What It's About
British software engineer moves to Spain, changes careers, writes a book, and becomes a tour guide.
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
A lot of people have misconceptions about the amount of knowledge you need in order to start a successful side hustle. Often in hustling you have one thing you’re pretty good at, combined with a couple of other things you’re able to figure out. You don’t have to be an expert in everything.
Here, the mashup is an engineering background that she had put to use at the observatory, an expertise in tourism gained from living on the island for many years, and the skill of writing, which led to the creation of the tourist guides.
Learn more about Sheila and her books on her website!
Fun Fact
Here’s something that she and I have in common: she likes both the writing work and the guide work and wouldn’t want to choose between them.
She says, “As much as I love writing, it's sedentary and solitary. The tour guiding gets me out meeting people. And much as I love the tour guiding, it's highly irregular work and not very creative. Together they're just about right.”
This is how I feel about the writing I do, compared with the events I produce (like WDS) or going on tour for my books—I wouldn't want to choose between them! Often a side hustle can help to compensate for what you’re missing in your work. Most jobs are not designed around your personality and what’s best for you, but when you’re creating at least one of your sources of income, that’s exactly what you can do.
Resources
GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL
Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.
I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️
CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE
Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.
Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today!
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To infinity and beyond,