The EASIEST Side Hustle to Start

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THINK

“Success is not a matter of luck, it’s a matter of choice.”
Andrew Young

I was bombarded with questions for my recent Q&A. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that. I hope you found my replies useful.

You could ask me ANY question relating to money, and ONE topic kept coming up…

It had twice the number of questions as the second-placed theme.

And it was something to the effect of…

What’s the best Side Hustle to start?

In my response, I started with the true (but annoying) statement… “There is no one perfect Side Hustle.”

I know this answer is deflating for someone driven to change their life, so I’m going to take a crack at answering it properly.

But do you want to hear something funny…

The answer is staring you in the face.

It sits within the question you pose.

The Answer Within Your Question

You want me to tell you what side hustle to start.

You want me to figure it out for you.

And here lies your answer…

The single BEST Side Hustle to start is a Done For You (DFY) service.

The reason DFY services are so effective is that it’s the easiest thing to sell. The client doesn’t have to do anything and they achieve a desired outcome.

DESIRED OUTCOME = INCREASED PLEASURE or DECREASED PAIN

You want me to deliver an outcome for you. You want me to tell you what side hustle to start.

Now, turn that question on its head…

How could you find a way to deliver an outcome for your future clients without them having to do anything?

Here are some examples of DFY services:

Lead Generation
Physical tasks (Dog walking, Gardening, Cleaning, Construction, etc.)
Content Creation or Repurposing
Design (Web, interior, landscape, etc)

It can be anything as long as you handle all aspects of a particular task for the client.

The Second Easiest Option

Depending on what niche you want to work in, it might not be possible/ideal to offer a DFY service. Take a Physical Trainer (PT) for example.

The clients needs to show up, put in the hard work, and then ensure they’re eating mindfully throughout the week to see results.

So, what do you do?

You move on to the next best option.

A Done With You (DWY) service.

These are more collaborative, where you work alongside the client and help them achieve a desired outcome.

The reason these are slightly harder to sell than DFY (but still effective) is that the client has to do some work. You can’t do it without them.

If you’re struggling to find DFY solutions that don’t require involvement from the client, start with a DWY alternative and collaborate.

Here are some more examples of DWY services:

1-to-1 Coaching (fitness, finances, relationships, adventure, anything!)
Education (same as above)
Strategy / Planning (same as above)
Implementation (Project Manager, social media manager, change management, etc.)

There’s no limit to how you can work with someone to achieve an outcome.

What about Content Creation, Communities and Courses?

Ahh, the 3 C’s.

There’s a lot of buzz around all 3 of these options, and for good reason…

Some people are making a sh*t ton of money from them.

HOWEVER…

Most of them have either:

Worked really hard for a long time
Utilised their audience/clients

I’m currently 2 years into creating content and working on an online course, and I can confirm it’s not easy!

I’ve stuck with it because I don’t need the money, and I enjoy it… and I’m also pretty driven.

The reason these options are harder to execute is that they’re harder to sell.
The buyers have to do more/all the work.

If you have an audience to leverage, these options make a lot of sense and can be highly lucrative.

But if you’re starting from scratch, strap in and be prepared to work for a long time for little to no reward.

Andrew Kirby, who hosts the Skool Games alongside Alex Hormozi and Sam Ovens, shared a ‘Monetisation Vehicle Framework’, which beautifully illustrates this point:

1. DO IT YOURSELF (Online Courses)

The buyer is provided with information. They have to consume it, and execute on it themselves. After creating the course, your work is done.

Pros: It’s infinitely scalable. One million people can go through a course at the same time, without adding to your workload. Mostly passive revenue source.
Cons: It’s very hard to sell. The buyer knows it’s going to be a lot of work to consume the information and then implement it. You have little to no influence.

2. DONE WITH MANY (Croup Coaching/Communities)
The buyer works with you and fellow group/community members to achieve an outcome in a group setting. You can help and support multiple people at once but with slightly less impact than 1-to-1 Coaching.

Pros: It’s fairly scalable. You can help hundreds of people at the same time.
Cons: It’s hard to sell. The buyer still does all the work and doesn’t get much direct help from you.

3. DONE WITH YOU (1-to-1 Coaching)
The buyer works with you privately to achieve an outcome. You have to show up to offer direct help and support, and your time becomes the limiting factor.

Pros: It’s easy to sell. People value 1-to-1 connection, and direct help is valuable and impactful.
Cons: It’s not infinitely scalable. It’s harder to reach more people and scale your earnings.

4. DONE FOR YOU (Services)
The buyer pays for the service and receives the desired outcome. You do all the work for the buyer.

Pros: It’s super easy to sell. The buyer hardly has to do any work, but still gets the outcome.
Cons: It’s not infinitely scalable. You have more work to do than a 1-to-1, so you reach fewer people. It’s equally challenging to scale your earnings as you charge for your time.

DIY and DWM (1 and 2) are harder to sell because the buyer does the work. (Effort and Sacrifice are high)

Making them less valuable.

DWY and DFY (3 and 4) are easier to sell because the buyer does less or no work. (Effort and Sacrifice are low.

Making them more valuable.

Putting Them All Together

If you’re starting from scratch, it’s far easier to focus on 4 if you can, and 3 if you can’t.

These are the less scalable options (which is a good thing when starting a business).

Listen to your customer’s problems, practice your methodology, gain confidence, get feedback, learn how to do it better and get positive testimonials.

Get the reps in!

In time, you’ll encounter two new challenges. You’ll…

1. Notice you repeat yourself a lot
2. Run out of time to service new clients

NOW you’re ready to scale! 🚀

Consider adding 2 and then 1 to your overall offering.

If You Already Have an Audience

If you already have a following and positive testimonials for your service, fill your boots and start with DIY and DWM (1 and 2).

5 Components of a Great Side Hustle

The high-level delivery mechanisms of Side Hustles are very useful, but let’s dig a little deeper to find out what else makes a great side hustle.

Here are 5 factors to look for to increase your chances of success:

1. LITTLE START-UP REQUIREMENT

Low friction to start.
Financially, mentally or even from a time perspective. Look for Side Hustles that are easy to start.
What service could you offer right now?

2. HIGH-PROFIT MARGIN

The more profit you make, the more options you have.
You can extract more money from the business, hire people to help you (reduce time, improve execution or both), increase the value you offer to the client (results and testimonials), work fewer hours for the same rate, etc.
Many online businesses have profit margins over 50%. 1-to-1 Coaching services have ridiculous profit margins (95-99%), allowing you to keep the vast majority of it.
How much would it cost to deliver your service?

3. HIGH DEMAND

People want it, or even better, NEED it!
Evergreen solutions exist within Health, Wealth and Relationships. If you can increase pleasure or eliminate pain within these niches you’ll always be able to make money.
Entertainment or helping people find ‘Self Actualisation’ (fulfilling their potential) are less impactful but also good options to consider.
Is your service in high demand? How could you increase it?

4. EASY / QUICK TO DELIVER

Low friction to deliver.
A book might tick 1-3, but it’s not easy to deliver. 1-to-1 coaching on the otherhand, can be a case of just showing up initially.
If you’re very good at solving a specific problem or can do so quickly, it’ll play into your hands.
How easily or quickly can you deliver your solution?

5. REOCCURRING REVENUE / FUN TO DELIVER

Repeat customers or reoccurring revenue make business much easier. It provides security and peace of mind. It also makes scaling easier.
If that’s not an option, a suitable alternative is to enjoy what you do. For me, helping people solve money problems is fun. I’ve done it for years for free… and now I get paid. It doesn’t feel like work.
How enjoyable is your service? What doesn’t feel like work to you?

You might not be able to tick all the boxes, but that’s OK. Stack the odds in your favour and find as many as you can.

Success really comes down to Endurance.

The longer you can stick at something, the more likely you are to succeed.

The ‘Monetisation Vehicle Framework’ and the ‘5 Components To a Great Side Hustle’ will undoubtedly increase the odds for you.

Reflect and share this with someone.

ASK

“How could you help someone solve a problem (increase pleasure or eliminate pain) without them having to do anything?”

“How many of the 5 Components does your potential Side Hustle meet?”

Write down what comes to mind.

TRY

Start by considering what DFY services you could offer. (Easiest)

If you’re struggling, move on to a DWY alternative. (2nd Easiest)

Listen to your customer’s problems, practice your methodology, gain confidence, get feedback, learn how to do it better and get positive testimonials.

Once you start REPEATING YOURSELF or RUNNING OUT OF TIME to service your clients, consider DIY and DWM delivery options.

If you already have an audience, I still recommend starting with 3 and 4 but you can move onto 1 and 2 much sooner – once you’ve listened to your audience and refined your process.

Look for Side Hustles that are easy/quick to start, have high-profit margins, are in high demand, are easy/quick to deliver, and have recurring revenue or are fun to do.

If you’re still unsure which Side Hustle to proceed with, HIT REPLY and let me know what’s on your shortlist (and why) and I’ll let you know what I think.

I read and reply to every email, and remember, I’m rooting for you!

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

Reply to this email and share how it went for you. Let me know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.