Notes from Chris

Episode 379

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

We had a lot of great stories from this week, but I'd like to begin this weekly recap with some comments from Harry Campbell's ridesharing side hustle in Ep. 375. And if you haven't had an opportunity to check out his story, I highly encourage you to! The short of it is that Harry is an aerospace engineer who started driving for Uber on the side for fun, and he ended up creating a really strong, six-figure business.

What I want to focus on—and what really struck me about this—is how his friends and colleagues kind of made fun of him in the beginning of his side hustle journey. They just didn't really get it since he was already making a pretty good living with his day job, but what they didn't understand is that this was about so much more than the money for Harry. He was interested in this from an entrepreneurial standpoint and using it as an opportunity to better understand the industry.

And this got me thinking about a common quote that you may or may not have heard before: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

The way you prove someone who doesn't believe in your dream wrong isn’t by arguing with them; it’s by demonstrating. Like I said in that episode, after Harry made $34,000 in three days, what do you think his friends and colleagues thought then? Do you think they still thought it was a pretty stupid idea? Honestly, I bet at least some of them were kicking themselves and asking "why didn't I come up with that first??"

Also, if your friends don’t believe in you and your dreams, maybe it's time to find some new friends!

LISTENER CALL-INS:

Today we have listener emails from Wendy and Daniel and a listener voicemail from Hunter:

• Wendy: What are your thoughts on trying to launch two different side hustles at the same time? Should I launch one first and then the other? They’re both related to music, but they are not complementary products. Would appreciate your advice!

• Daniel: I'm a long time listener of the podcast! I used to find it difficult to listen as I would feel envious of the stories and be hard on myself for not doing more, but recently I started selling mystery boxes on eBay. It started as a joke but ended up making $300 in the two weeks leading to Christmas. I wouldn't have even thought to try it without you and now I have a whole new perspective as I listen. Thank you and keep up the good work! 

• Hunter's question is short and sweet—as a self-employed entrepreneur, how do you know how to divide your time between your main business and your new side hustle project? 

If you have something you'd like to ask me or an update you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! Leave me a voice message on the website or call into the Side Hustle Hotline (Dial 844-9-HUSTLE // 844-948-7853), and your question may be featured on the show!

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EPISODES FROM THIS WEEK:

Here's what we heard this week on Side Hustle School! Listen to this week's recap for a more comprehensive highlight reel.

• Ep. 373 - When he found himself in need of making car repairs, this student bought a $25 microphone and recorded a course in “ethical hacking.” The course has now served more than 80,000 paid customers
• Ep. 374 - A shift in mindset leads a long-time Etsy seller to focus on replicable items that earn passive income
• Ep. 375 - A Boeing employee earns $34,000 referring drivers to Lyft, then sets out to become an industry expert. His site now earns six-figures annually and receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each month
• Ep. 376 - A retail manager from Kansas reactivates his craftsman skills of long ago to create stages for miniature movie figures. There’s money in them there collectables!
• Ep. 377 - Two NYC financial sector employees decide to make socks and rescue gorillas
• Ep. 378 - After making it through a high-risk pregnancy of her own, a clinical therapist creates resources for other women experiencing the same struggle

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,