The Side Hustle: How to Turn Your Spare Time into $1000 a Month or More

By Nick Loper

The Side Hustle is for people who want or need to earn some extra money outside of their day jobs.

Maybe you need a few extra dollars to make ends meet. Maybe you want to pay off debt.

Maybe you want to save for a rainy day or for your children’s education.

Maybe you just want to treat yourself to a nice vacation or a new car without feeling guilty about it.

Maybe you’re looking for a way out of the corporate world, an escape plan. That’s the ultimate financial freedom, right?

That’s how I got started down this entrepreneurial path, and it’s the best choice I ever made.

You’re willing to work for it because your future is worth working for.

But your time is limited, and you may not know where to start. There are a million and one ways to “make money online” and everyone wants to sell you their “proven system for Internet riches.” It’s hard to tell what’s a scam and what’s legit.

Real-World Examples

This book offers real-world examples of how regular people just like you and me are earning side hustle income outside of traditional employment. Many have even turned these part-time ventures into full-time businesses, throwing off the shackles of their corporate overlords for good.

And the cool thing is, there are no special technical skills or prerequisites to get started with any of the ideas presented. Most don’t require any big scary upfront investment.

(If you're a fan of Chris Guillebeau, Pat Flynn, or Tim Ferriss, you'll love this!)

My Story

After college, I did what you’re supposed to do: I got a job.

The problem was almost immediately I found myself looking for a way out. It wasn’t that I hated the work or my coworkers, but it just wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. The thought of spending my next 30 years there was terrifying.

So evenings and weekends I turned my attention online. I’d been dabbling with building rudimentary websites, learning online advertising channels, and even running my own small marketing campaigns for other companies' products to test the waters.

And that’s what The Side Hustle is about—finding a low-risk way make more money. Most entrepreneurship books assume you have limitless time and limitless startup capital, but I know from talking to thousands of side hustlers, that’s simply not the reality.

I started small and lean, but steadily built up my side hustle until I could say good-bye to corporate work.

You can do it, too. I'll show you how.

What's Inside?

If you’re looking for a get-rich-quick-scheme or the secret to overnight success, you won’t find it here. But what you will find are the "Big 3" side hustle business models you can take action on right away.

I've interviewed hundreds of profitable side hustlers on The Side Hustle Show to figure out how their businesses work, how they make money, and most importantly, how you can replicate their success.

How does an extra $1000 a month sound? I can tell you, this stuff works. (Side Hustle Nation took home the Plutus Foundation award for best Entrepreneurship content in both 2016 and 2018.)

In this book, you'll meet these real-world side hustlers who built and sustained businesses they care about. They faced the same fears and uncertainties you're wrestling with, but made something happen.

Now it's your turn. What are you waiting for? The timing will never be perfect.

Scroll up and hit the "Buy Now" button to grab your copy now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Loper
• Release date: Mar 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311206527

Nick Loper

Nick Loper helps people earn money outside of their day job. He's an author, online entrepreneur, and host of the award-winning Side Hustle Show podcast, which features new part-time business ideas each week. As Chief Side Hustler at SideHustleNation.com, he loves deconstructing the tactics and strategies behind building extra income streams.He's been making his living online since before it was cool. Along the way he's picked up a thing or two about small business, marketing, and outsourcing -- and is happy to share the experience with fellow entrepreneurs and those working hard to make their side hustle dreams a reality.Inside you'll find actionable advice and real-life tips on how to save time and start living life on your terms.Nick lives in Northern California with his wife, two energetic young boys, and a lovable giant Shih-Tzu called Mochi. On a typical day you can find him recording a podcast episode, rooting for the Washington Huskies, or skiing the Sierra pow.Want to know more? Drop by say hi at his personal blog, sidehustlenation.com.

Book preview

Introduction

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

—Robert Byrne

*****

Earn Extra Cash

This book is for people who want or need to earn some extra money outside of their day jobs.

Maybe you need a few extra dollars to make ends meet. Maybe you want to pay off debt. Maybe you want to save for a rainy day or for your children’s education.

Maybe you just want to treat yourself to a nice vacation or a new car without feeling guilty about it.

Maybe you’re looking for a way out of the corporate world, an escape plan. That’s the ultimate financial freedom, right?

That’s how I got started down this entrepreneurial path, and it’s the best choice I ever made.

You’re willing to work for it because your future is worth working for.

But your time is limited, and you may not know where to start. There are a million and one ways to make money online, and everyone wants to sell you their proven system for Internet riches.

It’s hard to tell what’s a scam and what’s legit. Perhaps you’ve tried some of these business opportunities in the past, but for whatever reason, they didn’t work for you. That’s OK!

The mere fact that you’re reading this—that you’re actively thinking about building an income stream you control—is a step in the right direction.

Real-World Examples

This book offers real-world examples of how regular people just like you and me are earning money outside traditional employment. Many have even turned their part-time ventures into full-time businesses, throwing off the shackles of their corporate overlords for good.

And the cool thing is, there are no special technical skills or prerequisites to get started with any of the ideas presented. Most don’t require any big, scary upfront investment either.

You’ll learn a variety of ways to begin earning job-free income, and you can pick and choose which ones sound most interesting and attainable to you.

Some of these opportunities may not sound as sexy as The 4-Hour Workweek or as appealing as multiple streams of passive income. But I believe you can achieve personal and financial freedom if you pursue your side hustle with discipline and persistence.

Making extra money isn’t always easy, but it doesn’t have to be that hard either. Too often, we overthink or overanalyze our options, but if we’d just gotten started, we would have already seen some results! There are side hustles in this book that you can literally start today, using the skills and technology you already have. I’m excited to share those ideas, along with tons of others, so that you can get started right away.

My Story

After college, I did what you’re supposed to do: I got a job.

The problem was almost immediately I found myself looking for a way out. It wasn’t that I hated the work or my coworkers, but it just wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. The thought of spending my next 30 years there was terrifying.

But even before that, I’d somehow been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. I was the kid who sold baseball cards at the end of the driveway, sold candy at summer camp, and sold paint jobs during college.

I loved seeing the direct impact of my efforts on the bottom line, which was something I definitely didn’t see in my first real job. I was at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder for a giant auto manufacturer. If I was awful at my job or brilliant at it, it wouldn’t make a blip on the radar—or on my paycheck—one way or the other.

So, on my evenings and weekends, I turned my attention online. I’d been dabbling with building rudimentary websites, learning online advertising channels, and even running my own small marketing campaigns for other companies’ products to test the waters.

And that’s what The Side Hustle is about—finding a low-risk way make more money. Most entrepreneurship books assume you have limitless time and limitless startup capital, but I know from talking to thousands of side hustlers, that’s simply not the reality.

For me, I eventually invested in a complex website, but not until I’d proven my concept on an ad budget that started at just $1 a day.

The business was a comparison-shopping service for footwear that earned money by referring shoppers to Zappos, Amazon, and other online retailers. After three years of side-hustling nights and weekends, this was the vehicle that let me quit my corporate job.

My story certainly isn’t one of overnight success or courting venture capitalists. Instead, I steadily built up my side hustle until I could say good-bye to corporate work.

And that’s what I want to share with you here. I want you to see how you, too, have everything you need to start a viable side hustle that one day might take you out of the daily grind.

If you’re looking for a get-rich-quick scheme or the secret to overnight success, you won’t find it here. But what you will find are real, down-to-earth entrepreneurs who were once sitting in your same position. They felt the same fears and uncertainties, but took action anyway.

Let their stories be your guide. To make extra money, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. The shortcut to success, if there is such a thing, is to learn from those who’ve gone before you. (It sounds simple, but it took me years to understand and fully embrace this!)

What is a Side Hustle?

A side hustle is simply anything you do to earn money outside of a traditional job. In generations past, this might have been known as moonlighting, but there’s also a more entrepreneurial connotation than merely taking on a second job.

To me, a side hustle has an optimistic and empowering feel to it. There’s an upside potential or creative energy that perhaps your day job doesn’t offer.

By starting small—in your spare time—and low risk, you can build a meaningful business and an additional income stream. Millions of people are doing just that, and you can do. In this book, I want to show you how.

Why Side Hustle?

There are a ton of distinct benefits to using your non-work hours more productively. This is your chance to get excited and make something happen.

Exercise your brain and explore your passions!

It’s science: filling your days with meaningful activities is the path to long-term happiness.

In his book Drive, Dan Pink describes how the trifecta of autonomy, mastery, and purpose impacts our satisfaction and motivation. I like to remember them with the acronym AMP because it leads naturally to the question:

Are you AMPed about your day job?

If not, look for a side hustle that provides autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

When you’re AMPed, you have:

The autonomy to direct your day-to-day life the way you see fit.

The energy to pursue mastery in your field, industry, or discipline.

The intrinsic motivation that comes from working toward a purposeful goal.

But in addition to getting AMPed, there are several other reasons to consider a side hustle.

1. Build Skills

A small side project is the perfect place to learn and master new skills because you have little risk of failure.

For instance, your workplace may value technical skills when considering who to promote, but you may not always have the opportunity to hone and improve those skills on the job.

Building a skillset outside of work proves your initiative to your boss, and those skills are also portable—meaning you can take them with you to your next job or use them on your side hustle.

Some of the skills I’ve learned outside of my jobs include:

Contract negotiation

Pay-per-click marketing management and strategy

Search engine optimization

Email marketing

WordPress

Social media

Managing remote employees

Online videos

Podcast editing

Self-publishing

And more…

In a large company, you may not get the chance to exercise your mind and learn new skills very often, which is why it’s so crucial to continue your education away from the office.

In a side hustle, you’ll get to learn and experiment with new concepts and strategies in real time, and that real-life application can be extremely valuable.

Anyone who keeps learning stays young. –Henry Ford

2. Build Security

Pamela Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation, calls your side hustle career insurance, and she’s 100% right.

If you rely solely on one source of income, you’re pretty much screwed when that source of income stops. That’s why so many people were hurt so badly during the Great Recession and why there’s been such an increased interest in micro-businesses and entrepreneurship.

Four in 10 Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency expense, such as a car repair or medical bill. To me, that’s a frightening and depressing statistic. A side hustle is one way to build up your emergency fund so you never find yourself in that position.

In investing, we’re told to maintain a diversified portfolio. Why? Because having all your eggs in one basket is inherently risky.

The same is true with our income.

It’s dangerous to rely on one company or one paycheck, no matter how lucrative it may be at the moment. In today’s world, there’s no such thing as job security.

And even if your side hustle makes very little or no money to begin with, who do you think is more attractive on the job market? The person who spent their spare time watching TV or the

Reviews for The Side Hustle

[mynichewowed · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is so insightful and such a transformational book to change ones life.

[Kevin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great introductory book for individuals starting on their journey into side hustles or part-time work. However, I did not find any unique gems to give you a signficant edge in an industry.