This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Welcome to a brand new episode of Side Hustle School. Hey friends, thanks for tuning in today. This is Chris Guillebeau, your host. Today, we're gonna hear from a listener in San Jose. She's been around for a while.
She is a longtime fan. Thanks so much. Really appreciate our longtime listeners. And she's looking for a way to build a side hustle that can stand the test of time, okay? I love this.
Let's talk less about trends, less about what's hot this week, maybe a little bit less about AI 'cause everybody's tired of hearing about that. I mean, I know it's important, but let's not talk about AI all the time. I feel like a solid 30% of news articles these days are all about AI. So let's talk about something else. She's looking for advice on how to future-proof her venture and stay ahead of the curve, make something sustainable.
Let's do that. Let's make it profitable and sustainable. Let's delve into some strategies to build a side hustle with enduring appeal. That's what we're all about here. I wanna help some listeners this year really wanna help you make your side hustle or help you grow your side hustle if you already have one.
So Priya's question's coming right up. I'm always playing catch up. Shout out to our sponsor that we'll hear from her. [Music]
Hi, Chris. It's Priya from San Jose.
I've been a fan since your first book and always look forward to your daily nuggets of wisdom. I'm tired of always playing catch up with trends and wanna create a side hustle that's future-proof. How can I stay ahead of the curve and build something with longevity? [Music]
Priya, it's great to hear your enthusiasm for making something lasting. I love the phrase future-proof.
And here's how you can build a side hustle. It's not just a flash in the pan. Well, first and foremost, just keep in mind, you can only focus on so many things. A few days ago, we had a question from another listener who was like, how do I hustle when the world is hard? And there I just suggested, think about what you can do right now.
Think about what's in front of you. Think about the immediate thing you can do. And maybe also, I should have said as well, close down some of the inputs in your life. You don't have to read the news all the time. You can still be informed without scrolling all the time on news websites or on social media.
So when it comes to your side hustle, don't try to do everything. Don't try to do every strategy because it's not going to be effective. Don't try to be on every network. Don't try to keep up with all forms of communication. You can only focus on so many things.
So when you're trying to make something sustainable, focus on what is evergreen. Focus on a need that has been there for a long time, a need that's going to be there in the future. Within every industry, there are evergreen needs or evergreen niches, niches as you prefer. So I always wanna look to that. I always wanna look to those things as opposed to something that just is around for a little while and you can make money with it.
Like we have some of those stories sometimes and that's fun. But ultimately I think most of us want a more sustainable business. So adaptability is key. Take the example of bookstores that started offering virtual book readings during the pandemic. And also how bookstores have competed against Amazon and other big online retailers.
They have focused more on events. They have started reading groups. They have offered classes, other things, right? Just trying to communicate in a different way. I also encourage you to invest in some continuous learning.
Just like you're doing now, listen to the podcast. That's great. 10 minutes a day, maybe read some books as well. That'll help you kind of stay ahead of the curve without getting sidetracked by trends. I think it's possible to do both things, to remain relevant, to future-proof your business without getting distracted by shiny objects.
Which, hey, I've been there. Like I get it. I understand the danger. I understand the allure as well as the danger of such things. But this year, my wish for so many of our listeners is that you create something that is lasting.
It's gonna make your life better. You're gonna be able to look back at the end of the year and say, "I'm glad I put in the time. I'm glad I put in the time to work on this project." And if we can do anything on our end to help you, we're definitely gonna do that. I'm doing lots more writing online, writing and sharing online. I appreciate all of our listeners who have checked that out as well on different social platforms.
I'll say more about that as we go. But of course the podcast continues every single day. New episode tomorrow. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School.
[Music]
From the Onward Project.
