Find The Perfect Side Hustle (6 Steps)

Find The Perfect Side Hustle (6 Steps)

Every Sunday I send out something to think about, a question to ponder and something to try to make your life a little more pleasant. The idea is to inspire and encourage positive change. Readers share their progress so we can all benefit from the learnings.

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THINK

“The most successful people in life are the ones who ask questions. They’re always learning. They’re always growing. They’re always pushing.“
– Robert Kiyosaki

The main reason why people struggle to make a side hustle work is because they select the wrong one.

They chase the money… and it eludes them. 💸

But who can blame them?

There are hundreds, if not thousands of potential side hustles to choose from. It’s no surprise that people end up ‘barking up the wrong tree’.

I’m going to show you how to find the perfect side hustle for you in 6 steps, so you can ‘bark up the right tree’ from the beginning.

There are no shortcuts or hacks in this approach. Work through the 6 steps, take notes, and you’ll be significantly closer to finding the side hustle that could change everything for you.

How to find the perfect side hustle in 6 steps:

What are you passionate about?
What are your talents?
What problems can you solve?
Connect 1-3
Distribute your solution
Productise your solution

Perfect Side Hustle = Fun + Impactful + Lucrative

It doesn’t get much better than working on a project you enjoy, that improves the lives of others and makes you a lot of money. But does the perfect side hustle exist?

Absolutely.

“I knew it! Is it Publishing, Dropshipping or Content Creation? Tell me!”

It’s all and none of those things.

[Stares blankly back at Huw]

There are endless examples of people finding success with each of those side hustles. There are also countless cases of people getting nowhere.

It’s not the vehicle. It’s you.

The perfect side hustle is a blend of:

Something you enjoy – You’ll keep doing it.
Something you’re good at – You’ll stand out.
Something that solves people’s problems – You’ll get paid.

Once you can answer those three points, you’re well on your way to uncovering the perfect side hustle for you.

Here’s how.

Take out a pen and paper or open a Word doc, and let’s get to work!

1) What are you passionate about?

With enough time and practice you can become world class in almost anything. The key to success is endurance.

Instead of trying to find what’s lucrative (wrong tree), identify what you’d love to spend the next 10-50 years doing (right tree).

If you’re not naturally curious about learning and improving in a topic, you will not be able to compete with people who are over the long term.

They’ll spend more time, energy and money on the business. They’ll also willingly work through challenges others will walk away from.

Identify your passions:

What do you obsess over?
What do you spend your free time and money on?
What do you hate not doing?
What do you do to ‘escape’ from life?

Don’t censor yourself or worry about how you’ll be able to make money from licking batteries for now.

List as many things as you can think of, even if they’re weird, especially if they’re weird, and move on.

[I noted – Music, sport, socialising, being silly, meeting new people, group discussion, learning, helping others, personal growth, investing, business, finance, new experiences, licking batteries…]

2) What are your talents?

We are all gifted in something.

It might be detailed analysis, creative vision, charisma and communication, planning and implementation, licking batteries, etc.

When we’re working within our natural genius we experience:

MORE – Engagement, awareness, focus, creativity, productivity, optimism and calm
LESS – Inhibitions, fear, self-doubt, pessimism,

This section is harder to complete because people struggle to own their talents. They just… do them. They dismiss their talents and dwell on their shortcomings.

But in the difficulty, lies opportunity.

What skills or traits do you take for granted?
What do you find effortless or easy?
What do people tell you you’re great at?
What, with dedicated practice, could you eventually become world class at?
Complete this free test to find out your Top 5 key strengths.

Once again, don’t censor yourself. Write down as many unique strengths as you can.

[I noted – Communication, public speaking, teaching/coaching, team player, understanding people, wealth generation, personal finances, optimising myself/others, encouraging others, being honest, being vulnerable, entertaining others…]

3) What problems can you solve?

Don’t overthink this question. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or create the next Tesla.

As a human, you’ve encountered a problem and somehow navigated through it.

Explain how you did it and you can monetise it.

A great starting point is helping you 3, 5 or 10 years ago.

What could you help your past self with?
What challenge or problem have you overcome?

You don’t have to be an expert.

As long as you can do something someone else wants to do or know something someone else wants to know, that’s enough.

Qualifications and credentials mean nothing.

The delivery of your promise is everything.

You’re not limited to the past.

What problems are you currently working through?

Through research, practice and reflection, you can collect value in real time and distribute it to others.

You will connect to people who are one step behind you, aspiring to follow your path.

Write down whatever comes to mind.

[I noted – How to start investing, start a side hustle, live on less, become financially free, overcome panic attacks/anxiety, complete your first marathon, lose weight, build muscle, do CrossFit, become more resilient, more confident, more calm, start meditating…]

4) Connect 1-3

Now it’s the fun part. Abandon reason and logic, lose your inhibitions and play around with connecting the 3 elements.

It’s not about doing the exercise once and having it all figured out.

It’s like chopping down a tree. You need multiple strikes before one lands, and “timber”, it all makes sense.

Here are some of the ideas that came to mind for me.

I could live on my investments, be financially free, and spend my free time doing all the things on my ‘Love list’.

This lacked purpose and meaning for me. I wanted more connection.

I could coach/teach people how to optimise their life/become financially free.

This had great potential.

I could become a professional speaker helping people optimise their life/become financially free.

Good income option, but the thought of travelling for a living was too much.

I could create an online brand that helps people optimise their life/become financially free.

YES! I could link it to teaching/coaching (above) but I had an added element of creating content, which I could have fun with.

I could help people become more confident licking batteries.

My plan b.

Select the one with the most potential, and take it on to the next step.

5) Distribute your solution

You could have a life-changing solution to help millions of people but if they don’t know you exist, you can’t help them.

Now it’s time to start putting your message out into the world.

How you do that is up to you.

I suggest leaning into your communication strengths and preferences for either – writing, talking or designing.

Start slow and gradually build up over time. Consistency beats clever. It’s better to have a strong presence on one platform than a mild one on many.

Core Distribution

I recommend building a basic website with an email list no matter which option you take. You need a space you can control and monetise.

Create articles on your website that highlight the problem and offer solutions.
Create a weekly or monthly newsletter with the same content.

Repurpose articles and newsletters, and distribute them onto other platforms which play to your strengths and preferences (REMEMBER: Start small).

Insert ‘call to actions’ (CTA’s) on your posts directing them back to your website to join your email list.

For Writers

Twitter
Linkedin
Instagram/Facebook (optional)

Pick out the key takeaways and one-liners for Twitter. Condense the article/newsletter down for LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. Post where your customers hang out.

For Talkers

YouTube
Spotify
TikTok (optional)
Instagram/Facebook (optional)

Use the Newsletter as a script for YouTube (on camera or faceless) and/or for podcasts. Re-record the key takeaways for vertical short-form content and put them onto TikTok, Instagram & Facebook Reels.

For Designers

Instagram/Facebook
Pinterest
TikTok/Instagram & Facebook Reels (optional)

Turn your ideas into compelling, engaging designs on Instagram, Facebook and/or Pinterest. Convert your images into short-form videos and put them onto TikTok, Instagram & Facebook Reels.

By delivering content on a consistent basis, you’ll create an audience that resonates with your message.

You’ll start to see trends in the language they use, the problems they encounter, and the requests they make.

Encourage engagement, ask questions and listen.

You’ll need it for the final step.

6) Productise your solution

The final step is where many go wrong. They create solutions they think their audience wants.

Don’t guess, find out.

Your audience will tell you what they want if you ask them:

What their biggest fear or frustration is?
What their biggest goal or aspiration is?
What they’ve tried and failed at?
What’s currently holding them back?
What they’re most desperate for you to create?

These answers will give you everything you need to package your first solution.

You’ll probably know what 50-75% of the responses will be, but it’s the unexpected 25-50% that makes the difference.

Solution Packages

There are dozens of ways to package your solution.

When you’re starting out, avoid products and software (unless you have an advantage in those areas).

I like educational services as they have higher profit margins (more money), lower running costs (lower risk), and are less time-consuming (more ‘passive’).

Consider working through these steps:

1-to-1 Coaching – This is a great place to start. Test your solutions, understand your customer and gain testimonials. You can charge high hourly rates but you’re still trading your money for time, so this isn’t the best earning option long term. Take the learning and move on to #2.
Group Coaching – Once you’ve proved to yourself and your audience that your method works, teach multiple people together to better leverage your time. You can offer a lower price compared to 1-to-1’s, but earn more money with volume.
Online Courses – Arguably the grandaddy of solutions. Low cost, highly profitable, and one of the most passive. Tick, tick, tick. You can earn your freedom fund from this option alone. If you want greater impact or to increase revenue, move on to #4.
Masterminds – Offer a higher ticket solution with group coaching, live Q&A’s, accountability and community. You can earn 5-20x more than an online course, and you’ll see greater results but it involves a lot more time. If you value free time #3 might be optimal. If you value impact and money, #4 is where it’s at.

Summary

The perfect side hustle is out there but you don’t have to find it.

Treat these 6 steps as a ‘guiding star’ or a direction of travel, rather than a ‘distant shore’ you reach.

If you can find a way to help someone overcome a problem, in an area that interests you, whilst harnessing your skills to 60-70%, you’re onto a winner.

Head out in roughly the right direction and allow your audience to guide you.

Now stop licking that battery and get to work. 😉

I wish you the very best of luck!

Reflect and share this with someone.

ASK

Before deciding on which Side Hustle vehicle to jump onto (Publishing, Dropshipping, Reselling etc.) ask yourself the following:

“What am I passionate about?”

“Where are my natural talents?”

“What problems can I solve for others?”

Let the answers lead you to the most appropriate vehicle to deliver the solution.

Write down what comes to mind.

TRY

Work through steps 1-4 now. This will give you a great runway to start.

Work through steps 5-6 once you have clarity on what you want and what you can offer.

You likely won’t find the perfect side hustle in one sitting. Don’t be deterred. It’s about moving in the right direction. That’s the win!

I promise you, the more you put into these steps, the more you get out of them. I’m working on my dream side hustle right now and I have these steps to thank for it.

HIT REPLY and tell me what came up for you.

I read and reply to every email.

Remember: Little by little, a little becomes a lot.