This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Episode 2600. What's up, Side Hustle School friends, community. You're amazing, thanks for getting us so far all the way from January 1, 2017 to today, 2600 episodes in a row. As Abraham Lincoln said, "For those about to rock, we salute you." All right, let's jump in. How can I earn my first $1,000?
Now you might be familiar with the first $1,000 segment that we have on the podcast. It comes out every Monday. In fact, it came out yesterday. It'll be back in six days. Yeah, that's right, six days from today since there are seven days in a week.
But we've got a question from a listener about her first $1,000, 'cause the whole segment is about people who earn their first $1,000 in a side hustle. So this listener, Sarah, she's been soaking up some inspiration from the show. She's ready to embark on her own journey, her own journey of making money, making extra money without quitting her job. She's got a mix of creative skills, graphic design, baking, perhaps some other things, and she's setting her sights on earning that first $1,000 and beyond. So what can be done?
Let's see if we can help Sarah with some strategies and ideas, nothing too overwhelming, but a couple of tips that might get her and perhaps some listeners on their way to earning that significant side hustle income. How can I earn my first $1,000? That's the question. It's coming right up. [Music]
Hey, Chris, this is Sarah Masterson.
After listening to your show and a few others, I'm inspired to dive into the world of side hustles. My goal is to make my first $1,000. I have the skills in graphic design and baking, but I'm open to any feasible idea that you can help me reach this financial milestone. What unique ideas or strategies would you recommend for someone eager to earn their first real paycheck? I know that the momentum this gives me will help me move on to bigger things.
I just need some help getting there. [Music]
Sarah, you're in the right place at the right time. Sounds like you've already done some thinking about some skills, and I think that's important. I think that's a good first step, especially since you're not 100% committed to pursuing the idea of graphic design and baking, or one of those two or some combination, but you're open to any idea. I always encourage people to make a list of their skills and spend some time doing this.
Make a detailed list of the skills you have. Think about the education you've acquired, however far you went in the world of higher education. Think about the hobbies that you have, the technical skills that you have, if you're good at certain apps or software or fixing things, or it could be anything, right? Think about things that you really like to do. Think about the questions people ask you when they ask you for help.
What do they ask you for help about? That is often a sign of some expertise that you might not notice yourself. So start with that. And then since you're going for that first thousand dollars, I totally agree about momentum. That's why we have that whole segment, encouraging people to get to your first significant income, even if it's just a few hundred dollars.
That is fantastic. That is very inspiring to go further, and it's also achievable. So if you want to think about some starter projects, like what are things you can do right away? Well, Sarah did mention graphic design. So platforms like Upwork and Fiverr can be great places to start.
Really simple to create a profile, begin bidding on projects, or just make yourself available for hire when people go to hire projects. You don't get paid a whole lot, but you get some experience right away. You can begin getting referrals, testimonials. You can learn the process of client management and eventually increase your skill. So I always think that's good for people getting started.
You can also think about teaching an online workshop of some kind. Now this of course is gonna require a bit more work, but platforms like Skillshare or Zoom can facilitate these sessions. You could teach basic design or some kind of software tutorial or any kind of specific skill. And even if you don't have a big audience, sometimes these platforms can help with that. Udemy is another one that I've used before.
And it's been very helpful. And then I also think it's good to think about combining your skills. So it's not just design. It's not just baking. It's not just fill in the blank.
It's taking two skills and putting them together. That's often where this hybrid sort of interest comes from. That's often where great business ideas come from. Could be a blog that features your graphic designs and recipes or a blog, a YouTube series, some kind of content creation. That is perhaps the third big category here.
So, you know, choose one of those, I would say. Start small, focus on quality, and gradually expand your reach. I don't think it's gonna be too hard to get to that first $1,000. And I would love to know, Sarah, when it happens. Listeners, I'd love to know when you get your first $1,000 and beyond.
Let me know. And of course, the podcast is completely free. It goes out seven days a week. You can listen on sidehustleschool.com. All the archives are there, all 2,600 episodes in fact.
But it's also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and everywhere else as well. I'm just so grateful for everybody in our community. Thanks for being out there. Much more to come. My name's Chris Guillebeau.
This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
