Side Hustle 101: Proven Ideas to Make Extra Money

Girl Scouts Are Better Hustlers Than Cub Scouts – And What It Means For Your Business

January 26, 2021November 10, 2014

Like I’ve mentioned, I’ve got a soft spot for cold callers, and a warm place in my heart for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts (since scouting was good to me), so combine the two and I’m already pulling out my wallet.

The other night our neighbor’s grandson came by in his Cub Scout uniform, almost too shy to even speak, to sell some popcorn products as a fundraiser.

The whole thing got me thinking about how the Girl Scouts are a million times better at this fundraising hustle.

Short on Time? 6 Ways to Improve Your Side Hustle Energy

April 22, 2019October 13, 2014

Time is our most valuable commodity, and it’s uniquely egalitarian; we’re all dealt the same 24-hours each day.

But it’s also a non-renewable resource — once it’s used up it’s used up.

That means we have to be conscious of how we use our time, of how we invest it.

And I’ll use the word “invest” rather than the word “spend” because I believe side hustling time, business-building time, is an investment — an investment in your future that will, with any luck, result in MORE time down the road.

My Top 10 Books of All Time … so far

April 20, 2020September 22, 2014

Now that the “ice bucket challenge” has died down, there’s another challenge going around my Facebook feed this week.

People are asked to share 10 books that have “stuck with them” through the years, fiction or non-fiction, and tag their friends to post their list next.

(So I guess it’s not technically a TOP 10, but more 10 of the most memorable or impactful.)

It’s been fascinating to see some people’s title selections, including many new books I’ve never heard of.

68: How I Got My First Sale in 6 Different Businesses

October 15, 2018August 22, 2014

One of my favorite questions to ask guests on The Side Hustle Show is how they got their first customer. Because that’s an empowering moment!

So today, I’ll take you through how I got my first customers in a half dozen different business ventures.
This show covers some formative moments in my journey, my struggles with sales, and some of my biggest takeaways from these businesses.

62: Generating Lifestyle Business Ideas That Work

October 23, 2019July 24, 2014

Jesse Krieger is THE Lifestyle Entrepreneur, and author of the book of the same name, subtitled Live Your Dreams, Ignite Your Passions and Run Your Business From Anywhere in The World.

Today we’re chatting about how aspiring side hustlers can come up with new business ideas, validate them quickly, and begin earning money outside of their day job.

It’s a fun session with a lot of brainstorming out loud on various ideas and methodologies of going to market.

60: Punching Fear in the Face and Escaping Average, with Jon Acuff

December 16, 2020July 10, 2014

Through his best-selling books, Jon Acuff may be one of the most prominent advocates for the side hustle “brand” of entrepreneurship.

Jon’s a sought-after author, speaker, and consultant, with a share of side hustle stories to tell. While some flopped, one was almost an overnight success: his Stuff Christians Like blog. We talk about all that and more during our call.

59: How to Start a Side Hustle Consulting Business that Gets Paid, with Kai Davis

October 11, 2018July 3, 2014

Consulting can be a beautiful business model because it transitions you from selling what you do to selling what you know.

So what do you know that other businesses might pay for? What could you consult on?

We cover all that and more with Kai Davis this week on The Side Hustle Show. We talk everything from landing more clients, increasing your rates, getting paid to do work you used to do for free, how to get clients on a monthly retainer agreement, and if you stick around to the end of the show — Kai lays out his exact one-hour-at-a-time plan on how he would get a new consulting business off the ground.

57: How to Launch, Grow, and Scale a Speaking Business

October 16, 2018June 26, 2014

What do you do when your side hustle demands being available (and even traveling) during normal business hours? It’s a challenge that a lot of us are facing and this week on The Side Hustle Show my guest shares is unique way to get around it and build a successful business.

Grant Baldwin is a youth motivational speaker and host of the “How Did You Get Into That?” podcast.

We talk about how entrepreneurs can hustle their way into new income streams while working day jobs following Grant’s formula.

56: From Miserable and $100,000 in Debt to Self-Employed Author, Speaker, and Coach

November 22, 2019June 19, 2014

This edition of The Side Hustle Show is probably one of the most inspiring yet. I’m joined by Kimanzi Constable, who shares his story about the struggle of entrepreneurship and his dream of becoming a writer.

We talk about the specific steps he took to get out of debt, build an audience of buyers for his books. This is powerful one because Kimanzi opens up how serious he needed to make some changes in his life.

55: How Side Hustlers Can Get More Done in Less Time

April 20, 2020June 12, 2014

In this edition of The Side Hustle Show, I’m joined by Chandler Bolt, co-author of The Productive Person: A how-to guide book filled with productivity hacks & daily schedules for entrepreneurs, students or anyone struggling with work-life balance.

When Chandler first reached out, I was excited to learn we had a lot in common, including both being Eagle Scouts and both having run house painting companies in college.

In fact, he cites selling candy at summer camp as one of his first entrepreneurial pursuits — just like me.

Usually Hustling, Occasionally Social