This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
I lost a great job opportunity. What do I do? How do I turn this setback into a side hustle opportunity? It wasn't me. I didn't lose a job opportunity since I've never had a real job. But one of our listeners has had a setback in the sense of he thought he was
going to get this new job. It sounded really good. I don't know the whole story. Maybe he made it through a couple of rounds and he's expecting a nice phone call or email. Instead, he gets some opposite news. The news is basically like, "Hey, it's not you. Sorry."
So he's kind of bummed out and he's wondering, since he's a regular listener of the podcast, whether this twist of fate might be the nudge he needs to dive into the world of side hustling. So I want to talk about that in response to Kyle and anybody else who's having difficulty in the traditional job world. I can't offer a lot of advice on how to get the next great job since I haven't ever had one of those, but I can offer some advice on turning your ideas into income and finding ways to create economic security outside the traditional job market. Let me see if I can offer some help to Kyle and anybody else out there in that situation. Quick shout out to our sponsor and then Kyle's message.
I'm Kyle from Syracuse, New York, and I've been a fan of your podcast for several months. Recently, I was gearing up for a new job in marketing, but it unexpectedly fell through. Now I'm reevaluating my career and wondering if this is a sign to start a side hustle. Can you offer some advice on bouncing back from this setback and possibly turning this into an entrepreneurial opportunity? Kyle, first things first, I hear you, man. And I know it sucks to be looking forward
to something and thinking, "Oh, this thing is going to work out this job opportunity or this product launch or this book deal or the event or whatever it is." You're looking forward to it and you've kind of put some hopes on it, even though you try to hold things lightly. At least this is for me. I try to hold things lightly, but then you do kind of get attached to a certain outcome. So I know it's a challenge. I just also encourage you that hopefully there's something better on the other side. And it's not only about
bouncing back. It's bouncing back and being stronger than before. And maybe even looking back a year from now or however long and saying, "Actually, it's good that I didn't get that job because something else came along," which might be an entrepreneurial opportunity to use Kyle's phrase. So what do you do? Whether you're in this situation or you just want to create your own economic freedom with or without a job, you want to first assess your skills and interests. Think about what you're good at. Think about especially anything related
to marketing, since that's Kyle's background. How can that translate into not just helping a company have more sales, but help you have sales or otherwise some kind of income? Think about what you like to do. Think about what other people enjoy. Think about the Venn diagram or the overlap between those two things. It sounds like Kyle's a good networker, so I
would encourage you to connect with your existing network. Let people know once you're ready to move forward with whatever that side hustle is or whatever the attempt is. Ask for referrals and ask for connections and see who might know somebody else who might be able to help. I think as soon as possible, within a month or so, you want to have something up and running, even if it is a minimum viable product or something basic, and you're going to add something more to it later. I just see so much momentum in people who get started quickly, especially in the wake of a job loss or a promotion that didn't arrive or this kind of situation. You
want to turn those negative feelings into something positive that you are developing and building for yourself. That is my hope that all of our listeners can take small steps that add up over time to something substantial, so you can look back and feel proud of how you responded in this setback. Kyle, cheering you on. Listeners, cheering you on. sidehustleschool.com.
Some resources there. YearOfMentalHealth.com. That's my year-long project sharing about purposeful productivity. I am so enjoying that process. Thanks to everybody who is subscribed and checking it out. I'm writing three times a week, and I'll mention it from time to time
here, but I also want to keep the focus on Side Hustle School, so that's what we're doing. New episode every day, seven days a week, always completely free. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School. From the Onward Project.
