It’s that time of year again—Thanksgiving! For the past years, I’ve celebrated the holiday with an annual roundup of some of the most creative, outside-the-box side hustle ideas and stories that have come across my desk. These unique money-making side hustles stand out not just for their ingenuity but for the impressive income generated by ordinary people putting their skills, passions, and sheer determination to work. This is the 6th installment of the series, so I encourage you to go check out...
Nov 23, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can you really get paid to be curious? When Harry Duran launched the Vertical Farming Podcast in 2020, he had zero experience or connections in the industry — he just wanted to learn more about vertical farming. Yet through strategic partnerships and consistency, he has established himself as a leading voice in this emerging space. Fast forward just over three years later, the show generates over $80,000 in annual revenue. Harry is now seen as a leading authority in the space. His show generates...
Nov 16, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast We've got another round of 20 Questions from Side Hustle Nation listeners on the agenda today! I always enjoy tapping into your collective experience and the challenge of providing helpful answers off the cuff. As is customary on these episodes, I’ve filtered through a stack of questions from the Side Hustle Nation community over the past few months. Though we usually hit 20, this time around we've got 18 questions to explore. This is the 15th installment of this series, making it probably the l...
Nov 09, 2023•38 min•Ep 583•Transcript available on Metacast A location-independent consulting business that replaces your day job income in a matter of months? That's what Paul Minors achieved with his virtual software consulting side hustle. You might recognize Paul’s name. Paul is a productivity blogger and consultant from New Zealand. He was part of a fun productivity roundtable episode we did towards the end of 2016 -- that was episode 197 if you want to go back and check it out. At that time, Paul was putting the wheels in motion on his consulting b...
Nov 02, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's one thing to teach a toddler to read; it's another entirely to transform that skill into a 7-figure business. Spencer Russell built Toddlers Can Read from the ground up and achieved tremendous success in just 2 years. Despite early setbacks with initial sales, he adapted by refining the course experience and struck gold with viral content on TikTok. As Spencer innovates, scales, and plans a rebranding, he remains deeply committed to his mission—helping children everywhere unlock their readi...
Oct 26, 2023•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Paxton earns $1000s a month sharing the best golf gear deals on the Internet. And unlike most affiliate businesses, he didn't wait around in the Google sandbox waiting for SEO to take hold. In fact, he made $2000 in his first month! Tune in to the interview to learn how he: sources the deals gets the word out monetizes the business Could you borrow the idea in your own niche? Full Show Notes: $1000s a Month Sharing the Best Deals in Your Niche Your Listener Bonus: 20 Hobby Niches To Create...
Oct 19, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Becky Beach’s side hustle journey began like many others—with an unhealthy relationship at a day job. After being fired from her toxic work environment, Becky was inspired to start her own business. She launched the blog MomBeach.com in 2015, but it took 6 long years of blood, sweat, and tears before it became a full-time income source. When COVID-19 struck, Becky's blog exploded from 20,000 pageviews a month to over 250,000. Riding the growth, she took the leap into full-time blogging and digit...
Oct 12, 2023•53 min•Ep 582•Transcript available on Metacast What if you could make your rent or mortgage payment go away? Or, what if instead of paying that expense every month, your living situation actually paid you? It’s not as far-fetched as it may sound. In fact, that’s exactly what today’s guest, Craig Curelop, has done by intentionally "house hacking" over the past few years. He’s even written a book on the topic, and it's one I wish I’d had when I was 18 or 19! I would have definitely done some things differently. The basic idea is to use other p...
Oct 05, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff had a problem. As young professionals working busy day jobs, they struggled with skincare issues like acne and eczema but couldn’t find products that worked for them. Rather than accept their fate, these best friends decided to take matters into their own hands. They dreamed of creating the “Nike of skincare” — a brand built specifically for active males like themselves. In 2019, Ben and Kevin finally decided to scratch their entrepreneurial itch and turn this passion ...
Sep 28, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast I’ve got a couple Plug and Play Side Hustles for you today that are quick and easy to start. In the first side hustle, we dive into mattress flipping through Sharetown. Find out how it works, what you need to get started, and how much you can expect to make. For the full details, check out: Sharetown Review: Inside the Mattress Pickup and Resale Side Hustle For our second side hustle, we talk with a veteran mystery shopper. Get the details on how to get started, how to avoid scams, and the best ...
Sep 21, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Making extra money on the side often requires finding ways to create leverage. Leverage means getting paid multiple times for work you only have to do once, and making money without having to actively do the work yourself. One side hustler who has cracked the code on leveraged profits is Steve Slagle. By day, Steve works construction jobs. But outside of his 9 to 5, he now earns over $2500 a month from Beachside Ice, his ice vending machine business. In this episode, Steve takes us through the w...
Sep 14, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast What are the quick, simple, and maybe a little “weird” productivity tricks entrepreneurs use to get more done? Well, I’m always curious about that myself so I decided to ask 26 of my most productive and successful friends for the “hacks” and tools they use every day. (And I added in one of my own to round out the list.) This episode was a ton of fun to put together and I owe a huge thank you to everyone who participated! I know I learned of a few new tools to try and I’m sure you will to. If you...
Sep 07, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Starting a side hustle is all about finding new ways to make extra money outside of your regular 9-5 job. And in today’s digital world, there are two primary paths people take — starting a local business or building an online business from your computer. But which strategy should you pursue to start earning real income as a side hustler? That’s the discussion in which Nick Huber, co-founder of Storage Squad and host of The Sweaty Startup podcast, and Miles Beckler, an online business expert, sha...
Aug 31, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Starting an online tutoring business while juggling nursing school and 6 kids sounds daunting. As a nursing student struggling to keep up with her coursework, Nicole discovered a passion for helping fellow students learn difficult concepts and develop effective study skills. This launched her on an incredible 10-year-long journey - from tutoring classmates to building a thriving online membership site, YourNursingTutor. How'd she pull it off while raising 6 kids? In this episode, we'll hear Nico...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Growing an engaged audience is crucial but challenging when starting a podcast or online business. Chris Hutchins started the All the Hacks podcast in May 2021. Today, he reaches over 250,000 downloads per month and has released over 120+ episodes optimizing life, money, and travel and built other content to help listeners upgrade their lives. In this episode, we'll take a deep dive into Chris's approach to growing his audience quickly and how you can apply similar tactics in your own business o...
Aug 17, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast I hope you're having an awesome start to your year so far. The first half of 2023 has been filled with exciting new projects, experiments, wins, challenges, and everything in between for Side Hustle Nation. In this progress report, I want to give you an inside look behind the scenes at what I've been working on so far this year. The goal is to provide a transparent view into running this side hustle that's now over 10 years old. There's been some new habit installations, email marketing tests, p...
Aug 10, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Imagine going from having no business ideas and no money, to making your first sales in 2 weeks. It’s not a far-fetched goal according to this week’s guest. Alan Donegan from PopUpBusinessSchool.co.uk specializes in guiding people through this transformation, and he says that everyone has a profitable business idea in their heads – and he knows how to find it. He does this through in-person workshops that are free to attend by forming partnerships with government bodies in cities across the UK, ...
Aug 03, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Who would have ever thought that cheese boards could earn you $1M? When we first met Monisha Misra, she had grown her charcuterie board side hustle, BoardsbyMo, to over $100k in revenue in less than a year. Fast forward to today, BoardsbyMo generates over $1 million in lifetime revenue, and Monisha now runs the business full-time with a team of 7 employees. In this "Where are they now?" episode, Monisha catches us up on the rapid growth and evolution of charcuterie board company BoardsbyMo over ...
Jul 27, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast What if your passion project could transform into a full-time income source in just a few short years? Turning a blog into a lucrative business takes time, effort, and know-how. But by consistently publishing high-quality content, building backlinks, and monetizing through ads and affiliate offers, you can tap into income streams in your niche. That's exactly what Shelley Marmor did when she started her travel blog on a whim. The former corporate worker and travel magazine editor turned her webs...
Jul 20, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Summer is a great time to start a side hustle and make extra money. The question is, which summer side hustles would be best for you? Check out the list below to spark some ideas and inspiration! I selected these based on: Interviewing over 500 side hustlers and entrepreneurs 15+ years of my own side hustle experience Full Show Notes: 15 Sizzlin’ Summer Side Hustles New to the show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!
Jul 13, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast You’ve heard about building time-leveraged income streams. But what if you could instead insert yourself into an income stream that’s already happening? That’s exactly what Hannah Ingram did at the ripe old age of 22. A real estate agent by day, she bought a cash-flowing car wash with seller financing and no money out of pocket. Today, Hannah’s business generates thousands of dollars in profit every month, all for just a few hours of work every week. Tune in to this Side Hustle Show interview to...
Jul 06, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast John Logar is the king of pre-selling software. As one of The Foundation’s top students, he’s broken all their records and even broken the mold on some of the methods they teach. In fact, he sold $120k worth of software within his first 6 months of joining the program. Since he was already a consultant, doing idea extraction and finding pain points for businesses was second nature. He just knew nothing about software before so just added a new weapon to his arsenal. (Without learning how to prog...
Jun 29, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast How can you turn what you already know into an online income stream? Or better yet, a recurring online income stream? Long-time Side Hustle Show listener Steven Foust is a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) and Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) who recently left his corporate executive position to pursue his online side hustles full-time. His primary side hustle is NCOonFire.com, where he helps army soldiers get promoted faster and earns $14k a month in the process. Tune in to this Side Hustl...
Jun 22, 2023•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pallet flipping is a popular "buy low, sell high" side hustle. When you return a product to Costco, Amazon, or Walmart, it doesn’t always go back to the shelves. In most cases, that product ends up at a local liquidator that resells it to side hustlers, who then flip it for profit. Jamie McAuley has been doing just that for the past few years, and he’s earned over $25k in profit in the process. Jamie is one half of the dynamic duo behind the Jamie and Sarah YouTube channel, where they cover all ...
Jun 15, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Starting a recruiting business can be a lucrative side hustle, especially if you love playing matchmaker. Jon Chintanaroad knows the recruiting business inside and out, having worked for staffing agencies before starting and selling his own recruiting business. Today, he helps hundreds of other people start and expand their own profitable recruiting businesses at Recruiting Accelerator. Tune in to episode 568 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: Jon’s best practices for acquiring new clients and fi...
Jun 08, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast "To build income you can hustle, but to build wealth you need to build something that doesn’t require your hands." That's what this week's guest told me, and then walked me down an interesting path in building that elusive "hands-free" business. His angle? Product licensing. Product licensing is essentially selling your ideas to larger companies for a percentage of future sales. You don't have to worry about the design, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, or anything outside an initial pitch...
Jun 01, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast With a ton of ways for people to make money, Amazon is at the center of lots of side hustles these days. The innovative—if not controversial—Seattle company still has its core retail business, but has expanded in many different directions. For entrepreneurs, side hustlers, and everyone else looking to earn some extra cash, Amazon probably has an option for you. In fact, I have several Amazon-related income streams myself! It's the 4th most popular website in the country, and 13th most popular in...
May 25, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast AI is rapidly revolutionizing the business landscape, offering a wide range of benefits from task automation to better customer service. Despite concerns about job displacement and ethical considerations, I’m curious to learn what tools are out there and how we can best use them to work smarter and drive better results. To help with that, I’ve crowdsourced some wisdom from Side Hustle Show listeners on how you’re using AI in your businesses, and you delivered big time. Stick around to hear creat...
May 18, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week’s guest learned how to tap into the massive viewership of YouTube and make viral, cash-flowing videos on autopilot. Tony Lysandrides runs several YouTube channels, and what’s unique about his videos is he’s not on them. They’re faceless videos intentionally engineered for virality. Tony now brings in up to $14k a month in ad revenue from his videos. With a little practice and a little patience, there’s no reason you can’t do the same. Tune in to the Side Hustle Show interview to hear: ...
May 11, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast I love a good rental business: buy something once and get paid for it over and over again. It’s a cool model, and this week’s guest found a creative approach to it in the mobility scooter niche. Lenny Tim from LAMobilityScooterRentals.com is a serial side hustler and entrepreneur involved in the e-commerce and YouTube space. He built his scooter rental to $3k a month in his spare time. Tune in to the Side Hustle Show interview to hear how: Lenny discovered his niche found his first customers exp...
May 04, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
