Side Hustle – Turn Ideas into Income in 27 Days

Got a full-time job but crave more freedom? Side Hustle is your beginner-friendly blueprint. This episode gives you the tools to start small, learn fast, and grow your income on your terms.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Have you ever found yourself staring at the ceiling at like
3:00 AM dreaming of a little extra income?
Oh definitely that middle of thenight brainstorming session.
Exactly. Maybe, you know, a passion
project that actually pays, or even just a pathway to more
freedom, all without having to quit your day job.
Yeah, because quitting the day job is a huge leap.

(00:20):
Too huge for most people initially.
It really is. And in a world that just keeps
piling on demands both on our time and our wallets, the idea
of creating something for ourselves, something that truly
thrives, well, it's incredibly appealing.
It is, but then the big questionhits.
How do you actually go from thatfleeting thought, maybe that
brilliant idea you had in the shower, to a real income

(00:44):
generating reality? Especially when you're already
swamped with life. Right.
It's a challenge that stops so many people before they even
begin. I mean, the sheer volume of
information about starting a business can feel completely
paralyzing. Oh, totally.
Do you need a formal business plan?
Do you need investors? Where do you find this huge
chunk of time? You simply don't have these
questions? They often just lead to

(01:05):
inaction, don't they? Leaving those brilliant ideas
stuck in the shower drain. You've hit on the core problem,
and that's exactly why today we're taking a deep dive into
Chris Giebo's incredibly illuminating book, Side Hustle
From Idea to Income in 27 Days. Sounds promising.
A 27 day plan. Yeah, our mission is to really

(01:26):
unpack his refreshingly practical, no nonsense approach
to launching a profitable side project.
In less than a month, we're going to extract the most potent
insights, the surprising facts, and the truly actionable steps
from this book so you can see how to transform your existing
skills and interests into a brand new stream of income.

(01:46):
And the key part is, while stillliving your current busy life,
that's the hook. Exactly.
No need to upend everything. And what's particularly
compelling about this book, I think, is the author himself,
Chris Gebo, isn't just theorizing from some ivory
tower. No, not at all.
He is, as he describes it, a lifelong hustler.
I mean, for over 20 years he's been creating income from
incredibly diverse projects, everything from importing coffee

(02:10):
beans to building complex websites.
While traveling the world. Exactly, all while
simultaneously traveling to every single country in the
world. He's truly lived the way of the
hustle, demonstrating its feasibility first hand.
It proves it's not just some theoretical concept you read
about. He walks the talk.
So what does this all mean for you, our listener?

(02:32):
Well, the big promise of this deep dive is to show you that
side hustles aren't just for a select few.
You know those mythical entrepreneurs you read about in
magazines? Right, the ones who seem to have
it all figured out from day one.Yeah, these are genuinely
accessible to anyone. They don't require huge
investments of time or money. That's a myth we're definitely
going to bust wide open today. That's a big one, the money
hurdle. Huge.

(02:53):
And perhaps most importantly, they can fundamentally change
your sense of financial securityand personal freedom, offering
this really powerful sense of agency over your own economic
future. OK, I'm intrigued.
So get ready to learn how to plant the right seeds, as he
puts it, and watch your own money tree grow.

(03:13):
I love that analogy. Let's kick things off by truly
defining what a side hustle is according to the author.
Yeah, because the term gets thrown around a lot.
Right. So fundamentally it's a money
making project you start on the side usually alongside AD job.
OK. The key distinction from full
time entrepreneurship, and this is crucial, is that it's about
creating additional income without the high risks often

(03:36):
associated with going all in immediately.
Right, you don't have to bet thefarm.
Exactly. It provides a financial buffer,
a sense of security, and it allows you to experiment and
build something new without having to abandon your existing
stability. You can test the waters.
I think that distinction is so important for so many people.
It just takes the pressure off, doesn't it?
Absolutely. It makes it feel achievable.

(03:57):
Let's unpack this with some reallife examples from the book,
because this is where the possibilities really, really
open up. OK, let's hear them.
All right, imagine a British construction manager, busy guy,
day job. He wrote a few fish tank reviews
for some obscure website, included links to Amazon
products. Kind of just for fun, you know?
Didn't expect much probably. Exactly.

(04:19):
Knew he'd get a tiny Commission if people bought through his
links, but he basically forgot about it.
Then a few weeks later, a check for $350.00 arrives in the mail.
Wow, like found money. Totally.
His partner didn't even believe it was real money until he took
her out to a nice dinner. But here's the truly surprising
insight the picker that small project created in the single

(04:42):
weekend kept paying it. Wasn't a one off?
No Years later, those same reviews were still earning him
an average of $700.00 a month passively, with zero further
work. That's incredible. 700 bucks a
month passively. Passively, this isn't just about
an extra check. It's a powerful demonstration of
how a small, focused effort can create what the book calls
asynchronous value income generated long after the initial

(05:04):
work is done. It fundamentally changes your
relationship with time and money.
That passive income element is, well, it's the dream for many,
isn't it? And it shows.
It doesn't have to be some complicated tech startup.
It can be fish tank reviews. Exactly.
Another compelling example from the book is a San Diego
government employee. He photographed a friend's
wedding. Again, not some grand career

(05:26):
plan. Helping out a friend.
Right, but it unexpectedly led to an extra $3500 every month.
Now what's crucial here is that he didn't want to become a full
time wedding photographer. OK, that's interesting.
He specifically chose jobs that fit his existing schedule,
turning down those that didn't, all while keeping his steady,
real job paycheck. This just highlights the

(05:48):
incredible flexibility a side hustle can offer.
You get to earn more, but on your terms.
You're in control. And for for all the busy
parents, caregivers, multitaskers out there, listen
to this one, a Pennsylvania oil and gas sales Rep who is also a
mom and a yoga teacher. Wow, OK busy person.
Super busy. She started posting images on

(06:09):
Pinterest, wasn't a celebrity, didn't have a revenue model or
any grand plan. She's just doing it in her spare
moments, maybe waiting for a meeting or whatever.
She liked. Exactly.
Within a month, she earned over $1000.
She was shocked. Happy surprise, obviously.
After three years, she'd taken in more than $40,000 simply by
uploading photos whenever she had a break. $40,000 from

(06:33):
Pinterest. Yeah, these stories, all true,
detailed in the book, they really drive home the accessible
nature of the side hustle. It truly is about finding those
pockets of opportunity in your existing life.
You don't need to invent something totally new.
These examples really lead to a critical question.
Then why should everyone consider having one?

(06:53):
It's clearly not just about the money, although that's a very
nice tangible benefit. Right.
The extra cash is great, but there's more.
It's fundamentally about cultivating freedom and options.
That's the core message. When you receive multiple
paychecks from different sources, you're no longer
completely dependent on the whims of a single employer.
That's huge, especially now. Absolutely.

(07:13):
This creates a powerful sense ofsecurity, especially in today's,
let's face it, unpredictable economic landscape.
Yes. So it's about so much more than
just dollars and cents. It's empowering.
It builds confidence in your owncapabilities, right?
Seeing you can make money on your own turn.
Definitely, and it allows you toincrease your income by
leveraging skills you already possess, skills you often enjoy

(07:35):
using anyway. It's not like you have to go
learn quantum physics. Right.
It's like having multiple safetyNets or maybe multiple streams
flowing into your financial reservoir, so if one stream
dries up, you're not left completely stranded.
It's a smart hedge against uncertainty.
Well put. Now let's address what you need
and maybe more surprisingly, what you don't need.
According to the author, this iswhere some myths get busted.

(07:56):
OK, lay it on us. He identifies 5 non negotiables
for success. You need a profitable idea, a
product or service to offer customers.
Obviously a way to get paid and some form of leverage.
Something that lets you scale beyond just trading time for
money. OK, those make sense.
The foundations. They are the bedrock, yes.

(08:16):
But here's where it gets really interesting, because the list of
what you don't need is far longer, and it dispels so many
common myths that just stop people cold in their tracks.
All right, let's hear the don'ts.
First up, you don't need much money.
Huge sigh of relief for many. I bet most ideas in the book
require minimal or even 0 capital to start.

(08:37):
Zero. Really.
Yeah, No credit cards maxed out,no loans needed for startup.
Chris really emphasizes paying for everything upfront and
operating leaned. That's a significant barrier
just removed right there. That's a huge psychological
hurdle cleared. What else?
Secondly, you don't need much time.
Another big one. This 27 day plan is specifically

(08:58):
designed to be doable alongside your existing commitments.
We're talking about roughly one hour a day.
It's. Just an hour a day.
Roughly, yeah. And the author himself?
Remember, he hustled while beingan aid worker in West Africa and
pursuing his quest to visit every country in the world.
His life was far from leisurely.OK, point taken if he could do
it. Right.
It proves that time is often less about quantity and more

(09:19):
about intentionality, making that hour count.
Makes sense. And the third don't.
And finally, a big one. You don't need a business degree
or any kind of specialized education.
You don't need an MBA. Hallelujah.
Right. Traditional business education,
as Chris points out, often teaches corporate management how
to run someone else's business, not necessarily how to start

(09:42):
your own thing from scratch. Lean and mean.
A side hustle prioritizes simplicity and action over
complex theories or fancy software.
In fact, this leads to a surprising and kind of
counterintuitive from the book Money and abundance of free time
and even excessive traditional education can actually be
detrimental to a side hustle. Wait, detrimental.

(10:04):
How? It almost sounds paradoxical,
doesn't it? We're always told more resources
are better, but Gebo argues thatscarcity in some ways can be
your greatest asset when starting lean.
OK, explain that. If you have too much money, you
might be prone to wasteful spending on, you know, fancy
logos or office space you don't need.
Yeah, premature scaling. Exactly.
Too much free time that can leadto procrastination because

(10:25):
there's no urgent deadline pushing you.
You think, oh, I'll get to it tomorrow?
Been there. And traditional business
education, with its emphasis on complex five year plans and
market analysis, can sidetrack you from the simple, actionable
steps needed to just get your idea off the ground.
So the constraints actually force focus.
Precisely When you have to do everything yourself with limited

(10:47):
resources, you're forced to stick to what's absolutely
essential. That's often a hidden advantage
that leads to faster validation.You figure out quickly if the
idea has legs. I think that's a truly profound
point. It totally flips the script on
conventional wisdom about needing tons of resources.
OK, let's dive into week 1 then building an arsenal of ideas.

(11:08):
This covers days one through 5 all.
Right, Week 1 idea generation. The mindset here is crucial, and
it's summarized beautifully withthe phrase Money grows on trees.
Intriguing. It's an analogy Chris Giebo uses
to emphasize that profitable ideas are like seeds.
You have to plant the right ones, and then you have to
cultivate them deliberately. So it's not magic, it's

(11:28):
gardening. Exactly.
It's like practical alchemy, turning everyday observations
into tangible value. The goal isn't just to have
ideas passively, but to activelycultivate the skill of idea
generation and, importantly, making ideas happen.
OK, so how do you cultivate thatskill in days one through 3?

(11:49):
Well, the book encourages you topredict the future and learn how
money grows on trees by simply and this is key, observing the
world around you for opportunities.
Just looking around, yeah. The analogy of the author uses
is taking an imaginary drive down the street and asking
yourself what are these people doing and what do they need?
It's about consciously looking for problems, annoyances, unmet

(12:11):
desires, because those are potential products or services.
Seeing problems as opportunities.
Precisely. It's such a simple yet powerful
way to spark ideas. For example, seeing commuters
struggling meeting faster travel.
That led Steven Peterson, a web developer, to create a real time
traffic app called Root C for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Oh yeah, I remember that example.

(12:32):
He combined his existing web devskills with a clear market need,
he observed, and that app ended up earning him $7500 a month.
Wow, just from seeing a problem.Or, you know, looking around,
seeing people walking dogs or lugging groceries.
That might inspire a dog walkingor errand service observing
office workers without easy access to good coffee that could

(12:55):
lead to a mobile coffee deliveryservice.
The opportunities are literally everywhere once you train your
mind to look for them. With that specific question,
what do people need? The book categorizes these
potential hustles into 3 core types, right?
Yes it does. Makes it easier to think about.
First, they're selling a product.
This can be tangible, like, say,gourmet coffee beans you source,
or intangible, like Steven Peterson's traffic information

(13:18):
app. Information is a product.
Good point. Second type. 2nd is providing a
service. This means doing something for
someone else in exchange for payment.
Running errands, coaching, photography, writing, editing,
the list is endless. OK, proud of your service.
Makes sense. And the third type is super
intriguing. Ah yes, the decoding or

(13:38):
improving an existing process, often acting as a middleman or
using arbitrage. Explain arbitrage again quickly.
Sure, arbitrage is essentially profiting from price differences
in different markets for the same thing.
Buying low somewhere, selling high somewhere else.
Think about Trevor Mountcastle, the travel hacker mentioned in
the book. Right, the $100,000 a year guy.

(13:59):
Yeah, he made $100,000 a year without ever touching the
inventory. His hustle involved buying items
low, maybe on clearance or usingspecial discounts and reselling
them high on Amazon. So he found inefficiencies.
Exactly. He identified market
inefficiencies, places where goods were priced differently
than their true market value, and exploited them.
He didn't create a product or directly serve customers in the

(14:21):
traditional sense. He just connected the right
sellers with the right buyers, facilitated by platforms like
Amazon. That's a whole different way of
thinking about a hustle. It is, and this then leads us
nicely into the concept of starter ideas versus next level
ideas, or Nlis as the book callsthem.
Starter versus next level, OK. A starter idea might be driving

(14:42):
for Uber or Lyft. You earn an hourly wage more or
less, but your income is directly capped by the time you
put in. Time for money, the classic
constraint. Right.
A next level idea, in contrast, would be someone like Harry
Campbell, who runs the RideshareGuy blog and podcast.
He started as a driver, but thenbegan coaching other Uber

(15:02):
drivers, creating content, becoming an expert commentator
in that space. So he leveraged his experience.
Precisely. His market demand is almost
inexhaustible because new drivers are always signing up,
looking for guidance. He moved beyond simply trading
his own time for money behind the wheel.
He built an asset. That's a really key distinction.
Or another example from the book, A starter idea might be

(15:23):
selling your own used stuff online.
You'll eventually run out of your own clutter.
Right, finite inventory. But a next level idea is buying
and reselling other people's stuff for profit, just like
Trevor did. That's scalable.
Nlis fundamentally expand your potential beyond those direct
time for money exchanges. They build more scalable assets

(15:43):
and open up completely new avenues for growth.
So after you've generated a bunch of ideas, some starter,
maybe some NLI potential, day 4 is about evaluation.
Right. Once you have this list of
ideas, the task is to weigh their obstacles and
opportunities, time for a critical look, examining the
pros and cons of each with, you know, a dose of realism.

(16:06):
And the book emphasizes 3 core qualities you should look for in
successful hustles at this stage.
Oh, what are they one feasible? Can you actually realistically
start turning this idea into action quickly?
The author gives this funny example of trying to sell lunar
golf carts to astronauts. Clearly that has some major
feasibility constraints. Yeah, probably not a day one

(16:26):
launch. Probably not 2 profitable.
Can it actually make money? Preferably reasonably quickly.
If not, the author's kind of tough love approach says it's a
hobby, not a hustle. Which is fine, hobbies are
great, but they don't pay the bills.
Exactly. No shame in a hobby, but be
clear about what it is. And three, persuasive.
Does the idea arrive at the right time?

(16:48):
Does it make it incredibly hard for customers to say no?
Is there a compelling reason forthem to choose your offer over
alternatives or doing nothing? That persuasiveness piece is
interesting. Julia the caricature artist is a
fantastic example of these qualities in action.
Remember. Vaguely refresh my memory.
She started out doing contract work for just $8 an hour.
Pretty grim. Then she moved into freelancing,

(17:10):
got up to $100.00 an hour, whichis great.
Big improvement. Huge.
But her earnings skyrocketed to $250 an hour when she embraced
digital caricatures. This is a new medium.
It created a unique wow factor, really set her apart.
Her idea became highly feasible with her skills, definitely
profitable and incredibly persuasive because it was novel

(17:30):
and cool. He eventually earned over
$100,000 a year doing this part time.
Wow. So she iterated and found that
persuasive edge. Exactly.
She understood what her customers found valuable and
adapted her offer. OK.
So feasibility, profitability, persuasiveness.
Got it. Then Day 5 brings us to the nap
in. Oh yes, the famous back of the
Naskin Calculation Day 5 focuseson forecasting your profit, and

(17:53):
the author assures you, you absolutely do not need a finance
degree for this. Just a napkin, a pen, and the
power of observation. Keep it simple.
Super simple. The core is the basic profit
equation. Monthly revenue minus monthly
expenses equals profit. It sounds almost insultingly
basic, but so many people skip this crucial step in their

(18:14):
excitement. They focus on the idea, not the
number. Exactly this is absolutely
crucial. Take Tussier, the guy who
started renting out a single caron Turo.
Right, the car rental guy. He's making $1300 a month just
from that one car, and the napkin math clearly showed him
how how many days rented at whatrate minus his cost.
Like insurance and cleaning, this simple calculation gave him

(18:34):
the confidence to scale up eventually to a fleet of 16
cars. Because he understood the basic
economic. Yes, you can see how just by
changing variables like the number of rental days you
anticipate, or the daily rate you charge, or finding ways to
lower expenses, you can directlyimpact your potential profit.
It makes the abstract concept ofprofitability very tangible.

(18:55):
And it's not just about a singleprojection, is it?
The book advises making a range of projections.
Good point. Yeah, optimistic, conservative,
and maybe your original best guess.
This helps account for uncertainties, esecially when
you lack erfect information, which you always do at the
start. O What's the absolute crucial
rule here, according to Gibo? Your side hustle must have a

(19:17):
clear plan to make money. Period.
It's not a Silicon Valley startup hoping for some magical
exit years down the line withoutever generating revenue.
Right, this isn't about venture capital fantasies.
No, if it's just breaking even, you're actually losing money
because your time has inherent value.
Even if you're not directly paying yourself an hourly wage,
that time could be spent on something more profitable or

(19:39):
frankly, just relaxing or spending time with family.
Profit needs to be the goal fromthe outset.
That reframes breaking even in areally important way.
It's not success, it's actually a loss of your most valuable
resource time. Exactly.
OK, that wraps up Week 1. Let's shift gears into Week 2,
selecting your best idea. This covers days six through 10.

(20:00):
Now you've got this list of feasible, potentially profitable
ideas. How do you pick the winner?
Right after brainstorming, you need to move from a maybe list
to picking a clear winner to focus on decision time.
And day six gives you a tool forthat.
Yes, Day six introduces the sidehustle selector.
The author likens it kind of amusingly to Tinder for side

(20:21):
hustles. OK.
Swipe right on profitability. Something like that.
The point is, it's not about finding infinite options, but
about finding better matches. The idea that truly fits you,
your skills, your interests and the market.
How does it work? You use a simple high, medium or
low ranking system across five key qualities for each of your
top ideas. OK, what are the five qualities?
They are feasibility. How easy is it to start quickly?

(20:44):
Profitability, potential for income, persuasiveness, customer
appeal. Remember motivation and this one
is really key for sustainability.
How excited are you about it? And finally, long term
potential, can it grow or endure?
Motivation seems crucial. If you're not into it, you won't
stick with it when things get tough.
Absolutely, that intrinsic Dr. is vital.

(21:06):
The selector acts as a brilliantfilter, helping you cut through
the noise and compare ideas moreobjectively.
Let's use an example Meredith Floyd Preston, the Waldorf
teacher. Right, the curriculum guides.
Exactly. She used this tool to compare
tutoring, which yeah, it's feasible, but it scored low on
long term potential inefficiencybecause she could only work

(21:26):
one-on-one with creating curriculum guides for other
teachers. And the guide scored higher.
Much higher. High on feasibility she had the
knowledge, high on profitability.
So many copies. High persuasion teachers need
resources, High motivation she enjoyed creating, and high long
term potential because there wasa virtually inexhaustible supply

(21:46):
of new teachers needing these resources every year.
The selector made the choice clear.
It pointed her towards the more scalable, impactful option.
That makes sense. A structured way to compare
apples and, well, slightly different apples.
OK, so you've picked your idea. What's day 7?
Day 7 is all about becoming a detective.
Put on your trench coat in, Fedora laughs.

(22:08):
OK, Sherlock, what are we investigating?
The book stresses that you don'toperate in a vacuum.
You absolutely need to research what others are doing in your
chosen space, but this is important.
Look for ways to be better or different.
Don't just copy. Find your unique angle.
Exactly. The analogy here is a
reconnaissance mission, like a cafe owner surveying a
neighborhood before opening up shop.

(22:28):
You don't necessarily want too many direct competitors, which
could mean a saturated market. Right, hard to stand out.
But a complete void 0 competitors might also be a red
flag. It could mean there's actually
no real market or demand for what you're offering.
You're looking for that sweet spot.
Proven demand, but still room for your unique twist or a

(22:49):
better execution. That's such practical,
actionable advice. Andrea Hajal, who started an
Airbnb for dogs type service on rover.com, is a perfect example
of this detective work. Oh yeah.
Tell us about her approach. Became a total detective
studying the profiles of the most successful dog sitters on
the platform. She noticed top sitters had tons
of photos, so she went out and posted over 50 of herself with

(23:11):
different dogs. Made her look experienced and
trustworthy. Smart.
What else? She observed that sitters who
got the best ratings in bookingshad super quick response times
to inquiries and sent frequent photo updates to the owners
while they were away. The platform's algorithm
rewarded this, so she aimed for 100% photo sending and a one

(23:31):
hour response time. Wow, really systematic.
Totally, she quickly rose to thetop rankings.
She also added extra services like drop in visits and dog
walking, increasing her income by another 20%.
She literally followed the moneyby observing what successful
competitors did, not just what they said or what seemed
logical. She looked at the results.

(23:52):
That's brilliant reverse engineering success.
OK, day 8 gets personal. Day 8 Yes, you're encouraged to
have imaginary coffee with your ideal customer.
Chance. Cozy.
What's the point? It involves focusing on one
specific imaginary person who represents your target customer,
your avatar as marketers call it.
Really trying to understand their needs, their desires,
their frustrations, their pain points is absolutely crucial for

(24:16):
crafting an effective offer thattruly resonates.
It forces you to think beyond broad demographics like women
aged 2540. I love this concept because it
makes the customer real, not just a statistic.
Shannon Mattern, who developed WordPress BFF, is a prime
example from the book. Tell me about Shannon.
She was stuck in this dull IT job she hated, but she built a

(24:37):
WordPress site for her employer that actually pulled in $7000 in
leads. She realized, OK, I hate
building these sites day in day out, but I actually love showing
people how to do it themselves. The teacher emerges.
Exactly. Her ideal customer became this
woman in her mid 20s, early 30s who felt stuck, wanted more
control over her schedule and income.

(24:58):
And then she had this light bulbmoment.
Oh wait, that's me. That was me a year.
Ago, she was her own avatar. Precisely by becoming her own
ideal customer, she deeply understood their needs, their
frustrations with tech jargon, their desire for empowerment,
and she built products and courses tailored specifically to
that person, earning over $20,000 in her first year.

(25:18):
It's like designing for your past self or for a good friend.
That makes the connection so much stronger.
Similarly, John Lee Dumas, the host of the Entrepreneur on Fire
podcast. Initially, he tried to serve
everyone with his content, whichmeant he served no one
particularly well. Yeah, casting 2 white a net.
Right. So he created Jimmy.
Jimmy was 34, married, father oftwo, stuck in a cubicle, driving

(25:38):
27 minutes to a job he found unfulfilling.
John Lee wrote like 1300 words detailing Jimmy's life, his
commute, his feelings of quiet desperation.
Wow, really specific. More specific and by focusing
every podcast episode, every piece of content on solving
Jimmy's problems, his podcast consistently grew to over 30,000

(25:59):
downloads per episode because hespoke directly to that one
person specific struggles and thousands of people identified
with Jimmy. So the actionable tip here for
you, the listener, is to actually sit down and write a
letter to your ideal customer. Describe their pain points,
their hopes, and exactly how your hustle is going to solve
their problem or make their lifebetter.
Go beyond basic demographics. Get into their emotional world.

(26:20):
That makes the customer so much more real and guides everything
else. OK, Next up, day 9.
Transform your idea into an offer.
This is where the rubber meets the road.
Exactly. An idea isn't a hustle until
it's a complete, compelling offer that someone can actually
buy. And a complete offer, according
to the book, includes 3 key things.
A promise, a pitch and a price. Promise pitch price OK.

(26:45):
Think about Jake Pasco, the guitar teacher again.
Instead of a boring generic ad like guitar teacher for hire,
his ad made a bold promise. Most awesome guitar lessons in
the universe. That's the one.
It stands out. It makes a promise of fun and
excellence. That's the promise element.
How your hustle will change someone's life.
The ultimate transformation you're providing.
OK, so promise is the outcome. What's the pitch?

(27:07):
The pitch explains why they should purchase now.
It often incorporates a sense ofurgency or scarcity.
It answers the why you and why now questions.
Got it. And the price?
The price clearly states what itcosts, what's included in that
cost, and crucially, provides a clear call to action like Call
555 Hot Tunes now or click here to buy.
Without that clear call to action, people just drift away.

(27:30):
They don't know what to do next.Makes sense, and the book gives
us some practical ways to createthat urgency in the pitch.
Right? Because by now is powerful.
Yeah, 5 great simple ways you can use time sensitive words
like now and today. You should respond really
quickly to inquiries. Remember that Harvard Business
Review study seven times more likely to sell if you reply

(27:50):
within an hour. Wow, speed matters.
It really does use the color redfor urgent text or discounts
online to catches the eye. Announce upcoming price
increases. Price goes up Friday to get
people a deadline. And for online offers, adding a
simple countdown timer can be incredibly effective.
These are simple psychological nudges.
These are like basic copywritingtricks, but they work because

(28:11):
they tap into fundamental human behavior.
Fear of missing out. Desire for value.
Totally. The author also emphasizes other
simple copywriting stuff, like always write to one person, your
avatar, Jimmy or whoever, ratherthan a generic group.
Make sure every single word has a purpose.
Edit ruthlessly. Use numbers and headlines and
pitches. Like 36% more Awesome numbers

(28:32):
feel concrete. And focus on emotion.
Yes. Use words that elicit positive
emotions. Joy, relief, surprise,
reassurance. Focus on how the offer makes
people feel better, and use testimonials to help potential
customers see themselves in the story of someone who already
benefited. It all comes back to that core
analogy. You don't want to drill, you

(28:53):
want a hole. People buy solutions, outcomes,
transformations, not just products or features.
A resume service doesn't sell documents, it sells better jobs.
Confidence, hope, always focus on the outcome for the customer.
So what was the outcome for Jake, the most awesome guitar
lessons guy? Well, he started at $50.00 an
hour, which was already decent, but as his reputation and
confidence grew, he gradually raised his rates to $80, even

(29:16):
$120.00 an hour in some cases. Wow, his first month he brought
in $420.00. Okay, nice start.
But just six months later, focusing on that compelling
offer, he was earning $2800 a month.
Significant jump. Huge.
He eventually quit his day job and now makes 5 thousand $6000 a
month working just 2025 hours a week teaching guitar.

(29:38):
That's the power of crafting andevolving.
A great offer. It shows that even a traditional
service can be a really powerfulside hustle or even a full time
gig. That's fantastic.
OK, Day 10. This one sounds fun.
Create your origin story. Yeah, like a superhero.
The idea is your side hustle needs a compelling history, a
why that goes beyond just the facts of what you do.

(29:59):
It's about forging an emotional attention with your audience.
People connect with stories, notjust specs.
This feels like such a human element to bring into business,
which is often missing. Take David and Praj, the couple
from the book who started KeralaCashmere.
The cashmere shawls from Nepal. Yeah, their honeymoon in Nepal
inspired them. They saw local suppliers
realized they could import thesebeautiful shawls.

(30:21):
Their origin story wasn't just we sell cashmere.
It included falling in love, their desire to help Nepalese
schoolchildren with a portion oftheir profits, and the
excitement of selling out their 1st 200 shawls after a local
newspaper feature. That story inspired customers
and the media. It had a clear turning point, a
mission. It resonated.
And what's fascinating here, as the book points out, is that

(30:42):
sign hustlers inherently have anedge over giant corporations
when it comes to stories. So big companies spend millions
trying to manufacture authentic,humble origin stories.
But side hustlers are often humble.
Your authentic personal story, why you started this, what
drives you, is far more powerfuland relatable than anything a
marketing agency could invent for a Fortune 500 company.

(31:04):
That's a great point. Authenticity wins.
It does, and it's important to infuse your personality, like
Shannon Mattern, the WordPress BFF sharing her favorite Taylor
Swift song or her love for Miller Lite.
These little personal details might seem trivial, but they
forge genuine emotional connections with ideal customers
who think, hey, she's just like me.
It helps you find your tribe through being yourself.

(31:26):
Love that. OK, that wraps up Week 2.
We've selected an idea to find the customer, crafted an offer,
and built a story. Now let's jump into Week 3.
Prepare for liftoff days 11 through 16.
This sounds like where we get practical.
Exactly. This is all about getting the
practical administrative elements in place, but
crucially, without getting bogged down in unnecessary

(31:48):
complexity. Keep it lean.
Day 11 kicks off with Assemble the Nuts and Bolts and it's
underpinned by a brilliant mantra from Marie Forleo.
Everything is figureoutable. Yes, I love that.
The core idea is you don't need to know everything upfront.
Resourcefulness, the ability to problem solve on the fly, and
just a willingness to learn are far more important than having
all the answers perfectly mappedout from day one.

(32:10):
You figure it out as you go. This is perfectly demonstrated
by Sarah and her custom candy hearts story.
Remember her? Vaguely the candy heart.
Valentine's Day. Right, she was a marketer.
No candy business experience at all.
She found an unreliable manufacturer for custom
Valentine's Day candy hearts shewanted to sell when they
couldn't keep up with her orders.
What did she do? Find another supplier.

(32:31):
Nope, she decided to DIY it by buying her own custom made, wait
for it $100,000 printing machine.
Whoa. That's not exactly starting
lean. Well, hang on.
When the first machine didn't even work properly, she didn't
give up. She invested all her revenue
into buying a new one. She literally just figured it
out, tackling one massive obstacle after another.

(32:51):
OK, that's perseverance. But the $100,000?
Here's the key lesson, echoing Chris's other book, The $100,000
startup. Siri didn't spend that $100,000
until she already had proof of concept from her initial sales
using the unreliable supplier. She knew there was demand.
Big investments can pay off, butgenerally only after you
validated the core idea with smaller steps first.

(33:13):
She didn't gamble wildly, she invested based on real data.
OK that makes more sense. Validate first, then invest if
needed. Precisely.
And for most hustles, you won't need anywhere near that kind of
investment. The book provides a really
practical mini toolkit for basicadministration, designed to keep
things simple and avoid headaches later.

(33:35):
OK, what's in the toolkit? Things like setting up a
separate bank account for the hustle seems basic but crucial
for clarity and makes tax time way easier.
Yeah. Definitely, mixing funds is a
nightmare. It is.
Get a separate credit or debit card just for business expenses,
again to keep things distinct. Pay for everything upfront
whenever possible. Operate lean.
Avoid debt. Set aside at least 25% of your

(33:58):
income for taxes. Put it in that separate account
so you're not tempted to spend it.
That's a lifesaver tip. Tax surprises are the worst.
They are. Be fast with invoicing.
If you're service based, insist on simple written agreements.
Even just an e-mail recap outlining the basics, what
you'll do, how much you'll be paid, when you'll get paid.
Keeps everyone on the same page.And legally, you need to

(34:20):
incorporate right away initially.
Operating as a sole proprietor is often perfectly fine and much
simpler. Have a basic accounting system,
even just a spreadsheet to trackincome and expenses.
OK, keep it simple. It also recommends setting aside
a dedicated even if it's just a corner of a room or a specific
bag with your stuff. A hustle workspace helps create
routine and psychological separation from your day job or

(34:43):
home life. Good idea.
And crucially. Pay yourself first regularly
transfer profits from your hustle bank account to your
personal account, celebrate the winds and actually enjoy the
fruits of your labor. These are simple steps.
They prevent common pitfalls. They create a professional
foundation without needing a formal business team or
expensive software right away. Love it.

(35:04):
Practical and doable. OK, Day 12 tackles pricing.
Yes, deciding how to price your offer and the author's blunt
here without a price. It's a hobby, not a hustle.
Price is essential. Got to get paid.
So how do you feel? Figure out the right price.
The goal is to find the sweet spot low enough to attract
customers, but high enough to actually make a profit and be

(35:25):
worth your time. Your long term goal might be the
higher end of what the market will bear, but short term it
absolutely must be worthwhile for you and the effort you're
putting in. Makes sense.
How do you calculate that? The book suggests the
straightforward cost plus model for products.
Figure out your total cost to produce or acquire the item,
then add a markup for your profit.
Standard retail logic. Pretty much.

(35:47):
Higher volume might allow for lower margins per item, while
lower volume items like handcrafted goods need higher
margins to be worthwhile. Remember Meredith's low cost
curriculum guides versus Andrew Church's high cost slate
artwork? Both worked because they priced
according to their specific costs, volume and value
proposition. OK, that's products.

(36:08):
What about services? For services, you need to decide
your minimum acceptable hourly income and be honest with
yourself. Include not just the time spent
directly with the client, but also prep time, travel time,
admin time, all the hidden time associated with the service.
Right, the stuff people forget to factor.
In exactly it should probably beat least what you earn per hour
at your day job, ideally more, because you're taking on risk

(36:31):
and doing everything yourself. Sarah Everett, the construction
project manager, turned art consultant.
Oh yeah, the London Tripoli. That's her initially she
underpriced a project with a flat fee and realized she barely
made minimum wage when she tracked her actual hours.
For her second project, she switched to $100.00 an hour,
confidently covering all her time, and the client happily

(36:53):
paid it. It demonstrated the power of
valuing your time correctly. And that crucial warning again.
Yes, the author repeats it. If you're just breaking even,
you're losing money because yourtime is valuable.
Profit must be built into your pricing from the very start, not
something you hope appears magically later.
Your time is your most finite non renewable resource.

(37:13):
Don't give it away. So true.
Any other pricing pointers? Yeah, a few good ones.
Prioritize recurring revenue models if possible.
Memberships, subscriptions. Predictable income is gold for
stability. Consider offering pricing tiers
like a basic premium and maybe AVIP option.
Caters to different customer needs and budgets.

(37:34):
But definitely don't do pay whatyou will.
It just confuses customers and almost always results in less
profit. Have a fixed fair price.
Be confident in your value. Exactly, and don't stray too far
from market prices initially. Do your research.
Remember Day 7 detective work? Jake, the guitar teacher, raised
his prices gradually from 50 to 80 to 8000 and $20.00, but he

(37:56):
didn't suddenly jump to $500.00 an hour.
Find that sweet spot relative tocompetitors and the value you
offer and test it carefully and.That gut check?
Right, the altar brings in Danielle Laporte's question.
How does this price make you feel?
Use your intuition, guided by your research and experience.
When Sarah Everett took that spontaneous trip to London with
her hustle money, she felt justified and joyful.

(38:18):
That feeling was a sign her pricing was right.
It felt fair and rewarding to her.
That emotional feedback can be apowerful guide.
OK, day 13. We're making a shopping list.
Yep, create your side hustle shopping list.
Every hustle needs something. Tools, resources, deliverables.
This is about identifying exactly what you need to
actually deliver your offer. It's like a recipe for hustling

(38:39):
success. Recipe analogy again, I like.
It it involves having a clear your goal, the finished dish,
knowing the necessary ingredients to achieve that
goal, and the steps to combine them.
Got you example. Tanner Calais and his cruise
blog Remember him. His wedding gift was a cruise,
but he couldn't find any good unbiased information online
beforehand. Right, saw a need.

(39:00):
Exactly his hustle goal. Create a genuinely helpful
cruise blog. His ingredients were writing
articles answering common cruisequestions like can I watch
Netflix on a cruise ship or whatplugs do I need?
Those articles were his core content.
OK, content is the ingredient. What were the steps?
His optimization step was building a simple website and

(39:20):
focusing heavily on SEO search engine optimization, making sure
his article showed up high in Google search results when
people typed in those questions,aiming for zero marketing spend,
relying on organic search traffic.
Smart and revenue. His revenue generation step
involved adding advertising likeGoogle AdSense and affiliate
links like to Amazon for Cruise Essentials.

(39:41):
He started small, maybe $100 a month, but grew to $3000 a month
in less than a year. All because he systematically
identified a need, created the ingredients, content and
followed the recipe. SEO plus monetization.
That's a great breakdown. So what are some common
ingredients people might need ontheir list?
The book list, typical ones, a website, your online home base

(40:02):
doesn't need to be fancy or expensive.
Basic hosting for $5 a month is often fine to start.
Maybe a platform like WordPress or a Squarespace social media
profile. Pick just one or two networks
where your ideal customer hangs out.
Don't try to be everywhere, but maybe register your hustle name
on the popular ones just to prevent others from grabbing
them. Good tip, what else?
A scheduling tool, if you offer time based services like

(40:24):
coaching or consulting, avoids that endless back and forth
e-mail chain trying to find a time.
Something like Calendly, a detailed workflow, the step by
step process for delivery which we'll get to next, and of course
a payment system. So the two key questions to ask
yourself when making this list are.
One, what will people experienceafter purchasing my offer?

(40:45):
And two, what needs to happen behind the scenes for me to
deliver that experience smoothlyand consistently?
Makes you think through the whole process.
Day 14 is crucial but should be simple.
Day 14. Yes, set up a way to get paid.
Straightforward, but absolutely vital.
As the author states with that characteristic bluntness, if you

(41:06):
don't have a way to get paid, you don't have a hustle.
Sounds obvious, but easily overlooked in the excitement.
Totally. Parker McDonald, the voiceover
artist, is a perfect example of making this easy.
He started on Fiver. Remember doing low paying
proofreading initially. Yeah, then found voiceover work.
Right Found a client needing a video narration.
Enjoyed it. Invested a modest $100 in a
decent microphone. Used free audio software and

(41:29):
crucially, Fiverr's built in system automatically paid him
twice a month. No chasing invoices.
The platform handled the paymentfriction.
Exactly, and the ease of gettingpaid was key to his consistent
income. He earned over $8000 in less
than a year, covering car payments, date nights, building
savings. Frictionless payment was huge.

(41:50):
So what are some simple payment systems the book recommends for
people not using a platform likeFiber?
PayPal is the old, reliable, tried and true, widely used,
free to sign up, easy to integrate.
Shopify is excellent if you're selling physical products or a
fixed number of digital items. Gives you a nice shopping cart
and inventory management. Stripe is another popular
option. Often slightly cheaper

(42:11):
transaction fees than PayPal. Very customizable, integrates
well with other systems, but maybe it takes a tiny bit more
setup. So options exist for different
needs. Definitely.
The important thing is to choosea system that's easy for you to
manage and critically super easyand trustworthy for your
customers to use. Don't make it hard for people to
give you money. Good advice and the fun part.

(42:33):
Yes, payment notifications are fun.
The book suggests setting up notifications on your phone for
new sales. Cha ching.
It's like a tiny cash register in your pocket that provides
instant gratification and keeps you motivated.
Highly recommended. I can see how that would be
addictive. What about service businesses
and invoices? For service based hustles,
simple invoices are crucial. You need to send them promptly

(42:56):
and make them easy to understandand pay.
Without prompt invoicing and a clear payment process, you're
essentially working for free or at least delaying your cash flow
unnecessarily. And regarding agreements?
Keep it simple, right? Absolutely don't be intimidated
by the word contract. For most side hustle service
work, a simple 1-2 page documentor even just a clear e-mail

(43:18):
recap outlining what you'll do, how much you'll be paid, and
when you'll get paid is often particularly sufficient to set
clear expectations and prevent misunderstandings later.
OK, practical stuff. Day 15 is about workflow.
Yes, designing your first workflow.
A workflow is simply the series of activities needed to complete
a project or as the book definesit, everything that needs to

(43:40):
happen for customers to make a purchase and receive whatever
they've paid for. It's your step by step blueprint
for delivery. So mapping out the customer
journey from their perspective. And your perspective, Yeah,
Amanda MacArthur, the cookbook author, is a great case study
here. Built a website for her
ketogenic recipes as a hobby right?
Right, the accidental e-mail list.
Accumulated over 6000 e-mail subscribers just through her

(44:02):
blog. When she decided to sell a
cookbook, she sent an e-mail asking for pre-orders and made
$1000 that very day. Her workflow for customer
delivery was beautifully simple.Send e-mail to subscribers,
Customer clicks link and purchases.
Payment is confirmed, Customer gets access to a download page.
Follow up e-mail with thanks andmaybe related info.
It was clear, direct, automated and efficient.

(44:26):
What's the key part of designingthis workflow?
Crucial part is troubleshooting.Before you launch.
You need to identify potential points of failure by asking
yourself what could go wrong here.
Thinking like a pessimist for a moment.
Exactly. For example, could the download
link be wrong? Could the confirmation e-mail go
to spam if you schedule calls? What about time zone confusion?

(44:47):
Amanda actually tested her own purchase process using a
different e-mail address to makesure everything worked
seamlessly. That proactive testing can save
you a ton of hassle and customerservice headaches later.
Builds trust from the very firstinteraction.
Smart. OK, Final day of Week 3, Day 16
focus time. Yes, Day 16 advises you to spend

(45:07):
10% more time on the most important tasks.
New hustlers, the author notes, often get easily caught up in
what he calls trivial details, agonizing over logo colors or
business card font. Shiny object syndrome.
Totally, He argues you need to ruthlessly focus your limited
time on just two things. One, improving the experience
for your customer, and two, making more money.

(45:30):
If a task doesn't directly contribute to one of those two
goals, you should seriously question why you're spending
time on it. OK, so focus airy #one improve
the customer experience example?Oliver Asus, the civil engineer
who become a wedding photographer on the side
remember him the. Craigslist wedding guy.
That's him. He'd never shot a wedding
before, so instead of taking an expensive class, he offered to

(45:50):
shoot a complete stranger's wedding for just $250 via
Craigslist. Why?
To get invaluable actual experience, which was far more
crucial than theoretical knowledge at that stage, he
focused intensely on delivering beautiful memories and ensuring
the couple had a fantastic experience despite his low
price. O Practical strategies for
improving experience. The book suggests things like

(46:13):
under promise, over deliver, always try to exceed
expectations, slightly respond to unspoken needs, maybe offer a
little extra help or advice for free just once, and consistently
highlight positive results and testimonials from happy
customers in your marketing show, Don't just tell.
OK, And focus area #two make more money.
How did Oliver do that? Well, Oliver strategically

(46:34):
migrated away from those gimmick$250 weddings.
As he built his portfolio and skills.
He started targeting clients with larger budgets, knowing
that his reputation for quality and delivering a great
experience was key. He focused on providing immense
value, not just being the cheapest option.
So. Strategies for making more
money. Regular incremental price

(46:54):
increases as you gain experienceand social proof testimonials.
Actively pursue additional revenue streams within your
existing hustle, Maybe upsells or related products, and
consider that side hustle to your hustle idea, like Harry
Campbell coaching Uber drivers instead of only driving.
Find ways to leverage your expertise further.
And the time commitment for thisfocus.

(47:15):
The book stresses blocking out just maybe 25 minutes a day
dedicated solely to doing one thing to actively grow your
hustle in these two areas. For busy people, it's about
working smart on high leverage activities, not just putting in
more hours on busy work. Oliver eventually felt confident
raising his price to $3500 per wedding, reflecting the immense
value and joy he consistently delivered.

(47:37):
Incredible journey. All right, that's week 3 done.
We're prepped. Let's move into the exciting
part. Week 4 Launch your idea to the
right people Days 17 through 22.This is it.
Go time where you're planning pays off and you finally get
your offer out into the world. Day 17 is the big one.
Publish your offer, but the subtitle is key.

(47:58):
Launch before you're ready. The perfectionist's nightmare.
Totally. This is the golden rule
according to the author. When's the best time to get your
offer out and see what happens? Usually before you feel totally
confident. It goes against every instinct
to Polish and perfect endlessly.Why is launching early so
important? There are two key reasons given.

(48:18):
Where are they? First, it provides crucial proof
of concept. It validates whether people are
actually interested in your ideaand willing to pay for it.
That early positive feedback or even constructive criticism is
incredibly motivating. OK, validation makes sense.
Second. Second.
Simply put, perfectionists don'tmake good hustlers.
Waiting for everything to be absolutely perfect just kills

(48:40):
momentum. You get stuck in analysis
paralysis. The market will tell you what
needs fixing much faster and more accurately than your own
internal debate ever will. Get it out there and learn.
Steven Peterson with his Routsy app is the perfect illustration
of this launch. Early principle remembered him,
the traffic app guy. Yeah, $7500 a month.

(49:01):
He was a web developer, saw the iphone's potential way back when
for commuters needing real time traffic info.
He launched Rootsy for just $0.99.
Even though he knew it had some glitches, he was motivated by
simply doing something, getting it out there.
And what happened? The app got featured in the San
Francisco Chronicle that proved the demand was real and earned
him $2700 in the very first month.

(49:22):
Despite not being perfect, that early launch was critical.
So the take away is don't wait for perfect.
Exactly. You can even explicitly launch
in beta or call it an early version.
Use those labels to manage expectations and actively
solicit feedback while you're still developing.
Gmail was famously and beta for over 5 years even with millions

(49:43):
of users. You can even start with just a
basic Facebook page before building a full website.
Just something to make it feel real and get that forward motion
going. OK.
Launch before ready, got it. Day 18 is about sales, but maybe
not in the way people think. Right Day 18 Sell like a Girl
Scout. The author emphasizes that magic

(50:03):
money doesn't usually fall from the sky.
You need a clear sales strategy,but the analogy is key.
Be like the Girl Scouts selling delicious cookies, not the
aggressive, annoying St. solicitor trying to guilt you
into something. Exactly.
Girl Scouts sell millions of cookies because people generally
like their product and their straightforward approach.
It's not based on manipulation or high pressure.

(50:24):
It's about offering genuine value with a smile.
So what are the key principles of selling like a Girl Scout?
One, you owe to yourself and your hard work to actually
market your offer. Don't be shy about it. 2 And
this is a mindset shift for manypeople who genuinely need your
hustle want to be marketed to. They are actively looking for

(50:44):
solutions to their problems. You're helping them by making
your offer visible. That's a good reframe.
You're helping, not bothering. Yes, and a great practical tip
from the book. When in doubt, send the e-mail.
Don't be afraid to reach out to your audience, your list, your
network. Sure, some might unsubscribe or
ignore you, but many will appreciate hearing from you and

(51:05):
might be ready to buy. You lose 100% of the sales you
don't ask for. And how should you structure
that ask? Lead with benefits, back them up
with features. Benefits are about how your
hustle will improve lives. Ichi.
You'll save 40 minutes a day on your commute.
You'll feel less guilty leaving your dog the appeal to emotional
needs and desired outcomes. OK, the what's in it for me?

(51:26):
Exactly. Features are the concrete
details that demonstrate those benefits.
For example, our pet service includes 230 minute walks per
day and three daily e-mail updates with photos.
Features provide the proof and credibility for the Promise
benefits. Remember, you don't want to
drill. You want a hole.
Sell the hole, not the drill. And that legendary Girl Scout

(51:46):
Marquita Andrews. Oh yeah, she's amazing.
Sold over $80,000 worth of cookies.
Her tax tactic? She'd apparently walk into
corporate offices and ask for a huge $30,000 donation first.
Seriously. Yeah, When they inevitably
declined, she'd pivot with a smile and say, well, would you
at least buy a box of Girl Scoutcookies?
It was creative, audacious, not pushy in a negative way, and it

(52:08):
used the principle of contrast to make buying a $4.00 box seem
like nothing genius. That's brilliant.
OK, Day 19 is about asking for help.
Yes, ask 10 people for help. As the saying goes, no man is an
island and few side hustles thrive without the help of
friends, mentors and supporters.This isn't about weakness.
It's about being smart and leveraging your network

(52:29):
effectively. You can't do it all alone.
Brianna Faith, the high school student, is a compelling example
here. Tell us about Brianna.
She started a pop up shop selling consigned cosmetics,
basically selling makeup for others on Commission for free in
a space in downtown Victoria. She was still in high school,
but with active help from mentors, friends and local
businesses who believed in her. What happened?

(52:50):
She cleared $7000 profit in justone month and donated $2000 of
that to charity. Her enthusiasm was contagious,
the book says, and she successfully leveraged her
network for support, Advice and promotion.
Proves that age is no barrier when you mobilize help.
That's incredible. So who should you ask for help?
The book categorizes potential helpers.

(53:12):
There are supporters, your cheerleaders, people who offer
general encouragement and maybe lend a hand, mentors, those who
can offer specific feedback and advice based on their
experience, influencers, people who can connect you with
potential customers or help spread the word because they
have an audience and ideal customers.
Getting honest opinions and direct feedback from the people

(53:32):
you actually want to serve is invaluable.
OK, different types of help. How should you ask?
Be specific, not spray and pray.Don't just blast a generic
request to everyone you know. Choose a specific list of maybe
10 people who are most likely tobe able or willing to help in a
particular way, and make your ask clear, concise, and easy for
them to act on. What exactly do you need?

(53:55):
And crucially. Don't be that guy.
Avoid those cringe worthy, overly persistent, entitled, or
purely self-serving requests. Respect people's time, be
someone people want to help because you're appreciative,
clear, and ideally you offer something in return, even if
it's just a heartfelt thank you and an update on how their help
made a difference. Build relationships, don't just

(54:16):
extract favors. Golden rule for life really.
OK, day 20 gets analytical. Day 20 delves into test, test,
and test again. The core idea here is simple but
powerful. The data doesn't lie.
Don't just rely on your intuition or what you think will
work best. You need to find out what's
actually most effective by trying different approaches and
rigorously tracking the results.This is how you truly learn and

(54:37):
optimize. Gabby Orkut, the busy mom sales
RIP yoga teacher who made money on Pinterest.
Right. The accidental Pinterest
millionaire. Almost.
She grew her following to over 1,000,000 people and earned over
$1000 monthly from brand advertising contracts.
How? By observing what pins got the
most engagement re pins clicks and learning to systematically

(54:59):
test, test and test again which images, descriptions and pinning
times resonated most with her audience.
She didn't guess. She let the data from her
audience guide her strategy. So how can someone run a simple
test the book suggests? The simple AB test.
It's easier than it sounds. You present 2 versions of
something, say version A and version B, to different segments

(55:20):
of your audience and see which one performs better based on a
specific goal. Like what?
For example, you could test two different prices for the same
online class, $49.00 versus $79,and see which price point
generates more overall revenue. Or test two different headlines
for the same e-mail offer and see which one gets more clicks
or two different buy now button colors.
You measure the results and go with the winner.

(55:42):
And why is testing so important?Because it helps you avoid
incorrect assumptions. A good idea or a clever call to
action might look successful on the surface.
Maybe it gets more clicks version A, but it might not
actually lead to more sales. Version B might have fewer
clicks but a higher conversion rate.
Testing reveals what truly drives the results you care
about, usually revenue or signups.

(56:03):
Got it. Data over guesswork Day 21
sounds explosive. Yeah, Day 21 burned down the
furniture store. This vivid metaphor refers to
the undeniable power of irresistible deals, discounts
and special offers. Like those stores that seem to
be having a going out of business sale forever?
Exactly. The author says you need to
sometimes show up in a tank, Meaning make your special offers

(56:26):
so obvious, so compelling, it's almost impossible to ignore.
Deals might feel a bit blatant or uncreated, but they work
because humans are psychologically conditioned to
respond to them. It taps into our deep seated
desire for value and the fear ofmissing out.
FOMO. Andrew Church, the Slate artwork
guy, provides a perfect example.Tell us about Andrew's
experience. He was a curious, ambitious

(56:49):
former wrestler who started selling these cool handcrafted
slate pieces on Etsy. Doing OK then, kind of on a whim
for a holiday weekend, he offered a simple 20% discount
just to his small list of Facebook followers and e-mail
subscribers. Sales turned on like a faucet.
He said he sold more artwork in that single day than he had in

(57:09):
the previous two weeks combined.The customers were already
interested. They just needed that clear
time. Limited incentive to reach for
their wallets, that little nudgeto make the purchase they were
already considering. Wow.
A simple discount triggered massive action.
What kinds of offers work? The book lists a whole bunch
straight discounts like 20% off bonuses, buy this, get that.
Free rebates, Be a go. Buy one, Get one, refer a friend

(57:31):
programs, frequent shopper rewards, free samples,
randomized discounts like a Spinthe Wheel offer online contests,
lots of options. And they all leverage
psychological triggers. Pretty much, especially
scarcity, only 50 available at this price which makes people
think I'll miss out if I don't buy 1 now and urgency sale ends
Friday at midnight which triggers the deal is going away

(57:54):
soon. I need to act now.
But the book warns against just copying others.
Right. Yes, crucial point.
Don't be a copycat. Adam and Carol's Famous Only 72
bundles selling packages of digital products for just 72
hours worked incredibly well because it was unique and novel
at the time. Copycats who tried the exact
same thing later saw diminishingreturns because it wasn't fresh

(58:16):
anymore. The $1,000,000 homepage worked
once because it was bizarre and new.
You need to find your own clevertactic that fits your audience
and stands out. OK, so be creative with deals.
Any guidelines for running saleseffectively?
Yeah, some practical tips. Announce sales in advance to
build anticipation. Make it incredibly easy for
people to claim the deal. No complicated hoops to jump

(58:36):
through. Offer substantial perceived
savings, not just a tiny 5% off that feels insignificant.
Appeal to emotion in your sales copy.
Test your checkout systems thoroughly before the sale goes
live. And critically, when the sale
ends, it really ends. Don't keep extending it or you
lose all credibility for future promotions.
Maintain that urgency. Got it.

(58:57):
OK, Day 22 is a lovely one. Day 22 Yes, frame your first
dollar. It's such a powerful reminder to
always celebrate your early achievements.
Those small initial victories are disproportionately
satisfying and provide immense motivation to keep going.
Max Robinson, the British construction manager.
The fish tank review guy. Back to Max.
He received that unexpected $200check from Amazon for reviews

(59:18):
he'd written and totally forgotten about.
It felt incredibly special, the book says.
It validated his small effort and held the promise of future
income. What does he do?
He immediately took his partner out to a nice dinner to
celebrate and share the joy. That act of celebration goes
beyond just the money. It acknowledges the pride, the
ownership, the tangible proof that your independent efforts

(59:40):
can generate real value. That usually goes straight to an
employer. It makes it real.
Exactly. The book encourages you to
invest in yourself with some of your early earnings.
Yes, be frugal and reinvest smart, but don't take take it
too far. Spend a little bit of your
hustle earnings on things that bring you genuine joy or
meaningful experiences. Like Sarah Everett, the art

(01:00:02):
consultant, using her earnings for that spontaneous trip to
London she dreamed of. It connects the effort to the
reward. Precisely and Max, remember,
continues to receive around $700.00 a month passively from
those initial reviews. Years later.
That allows him two extra vacations a year.
Seeing that physical check or maybe a PayPal notification now
continually reinforces the prizeand the reality of his

(01:00:24):
successful I'll be a simple sidehustle.
It's amazing. OK, that concludes the launch
week. Now let's look at the final
stretch. Week 5, Regroup and refine days
23 through 27. The work isn't over after the
first sale. Not at all.
This is about assessing your initial launch results, learning
from them, and deciding on the next steps for sustainable
growth. Because the journey doesn't stop

(01:00:45):
once you've made your first dollar.
The day Journey 3 is track your progress and decide on next
steps. How do you assess the launch?
After launching, Chris identifies 3 potential outcomes
you might be facing. 1A. Stampede of buyers.
Clear success in this case. Keep doing what works, maybe
double down. Best case scenario.
Definitely 2. Womp womp.

(01:01:06):
Basically crickets. Failure.
If this happens, the advice is to cut your losses quickly.
Learn from the experience why didn't it work and try something
else. Don't cling to a sinking ship.
Hard advice, but necessary. And the third.
Three works, sort of. This is the most common
scenario. You get some early interest, a
few sales, enough positive signals to show the idea has

(01:01:27):
potential, but it needs refinement and growth.
OK, so how do you decide which category you're in and what to
do next? By looking at the metrics, the
data doesn't lie. But crucially, don't try to
track everything. Choose just 2-3 crucial metrics
that really matter for your specific hustle.
Maybe that's website traffic, conversion rates, what

(01:01:47):
percentage of visitors actually buy, or average order value.
Focus on the vital signs. Tim Aiton, the resume guy is a
good example of using data to pivot.
Yeah, tell us about Tim. He started a custom visual
resume service on Fiverr for just $5, scaled it quickly doing
8 plus orders a day averaging $15.00 with upsells making
decent money. But he looked at the metrics,

(01:02:09):
his time spent per order versus revenue, and also his personal
satisfaction. He realized he didn't actually
enjoy doing endless custom design client work.
It wasn't scalable for him personally.
So what did he do? He strategically shifted from a
service based hustle to a product based 1.
He created 16 unique resin O templates and started selling
those for $11.00 each on his ownwebsite and platforms like

(01:02:31):
Creative Market. Passive income potential.
Exactly. Yeah, This freed up his time
dramatically and provided largely passive income running
on autopilot. Once the templates were created,
he grew what worked, the demand for better resumes, but let go
of the part that didn't work forhim, the time intensive custom
client service he iterated basedon data and personal preference.
That's a smart pivot, which leads nicely to Day 24.

(01:02:54):
Day 24. Grow what works, let go of what
doesn't. This is all about the power of
iteration, and the advice is simple yet profound and often
counterintuitive. What's the core advice?
Two parts. One, if it works, do more of it.
Focus your energy on amplifying your successes, not just fixing
your weaknesses. Many people instinctively try to
fix the broken parts of their business, but often doubling

(01:03:17):
down on what's already winning yields much better results.
OK, Amplify success Part 2. Two, if it clearly doesn't work,
abandoned it quickly and move on.
Don't waste precious time, energy, and maybe money flogging
a dead horse. Giving up on a bad idea isn't
failure, it's smart strategy. It frees up your resources for
new, better projects or allows you to pour everything into your
actual winners. Anna the stock photographer is a

(01:03:40):
great example of focusing on thewinner.
Remind us about Anna. After her marketing job ended,
her mother suggested selling herart photography.
She started putting her photos on stock photo sites in Etsy,
but wasn't getting much traction.
Not enough exposure, felt like astruggle.
OK, works. Sort of maybe.
Yeah, maybe leaning towards wompwomp.
But then Pottery Barn contacted her and licensed some of her

(01:04:02):
prints for their stores. Wow, big break.
Huge. Once that major brand picked up
her work, she got massive exposure, credibility, and her
hustle income grew significantly.
She smartly realized that was her winning channel and focused
her energy there. Rather than continuing to spread
herself thin on platforms that weren't delivering, she
identified the winner and doubled down.

(01:04:23):
That makes so much sense. Don't treat all channels equally
if one is clearly outperforming.Exactly, and the author even
shares an embarrassing personal story.
Guillobo himself invested $2000 early in his career and some
sketchy business opportunity that promised big returns but
delivered almost nothing. It took him over a year to
finally admit defeat and cut hislosses.

(01:04:45):
Ouch. Even the experts make mistakes.
Oh yeah, the lesson he learned was painful but valuable.
Giving up on a bad idea frees upyour mental energy and resources
for things that actually have potential.
Don't fall victim to the sunk cost fallacy.
And iteration isn't always abouthuge pivots, right?
No, absolutely not. Often it's about gradual
improvement. Small, consistent changes like a

(01:05:07):
tiny 5% price increase every sixmonths or tweaking sales copy
based on AB testing can lead to significant profit increases
over time without requiring massive overhauls.
Continuous small improvements add up.
OK, Day 25 sounds like a treasure hunt.
It does. Day 25.
Look for money lying under a rock.

(01:05:27):
This is about horizontal expansion.
It's often one of the easiest ways to grow an existing working
hustle, finding adjacent opportunities or new ways to
package what you already do. Like finding hidden value
example. Trevor Mountcastle again, the
travel hacker turned arbitrage expert.
Remember his journey. Sort of with credit card points,
right? Exactly.
Initially he was just buying gift cards and electronics to
resell at break even purely to generate credit card points and

(01:05:51):
miles for free travel. That was his only goal, but then
he accidentally started making aprofit on some of the items.
A happy accident. A very happy accident.
He realized there was actual money to be made, so he expanded
beyond just points. He started buying bulk retail
items on clearance and resellingthem through Amazon's FBA
Fulfillment by Amazon program. Now he makes $100,000 a year,

(01:06:13):
mostly hands off. So he found money under a rock
he wasn't even looking for initially.
Precisely. His core skill was identifying
inefficient markets. Buy low, sell high.
But his willingness to look for other opportunities beyond his
initial narrow goal is what truly scaled his income.
The side hustler mindset, as Chris puts it, means you don't
limit yourself to just one revenue stream or your core

(01:06:35):
business. If you find $1,000,000 lying
under a rock, you should probably pick it up.
Don't be rigid. How else can you find this
hidden money? The book talks about remixing
your offering. Yes, remix your offer.
This means adding additional versions or formats of what
you're already successfully doing.
Create a premium version, a nextlevel course.
Offer your e-book as an audio course to add coaching or

(01:06:58):
consulting on top of your product.
Offer your service in a new language if there's demand.
Finding new ways to package existing value.
Exactly. Andrew Church, the Slate Mason
guy. From carving his last name.
Right. He started carving his last
name, then his home state, Maine.
Then he realized, hey, people inother states might want their
state. He expanded to offering all 50

(01:07:19):
states. He literally found money under a
rock, or rather in other states rocks, by simply expanding his
existing successful product linehorizontally.
Simple but brilliant expansion. Another example.
Dan Kadem, the database programmer.
He started tutoring basic programming that naturally led
to some students asking for helpwith custom database projects.
He realized he could charge significantly higher hourly

(01:07:41):
rates, $88125.00 for that more complex consulting work.
Leveraging his core skill in a more profitable way, tutoring
open the door to higher value consulting.
So it's about being open to related opportunities that
emerge. And the book mentions A tactic
called Give People a Choice. Sort of.
Yeah, it's a slightly cheeky marketing tactic.

(01:08:03):
Offer people options, but subtlystructure them or present them
in a way that guides them towards your preferred outcome,
usually the one that's more profitable or valuable for them.
Think tiered pricing, where the middle option often looks like
the best value. It makes it harder for people to
just say a flat no thanks because they're comparing
options instead of making a yes no decision whatsoever.

(01:08:25):
OK, Day 26 is about getting organized as you grow.
Yes, day 26. Get it out of your head.
Meaning, systemize your processes.
As your hustle grows beyond justyou doing everything
haphazardly, you need to document your processes.
What's currently just floating around in your head needs to be
externalized so it's repeatable,scalable, and maybe even
delegatable down the line. Why is systemizing so important?

(01:08:47):
Several reasons. It saves you massive amounts of
time in the long run by creatingstandard operating procedures.
It gets you out of the weeds of mundane, repetitive detail so
you can focus on growth. It helps you make more money by
ensuring consistency and quality.
And critically, it allows for future growth.
You can't easily hire help or scale significantly if

(01:09:07):
everything depends entirely on you remembering how to do it
each time. Makes sense.
Adam White and his guest post Tracker.
Perfect example, Adam was a digital marketer who spent a ton
of his own time manually tracking guest post
opportunities for his day job. It was tedious.
He built his own simple databasesystem to automate it for
himself. Solved his own problem first.

(01:09:28):
Exactly. Then he realized, hey, other
writers and marketers must have this exact same frustrating
problem. So he packaged his internal
system and started selling it asthe guest post tracker for $49.
Turned his solution into a product.
Yes, and by continually systemizing the product
delivery, customer support and marketing using AB testing, he
grew it from $1000 a month to $3000 a month in revenue.

(01:09:51):
Systematization was key to scaling it beyond just a
personal tool. So this involves creating clear
workflows for repeatable processes.
Absolutely. Like Adam's workflow for how a
customer purchases and gets access to the tracker.
You can also create detailed subworkflows for specific
components, like if you schedulecalls, what's the exact process?

(01:10:11):
How do you remind people what happens if they reschedule?
Document it. And onboarding.
An onboarding workflow is particularly important.
This is how you welcome and Orient new customers after they
buy. It could be a series of
automated emails introducing them to your product service,
answering common FAQs, ensuring they have a smooth, pleasant
initial experience. Good onboarding dramatically

(01:10:34):
increases customer satisfaction,retention, repeat business, and
those all important referrals don't just take their money and
disappear. What about tools to help with
systemization? As you grow, tools become
helpful. The book mentions things like
ACRM, customer relationship management system like HubSpot
or maybe a simpler 1 to manage contacts, project management

(01:10:55):
software like Trello or Asana totrack tasks, simple bookkeeping
tools like wave accounting, often free, and password
managers like LastPass to keep track of all your logins
securely. You don't need these on day one,
but they become invaluable as things get more complex.
OK, tools for scaling. That brings us to the final day,
Day 27. Day 27 Back to the future You've

(01:11:17):
reached the end of the intensive27 day plan.
Or perhaps, as Chris puts it, this is really just the
beginning of unlimited opportunities.
This day is about reflecting on the journey and the diverse
paths hustlers can take moving forward.
There's no single definition of success.
Right, the book emphasizes thereare many different outcomes, all
valid. Exactly.
The author highlights these diverse paths.

(01:11:38):
Some people, like Jake the guitar teacher, eventually quit
their day jobs, turning their successful hustle into their
main career and passion. Living the dream for some.
For some, yes. Others, like Sarah, the Candy
Heart Queen, keep both their hustle and their day.
She earns over $100,000 during her peak season, but actually
still enjoys her corporate marketing executive role.

(01:11:58):
The hustle provides extra incomeand a creative outlet, not
necessarily an escape route. So it complements her life.
Precisely. Some use it just for occasional
extra cash and enjoyment, like Oliver, the wedding photographer
who chose to do just one weddinga month for $3500 plus because
that fit his lifestyle goals. It wasn't about maximizing
income, it was about enhancing his life.

(01:12:19):
Others build it to run without them.
Yes, like Tim Aiden, the resume template designer, he built a
system that generates passive income from template sales,
allowing him to pursue other projects or interests without
actively managing the resume business high today.
And some have very personal goals.
Right, like Julie Wilder's astrology calendar, which was
really about supporting her transition into a new career she

(01:12:40):
loved. Or David and Praj's Cashmere
business, where a key motivator was the social good aspect of
helping Nepalese schoolchildren.The hustle served a purpose
beyond just profit. So what does this all mean for
you, the listener, as you finishthis plan or just think about
starting? The big picture, the core
message is that a side hustle exists to support your life, but

(01:13:02):
it doesn't have to become your entire life.
It offers more enjoyment, definitely more security, and
significantly more options in how you choose to live and work.
And that unconventional wisdom Chris Giobo leaves us with.
Yeah, it's important. You don't have to scale in the
traditional Silicon Valley sense.
You don't have to follow all theconventional business advice
about growth hacking or raising venture capital.

(01:13:24):
There's no single right way to run a side hustle.
There's only the right way for you and your specific goals,
lifestyle, and definition of success.
It's permission to define success on your own terms.
Absolutely. Chris Gibeau's own origin story
for writing this book and starting his popular Side Hustle
School podcast was deeply motivated by wanting to help
everyday people find that same sense of freedom and possibility

(01:13:47):
he found, even if their goal isn't his own semi nomadic state
of being. He started the podcast Telling
Real Stories Daily specifically to guide people like Parker, the
voice over artist we mentioned, and April, another listener who
just needed practical guidance to get started.
It's about democratizing entrepreneurship.
Almost. In a way, yes.
The collective well-being arguably improves as more people

(01:14:09):
embrace side hustles. They gain security, extra
income, confidence, often learn new skills and can even have
more fun, all with very little financial risk.
When you follow this model of starting quickly, testing ideas
cheaply, and keeping costs slow,it's a really powerful tool for
personal empowerment in the modern economy.
So let's just recap this deep dive.
Then we've journeyed through Chris Kia Bow's really

(01:14:30):
practical, actionable 27 day plan.
We went from brainstorming ideasand truly understanding your
ideal customer. To building an irresistible
offer, crafting your story, launching it out into the world
even before you felt ready. And then, crucially, regrouping
and refining it for continued success based on real data.

(01:14:51):
We've seen how real people, people with regular jobs and
busy lives, have created significant income streams,
whether that was just for some extra cash, or for greater
financial security, or even as aclear path to a full time
passion they love. You've learned about planting
those money tree seeds, how to sell like a Girl Scout
authentically, the power of burning down the furniture store

(01:15:14):
with compelling deals, and even how to look for money lying
under a rock through clever horizontal expansion.
You've heard these stories of remarkable determination,
surprising creativity, and oftenunexpected success, all grounded
in this practical framework of managing a side hustle alongside
your existing life commitments. It feels possible.
It really does. So the final question for you

(01:15:34):
listening right now, what will your side hustle story be?
What idea has been simmering away in the back of your mind?
Maybe just waiting for this kindof structured push to be
unleashed? How will you embrace this
practical alchemy, this process of turning ideas into income to
create more options, more security, and ultimately more
freedom in your own life? The next steps truly are yours
to take.