In a world of constant pings from texts, tweets, and emails, sending a potential customer a physical piece of mail seems almost old-fashioned. Postcards, flyers, and catalogs feel like relics from a different era. At one point, this was a go-to for small business owners because it was a low-cost way to share detailed information and reach just about any target audience.
Starting a side hustle while working full time can feel like a huge undertaking, but with the right tools and strategy, you can build a solid foundation for an online business. Whether you’re diving into affiliate marketing or launching a dropshipping side hustle, the core principles of setting up, marketing, and growing your venture remain the same. Let's walk through the essential components you'll need to get your side hustle business off the ground.
Starting an online business side hustle can feel like a great way to generate new income streams, but figuring out where to begin is often the hardest part. There are plenty of a legitimate passive income ideas out there, each with its own set of challenges and rewards. Whether you're interested in creative work, investing, or e-commerce, there's likely a path that aligns with your skills and goals. Let's walk through a few of the most profitable side businesses you can start today, many of which are perfect for starting a side hustle while working full time.
Let me be unabashedly nerdy for a second: I love SEO.
It all started in an office in Anchorage, Alaska. Scott McMurren was working in media sales for a local TV station, a job that gave him a great view of Mount McKinley and a list of contacts all over the state. He also hosted a travel show on the side, but he never thought it would amount to much. For two years, his friend Gary Blakely had been nagging him about a business idea, but Scott kept brushing it off. Finally, worn down by the daily grind and his friend’s persistence, he caved. “OK,” he said, “let’s give it a try.”
It was 2008, and Jen Adrion and Omar Noory were just one year out of design school. They were doing what they were supposed to be doing—Jen was teaching at their alma mater while freelancing, and Omar had landed a job at a local design studio. From their tiny apartment in Columbus, Ohio, they were making ends meet with a side business with job structure. But the reality of commercial design work was setting in, and it felt a lot like burnout. Jen found herself wondering if she’d made a huge mistake, questioning if she should have pursued a completely different career.
You’ve refined your approach and put in the work to make sure your business is set up for success. You have a solid vision and you're ready to find the capital that will take it to the next level. So, what do you actually need to start talking to investors? And how do you prepare those materials to get the best possible outcome?
When you’re trying to turn a promising idea into a viable business, your entire world revolves around hitting the next milestone. Every bit of effort is about raising enough capital not just to reach that next goal, but to have a cushion for the inevitable surprises and a budget to market for the next round of startup funding. It's a game of levels. Even if your grand vision is an IPO or a legacy business, you have to win the level you’re on right now.
When you think about what makes a team successful, it’s easy to focus on talent. But for Sir Alex Ferguson, widely considered the greatest soccer manager of all time, something else always came first: culture.