We all live by a set of unwritten "money rules."These guide the decisions we make on how we spend, save, earn, and invest.But are your rules really serving you?In this episode, we’re looking at 10 "unconventional" money rules. These are suggestions that hopefully spark some introspection and conversation.Because the "conventional" wisdom clearly isn't working for a whole lot of people!To help me talk through these is Rich Jones. He’s the host of the award-winning Paychecks and Balances podcast, which is all about helping you navigate your finances and career.Rich is a frequent speaker at both podcasting and personal finance events. More impressively, he’s done it all on the side from his day job.Tune in to hear why: your best side hustle might be your day job all dollars earned are not equal the “best” financial advice might not be right for you All that, and more "unconventional" financial wisdom coming at you!Full Show Notes: 10 Unconventional Money Rules

Build your email list!Get your first 100, 1,000, 10,000 subscribers.“The money’s in the list,” right?That's the chorus of advice you hear from all the marketing experts.But what do you send someone after they join your list?That’s what we’re diving into in this episode with Daniel Throssell of PersuasivePage.com.Daniel is a copywriter and has been called “The best marketer in Australia” by a prominent client of his.His journey started as a side hustle while working 12-hour shifts as an electrical engineer. Daniel started using any spare time he had and a special way of writing proposals - and landed high paying jobs from week 1.It wasn’t long before he was charging $200/hr and up, working with the bestselling author in Australia, and he now has his own audience he writes emails to daily.Tune in to hear: how to come up with the best lead magnet for your target audience how to get people to sign up for your email list the 3 kinds of emails you’ll send after someone does sign up the 3-part email structure that can work in just about any niche Full Show Notes: Email Marketing Tips from Australia's Best Marketer

This week I’m excited to share a unique side hustle that’s turning hobbies into profits, through what I’m calling “local” e-commerce.This is a story of building a following for homemade or handmade products -- without shipping anything, without advertising, and without relying on 3rd party marketplaces like Amazon or Etsy for exposure.We’re going to explore this through the lens of So Here’s the Dough, a local cottage kitchen cookie operation run by a friend of mine here in Livermore, Jenn Fei.Jenn is an attorney and real estate broker by trade, but those professions have now become the side hustles to her thriving cookie business.Tune in to hear: when it's time to turn your hobby into a business how to grow a loyal and hungry (pun intended) following for your products how to consistently generate new product ideas other growth ideas for artisan products Full Show Notes: "Local" E-Commerce: Building a Following for Homemade Products

Create a design.Upload it to a store.Earn passive royalties whenever it sells.That’s the passive income dream, and that’s the premise behind the Merch by Amazon and print-on-demand side hustles.But does it really still work?To find out, I invited Michael Essek on to the Side Hustle Show.Michael has been designing and selling t-shirts online since 2013, and he’s seen how the market has changed over the years.For the past 4-5 years, Michael's earned $100,000+ licensing and selling his designs, so he has his finger on the pulse of what’s working right now.Tune in to hear: how you can get started selling merch online -- even if you don’t have design skills how to come up with product ideas -- without being a copycat some interesting ways to level up your merch business as a gateway to bigger opportunities Full Show Notes: Merch by Amazon and Print on Demand in 2020 and Beyond

We’re all dealt 24 hours a day. I believe how you spend that time, or maybe rather how you invest it, should give you some sort of return.That could be a monetary return, sure. But it could also be a return in personal satisfaction or impact on others.Today, I want to introduce a productivity framework I’m calling The Productivity Pyramid.Like most frameworks, it’s a work in progress, but here’s how it shapes up: Vision / Goals Projects Tasks Tools and Tactics Full Show Notes: The Productivity Pyramid: A Simple Framework to Make Real Progress

Starting a business doesn't have to be expensive -- in fact, low startup cost business ideas are everywhere.Just last week, Nate and Alysha Jackson explained how they started their Amazon retail arbitrage business with just $100 -- and had since grown to over $1 million in total sales.Inspired by their story, along with a couple of threads in the Side Hustle Nation Facebook group that asked for some real-life low startup cost business ideas, I put together this episode.Stick around to hear how several Side Hustle Nation members got their business off the ground on the cheap. In most cases, you don’t need outside capital to get started.Instead, my hope is you’ll use these stories as inspiration to start lean and start now.Full Show Notes: Low Startup Cost Business Ideas from Side Hustle Nation

“It was costing me money to go to my job,” Nate told me.That was just a year after Nate and Alysha Jackson started their Amazon FBA retail arbitrage business -- with just a $100 investment.Since then, the former public school teachers have sold over $1 million worth of products on Amazon!Amazon FBA retail arbitrage is the art of buying low locally and online, and reselling for a profit on Amazon.After hearing about the opportunity on Side Hustle Nation, they turned that $100 in initial inventory into more than $180,000 in total sales in 12 months. It didn't take much longer than that before they both quit their jobs to focus on the Amazon business and their growing family.Tune in to hear: the product categories Nate and Alysha like for new sellers (interestingly enough, they’re known as the bra flipping couple in FBA circles). where they source profitable inventory. tools of the trade to scale up your reselling business. Full Show Notes: From $100 to 7-Figures: Amazon FBA Retail Arbitrage Case Study

If you want to start an online business, you’re probably going to need to build a website.But could you shortcut the process by just buying one that’s already working?In this episode, which is the fourth and final episode of our Showdown series this month, we’re comparing two ways you operate a revenue-generating website; building your own site vs buying an established website.For this debate, I’ve got a couple of powerhouse guests: Mark Webster from AuthorityHacker.com and the Authority Hacker podcast, one of my favorite resources for all things SEO and affiliate marketing. He’ll be representing the build side of this conversation. Dom Wells from Onfolio.co is on the buy side. Onfolio, among other things, has a management service for website investors. He’s been in the website building, buying, and monetizing space for years. There are pros and cons to both starting and buying websites. But, as you’ll hear discussed, there are some key differences between each method and might help you lean one way or the other.Tune in to hear both Mark and Dom discuss the different strategies behind: Getting started Finding a site to buy Quick wins and monetization Marketing Pros and cons of each model And more These guys both have a lot of experience in building and buying websites. By the end of this one, you’ll have a good idea which path is best for you.Full Show Notes: Build a Website or Buy One that's Already Working?

A service business is one of the fastest side hustles to get off the ground, and you can scale it by hiring other people to deliver the work.But is there an advantage to staying a solo operator?In this Side Hustle Showdown we're looking at freelancing vs. building an agency.For this debate, I invited a couple members of The Side Hustle Nation community who both run cleaning companies: Chris Schwab from ThinkMaids.com represented the agency side. We last heard from Chris in episode 294, where he talked about how he’d built his cleaning business to $60k a month in revenue, and scaled back his own involvement to just 10 minutes a day. Ken Carfango from SoloCleaningSchool.com represented the solo freelance side. Ken’s a former engineer and a father of 5 who’s got his cleaning business dialed in where he can knock out the work himself in just a couple days, and enjoy 5-day weekends with his family. Tune in to hear both Chris and Ken discuss which business model is best for: Getting started Finding new clients Scaling Start-up costs How to exit And more If you’re trying to decide which path you want to take, stick around to learn how to avoid the dreaded “valley of despair” that often afflicts service businesses, and how to get started on the right foot.Full Show Notes: Should I Start a Freelance Business or Build an Agency?

In the e-commerce space, selling private label products on Amazon has been a popular side hustle for the last several years.But is it still the best way to go?Or is there a lower risk, higher reward way to turn your ideas into profits?In this episode, which is the second episode of our Showdown series this month, we’re comparing two ways you can capitalize on opportunities in the market; selling private label products and product licensing.For this debate, I’ve sourced two guests who have appeared on the Side Hustle Show before: Greg Mercer of JungleScout.com, creator of the popular Jungle Scout product research and amazon analytics software. We last from Greg on episode 263, when he talked about how to find your first Amazon FBA private label product. (Try Jungle Scout for half off your first month with my referral link.) Stephen Key of, InventRight.com and author of the One Simple Idea: Turn Your Dreams into a Licensing Goldmine While Letting Others Do the Work. We last heard from Stephen on episode 113, when he talked about how you can turn your ideas into recurring revenue. Both business models allow you to exercise our creative muscles. But, as you’ll find out, each model is suited to a different personality type and has a different balance of risk and reward.Tune in to hear both Greg and Stephen dig into the different strategies behind: Getting started Marketing and discoverability Start-up costs Beating the competition Monetization And more There is some interesting insight into these business models. By the end of the episode, you’ll have a clearer idea of which business model is best for you.Full Show Notes: Private Label vs. Product Licensing: Which is the Better Side Hustle?