Austin Miller built a $1.2 million real estate portfolio at 31 years old -- for free. He's a side hustling real estate investor specializing in "creative" financing deals -- houses he can buy without using his own money. Austin is the author of Free Houses: How To Build Your Real Estate Investment Portfolio With No Money. His basic strategy is this: Find a killer deal on a house that needs some work. Buy it with the creative financing methods Austin talks about in this episode. Either do the work yourself or hire contractors. Put a paying tenant in the newly rehabbed home. Refinance the home with a traditional bank loan and pay back the original funding source. The end game is positive monthly cash flow from rental income, plus building a long-term wealth through tenants paying off the mortgage. Austin has developed some unique and interesting ways to hard money and private money to fund his property purchases. The best part – it’s truly a side hustle that can be done in a few hours a week the end result is passive income from rental revenue. Tune in to hear how Austin finds killer deals, buys the houses without risking his own capital, and then rehabs them to get ready to rent. Full Show Notes: Free Houses: How to Build a $1 Million Real Estate Portfolio on the Side New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Squarespace - Start building your professional website today! Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Airbnb - Start an Airbnb business and earn money as an Airbnb Host! This is Small Business Podcast - Brought to you by Amazon, explore the stories of small business owners as they navigate their path to success!

When you hear "college admissions essay consultant," you might imagine some dull, overly formal academic type. But Carter Osborne from carterosbornetutoring.com took a pretty unconventional path to dominating this niche business. When he started providing tutoring services on the side, he was just a "broke, desperate graduate student" in need of some extra money. Carter actually had no formal business training. His background was in political science and public administration—so not exactly the traditional entrepreneurial breeding grounds. Not exactly the traditional path for an entrepreneur, right? And yet, the untraditional route Carter took allowed him to build a unique $100k consulting business, with almost all the revenue coming in just half the year. While Carter's career path didn't seem logical as a tutor, he was about to discover an untapped market niche that was waiting to be explored. Tune in to Episode 601 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How to come up with your lucrative side hustle offer How to get your first customers How to grow the business How to handle the delivery logistics as a solopreneur Full Show Notes: The $100k niche consulting business New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Ladder – Get instantly approved for term life insurance—no doctors, no needles, no paperwork! Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Airbnb - Start an Airbnb business and earn money as an Airbnb Host! This is Small Business Podcast - Brought to you by Amazon, explore the stories of small business owners as they navigate their path to success!

Liz Wilcox found herself at a crossroads. With a growing email list of beginners wanting to learn about email marketing, she knew she wanted to find a way to step away from client work within a couple of years. She had just signed a huge copywriting contract worth $20,000... her biggest one yet. But instead of excitement, all she felt was dread about the massive project she now had to take on. And as a single parent, she knew the importance of creating a business that would support her lifestyle and allow her to be present for her family. This is where the idea of "low cost = low responsibility" appealed to her, as it would allow her to serve her audience at LizWilcox.com while maintaining a manageable workload. So Liz had the idea to create her flagship offer The Email Marketing Membership - a set of done-for-you email newsletter templates that members could access for just $9 per month. Tune in to Episode 600 of the Side Hustle Show to learn: How to come up with ideas for your own recurring revenue membership How Liz built her own email list and audience How to improve retention and continue delivering value to members Full Show Notes: $500k from a $9 membership New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: US Bank — Get a 75,000-point sign-up bonus with the US Bank Business Altitude Power World Elite Mastercard, and earn 2X points on everything you buy for your business. Squarespace - Start building your professional website today! Airbnb - Start an Airbnb business and earn money as an Airbnb Host! This is Small Business Podcast - Brought to you by Amazon, explore the stories of small business owners as they navigate their path to success!

Tired of trading time for money at your 9 to 5 job? Looking for a way to make passive income with minimal startup costs and overhead? Then starting a vending machine business may be perfect for you. The vending machine industry was valued at $42 billion last year and is expected to grow at 8.1% from 2024 to 2030. Profitable vending machines are everywhere — offices, apartment buildings, gyms, airports. Wherever people gather, there’s an opportunity to provide convenient access to snacks, drinks, and other bestselling impulse-buy items. And it’s a great market to get into because it’s extremely fragmented, with vast potential for growth. No national player owns more than 5% market share. In this episode, you’ll learn: How the vending machine business model works The step-by-step process to go from zero to $1,000+ in monthly passive income Finding ideal locations and signing contracts Buying used machines vs leasing new ones Stocking, restocking, and maintenance procedures Risks to watch out for and mitigation tactics Full Show Notes: Vending Machines: The Path to Your First Passive Profits New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: US Bank — Get a 75,000-point sign-up bonus with the US Bank Business Altitude Power World Elite Mastercard, and earn 2X points on everything you buy for your business. Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Airbnb - Start an Airbnb business and earn money as an Airbnb Host! This is Small Business Podcast - Brought to you by Amazon, explore the stories of small business owners as they navigate their path to success!

What's one small change you could make right now to instantly improve your life? I'm talking about tweaks that are completely within your control—minor upgrades that deliver outsized returns on your happiness. Today we're talking 21 little life upgrades—small purchases, shifts, and habits you can adopt this year to improve your life. I'll be sprinkling in some of my own tweaks throughout, but we've also got a ton of suggestions from the Side Hustle Nation community on everything from work hacks to health habits to home upgrades. We actually did a whole previous episode on life upgrades back in 2020, Episode 418, with a completely different set of upgrades and tricks. I definitely encourage you to check that one out as well for even more upgrade inspiration! I guarantee you'll find at least one new idea to try out here. Full Show Notes: 21 Little Life Upgrades for 2024 New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: US Bank — Get a 75,000-point sign-up bonus with the US Bank Business Altitude Power World Elite Mastercard, and earn 2X points on everything you buy for your business. Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! The Science of Scaling Podcast — A framework to help guide entrepreneurs through the scaling process! This is Small Business — Pulls back the curtain on pivotal moments in the journey to success for small business owners!

Three years ago Design Pickle didn't exist. It wasn't even an idea in founder Russ Perry's head yet. That's why it seems crazy to me that today the unlimited graphic design service is doing $400k in monthly recurring revenue! Back in 2014, Russ was running a creative agency, but he started to hate everything about it. “I felt like I was in a prison of my own creation,” he said. By January 2015, he'd shut down his agency and started working as a freelancer. Not wanting to build a similar prison again, he sought out a different business model -- one with a simpler service offering that was designed to scale. From taking on a friend as his first client to now completing more than 800 design jobs a day, it’s been an incredibly quick ascension and a great example of how to scale a service business. Tune in to hear how Russ grew his business from zero to $410k+ in monthly recurring revenue in less than 3 years. We cover his marketing strategies, his hiring best practices, and what Design Pickle does to keep customers coming back month after month. Full Show Notes: Scaling Up a Service Business: From Idea to $400k in Monthly Recurring Revenue (in Under 3 Years) New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Squarespace - Start building your professional website today! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! My First Million — Explore new business ideas based on trends and opportunities in the market!

Miao Rios was listening to the Side Hustle Show episode “Rank and Rent” with Luke Van Der Veer about creating niche websites to rank them on Google, then renting out the leads to local service businesses. She decided to give it a try, and just 3 months after creating her first site, she got an unexpected call. It was from the Ministry of Education in New Zealand, inviting her new website business to bid on a large demolition project for a local school. Despite having no actual demolition capabilities, Miao took a chance responding to the tender. She partnered with a qualified local contractor, got help polishing up the bidding documents, and ended up winning the $5,000 job! In this episode, you’ll learn how Miao of blackbirdseo.com builds and ranks her sites to earn $1000-$1500 per month passively. More importantly, you’ll get a blueprint to find profitable niches and service providers to create your own side income stream. Tune in to Episode 597 of the Side Hustle Show to learn about: Finding profitable niches and locations Building out niche sites to rank locally Getting high-quality leads Partnering with reliable service contractors Full Show Notes: Website Rentals: The simple local websites that earn $1000/mo each Free Listener Bonus: 50+ Rank and Rent Niches New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: US Bank — Get a 75,000-point sign-up bonus with the US Bank Business Altitude Power World Elite Mastercard, and earn 2X points on everything you buy for your business. Notion – Try Notion AI for free! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!

You may remember the story Jacques Hopkins first shared on the Side Hustle Show in 2017 about his online piano course. Over the past decade, he systematically scaled Piano in 21 Days, into a powerhouse brand that generated over $4 million in sales. Now in 2024, I connected with Jacques again to get an update on his current projects and perspective looking back on his entrepreneurial wins and lessons learned over the past years. Like all savvy business owners, his approach and focus has evolved quite a bit during that timeframe. Tune in to Episode 596 of the Side Hustle Show to learn: Jacques' online piano course business after 11 years and over $4 million in sales Elements of building a successful online course business How Jacques' passion has shifted after doing this side hustle for over a decade What Jacques is focused on next with his coaching program and podcast Full Show Notes: An Online Course Business Turns 10: Lessons from $4M in Online Piano Course Sales New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Squarespace - Start building your professional website today! Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! The Hustle Daily Show - Your daily news podcast about irreverent and informative takes on business & tech!

What if I told you that you could launch a million-dollar business this weekend? Sounds crazy, right? I recently had the pleasure of having Noah Kagan back on the Side Hustle Show podcast. You might remember him from Episode 237 about brainstorming and validating business ideas. Noah is a serial entrepreneur and founder of AppSumo, The Noah Kagan Youtube channel, Noah Kagan Presents podcast, and several other successful ventures. He recently launched a new book called Million Dollar Weekend: The Surprisingly Simple Way to Launch a 7-Figure Business in 48 Hours. Throughout our conversation, we brainstormed numerous side hustle business ideas that listeners could pursue this year. Noah also shared his insights on idea validation, launching quickly, and much more. Tune in to Episode 595 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How to quickly validate and launch a side hustle idea Multiple promising side hustle concepts to pursue in 2024 The importance of pre-selling a product idea before building it Why services businesses make for promising first side hustles Actionable tips for overcoming "analysis paralysis" and launching faster Full Show Notes: The Million Dollar Weekend / Business Idea Giveaway Show New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: US Bank — Get a 75,000 sign-up bonus with the US Bank Business Altitude Power World Elite Mastercard, and earn 2X points on everything you buy for your business. Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! HubSpot — Connect your data, teams, and customers on one customer platform that grows with your business.

Making an extra $100 a day through side hustles might seem out of reach for many people. So how did one side hustler earn over $10,000 in just 100 days? Jaclyn "Jackie" Mitchell (@jaclynmitchell) set out to save for a down payment on a house by breaking a big goal into bite-sized daily targets. By earning $100 every day over 100 days, she ended up netting a total of $10,972. How’d she do it while working a full-time job? By relentlessly testing quick-hitting side hustles, working in public to hold herself accountable, and opening herself up to unexpected income from building an audience. Tune in to Episode 594 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: how to break down big goals into small, daily actions how to leverage communities for advice and accountability. how to look for passive income opportunities how consistency compounds over time Full Show Notes: The $100/day for 100 Days Challenge New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Notion – Try Notion AI for free! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! Squarespace - Start building your professional website today!

As the author of more than 70 books, Steve “S.J.” Scott is one of the most productive and disciplined people I know. His latest title, Habit Stacking, became a Wall Street Journal Bestseller and served as the inspiration for this episode. (Long-time listeners might remember Steve from WAY back in the archives; he was my guest in episode 9 where we discussed how to earn money as a side hustling author.) This time though we’re diving into a few of the habits that allow Steve to continually drive his business forward, and lead a healthier and happier life. Plus, you’ll learn why we think they’re important and how you can apply them in your own life. The 10 habits we cover are: Tracking your time Reviewing your goals daily Writing down the tasks you got done Fixing your “broken windows” Wearing a step-tracking device Keeping a food diary Researching one side hustle Breaking down a big project into actionable steps Following an evening shutdown routine Practicing mindfulness As you can see, they’re not all directly business-related, but most take 5 minutes or less and are designed to increase your productivity, reduce stress, prioritize your workload, and help you find a healthy work-life balance. Tune in to hear how Steve and I incorporate these habits into our daily routines (or plan to, in my case). Full Show Notes: 10 Foundational Hustle Habits to Improve Your Health, Wealth, and Happiness New to the Show? Grab your personalized playlist here! Sponsors: Entrepreneur Franchise 500 - Check out the list of the Top 500 Franchicses to own! Factor — Get 50% off America’s #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!

Have you ever done a juice cleanse or a "Whole30" challenge? While I haven't ever gone to that extreme, I DO always feel better physically and mentally after even just a few days of clean eating. So if a quick "cleanse" can work for our health, why not try it with our money? To dive deeper into this, I'm joined by Rachel Jimenez from Money Hacking Mama, one of the most popular Side Hustle Show guests of all time. Her episode on selling printables on Etsy has been downloaded almost 90,000 times. Ready for the cleanse? Let's do it! Full Show Notes: The 30 Day Money Cleanse: A Step-by-Step Detox Program for Your Financial Health Free Listener Bonus: Download the Printable Money Cleanse Checklist. New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Squarespace - Start building your professional website today! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50!

When school teacher Claire McCann turned a $65 used table set into $300, she discovered a profitable new side hustle model. Intrigued by the potential to multiply her money by flipping furniture, Claire set out to hone her skills and scale the venture up. Just 15 months later, Claire has earned over $35,000 in profits from furniture flipping using Facebook Marketplace and other digital platforms. Now she spreads her hard-won knowledge so others can succeed too through her The Furniture Flip brand. Tune in to Episode 592 of the Side Hustle Show to learn: Where to source profitable secondhand furniture pieces online for low buy prices Strategies to customize your outreach messages and listings so your deals stand out Which furniture styles and brands yield top resale prices? The economics behind leveraging movers and staging help to scale Best practices to avoid prevalent marketplace scams and fraudsters Full Show Notes: How One Side Hustler Turned $65 into $25k in 12 Months New to the show? Grab your personalized playlist here! Sponsors: Notion – Try Notion AI for free! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50!

We've had hundreds of inspiring side hustle stories on the show this past year, but a few really stood out from the pack. In this week's roundup episode, I'll be counting down the 10 best side hustles of 2023. To make it super easy to revisit any episode, I put together a Side Hustle Show "Best Side Hustles of 2023" playlist on Spotify with quick access to all the audio. Get ready to have your side hustle dreams ignited as we reveal the year's top ideas and strategies for earning outside of the conventional 9 to 5. The only question is - which one will you put into action this year? Let's dive in! Full Show Notes: The 10 Best Side Hustles of 2023 New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Masterclass — Get 15% off an annual membership! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! Gusto – Get 3 months free when you run your first payroll!

Have you ever woken up one day feeling trapped in a career you used to love? The stability of a steady paycheck no longer worth the daily dread of unfulfilling work? Did you suddenly want a career change? I’m talking staring-at-the-ceiling-all-night type misery. Alex Warneke knows exactly how this feels. She found herself creatively stifled and financially limited working as a marine ecologist and park ranger. While loving the subject matter, restrictions around income growth, adventure, and location independence nagged her. She couldn't shake the feeling that her current path just wouldn't get her to the life she envisioned. Despite no prior experience, Alex strategically skilled up and gained Salesforce credentials to increase her income potential dramatically. Her story offers an inspirational template for others looking to pursue more career flexibility. Tune in to Episode 590 of the Side Hustle Show to learn: How Alex was able to increase her earning potential by changing careers The process Alex took to learn Salesforce through the Talent Stacker program What a typical day in the life looks like working as a Salesforce administrator and consultant Common mistakes to avoid on your journey to career change and advancement Full Show Notes: The Most Overlooked Way to Make More Money? Is a Salesforce Career Right for You? Join the Free 5-Day Salesforce Challenge to find out. New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Monarch Money — Get an extended 30-day free trial of the top-rated personal finance app.  Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50!

Stacy Caprio was desperate to leave her day job. She ended up doing just that after acquiring – and improving – a portfolio of mini online businesses. In her case, these were websites that make money from advertising. Now, this asset class can be risky, and Stacy is open about her early failures. But if you have some online skills, (or management skills to bring people in if you don’t want to run the site yourself) this can be a fast-track to the cash flow you need to fund your lifestyle. Since websites often sell for 20x monthly earnings, they’re perhaps 10-15x “cheaper” than if you were to rely solely on traditional investments and a 4% withdrawal rate. Sound like the kind of investment that suits your lifestyle? Tune in to episode 323 to hear where Stacy finds these businesses to buy, her unique filtering criteria, and a few quick ways she’s been able to accelerate the cash flow of her portfolio for even better returns. Full Show Notes: How to Replace Your Salary by Buying Mini Businesses New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Gusto – Get 3 months free when you run your first payroll! Factor — Get 50% off America’s #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! Kababi — Start your 30-day free trial today!

Lou Rice was breastfeeding her son Archie one night when disaster struck—she dropped her Kindle on his head! While that experience was upsetting for both of them at the moment, it sparked an idea for Lou and her husband Ben to create a solution. Ben fashioned a silicone strap with staples to attach Lou's Kindle to her hand and prevent any future dropping incidents. Lou tested it out over the next month and absolutely loved having the grip and security of the strap for comfortable one-handed reading during those long middle-of-the-night feeds. And thus, their side hustle, strapsicle.com was born—a company now generating over $50k a month selling their innovative Kindle straps. Not only that, but Strapsicle is on pace for its first-ever 6 figures after recently going viral on TikTok and Instagram. Tune in to Episode 589 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How an accident sparked a successful product idea Why micro-influencers were key for visibility How early demand was validated before production How diversified sales channels have inherent strengths Full Show Notes: 589: How a Simple Idea Turned Into a $50k a Month Side Hustle New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Ladder – Get instantly approved for term life insurance—no doctors, no needles, no paperwork! Masterclass — Get 15% off an annual membership! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50!

Making money in real estate typically requires owning the property, right? Coming up with a large down payment, securing financing, dealing with tenants, handling maintenance and repairs. The barriers to entry aren’t exactly low. But what if you could skip all that and still bring in serious cash flow by renting out apartments and homes without buying them? When Richie Matthews and his wife were looking to supplement their seasonal events business in late 2019, rental arbitrage seemed like an ideal side hustle. Little did they know that just a few months later, that tiny side hustle would quickly scale into a business managing 60 units and generating over $2.5 million in revenue and $700k in profits. He now runs his company, iStayUSA.com. Tune in to Ep 588 of The Side Hustle Show to: Test unfamiliar models with tiny experiments before going “all in” Stay nimble and embrace opportunities, even in uncertainty Build scalable systems and processes early on Diversify marketing channels and revenue streams Focus on profitability metrics rather than solely revenue growth Full Show Notes: Rental Arbitrage: $700k Renting Out Other People's Properties Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

It’s that time of year again—Thanksgiving! For the past years, I’ve celebrated the holiday with an annual roundup of some of the most creative, outside-the-box side hustle ideas and stories that have come across my desk. These unique money-making side hustles stand out not just for their ingenuity but for the impressive income generated by ordinary people putting their skills, passions, and sheer determination to work. This is the 6th installment of the series, so I encourage you to go check out the other episodes if you like this format: 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 1 – 2018 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 2 – 2019 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 3 – 2020 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 4 – 2021 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 5 - 2022 This year’s list features an awesome mix of unconventional side hustles spanning cleaning, gardening, rentals, social media, and more. Each profile contains key stats, actionable ideas, and an inside look you won’t find anywhere else! Full Show Notes: 10 Creative Side Hustles that Make Real Money - Part 6 Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Gusto - Hire, pay, and manage your team all in one place!

Can you really get paid to be curious? When Harry Duran launched the Vertical Farming Podcast in 2020, he had zero experience or connections in the industry — he just wanted to learn more about vertical farming. Yet through strategic partnerships and consistency, he has established himself as a leading voice in this emerging space. Fast forward just over three years later, the show generates over $80,000 in annual revenue. Harry is now seen as a leading authority in the space. His show generates thousands in sponsorship revenue from companies eager to get in front of this highly targeted audience. Tune into episode 586 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: What made him interested in vertical farming Tactics for landing high-profile guests Creative approaches to securing sponsors Strategies for expanding into a media network And much more Full Show Notes: Monetize Your Curiosity: How a Part-Time Podcast Generated $80k in Revenue Listener Bonus: 20 Hobby Niches to Build a Side Hustle Around Free Bonus: Your Podcast Starter Kit Sponsors: Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Masterclass — Get 15% off an annual membership! Gusto - Get 3 months free the leading payroll, benefits, and HR platform for small businesses!

We've got another round of 20 Questions from Side Hustle Nation listeners on the agenda today! I always enjoy tapping into your collective experience and the challenge of providing helpful answers off the cuff. As is customary on these episodes, I’ve filtered through a stack of questions from the Side Hustle Nation community over the past few months. Though we usually hit 20, this time around we've got 18 questions to explore. This is the 15th installment of this series, making it probably the longest-running series in the Side Hustle Show's history, so feel free to check out the older ones: 556: Pricing, Podcasting, Permission to Quit, and More: 20 Questions with Nick 498: Profitable Podcasting, Getting Clients, and $50k/mo in Passive Income: 20 Questions with Nick 451: Affiliate Marketing, Early Retirement, and Side Hustle Shifts Over 8 Years of Podcasting: 20 Questions with Nick 431: Fear of Selling, Protecting Ideas, Podcasting and More 412: Side Hustle Ethics, Charging Your Friends, the Side Hustles I’m Most Excited About, and More 365: Market Saturation, Mind Mapping, Miracle Mornings, and More 346: The Con of the Side Hustle, Beanie Babies, Affiliate Marketing, and More 320: Multiplying Money, Morning Routines, and $100k Side Hustles 291: Email, Ebooks, Platforms, and Conferences 271: Brilliant Blogging, Ruthless Productivity, and Guaranteed Success 245: Network Marketing, Imposter Syndrome, My Side Hustle Mistakes, and More 219: Growing Traffic, Monetization, List-Building, a Day in the Life, and More 198: Blogging, Branding, Book Writing, and Finding the Right Side Hustle for You 181: SEO, Affiliate Marketing, Self-Publishing, Udemy, and More Topics covered include podcast advertising, SEO resources, deciding which side hustle to focus on, and much more. You'll hear me reflect on getting sponsors for the show, recommend tools for affiliate marketing, give advice on turning a skill into a money-maker, and share what I've been reading lately. There's a little something for everyone in this episode, whether you're just getting started on your first venture or looking to take an existing business to the next level. Let's jump right into the questions! Full Show Notes: Giving Away Ideas, Getting Great Guests, Growing Your Business, and More: 20 Questions With Nick New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Kajabi — Start your 30-day free trial today! Ladder – Get instantly approved for term life insurance—no doctors, no needles, no paperwork! BetterHelp — Get 10% off your first month!

A location-independent consulting business that replaces your day job income in a matter of months? That's what Paul Minors achieved with his virtual software consulting side hustle. You might recognize Paul’s name. Paul is a productivity blogger and consultant from New Zealand. He was part of a fun productivity roundtable episode we did towards the end of 2016 -- that was episode 197 if you want to go back and check it out. At that time, Paul was putting the wheels in motion on his consulting business centered around specific software tools. If you can hitch your cart to a rising tide of interest in a particular tool, and become the go-to expert in that space, you can do really well. Paul was able to leave his day job within a couple of months of starting his business. He was then able to go traveling with his wife for 6-months while working 15-20 hours a week from his laptop. After arriving back home, he started working full-time on his consulting business. “I noticed the impact of that straight away, within a couple of months I had doubled my income,” Paul told me. It's clear Paul has figured out this business model. This episode is packed with ideas you might be able to apply to your own areas of expertise. Maybe you’ll even uncover some areas of expertise you never really considered that special before. Tune in to episode 344 hear: How Paul came across the idea of offering his first consulting services “by accident.” The several different marketing channels that drive targeted traffic to his website How he’s added more products and services to his portfolio Full Show Notes: Virtual Consulting: How to Start a Location-Independent Consulting Business New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

It's one thing to teach a toddler to read; it's another entirely to transform that skill into a 7-figure business. Spencer Russell built Toddlers Can Read from the ground up and achieved tremendous success in just 2 years. Despite early setbacks with initial sales, he adapted by refining the course experience and struck gold with viral content on TikTok. As Spencer innovates, scales, and plans a rebranding, he remains deeply committed to his mission—helping children everywhere unlock their reading potential. Explore his strategies, learn from his experiences, and discover why he believes in giving your side hustle full-time energy. Tune into episode 584 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How Spencer Russell found his niche in early childhood education Strategies for delivering value and engaging customers Leveraging social media for business growth Expanding reach through blogging and paid advertising Full Show Notes: Building a 7-Figure Online Business in Just 2 years New to the Show? Get your personalized Side Hustle Show playlist Sponsor: BetterHelp — Get 10% off your first month!

David Paxton earns $1000s a month sharing the best golf gear deals on the Internet. And unlike most affiliate businesses, he didn't wait around in the Google sandbox waiting for SEO to take hold. In fact, he made $2000 in his first month! Tune in to the interview to learn how he: sources the deals gets the word out monetizes the business Could you borrow the idea in your own niche? Full Show Notes: $1000s a Month Sharing the Best Deals in Your Niche Your Listener Bonus: 20 Hobby Niches To Create A Promotional Business Sponsors: Masterclass — Get 15% off an annual membership! BetterHelp — Get 10% off your first month! Kababi — Start your 30-day free trial today!

Becky Beach’s side hustle journey began like many others—with an unhealthy relationship at a day job. After being fired from her toxic work environment, Becky was inspired to start her own business. She launched the blog MomBeach.com in 2015, but it took 6 long years of blood, sweat, and tears before it became a full-time income source. When COVID-19 struck, Becky's blog exploded from 20,000 pageviews a month to over 250,000. Riding the growth, she took the leap into full-time blogging and digital product creation. Just two years later, Becky now earns $30,000 a month, largely from digital product sales. She sells printables, courses, planners, workbooks, and more through her website, Etsy store, and TeachersPayTeachers. Tune into Ep 582 of The Side Hustle Show to learn how to: Build an audience and digital products around problems you can solve Research demand thoroughly before creating any product Funnel free content into paid digital product purchases Drive consistent traffic to maximize your sales funnel potential Full Show Notes: How to Use AI to Create Digital Products: $30k a Month New to the Show? Get your personalized Side Hustle Show playlist! Sponsors: Ladder – Get instantly approved for term life insurance—no doctors, no needles, no paperwork! Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post!

What if you could make your rent or mortgage payment go away? Or, what if instead of paying that expense every month, your living situation actually paid you? It’s not as far-fetched as it may sound. In fact, that’s exactly what today’s guest, Craig Curelop, has done by intentionally "house hacking" over the past few years. He’s even written a book on the topic, and it's one I wish I’d had when I was 18 or 19! I would have definitely done some things differently. The basic idea is to use other people’s rents to offset, or even profit from your own housing costs. On top of that, you'll begin building wealth through real estate and earn tax benefits as well. If you have a spare room or two in your home, or you're interested in house hacking, this episode is going to get the gears turning for you. Tune in as Craig runs through some examples of how you can do this. Whether you’re a young professional, or you have a family of your own, you can offset some or all of your mortgage payments. But keep in mind, this isn’t a common path -- this is living for a period of time like others won’t -- as you’ll hear from Craig’s story. Full Show Notes: House Hacking 101: Live Free and Turn Your Biggest Expense into a Profit Center

Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff had a problem. As young professionals working busy day jobs, they struggled with skincare issues like acne and eczema but couldn’t find products that worked for them. Rather than accept their fate, these best friends decided to take matters into their own hands. They dreamed of creating the “Nike of skincare” — a brand built specifically for active males like themselves. In 2019, Ben and Kevin finally decided to scratch their entrepreneurial itch and turn this passion project into a side hustle reality. Little did they know their bootstrapped men’s skincare line YoPrettyBoy.com would generate over $1 million in annual revenue just a few years later. Tune into Episode 581 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How Kevin and Ben validated the market opportunity for PrettyBoy The extensive research and preparations that went into formulating and launching their products Clever branding and positioning strategies to stand out in a crowded market Traction tactics to efficiently acquire customers and drive repeat sales Key operational areas like manufacturing, fulfillment, and inventory management Full Show Notes: Bootstrapping a $1M Direct to Consumer E-Commerce Brand as a Side Hustle

I’ve got a couple Plug and Play Side Hustles for you today that are quick and easy to start. In the first side hustle, we dive into mattress flipping through Sharetown. Find out how it works, what you need to get started, and how much you can expect to make. For the full details, check out: Sharetown Review: Inside the Mattress Pickup and Resale Side Hustle For our second side hustle, we talk with a veteran mystery shopper. Get the details on how to get started, how to avoid scams, and the best companies to work for.  For the full details, check out: How to Become a Mystery Shopper: 10 Best Companies (2023)

Making extra money on the side often requires finding ways to create leverage. Leverage means getting paid multiple times for work you only have to do once, and making money without having to actively do the work yourself. One side hustler who has cracked the code on leveraged profits is Steve Slagle. By day, Steve works construction jobs. But outside of his 9 to 5, he now earns over $2500 a month from Beachside Ice, his ice vending machine business. In this episode, Steve takes us through the world of vending machine location negotiations, landowner compensation, and the importance of maintaining positive relations. We explore the finer details of partnering with manufacturers, securing permits, and overseeing installation and delivery. Tune into Episode 579 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: Ideal locations for steady demand with ice vending machines Financing options for starting an ice vending operation Local customer promotion with grassroots marketing Maximizing profits through maintenance strategies Scaling ice vending for semi-passive income Full Show Notes: Ice Vending: $2500/Month in (almost) Passive Profits

What are the quick, simple, and maybe a little “weird” productivity tricks entrepreneurs use to get more done? Well, I’m always curious about that myself so I decided to ask 26 of my most productive and successful friends for the “hacks” and tools they use every day. (And I added in one of my own to round out the list.) This episode was a ton of fun to put together and I owe a huge thank you to everyone who participated! I know I learned of a few new tools to try and I’m sure you will to. If you like this style of show, you might consider checking out last year’s round-up episode as well, which asked 25 people how they made their first side hustle or business income. You can see the participants and the approximate timestamps of their advice below. Enjoy! Full Show Notes: 27 "Weird" Productivity Hacks You Can Try Today

Starting a side hustle is all about finding new ways to make extra money outside of your regular 9-5 job. And in today’s digital world, there are two primary paths people take — starting a local business or building an online business from your computer. But which strategy should you pursue to start earning real income as a side hustler? That’s the discussion in which Nick Huber, co-founder of Storage Squad and host of The Sweaty Startup podcast, and Miles Beckler, an online business expert, share their perspectives on both approaches. Tune into episode 578 of The Side Hustle Show to learn how to: Leverage your existing skills and interests Identify underserved needs to fill Commit for the long haul Delegate extensively Provide real value to others Full Show Notes: Side Hustle Showdown: Sweaty Startups vs. Laptop Lifestyle

Starting an online tutoring business while juggling nursing school and 6 kids sounds daunting. As a nursing student struggling to keep up with her coursework, Nicole discovered a passion for helping fellow students learn difficult concepts and develop effective study skills. This launched her on an incredible 10-year-long journey - from tutoring classmates to building a thriving online membership site, YourNursingTutor. How'd she pull it off while raising 6 kids? In this episode, we'll hear Nicole's story of pivoting from an online course to a membership model and achieving recurring revenue. Tune into episode 577 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How Nicole revived her business after a Google algorithm collapse Pivoting from an online course to membership model Creative tactics to attract audience and drive sales How Nicole optimized her offers and funnel for maximum value How TikTok helped Nicole gain 80K+ followers fast Full Show Notes: Scaling an Online Business for Recurring Revenue: From Course to Membership Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

Growing an engaged audience is crucial but challenging when starting a podcast or online business. Chris Hutchins started the All the Hacks podcast in May 2021. Today, he reaches over 250,000 downloads per month and has released over 120+ episodes optimizing life, money, and travel and built other content to help listeners upgrade their lives. In this episode, we'll take a deep dive into Chris's approach to growing his audience quickly and how you can apply similar tactics in your own business or side hustle. Tune into episode 576 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How Chris gained traction in the podcasting space Clever marketing tactics to grow your audience Ideas for turning listeners into paying customers Key mindsets for podcasting success Chris's #1 tip for side hustlers this year Full Show Notes: Audience Growth Hacks w/ a Multi 6-Figure Creator

I hope you're having an awesome start to your year so far. The first half of 2023 has been filled with exciting new projects, experiments, wins, challenges, and everything in between for Side Hustle Nation. In this progress report, I want to give you an inside look behind the scenes at what I've been working on so far this year. The goal is to provide a transparent view into running this side hustle that's now over 10 years old. There's been some new habit installations, email marketing tests, product launches, podcast experiments, website updates, and more. I'll share what's going well, what's still a work in progress, and what's on the horizon for the rest of 2023 and beyond. Full Show Notes: 3 Questions, a $10k Launch, and 8,516 Warners: My 2023 Mid-Year Progress Report  

Imagine going from having no business ideas and no money, to making your first sales in 2 weeks. It’s not a far-fetched goal according to this week’s guest. Alan Donegan from PopUpBusinessSchool.co.uk specializes in guiding people through this transformation, and he says that everyone has a profitable business idea in their heads – and he knows how to find it. He does this through in-person workshops that are free to attend by forming partnerships with government bodies in cities across the UK, and he’s bringing his workshops to the US soon. Alan is adamant about bootstrapping and not taking on a load of debt to start a business because he saw his family go through a multi-million dollar bankruptcy and doesn’t want anyone else to have to experience the same fate. He preaches starting a business around a passion or something that excites you. Because running a business you’re passionate about sets you apart from the competition and makes the process so much easier. He shares how he teaches his students to pre-sell and validate their side hustle ideas before putting down cash for stock that might end up collecting dust in the garage. Alan also shares how he practiced what he preaches when he sold his first PopUpBusiness workshop to a housing authority in the UK. He ended up selling his highest priced package right out of the gate, and his business has been gaining momentum ever since. Tune in to hear how Alan pulls business ideas out of people who don’t think they have any, how he has his students quickly and cheaply validate those ideas, and what makes for a successful pitch. Full Show Notes: How to Start a Business You Care About — With No Business Ideas and No Money Get your personalized money-making playlist here!  

Who would have ever thought that cheese boards could earn you $1M? When we first met Monisha Misra, she had grown her charcuterie board side hustle, BoardsbyMo, to over $100k in revenue in less than a year. Fast forward to today, BoardsbyMo generates over $1 million in lifetime revenue, and Monisha now runs the business full-time with a team of 7 employees. In this "Where are they now?" episode, Monisha catches us up on the rapid growth and evolution of charcuterie board company BoardsbyMo over the past few years. Tune into this episode 574 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How Monisha leveraged Instagram and social media to build an audience for her charcuterie board business Strategies she used to land press features and local awards Ways she diversified her offerings into workshops, classes, and corporate gifting Why excellent customer service was key to her success How you can turn your own creative passion into a lucrative business Full Show Notes: How I Grew to $1M in All-Time Revenue, Starting as a Side Hustle Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

What if your passion project could transform into a full-time income source in just a few short years? Turning a blog into a lucrative business takes time, effort, and know-how. But by consistently publishing high-quality content, building backlinks, and monetizing through ads and affiliate offers, you can tap into income streams in your niche. That's exactly what Shelley Marmor did when she started her travel blog on a whim. The former corporate worker and travel magazine editor turned her websites, Travel Mexico Solo and Travel Blogging 101, into a thriving online business. Today, Shelley's ventures generate over $50k monthly in revenue. She now manages a team to handle the day-to-day operations of the sites. Tune in to this Side Hustle Show interview to learn: Step-by-step process for building authority and ranking your content How to monetize through affiliate links, ads, email marketing, and digital products Tips for outsourcing writing and editing tasks to scale the business Why you should niche down and "cut the line" with micro-sites Full Show Notes: How I Grew My Hobby Travel Blogs to $50K Months in Just 3 Years Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

Summer is a great time to start a side hustle and make extra money. The question is, which summer side hustles would be best for you? Check out the list below to spark some ideas and inspiration! I selected these based on: Interviewing over 500 side hustlers and entrepreneurs 15+ years of my own side hustle experience Full Show Notes: 15 Sizzlin’ Summer Side Hustles New to the show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

You’ve heard about building time-leveraged income streams. But what if you could instead insert yourself into an income stream that’s already happening? That’s exactly what Hannah Ingram did at the ripe old age of 22. A real estate agent by day, she bought a cash-flowing car wash with seller financing and no money out of pocket. Today, Hannah’s business generates thousands of dollars in profit every month, all for just a few hours of work every week. Tune in to this Side Hustle Show interview to learn: How to go shopping for cash flow near you what Hannah has done to improve the business after she took over how much work is actually required Full Show Notes: How One Side Hustler Bought Herself a $5k a month Income Stream -— with no Money Down New to the show? Grab your personalized playlist here!

John Logar is the king of pre-selling software. As one of The Foundation’s top students, he’s broken all their records and even broken the mold on some of the methods they teach. In fact, he sold $120k worth of software within his first 6 months of joining the program. Since he was already a consultant, doing idea extraction and finding pain points for businesses was second nature. He just knew nothing about software before so just added a new weapon to his arsenal. (Without learning how to program.) He’s a natural born salesman if there ever was one. On this call we get into just one of his pre-sales successes, but they follow a similar pattern: identifying an expensive pain, and solving it with software. It’ll definitely get your gears turning! Full Show Notes: $120K in Pre-Sales in 6 Months With No List

How can you turn what you already know into an online income stream? Or better yet, a recurring online income stream? Long-time Side Hustle Show listener Steven Foust is a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) and Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) who recently left his corporate executive position to pursue his online side hustles full-time. His primary side hustle is NCOonFire.com, where he helps army soldiers get promoted faster and earns $14k a month in the process. Tune in to this Side Hustle Show interview to hear: How Steven came up with the idea the marketing and sales tactics that are working today how to give yourself a raise every month Full Show Notes: How I Built a 6-Figure Online Business, Starting as a Side Hustle New to the show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

Pallet flipping is a popular "buy low, sell high" side hustle. When you return a product to Costco, Amazon, or Walmart, it doesn’t always go back to the shelves. In most cases, that product ends up at a local liquidator that resells it to side hustlers, who then flip it for profit. Jamie McAuley has been doing just that for the past few years, and he’s earned over $25k in profit in the process. Jamie is one half of the dynamic duo behind the Jamie and Sarah YouTube channel, where they cover all things return pallets, furniture flipping, and more. Tune in to this Side Hustle Show interview to learn: The ins and outs of the pallet flipping game how to avoid scams Jamie’s tips on how to make pallet flipping worthwhile for you Full Show Notes: Pallet Flipping: How We Made $25k Flipping Liquidation Pallets Listener Bonus: The Best Items to Flip for a Profit

Starting a recruiting business can be a lucrative side hustle, especially if you love playing matchmaker. Jon Chintanaroad knows the recruiting business inside and out, having worked for staffing agencies before starting and selling his own recruiting business. Today, he helps hundreds of other people start and expand their own profitable recruiting businesses at Recruiting Accelerator. Tune in to episode 568 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: Jon’s best practices for acquiring new clients and finding candidates what he calls “stealth mode” how to set yourself up for success Full Show Notes: How to Start a Recruiting Business and Earn $10-20k Per Hire New to the show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

"To build income you can hustle, but to build wealth you need to build something that doesn’t require your hands." That's what this week's guest told me, and then walked me down an interesting path in building that elusive "hands-free" business. His angle? Product licensing. Product licensing is essentially selling your ideas to larger companies for a percentage of future sales. You don't have to worry about the design, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, or anything outside an initial pitch and perhaps a prototype. Stephen Key is a master of this and has been doing it decades. He's the author of One Simple Idea, the bestselling licensing book, and the founder of InventRight. In this conversation, Stephen shares how you can get started in product licensing without any big upfront investment, how to protect your intellectual property without a patent, and how to get big companies to take you seriously. Full Show Notes and Free Bonus: Turn Your Ideas into Recurring Revenue Get Your Personalized Side Hustle Show Playlist!

With a ton of ways for people to make money, Amazon is at the center of lots of side hustles these days. The innovative—if not controversial—Seattle company still has its core retail business, but has expanded in many different directions. For entrepreneurs, side hustlers, and everyone else looking to earn some extra cash, Amazon probably has an option for you. In fact, I have several Amazon-related income streams myself! It's the 4th most popular website in the country, and 13th most popular in the entire world. That means there's a huge volume of traffic--and buyers--visiting every day. Let's dive in and explore some of the many ways to make money on Amazon. Full Show Notes: 20 Ways to Make Money on Amazon

AI is rapidly revolutionizing the business landscape, offering a wide range of benefits from task automation to better customer service. Despite concerns about job displacement and ethical considerations, I’m curious to learn what tools are out there and how we can best use them to work smarter and drive better results. To help with that, I’ve crowdsourced some wisdom from Side Hustle Show listeners on how you’re using AI in your businesses, and you delivered big time. Stick around to hear creative suggestions on how you can boost your side hustle using AI tools or ignite a new income stream altogether. Ready? Let’s do it! Full Show Notes: 27 Ways to Use AI in Your Business

This week’s guest learned how to tap into the massive viewership of YouTube and make viral, cash-flowing videos on autopilot. Tony Lysandrides runs several YouTube channels, and what’s unique about his videos is he’s not on them. They’re faceless videos intentionally engineered for virality. Tony now brings in up to $14k a month in ad revenue from his videos. With a little practice and a little patience, there’s no reason you can’t do the same. Tune in to the Side Hustle Show interview to hear: Tony’s research process how he decides what videos to make the automated production process that keeps the publishing machine spinning Full Show Notes: YouTube Automation: Up to $14k a Month w/ Faceless Viral Videos

I love a good rental business: buy something once and get paid for it over and over again. It’s a cool model, and this week’s guest found a creative approach to it in the mobility scooter niche. Lenny Tim from LAMobilityScooterRentals.com is a serial side hustler and entrepreneur involved in the e-commerce and YouTube space. He built his scooter rental to $3k a month in his spare time. Tune in to the Side Hustle Show interview to hear how: Lenny discovered his niche found his first customers expanded his fleet and operations Full Show Notes and Bonus PDF: $3k a Month Renting Out Mobility Scooters Part-Time