort of asset that has
0:24:49 value outside of your direct time.
0:24:51 That’s how you’re going to build leverage.
0:24:55 That’s how you’re going to be able to scale back, trading hours for dollars.
0:24:59 That’s how you’re going to be able to build up the passive or time leveraged slice of
0:25:01 your income pie chart.
0:25:02 It could be your business.
0:25:04 It could be traditional stock market investments.
0:25:09 It could be real estate, but super important to have some ownership in something.
0:25:14 And this may be the distinguishing factor between side hustles like driving for Uber,
0:25:17 where you don’t really have any equity or ownership, and side hustles that have some
0:25:22 more entrepreneurial upside where you’re calling the shots, the things that can really scale,
0:25:26 that can ultimately set you free from your day job.
0:25:28 That’s E number one, equity.
0:25:31 The second piece is energy.
0:25:36 This is something I think I took for granted early on, but think of this like the fuel
0:25:37 for the fire.
0:25:40 There’s a couple parts to it, the mental and the physical.
0:25:43 On the physical side, this is the foundational part.
0:25:48 This is like the taking care of your body in such a way that you have the physical energy
0:25:52 and capacity to do the work you want to do and show up as your best self.
0:25:58 That’s a really critical foundation where if this isn’t in place, it makes everything
0:25:59 else so much more difficult.
0:26:01 This is your sleep.
0:26:02 This is your diet.
0:26:04 This is your exercise, your movement.
0:26:06 Are you giving your body what it needs?
0:26:12 Or are you making the near term compromises that have long term consequences?
0:26:13 That’s the first part, the physical part.
0:26:17 The second part of energy is the mental part.
0:26:20 Are you doing the work that excites you, that lights you up, that follows your curiosity?
0:26:22 Do you feel challenged?
0:26:26 Are you giving yourself time to think through problems and figure out what you really want
0:26:27 and where you want to go?
0:26:29 It’s uncomfortable.
0:26:35 It is hard to do that saw sharpening time when there’s a whole proverbial forest of
0:26:37 trees that need chopping.
0:26:42 You almost have to schedule it in, block it off in your calendar, get your spouse or partner
0:26:47 involved, get on the same page, get in alignment and start working toward those common goals
0:26:48 with energy.
0:26:50 That is E number two.
0:26:53 The final E is experimentation.
0:26:57 There’s a truth, I believe, in online business and probably all business.
0:26:59 Nobody really knows what they’re doing.
0:27:03 Everything is just an experiment until you find the thing that works.
0:27:05 You don’t need to have the answers.
0:27:09 You just need to set up the test and be willing to find out.
0:27:10 This is asking questions.
0:27:11 This is setting up the experiment.
0:27:17 This is measuring the results like a couple months ago, Alex Goldberg talked about running
0:27:21 paid traffic to his affiliate site, to these affiliate marketing landing pages.
0:27:23 Could that work for me?
0:27:24 Only one way to find out?
0:27:25 Test it.
0:27:28 Could we use AI to speed up video production?
0:27:30 Only one way to find out?
0:27:31 Test it.
0:27:35 Could we hire an audience member to review side hustle apps for us?
0:27:36 Only one way to find out?
0:27:37 Test it.
0:27:45 This E, the experimentation E, is really all about making incremental positive progress.
0:27:51 Bjork Ostrom called it his 1% infinity habit, trying to make the consistent daily improvements
0:27:54 that make the business a tiny bit better one day at a time.
0:27:57 That was the name of his holding company, Tiny Bit.
0:28:00 He’s ingrained that into the company culture.
0:28:01 I love that.
0:28:06 I think we can all benefit from putting on our side hustle scientist lab coats and embracing
0:28:08 experimentation.
0:28:13 If I had the chance to do TEDx around two, 10 years later, I would supplement the original
0:28:21 three C’s of creation, connection, and contribution with the three E’s, equity, energy, and experimentation.
0:28:22 Let me know what you think.
0:28:23 Would love to hear from you.
0:28:24 That is it for me.
0:28:26 Thank you so much for tuning in.
0:28:29 Until next time, let’s go out there and make something happen, and I’ll catch you in the
0:28:32 next edition of The Side Hustle Show, hustle on.
Creation, connection, and contribution are the 3 C’s I believe everyone needs to live a happy healthy productive life, whether that life contains a side hustle or not.
In this episode I share the audio from my TEDx talk, which breaks down the 3 C’s and why they’re so important.
Full Show Notes: TEDx Revisited: The 3 C’s of Side Hustle Happiness (10 Years Later)
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