This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Let's say you have an idea. You have an idea for your side hustle, an idea for some kind of business or money-making venture. What do you do next? What do you do first, I guess? Well, maybe first you have the idea, but then what do you do as your first step towards taking that idea and turning it into reality?
It really does help to get your idea down into outline form. Some kind of outline, some kind of just really basic notes, even if no one else sees them besides you. I'm not talking about a big business plan. I'm just talking about your idea and outline form. So that's what we're gonna talk about here today in this brief action-packed episode.
Welcome as well to side hustle school. So you wanna have an outline with a clear offer, maybe a few sentences about how it will be delivered. What's the best way to do that? What's the best way to do that? That's what our caller wants to know.
Is there a systematic process? Would you just open your computer and write something? Maybe you just do it with a journal, whatever's best for you. There's actually lots of ways to do it. So I'll just have a few brief comments on the best way to outline a business idea.
Wanting to develop this skill can help you with a lot of things, not just business ideas. So quick shout out to our sponsor. And then we're gonna jump right in with the listeners' audio and my response. [Music]
Hi, this is Mark calling in from New Jersey. I've tried starting a side hustle a couple of times, but it never really got off the ground.
Here's my question. What's the best way to go from start to finish when outlining a business idea? I know about the one page business plan and the 27 step plan. And those have been helpful. But I'm specifically wondering about the outlining stage.
What kind of info do I need to capture? Is there anything important to remember? Lastly, is there anything I shouldn't worry about during this phase? Thanks so much for your answer. [Music]
Thanks so much for the question.
Thanks for listening. Thanks for being out there. Thank you listeners as well. I'm just so grateful to be able to make this podcast for you every day. I could say a whole lot about that, but I wanna focus on what's on your mind.
So as mentioned, I'm a big fan of outlining. I do it every day in one fashion or another, either on my computer, in my paper journal, both. And I really don't think it's that complicated. I don't think it has to become a systematic process. There are some people who have developed that.
But I really think, I mean, if that works for you, that's great, just to be clear, it's not a criticism. But I really think the info you need to capture is the idea in its essence. What is this business idea? I used to have a little project where I was helping people with one sentence business ideas. And you can just kind of do this yourself right now.
If you have any idea, write it out in one sentence. What is it that you do? What is the benefit? Let's always focus on benefits. How is it going to change someone's life for the better?
And who is it for? I was just working on a story of someone who's doing social media management. And she was like, I'm doing social media management for small businesses, specifically solopreneurs. And I'm gonna help them reach more people without stressing out, without them stressing out, that is. So, okay, let's just break that down a little bit.
She's doing social media management. She's helping small business owners or solopreneurs in her local area reach more customers, better serve them without them getting stressed out. So you've got a description. You've got who it's for. You've got what the benefit is.
You may also wanna try the grandparent test that I wrote about in the money tree. Is your offer, your idea, is it simple enough that you can explain it to your grandparents or it could be anybody, right? Your grandparent may actually be very savvy about online things. But the point is just someone who is not in your field, who doesn't work in this industry. Can you explain it very simply?
A couple other things. In your outline, however you do it, you want to have that specific offer. Okay, what do people actually pay for? What is the product or service? What is a quick little marketing plan?
Even if it's just your first three steps, your three things I'm gonna do to market it. And then also what is the price? Just to start thinking about that right from the beginning. Don't think about it later. You can decide later, you can finalize it later, but just have an idea in mind.
Are you making a $300 product or a $30 product? Very different process. You're gonna go down for the $300 product versus the $30 product. And the same for $3 or $3,000 or whatever. So just start thinking about that.
Capture the essence of the idea. Who's it for? What's the benefit? What's the offer? What's the price?
And whatever fashion you do that, whatever makes sense to you, whatever intuitive way makes sense to you, is probably the best. So I do not have a systematic process to offer, although there is that 27-step plan in the book "Side Hustle." But hey, whatever's good for you. All right, that's it for today. Let me know what's on your mind. Questions, comments, feedback, sidehustleschool.com/questions.
We'll continue to feature them every week, along with updates and listeners as they launch and grow their projects. I am cheering you on. Take care of yourself out there. Make progress today. If you fall behind, make progress tomorrow.
Tomorrow's another day. We're gonna have another episode. I hope you'll join me. My name's Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the "Onward Project."
