This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Both of my ideas are strong, but I can only do one. What do you do if you are stuck between two side hustle or two business ideas? In this episode, we're gonna look at how to choose the right path when both options feel equally attractive. Welcome to Side Hustle School. My name's Chris Guillebeau.
This is one of the best problems a side hustler can have. Too many good ideas, but it doesn't make the decision easy, right? You can only do one thing, at least in this situation. And let's just assume that because even if you're like, if I had two amazing ideas, I could do them both right now. Well, what if you had three or four ideas?
Like the point is at some point in life, you have to be selective. And in fact, being able to choose is going to increase your long-term odds of success. So in this case, let's consider how a listener might make this choice. This is Devon, I believe. Devon is juggling two promising ideas, physical products, digital asset.
They'll tell us a little bit more about it. How do you choose the one that's right for right now? And maybe that's actually the critical choice, the one that is right for right now. Detailed question and my answer coming up after the break. [Music]
Hi, Side Hustle team.
I'm Devon from Santa Fe. I'm in a bit of a dilemma right now. I've got two Side Hustle ideas I really like. And I think both have potential. One is a small-scale food product I've been testing at farmer's markets.
And the other is a digital resource I've started building for hobbyists in the niche I know really well. I know I don't have time to do both, not properly anyway. And I'm worried that if I pick one, I'll regret not doing the other. How do you choose between two good ideas when you don't have the bandwidth to pursue both? [Music]
All right, there are a bunch of ways to approach this problem.
And for each episode, we try to narrow our focus and give you one tool or one specific tip. So in this situation, Devon, here's what I recommend. Ask yourself which one gives you the fastest path to momentum. Sometimes the best next step is the one that creates quick wins. So that could mean lower startup costs, clearer path to your first customer.
Basically, if one of your ideas has traction, like customer's interest, a working prototype, et cetera, that is a strong signal. Now, you might also ask which one supports your long-term goals better. And an interesting way to do that is to assume that the idea is going to work and say, okay, if this idea works, what next? Like where does it lead? One idea might lead to more freedom, more scalable income, a better lifestyle that you want.
The other one might be, okay, it's cool for now and it's great if it works, but then it requires ongoing manual effort. It doesn't really have the opportunity to grow or scale. So basically you wanna choose the one that feels aligned, not just with who you are, but where you want to go. I think these questions can get you far. There's lots of other analysis we can do.
We've looked at other tools, but I think this is really helpful. Which one gives you the fastest path to momentum and which one supports your long-term goals better? And just remember the key there is to be like, okay, let's assume that each idea is going to work. Where then does it lead? Last but not least, always remember you're not making a permanent choice.
You are choosing for now. This is not a life partner. This is a side hustle. This is a next step for something that will take some time. And yes, your time is important, but you could obviously then change and do something else.
Ultimately, the best decision is the one that lets you take action quickly. Okay, I hope you take action quickly. Thank you for listening. Thank you for calling in. Listeners, thanks for being out there as well.
sidehustleschool.com, resources there. This is episode 3,128. A new one drops every single day, seven days a week. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School.
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From the Onward Project.
