There’s a point where making more money doesn't make you any happier. Hedge fund manager Ray Dalio talks about this—the law of diminishing returns. Once you have enough, chasing more can have negative consequences. It’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way.
We’ve all had those days where it feels like the harder we work, the less we seem to make. If you find yourself stuck in that cycle, it might be time to start seriously considering some . When you look at some of the world's most successful people, you'll notice a common thread: they figured out how to position themselves to , creating systems that work for them.
When you first start a side hustle, it’s easy to get caught up in the visuals—the logo, the website colors, the fonts. While those things matter, your brand is so much more than that. Think of it as your business’s identity. It’s the sweet spot where how you want the world to see you meets how the world sees you. Your job is to make sure those two perspectives align.
Before diving into the world of side hustles, it’s crucial to understand a key distinction: there’s a real difference between a personal project and an actual business. A personal project is something you do for yourself, driven by your own enjoyment and interests, without needing outside approval. When you start building a , the focus shifts from you to them—your audience. It becomes about serving a market and filling a need they have.
If you’re running a side hustle, chances are its most critical operating system is stored entirely in your head. That’s a common starting point, but it’s not a sustainable one. To really grow your project and reclaim your time, you need to get those processes down on paper.
As your side hustle gains traction, it’s essential to pay attention to the numbers that matter most. Tracking your progress isn’t just about seeing what customers do; it’s about taking decisive action based on what you learn.
Every great side hustle has a history, much like a comic book superhero. To truly connect with people, you need to do more than just list the facts—you have to tell a story.
When you're ready to start a side hustle, one of the smartest things you can do is become a bit of a detective. It’s not about stealing ideas, but about looking at what others in your space are doing and figuring out how you can do it better—or at least, differently.
When you first start thinking about a side hustle, ideas can feel like they're coming from everywhere. But how do you sort through the noise and land on the one that’s actually right for you? It helps to have a system, something that lets you compare your options without getting overwhelmed.