The Side Hustle Show

In this edition of The Side Hustle Show, Laurel Staples from GoFireYourself.com shares 6 questions and tips you can implement to determine the best side hustle idea for you. Laurel brings a wealth of business experience to the table, from retail to coaching to photography, and priceless education along the way. You'll walk away from this episode with some concrete actions to take toward building your business. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! Learn: How Laurel launched a brick-and-mortar retail store at the onset of the recession and why she ignored other people's fears and advice. Her unique "referral partnership" technique for getting coaching and photography clients. The 3 questions to ask yourself when evaluating your side hustle options. The 3 follow-up tips for choosing the best side hustle idea for you. Laurel's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation The 3 Questions: What lights you up? What talents and skills do you have? What do you want your ideal day to look like? The 3 Follow-up Tips: What problems/issues have you dealt with in your own life? Schedule "creative" down time Brainstorm with business owners For our full discussion and dialogue of each point, be sure to check out the full episode. Links mentioned: 79 Side Hustle Ideas You Can Start Today Your Perfect Average Day GoFireYourself.com What do you think? The idea of helping part-time entrepreneurs build their side hustle businesses definitely gets me excited, and hence the creation of this site. What does your ideal work day look like? Let me know in the comments and who knows, maybe we'll set up a skype call to see what steps we can take to make it a reality.

In Episode 22 of The Side Hustle Show, Jullien Gordon of SideHustla.com gives the detailed story about how he transitioned from employee to entrepreneur and built his speaking business into a 6-figure a year enterprise. I discovered his site through David Hutcherson from ThePowerofPartTime.tv, another awesome side hustler. Jullien is a super-smart guy, a talented speaker, and is deliberately shaping his own way in the world. I was really excited to have him on the show, and he'll definitely get you thinking in this one. Know what I was most surprised by? He considers himself an introvert. Me too! Even if you have no interest in public speaking, there are some important takeaways for every side hustler here as it relates to personal branding, pricing strategy, leveraging your time, and more. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! Covered in this episode: How a "bridge job" can set you up for entrepreneurial success. The easiest way to establish your personal brand (give yourself a "superhero name"). Suggestions on landing those first few speaking gigs. The single most important element of your website for aspiring speakers. How Jullien was selected to speak at TEDx (3 times!). The "open door" pricing strategy for speakers. How to anchor your rates against the value delivered. The "lightbulb" moment for side hustlers -- when they get that first check outside their day job. What Jullien would do differently if he had to start over. How to transition a speaking business into a more time-leveraged enterprise. Jullien's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. Links mentioned: Toastmasters APCA NACA NODA BPAID, Jullien's private coaching program My 3 favorite quotes: "We are part of the standardized test generation ... but life is not multiple choice." "Marketing is 80% of the game." "Go sell something!" To find out more about Jullien, check out his personal website, SideHustla.com, or hit him up on Twitter. Let him know you heard him on Side Hustle Nation. Want more? Check out one of TEDx speeches below. This one definitely had some good stuff in it. What did you think of this episode? Ever thought about doing any public speaking? Let me know!

In Episode 20 of The Side Hustle Show, local SEO expert and entrepreneur Adam Steele shares how local side hustlers can set their business up to generate more leads than they can handle. We discuss the exact tools and tactics to use to get to the top of the local search results. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In exchange for your 31 minutes, you'll learn: How Adam quit his job to start an online marketing agency. How to use Google Places without showing your home address. How to use Google Places without showing your personal phone number. The best ways to rank in Google for local searches today. Trust signals you can add to your site easily and cheaply. A smart and fast way to manage basic social media for your side hustle. Adam's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. Links mentioned: CreatureLocal.com wickedfire.com - online marketing forum known for somewhat "aggressive" tactics Google+ Local Adam's full meal deal post on local lead generation <-- Want the basics w/o listening? This is the spot. At the bottom of the above post, enter your email to get free access to Adam's list of 500+ local citation sources. Twilio Hootsuite schema.org If you want to learn more about Adam's company, check out Magistrate, Inc. Also, LeanMarketing is a pretty serious blog with tons of killer content. I even contributed a "lean marketing" post of my own there back in January. Did you like this information? Hit Adam up on Twitter and let him know!

In Episode 19 of The Side Hustle Show, Lee Drozak from MyOfficeAssist.com shares how she got started as a virtual assistant and how you can do the same. We talk setting up shop, getting your first clients, setting your prices, establishing a niche, and more. Quick background on this side hustle if you’re not familiar - a virtual assistant is not Siri, despite how much Apple wants to hijack the term, it’s a real-live person that works for you remotely as an independent contractor. This is a huge industry overseas in countries like India and the Philippines, with giant call centers staffed with low-cost workers. But you might be surprised to learn there is a thriving VA industry right here at home, and many VAs are side hustlers like you, or started their business as a side hustle. And we’re not talking about a race to the bottom on price either. According to a recent survey, nearly 90% of VAs charge $20/hr or more, and nearly 60% charge $30/hr or more. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In this episode, you'll learn: The "eureka" moment of working from home. How Lee got her first clients. How to get paid what you're worth. How to determine which virtual assistant tasks you love and should build your business around. Why industry certifications might be overrated. The best free resource for aspiring virtual assistants. Lee's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. Links mentioned: ivaa.org VirtualAssistantForums.com (Thank you, Tess, for the introduction to Lee!) Zirtual | eaHELP | Fancy Hands | Contemporary VA Elance VAclassroom.com Suzanne Evans You can connect with Lee on her site, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. What do you think of virtual assisting as a side hustle? Pretty basic, right? Identify your skills and find someone who'll pay for them. Kind of like a real job except you can do it from anywhere.

In Episode 18 of The Side Hustle Show, Spencer Haws of NichePursuits.com shares his detailed process for niche site creation and monetization, including idea generation, competitive analysis, content creation, link building, and much more. Spencer is the leading expert in this field, which is one of the most popular side hustles around. If you know a thing or two about WordPress (or are willing to learn) and can follow a few simple rules that Spencer lays out, there's no reason why you can't borrow his process to get started with a niche site or ten of your own. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In this episode, you'll learn: One smart way to generate "seed" keyword ideas. Why worm farms and buffalo nickels hold a special place in Spencer's heart. The tools and metrics used to evaluate a niche. How Spencer overcame a $10,000/month ban from Google Adsense. Why rumors of the death of "exact match domains" are false. The link-building strategies Spencer uses to rank new sites quickly. Links mentioned: Long Tail Pro - Spencer's powerful and proprietary keyword analysis and competitive research tool. Use that (affiliate) link for $30 off. Elance Textbroker Pat Flynn's Niche Site Duel Google Keyword Planner Moz (formerly SEOmoz) Open Site Explorer LayeredLinks.com Ubersuggest Learn more about Spencer at his blog, NichePursuits.com or hit him up on twitter. And of course, you're welcome to leave a comment here as well and I'll make sure he sees it. What do you think? Are niche sites a viable side hustle? Have you ever built one (or several)? Let me know!

In episode 17 of The Side Hustle Show, veteran app entrepreneur Benny Hsu shares his insider tips on how to get app ideas, build them out (even if you don't know how to code), launch them, and promote them in the App Store. In 2011, Benny famously made $30,000 in 30 days from his first app. Now he has a portfolio of different apps and quit his job earlier this year to be a full-time "app-preneur." More importantly, he has a new excitement for life that simply wasn't there before discovering this side hustle. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! I was lucky to run into Benny by chance at World Domination Summit, and I'm so glad I did because his story is really inspiring. This interview is filled with tons of actionable advice for aspiring side hustle entrepreneurs and app developers, including: The letter Benny wrote to himself to “Get Busy Living.” Overcoming self-doubt and a string of side hustle failures. How to validate your app idea. Where to find developers and how to sort through all the bids. How to test your app throughout development. How to optimize your app for the best exposure in the App Store. How to reach out to app review sites and bloggers to gain traction for your app. Why Apple users are more attractive than Android users. How the freemium model can work for you. Benny's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. Links mentioned during this show: Smart Passive Income | Pat's podcast episode on app development Elance TestFlight Episode 3 of The Side Hustle Show w/ Alex Genadinik appadvice.com List of app review sites App Academy - Benny’s course on Udemy If you want to connect with Benny, check out his blog, Get Busy Living, or hit him up on twitter. Do you have an app idea? Have you had any experience with the App Store? Let me know in the comments below!

In Episode 15 of The Side Hustle Show, I'm excited to have the hardest working man in radio, John Dumas on the show. John's Entrepreneur on Fire podcast is tearing up the airwaves and earning him a healthy six-figure income less than 1 year after launching. We discuss the viability of podcasting as a side hustle as well as the monetization strategies he uses to bring home the bacon giving away free audio content. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In exchange for your half an hour, you'll learn: What makes podcasting an awesome medium. How an investment in coaching "paid back in spades." The savvy way to find and pitch sponsors for your show. How to expanding the brand beyond the earbuds. John's strategy for podcasting as a $500 per month side hustle. Links and resources mentioned: Jaime Tardy | EventualMillionaire.com John's sponsorship rate sheet for July 2013. John's Book Podcast Launch Cliff Ravenscraft | PodcastAnswerMan.com Pat Flynn's podcasting tutorial video series Check out John's awesome show on iTunes or through his site, EntrepreneuronFire.com. You can also hit him up on Twitter. This post wraps up Podcast Week on Side Hustle Nation. You'll also want to check out: How Much Does it Cost to Start a Podcast? How to Get a Podcast to the Top of iTunes in 8 Weeks — With No Audience or “Celebrity” Guests [Case Study] What do you think of podcasting as a side hustle? Have you ever thought of launching your own show?

In Episode 14 of The Side Hustle Show, Chris Guthrie helps me explore the idea of buying income-producing websites as a side hustle investment strategy. It takes a little bit of capital to play in this game, but Chris explains the first site he bought cost just $500 and has paid for itself many times over. Buying websites is a risky endeavor, which is in part why the potential returns are so attractive. In the interview, we talk about how to mitigate your risk, find some winners, and make some money! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show in iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! Listen to the episode to learn: How websites are typically priced. How Chris finds sites to buy that aren't even "for sale." How to identify sites that might be undervalued or under-monetized. How to do your due diligence to avoid getting screwed. Ways to increase the earning power of a website acquisition. How to transfer the site into your ownership. Chris' #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. Links mentioned during the show: Flippa.com - the leading marketplace for buying/selling websites 3dtvreviews.org - Chris' first website purchase CopyCatCrafts.com - a site he bought for public case study semrush.com - shows what keywords the site is ranking for moz.org compete.com - can give an estimate of site traffic ahrefs.com - link analysis tool Copyscape - tool to determine if a website's content is original or not Vibrant Media / Kontera - contextual advertising services Escrow.com - for safe funds transfer WordPress Search and Replace Plugin - for swapping out affiliateIDs on a newly acquired site. One thing we didn't talk about during the show but is worth mentioning is an inexpensive software tool Chris built to help filter and sort through the madness on Flippa. It's called SiteFinderPro, and I actually used it a lot last year when I was spending time looking through all the Flippa listings. Ultimately, I didn't find anything attractive enough to pull the trigger on, but that tool definitely saved me time. You can learn more about Chris at MakeMoneyontheInternet.com and check out his Kindle books here. What do you think about buying sites as a side hustle strategy? Faster (and potentially more affordable) than building one yourself, but without the DIY satisfaction. This is one I would certainly love to get more involved in, so curious to hear what you think. Let me know!

Robert Farrington is more successful than 99% of all bloggers on the planet. He routinely earns between $3000 and $5000 a month from his blogs. And the kicker? Yeah, he still has a full-time job completely unrelated to this amazing side hustle! His sites: TheCollegeInvestor.com KidsAintCheap.com EntrepreneurshipLife.com MyMultipleIncomes.com (inactive) BeatThe9to5.com. He shares his tips for blogging success as well has his plan to leave the corporate world behind in the next two years. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In this episode, you'll learn: Why other bloggers in your niche are NOT your competition. Why content-rich sites like blogs will outlast and out-earn thin niche sites. The smart strategy that got his content tweeted out by the Shark Tank hosts The importance of building a real brand around your blog. The unique monetization strategy that blows Adsense out of the water. One savvy way to identify sites that might be for sale. The important action most bloggers overlook. Mentioned during the interview: Derek Halpern - "Newsjacking" or "drafting" SmartPassiveIncome | NicheSiteDuel 2.0 Spencer Haws - NichePursuits.com Help a Reporter (HARO) Yakezie Financial Bloggers Conference What do you think? Is blogging a good side hustle? Hey just a quick favor to ask -- if you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to drop in a quick review in iTunes. It's a huge help, thank you so much! Transcript Download the transcript here.

I love the idea of having something for sale in an established marketplace, and I think there's no better example of that than Amazon. If you don't have a book for sale on Amazon you're missing out on a huge audience of buyers. You might not make a fortune, but self publishing is a viable side hustle and one I'm particularly excited about. And even though I have a couple titles myself and am earning a little bit of "passive" income from them, there are a ton of authors with far more success than me. One of those is Steve Scott, the author of 15 (and counting) Kindle books. He's created this impressive portfolio in a little over a year, and it's turned into a business that generates thousands of dollars in royalties every month. Plus, it allows for the freedom and flexibility to work from wherever he wants. A couple days after recording this session, Steve was jetting off to Greece for a month with his girlfriend. Ready to learn how it's done? Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In this episode you'll learn: How to write your book in just an hour a day. How long your book has to be. Whether it's better to write fiction or non-fiction. Why a book might earn you more money than a blog with the same content. The proven path to $300 a month in royalties. Why giving your book away for free can actually help sell more copies. One innovative way to use Amazon to build your email list. The importance of building your own brand, independent of Amazon. Mentioned in this episode: Pat Flynn's Facebook group for authors Steve's blog Steve's author page on Amazon My 30 Day Writing Challenge Elance Problogger job board Steve's new habits website What do you think? Do you have a book in you? What's stopping you from writing it? Have you already published on Amazon? What's your experience been like? Let me know in the comments below!