Thank you. I'm in the same boat: laid off and trying to get some new hustles off the ground, including writing. My youtube algorithm has become endless interviews with kids supposedly making $millions overnight on nocode sites and scammy AI products and it kills motivation. Hard to know what is the real world. Thank you for keeping it real.
Sorry to hear about your layoff but hopefully it has opened up some new opportunities for you? How's writing going for you and what other hustles are you exploring?
Thanks for this wonderful post. It has given so much clarity. I am writing for about two years now. Weekdays I can write in short sprints of 10-15 minutes. So mostly I have to rely on the weekends to write and build free products that i can use to grow my email list.But yes I agree, its not a job of 5 hours a day. It takes me a whole day just to design an ebook!
Well written, thank you for the article, I enjoyed reading it.
While I agree with your central thesis that side hustles are presented as get rich quick schemes. I am going to respectfully disagree with you here on a few points. It's funny because I just wrote a substack post about this same topic but from a different angle.
Most people simply cannot afford to keep living without a full-time job. Like you've made clear, building a business takes time. It's a luxury available to few to take prolonged periods of time with little to no income.
Cal Newport recommends taking the following approach.
* Use accumulated career capital to acquire a job with more flexibility and authonomy, to give yourself time to write, while making enough money to support you and your family.
* Don't go all in your business until you can prove that you can repeatably make money.
Being entrepreneur requires skill and a unique POV. In this case the author is a highly skilled data scientist, those skills were acquired from a full-time job. If people want to go all in on a business they need the skills first.
By the way, I am a data engineer with ten years of experience. Go data people!
Love Cal Newport;s insights. Thanks for sharing Matt.
I'm blessed with data science skills. But I don;t think I can maintain a "side hustle" while being a full time data scientist. In which case, my layoff gave me the kick in the butt I didn't know I need
I don't think that's true. Teaching writing is relevant for everyone so maybe your feed is biased towards the NL you follow? I don't teach writing :) But my content touches on personal branding
Interesting article that certainly pours some perspective into having a full time job alongside a side hustle. I used to be a high school teacher and started a gym business on the side, becuase I was taught that most people waste their time after the 9-5 grind…you have evenings and weekends off, and most people spend that time partying, entertaining themselves and watching tv. I used that time to build and run my gym business and next thing I knew it grew and I attracted the attention of an investor who wanted to fund my expansion and run this business full time. After I read “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki, who grilled in my head that being an employee will hardly ever make your rich, I took the leap of faith and quit my teacher job to run my gym full-time. After a few years, I read the book the E-Myth by Michael Gerber who taught me how to set up a system to run the business so I can exit…and today I have 4 gyms and several other companies (in unrelated industries) that I’ve taken over or started and expanded.
So I’m the 1% I guess you could say, but it’s definitely possible with the right focus, mindset, the desire to become wealthy by escaping the rat race, and reading the right books.
Yes I used to need a lot of downtime as well but my Chinese upbringing where my parents constantly grilled discipline and work ethic onto me…I didn’t have a choice but to put the downtime in the backseat!
Well said, I wouldn’t say side hustles are a scam but I agree that they’re a lot of work and take serious dedication. It really comes down to what you want out of it- if you’re just trying to build something small and slow growing to add some extra income it can be done with small consistent effort.
But as you say, if you want something that will replace your income or “scale to 7 figures” lol, it’s gonna be some serious work, both upfront and ongoing.
I was laid off back in February and found a new job in June. I did start tinkering with a side hustle, but as soon as I got my new role I found I was too tired.
I definitely want to continue with it, but I wholeheartedly agree that it requires a whole lot more than an hour here and an hour there.
So identify with this. Was laid off last year, took some time off then started in earnest to main hustle this year, it’s definitely not easy and takes a lot more strategy, good ideas, and time spent than the gurus advertise. At this point I’m thinking slow build rather than make a quick buck.
Thank you. I'm in the same boat: laid off and trying to get some new hustles off the ground, including writing. My youtube algorithm has become endless interviews with kids supposedly making $millions overnight on nocode sites and scammy AI products and it kills motivation. Hard to know what is the real world. Thank you for keeping it real.
Sorry to hear about your layoff but hopefully it has opened up some new opportunities for you? How's writing going for you and what other hustles are you exploring?
Thanks Mandy. Trying the coaching and consulting route, and writing to build a brand. I have so many ideas but only so many hours in a day!
Great post!it’s all about the compound effect
It’s really refreshing the way you write. I’m not a techie, I’m in health but hopping to learn a few tips from you.
Cheers 🥂
Yeah. I've been thinking that it is lately. Exchanging your time for earning merely pennies.
"This is what happens when you’re forced to prioritize someone else’s dream over your own."
Very well said!
Thanks for this wonderful post. It has given so much clarity. I am writing for about two years now. Weekdays I can write in short sprints of 10-15 minutes. So mostly I have to rely on the weekends to write and build free products that i can use to grow my email list.But yes I agree, its not a job of 5 hours a day. It takes me a whole day just to design an ebook!
Yeah exactly! Building something is easy, building something people want to buy is hard work.
Well written, thank you for the article, I enjoyed reading it.
While I agree with your central thesis that side hustles are presented as get rich quick schemes. I am going to respectfully disagree with you here on a few points. It's funny because I just wrote a substack post about this same topic but from a different angle.
Most people simply cannot afford to keep living without a full-time job. Like you've made clear, building a business takes time. It's a luxury available to few to take prolonged periods of time with little to no income.
Cal Newport recommends taking the following approach.
* Use accumulated career capital to acquire a job with more flexibility and authonomy, to give yourself time to write, while making enough money to support you and your family.
* Don't go all in your business until you can prove that you can repeatably make money.
Being entrepreneur requires skill and a unique POV. In this case the author is a highly skilled data scientist, those skills were acquired from a full-time job. If people want to go all in on a business they need the skills first.
By the way, I am a data engineer with ten years of experience. Go data people!
Love Cal Newport;s insights. Thanks for sharing Matt.
I'm blessed with data science skills. But I don;t think I can maintain a "side hustle" while being a full time data scientist. In which case, my layoff gave me the kick in the butt I didn't know I need
One thing I noticed is that most of the businesses on Substack is about coaching writers . Am I the only teacher teaching science here? 🤔
I don't think that's true. Teaching writing is relevant for everyone so maybe your feed is biased towards the NL you follow? I don't teach writing :) But my content touches on personal branding
Interesting article that certainly pours some perspective into having a full time job alongside a side hustle. I used to be a high school teacher and started a gym business on the side, becuase I was taught that most people waste their time after the 9-5 grind…you have evenings and weekends off, and most people spend that time partying, entertaining themselves and watching tv. I used that time to build and run my gym business and next thing I knew it grew and I attracted the attention of an investor who wanted to fund my expansion and run this business full time. After I read “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki, who grilled in my head that being an employee will hardly ever make your rich, I took the leap of faith and quit my teacher job to run my gym full-time. After a few years, I read the book the E-Myth by Michael Gerber who taught me how to set up a system to run the business so I can exit…and today I have 4 gyms and several other companies (in unrelated industries) that I’ve taken over or started and expanded.
So I’m the 1% I guess you could say, but it’s definitely possible with the right focus, mindset, the desire to become wealthy by escaping the rat race, and reading the right books.
you are! inspiring story Warren. I need a lot of sleep and down time so not sure if I'd manage to pull that off
Yes I used to need a lot of downtime as well but my Chinese upbringing where my parents constantly grilled discipline and work ethic onto me…I didn’t have a choice but to put the downtime in the backseat!
very motivating.
Thanks for the article, Mandy. I think it's a good angle on hustle culture in general.
A side-hustle, without the emotional, attention grabbing headlines is simply a business. Something we can all do whilst balancing work and life.
Businesses that focus on long term prosperity, bring value to customers and have a net benefit to society are the ones I personally value.
Well said, I wouldn’t say side hustles are a scam but I agree that they’re a lot of work and take serious dedication. It really comes down to what you want out of it- if you’re just trying to build something small and slow growing to add some extra income it can be done with small consistent effort.
But as you say, if you want something that will replace your income or “scale to 7 figures” lol, it’s gonna be some serious work, both upfront and ongoing.
well said! Thanks for reading
I was laid off back in February and found a new job in June. I did start tinkering with a side hustle, but as soon as I got my new role I found I was too tired.
I definitely want to continue with it, but I wholeheartedly agree that it requires a whole lot more than an hour here and an hour there.
It really does. Best of luck with your new job and hope you side hustle fire keeps going
This post made me a subscriber, love when writers are being real
On thanks!
So identify with this. Was laid off last year, took some time off then started in earnest to main hustle this year, it’s definitely not easy and takes a lot more strategy, good ideas, and time spent than the gurus advertise. At this point I’m thinking slow build rather than make a quick buck.
rooting for you! Layoffs are never easy but they open doors for new opportunities
You’re the internet gurus worst enemy
why am I the worst enemy? 😞😓😩😤😡😠😞😓😩😤😡😠😞😓😩😤😡
Nice 😊
Can we follow each other 🙏