How Anyone Can Start a Successful Internet Side Hustle in 5 Easy Steps

Most businesses fail. Most ideas never become reality.

Entrepreneur.com tells us up to 70% of small businesses ultimately fail. I’ve never seen a statistic on how many people quit their online side hustles, but I bet the number is higher than 70%.

Most people who want to start an online side hustle never even get started. One of the main reasons? People get bogged down. We overthink. We get frustrated by minutiae and never get to the thing that actually makes money.

The longer we go without making money, the further we get from that feedback loop. The feedback loop (put in work, get out money) motivates us to continue doing the thing that helps us make money. James Clear writes extensively about this idea in his excellent book, “Atomic Habits”.

This feedback loop is more closely associated with everyday habits but it illustrates the point that you need some sort of positive feedback or reward to satisfy the craving. This can be difficult in the beginning stages of online business because the dollars don't always come fast and easy in that stage.

My goal is to help you make your first dollar quicker.

I want to help you avoid being one of those failed businesses or people who never get going. Here is my challenge to you: For each step or each action item, set a time limit. Think about a reasonable time limit, set a timer, and get that thing done before the timer is up.

For step 1, I would suggest 15-30 minutes. You don’t need to overthink this. For example: When you get to Step 1, you will be presented with 3 methods of online business. Which of these 3 methods sounds most enjoyable to you? Pick that method and move on to Step 2 as soon as you know. The clock is ticking.

How to Use This Guide

This document is a broad overview and should be considered a guide to refer back to. Within the guide, there are links leading to more detailed information on how to complete each step.

Here are 5 guidelines to ensure your success:

1. Don’t skip steps
2. Force yourself to take action at each step
3. Make use of a Pomodoro Timer to help you complete tasks
4. Don’t overthink things – go with your gut
5. Take people’s advice and make it your own. No two people are the same.

Your online business journey starts here:

*Remember: Set a timer, don’t overthink, get through Step 1 as quickly as you can.

Step 1: Choose a Method

There are hundreds if not thousands of ways to make money outside of your primary income. You can provide a service locally and earn extra money in your spare time: walk dogs for people, provide a lawn service, etc. You can get a 2nd W-2 job outside of your 9-5 and continue earning. While admirable, not everyone has the energy for working a 2nd job for a another boss.

Those are all great options, but my focus is on building a side hustle with the following traits:

• You can do it from anywhere with an internet connection
• You can take advantage of the scale of the internet
• It has a high earning potential
• It has potential to earn passive income

Side Hustle Methods

3 Methods for starting an internet side hustle:

1. Create written content to attract traffic (Blog)
   • This is a good fit if you:
     • enjoy the process of writing
     • are ok with waiting months to make your first $ (with hopes of making more later)
     • would like to be your own boss someday
2. Create Video content to attract traffic (YouTube)
   • This is a good fit if you:
     • Have an outgoing personality
     • Don’t like writing and think making videos sounds more fun
     • Are ok with waiting months to make your first $ (with hopes of making more later)
     • Would like to be your own boss someday
3. Provide services in exchange for money (Freelancing)
   • This is a good fit if you:
     • Have a skill people need to hire for: Writing, Coding, Video Editing, Photoshop, Design, Proofreading, Copywright Editing, etc…
     • Need or want to make money from the start
     • Don’t mind trading your time for money
     • Think working full time as a freelancer sounds cool

If you choose options 1 or 2, there are a number of ways you can make money after you start to attract traffic:

• Affiliate marketing
• Display ads
• Sponsorships
• Selling a digital product or service
• Selling physical products

We will get into that later. For now, let’s stay focused on completing Step 1.

If you are wrestling with this, we created a free quiz to help you determine the best side hustle method for you. It takes 2-3 mins and you can access it: HERE

If you still haven’t completed Step 1, set a short timer and get moving!

Step 2: Choose a Niche

As you start to consume content in the “How to Make Money Online” niche, you will likely hear the saying “The riches are in the niches”.

When building an audience, it helps to niche down as much as possible. It is hard to niche down too far, though it is possible. When I say “niche down” I just mean you want to narrow your focus. The more broad your topic or niche, the more competition you will have.

Think of some of your favorite restaurants. Many of the world's best restaurant chains have learned to perfect a simple menu.

Chick-Fil-A: Started out just offering a chicken sandwich. Has continued to keep its menu simple.

In-and-Out Burger: Several variations of 3 menu items: Burgers, Fries, Shakes

You get the point.

Narrowing your focus make it easier to produce something that is high quality. The same goes with content creation. Having too broad of a focus makes it hard for you stand out and build an audience.

Let’s say you are interested in sports. Ok, I’m going to start a blog about sports.

Obviously too broad. You are basically competing with ESPN at this point. Ok I’ll narrow it down to football.

I like where you are headed but still too broad.

NFL Football.

How about NFL Fantasy Football.

Now we are talking. Even here, you can niche down but when you find a clear target audience like: Fantasy Football Enthusiasts, you increase your chances of understanding that audience and creating content that appeals to them.

Now you just have to decide how to stand out in a competitive niche because almost every niche is competitive at this point.

Advice for Choosing a Niche:

• Niche down as far as possible but keep your options open.
• Choose a topic you absolutely love to talk about
  • Avoid choosing a topic because you think it sounds like a good idea
  • Avoid choosing a niche because you think it has a high earning potential
  • Choose a topic you love and the money will follow if it is supposed to
• Avoid the most competitive, broadest niches
  • Business, Technology, Finance, Fashion
  • If you want to choose one of these topics, niche way down at first
• Avoid YMYL Niches if you are going the SEO route
  • YMYL = Your Money, Your Life
  • These are topics like Medical, Personal Finance, Investing, Counseling, etc. that could affect a person’s health or personal well being
  • Only choose one of these niches if you have a specific level of education or certification (like you are a Doctor or CPA…)
• Don’t overthink it:
  • Choose the topic you love more than almost anything else.

One final word about choosing a Niche. Ignore any advice you hear about choosing profitable niches. I think there is money to be made in just about any niche, as long as there is a decent size audience.

I recently listened to a podcast featuring a mother/daughter duo who started an RV website. They spend several years building an audience and eventually sold the website for “mid-7-figures”. I take that to mean in the $5,000,000 range.

I would have never thought that possible with an RV website.

Now give yourself a time limit, choose a niche, and let's keep moving the ball down field.

Step 3: Find a Guide

Danny LaRusso needed Mr. Miyagi. Luke Skywalker found Obi-Wan Kenobi. Neo had Morpheus.

When you are just starting out, your lack of knowledge is a major barrier to success. You need to gain some knowledge in order to build a successful side hustle. Here is the problem: most people realize this need for knowledge and never get out of the learning stage and into the doing stage.

I made this mistake and spent two years going nowhere. I had the perception that I was moving forward because I was gaining knowledge. I felt like I needed to be an expert in everything before I did anything.

Perfection is often the enemy of progress. You will likely encounter this feeling, and you need to avoid it like the plague.

My advice is a bit different from most of what you will read on how to make money online. Here is my advice on finding a guide and moving from step 3 to step 4:

• Find a guide:
  • This could be an online course, a free guide, or a YouTube channel
  • I love online courses. They can be a very useful guide.
  • Find a source you trust
  • If something in you doesn’t trust them, run the other way
  • Try to stick to 1 voice. Avoid strategy drift.
• Apply the 50/50 rule
  • Spend 50% of your allotted time learning this new skill from your guide
  • Spend 50% of your allotted time doing this new skill
    • You will be bad in the beginning
    • Embrace it
• Fail fast
• Start to shift to the 80/20 rule
  • The Pareto Principle is a theory that 80% of our results come from 20% of our actions. In this case, the 20% of effort is creating content. Doing.
  • We want to multiply this effect and spend 80% of our time creating content.

If you are looking to go the free route, here are some of our How to Guides on starting side hustles:

How to Start a Blog (and make money doing it)

How to Start a Freelancing Side Hustle

How to Start a YouTube Channel

I have also included reviews of my favorite online courses if you are willing to pay for a guide.

Project 24 Income School Review

Fat Stacks Blogging Course Review

Step 4: Develop Consistency

Developing consistency in content creation may be the most important thing contributing to your success. It is not your brilliant ideas that make you successful, it is the execution of those ideas.

Henry Ford had been building automobiles for years when he formed his first company, Detroit Automobile Company. Ford was clearly a visionary and had many brilliant ideas. Unfortunately, his card designs alone were not enough to make him successful. Ford's first car company went bankrupt in 1899.

It was not until 14 years later, that Ford Motor Company took the world by storm. It was not just the design of the Model T that made Ford a successful company, it was the creation of the moving assembly line. The moving assembly line enabled Ford to mass produce the Model T and meet the demand of the Model T. Without it, Ford would have never become one of the most successful companies in the history of our Nation.

To build your own successful online side hustle, you need to create your own process for creating content. But you need to start small! Follow these simple guidelines for developing consistency in content creation:

• Start with a small, attainable goal (ex: publish 1 piece of content per week)
• Once your initial goal feels easy, scale up
• Develop a routine (same time, same place, same process)
• Fall in love with the process
• Don't be in a rush. Success will come in time and rushing will burn you out
• Do not stress about the quality of your content in the beginning.
• Focus on Consistency over Quality at first

For Step 4, I recommend you spend 2-3 weeks trying to produce content at a consistent pace. I know you are eager to get going, and that is great! But don't be in a rush. Prove to yourself that you can set and stick to an attainable goal. Once you have achieved your goal, give yourself a high five and move on to step 5.

Step 5: Develop a System

Once you develop consistency in content creation, you can turn that into a system. Henry Ford could not create the assembly line for the Model T until he figured out how to make the Model T himself. You need to become accustomed to your own process and figure out what it takes to produce a quality blog post, YouTube video, or freelance assignment.

I really believe you must make this your own. Following other people's productivity advice can be difficult, if not downright frustrating.

Why?

Because everyone is different! You need to do things in a way that fits with your unique makeup and the demands of your schedule. When you do get to Step 5, here is an idea of what a content creation system might look like and a schedule for doing so. For the sake of this example, let's pretend you have 1 hour per day to work on this side hustle.

Sample Content Creation Schedule

This is a simplified example but it gives you an idea of what a consistent schedule and content creation might look like. I perform much better with a system like this. I tend to get bogged down by thinking about things. Even deciding when & where you will do something can be enough resistance to keep you from doing that thing.

Notice the tasks are all performed at the same time each day. While difficult to fit into a busy schedule, it can be much easier if you just decide, “THIS is what I do every day from this time to that time.”

When it comes time to choose a topic for my newsletter or next blog post, I can spend hours thinking about it. So I have to have time scheduled to think about and plan topic ideation ahead of time.

When I schedule this out, I might think of 10 topics in one sitting, saving me time down the road.

As you are in the Consistency Phase, take note of how you like to create content and start building a system that works for you!

Step 6: Keep Getting Better

Popular productivity YouTuber, Ali Abdaal has a great Skillshare course on creating a YouTube channel. I could not get this catchy mantra from Ali out of my head. He says there are 3 stages to YouTube success:

1. Get Going
2. Get Good (Enough)
3. Get Smart

His reasoning is this: Everyone is bad in the beginning. You have to accept this and get going. Over time, you will get better and eventually you will be sophisticated enough to make good money online. Ali, spent years creating a YouTube channel with little reward. Last year, he profited over $2 Million from his channel.

Looking at his channel, it is easy to say “I could never get to that level”. His videos are so well produced and it is clear he has a team working with him. But it wasn't always that way.

Don't compare yourself to famous content creators, but do listen to their advice. You don't have to be Ali Abdaal.

But if you want to create an online side hustle, follow these last 3 steps: 1. Develop Consistency 2. Develop a System 3. Keep Getting Better.

Here is the YouTube video for reference:

Your Online Business Journey Starts Here:

This is an exciting time for you. The prospects for your online business have never been brighter! And the dreams you currently have for what this could be really are possible!

My best advice for getting started is in here but I would love for you to subscribe to our weekly newsletter “The Content Hustle”. I share results from online business experiments as well as what is currently working in online business and content creation.