Book Review: Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau - From Idea to Income in 27 Days. Build a Side Business and Make Extra Money Without Quitting Your Day Job

Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau

Chris Guillebeau is probably one of the most unassuming, down to Earth entrepreneurs, authors in the side hustle space. Somehow he manages to give practical advice through his books and Side Hustle School podcast without actually looking like he's trying to sell anything. So how is it I'm now reviewing a fourth book of his that I purchased? He's clearly doing something right.

I actually bought Chris' book, Side Hustle, quite some time ago but I've been so busy in my side hustles it's taken me a while to set time aside for reading.

These days if I don't schedule reading time and commit to it each day I just don't read actual books. So that's what I did. Cut down on my YouTube watching at breakfast by 30 minutes so I could read instead of watching videos.

Well worth it, without a doubt.

If you're like me, aware that you should also set time to work on your business rather than in your business, Chris' book, Side Hustle, can help you focus more ON your business.

The intention of Side Hustle is to help you brainstorm ideas for what may make a good side hustle for you, assess which of those ideas is most viable, and likely to make you some extra money in the shortest possible time. The whole process takes 27 days if you follow the book's schedule exactly.

It's not a guarantee your side hustle will work but it will give you a better idea of what side hustle is more likely to be profitable out of the ideas you've had.

In my case, I already have a number of side hustles on the go that I know all have potential. There's nothing I'm doing that I can't point to someone who is making money from that hustle. The problem is I work a little bit on all of them with no clear pathway to how I can be successful with any of them.

Each one I've made money with at various times, some of them very respectable 'side hustle' numbers but I tend to build myself jobs rather than a business. As an artist and graphic designer, freelancing is the easiest side hustle I can do but it's time for money. I want to get out of the 'selling time' business.

Where Chris' book proved most useful to me was the first 16 days which are basically the research and development stage. Day 17 onward is to launch your most promising idea stage.

As far as research and development goes the steps outlined in Side Hustle are really the bare minimum you need to do to assess a business idea while still getting a clear idea of what is likely to work and what isn't.

I would highly recommend keeping a notebook by your side (as I did) and actually doing the tasks as they come up. Most do not take long and they do really glean crucial information that can give you a clearer idea of what is likely to work.

I particularly got a lot of value from week two where you select your best idea from the side hustle selector chart - a chart where you rank your ideas, based on your notes from week one, on a number of indicators including; feasibility, persuasion, profit potential, efficiency, and motivation.

This exercise really helped me see which of my own side hustles I should be focusing on first in order to reach my own goal of developing income streams that are a little more passive and a little less 'time for money'.

Once I knew which of my hustles was most likely to meet my goals soonest I focused on that idea for the remaining eleven days of the book's schedule. Those eleven days are spent getting out there and actually doing your side hustle to earn your first dollar(s). While they're still critical steps mapping them to specific days is less crucial. Just don't skip them and then wonder why you're not making any money.

If you've heard the old adage 'Build it and they will come' the first half of Side Hustle is the building, the second half is making sure people know you've built it so they do come. It's not enough to just build it.

Presently I'm still working on my best Side Hustle idea from the work I did in this book. It's a bit of a long game where I'm trying to reach, what I know is a very modest goal of $1000 per month in passive income (anything over this is a bonus but I know $1000/month is doable in any one of my side hustles).

The book has also given me a pathway to follow regardless of whether my side hustle pans out or not. Either way I can move on to my next best idea because your second or even third ideas aren't necessarily bad they just weren't the top ranking ideas based on your research.

If you're someone who is constantly thinking about side hustles or you're constantly starting unsuccessful side hustles Chris' book is the least amount of planning you need to do without putting together an actual business plan, and still get useful and actionable information.

If you already have a side hustle, or a number of them, you'll still get a lot of valuable information and ideas that could help you focus your efforts better (it certainly has for me). Side Hustle is pretty much the bible for side hustlers who want some kind of plan that won't bog down their enthusiasm but will keep them from chasing rainbows.

Comments

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Guest Post: New Novel - Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 2 - The Outlaw's Return

A lmost a year ago I featured Go West Girl , Book 1 of author, Kit Mackenzie's Alias Jeannie Delaney series. Now, the next book in the series, Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 2 - The Outlaw's Return , is soon to be released in August, and is available for pre-order on Amazon. If you love a powerful female lead in a traditional western packed with action and adventure, this is the novel for you. The story centers on Cowgirl Jeannie Morgan who grew up in Coyote Creek, Wyoming, where she became persecuted for her lethal gun and a sexuality that swings both ways. Tomboy beautiful and tough as the nails in a miner's boots, she is on the run with a bunch of boys who would die for her. Her snake strike gun, soul-slicing gaze and dangerous magnetism leaves a trail of intense emotions, killings and would-be death threats in her wake. Heading south, she finds herself becoming a legend. She's in deep trouble, but her home town demands her return and they pin a badge on her. It'

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

I'm Joining the Illuminati Brotherhood By Personal Invitation of Hiltom Rothschild... Wait, What?

How special am I to have finally come of age (53 years young) and am now eligible to participate in building the world alongside other members of the Illuminati Brotherhood... Yes I've received the call by way of an email, which I'm sure is real because I had to translate it from the Dutch language and it was personally written by Hiltom Rothschild, one of the non-existent members of the Rothschild family (or perhaps deep undercover because Google has never heard of them?). A Transcript of the email below: To: etourist From: Illuminati Brotherhood Subject: Illuminati Broederschap (Illuminati Brotherhood) I am Hiltom Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family, one of the 13 families of the Illuminati brotherhood. I'm here to let you know that you've come of age and are eligible to participate in building the 🌎 world. It is a calling and a privilege to honor him with pride and gratitude as not everyone will ever be chosen by the LIGHT, many are called but few are ch

Robot Uprising Update: Robot Waiter, Fasta Pasta, South Terrace, Adelaide CBD, South Australia

On the second evening of my partner, Enigma, and I's weekend stay in Adelaide we decided to have dinner at Fasta Pasta . Strangely enough our hotel staff, at the Alba, had not mentioned Fasta Pasta as an option for an evening meal while their restaurant is closed for refurbishment, even though it is literally next door on the corner of South Terrace and Pultney Street. You may be aware that Fasta Pasta is an upmarket Italian restaurant franchise with its beginnings in Adelaide. Currently they have 19 restaurants Australia wide (with the majority in South Australia - we even have one in Gawler, our home town). I've never had bad food at a Fasta Pasta, and their food never looks like a franchise meal. You always feel you're at a restaurant that's a little bit more quality than your typical hotel/motel meal. Maybe it's because you don't see as much pasta based meals on an Aussie pub menu. Despite the name, it's not all pasta. I went with a basic plate of fish a

Four Years into a Post Pandemic World and Secondary COVID-19 Might be a Thing?

Social distancing 2020 style. A fter not being too far from COVID-19, potentially patient zero in Australia back in 2020. Four years later my partner finally tested positive for the virus. Then I inevitably caught it as well. You might think, so what, but I'm honestly surprised we've lasted this long. My partner works at an aged care facility that has fought off numerous outbreaks over the years, and continues to do so. Workers at her facility take RAT tests daily so you know pretty quick if you test positive. Workers then have to isolate at home for at least seven days until they're clear. COVID-19 symptoms can vary in intensity and you may not get the full range (at least to my knowledge and experience). My partner seemed to get it fairly bad with tiredness, aching joints, loss of taste and smell, along with cold and flu like symptoms (sore throat, congestion etc). While we did try to social distance, keeping our distance, hand washing, and not sleeping in the same room

The First US Presidential Debate 2024 - America You're Standing In It

M ost of the time I get my fill of American political news from clips of The Daily Show , which I know many people accuse of being more political left leaning than balanced with its humour. As such it was my first port of call when looking for commentary on the recent, first US Presidential debate for 2024. I say first because I don't know if they'll do another one. I'd strongly advise they don't. Getting your news from a comedy show isn't ideal, even one as arguably intelligent as The Daily Show, because they're focussed on what can be laughed at, more than serious analysis. As such their coverage very well could be making both candidates look more foolish than they may actually be. As such I decided to watch the full replay of the debate so I could get more of a sense of who both candidates are and how they come across in, what should be, their ideal platform - debating the opposition. Before Donald Trump became President I was a fan. I watched every season o

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog