Uncertainty and not having control over your situation are two of the biggest stressors in our lives at the moment. We aren’t sure what tomorrow holds for us economically and many people are at the whims of government officials on whether they can even go to work and earn a paycheck. One of my goals for my financial planning clients is to help them take more control over their financial life and create certainty for themselves. Not being beholden to a paycheck gives you so much freedom to do what you want and one of the best ways to do this is by starting a side business (aka side hustle). And with social distancing and shelter in place orders, there is a lot more free time to do so.
But starting a side hustle can be intimidating and even a little scary so I created a resource guide to help get you started. This is by no means an end all be all list but will help you get started. Getting started is, by far, the hardest part. I encourage you to go through this list, listen to the podcasts, read the books and articles, check out the software - and start coming up with ideas on what you could do for a side hustle. And who knows, maybe this could end up being your full-time job!
Before we get to the list, there are some common things people say for why they can’t create a business, even if they want to. This is how we deal with them:
“I don’t have an idea” - Check out the specific podcasts mentioned below and see what you can come up with after listening to them. You don’t have to come up with something completely novel to have a successful business.
“I don’t have any money to start a business” - Most of the links below are either completely free or offer some sort of free tier. You’d be surprised at what you can do with these free options. Also, check out this Ray Edwards podcast ”Can I Start A Business From Home For No Money?”
“What if my business doesn’t work” - Then it didn’t work. Learn from the mistakes and move on to your next idea. Just because your business failed doesn’t mean you are a failure.
“What if people think my idea, or myself, is stupid” - To be honest, there are going to be people out there who think this. There is no way around it. They’re going to email you. They’re going to comment on your social media posts. Don’t listen to them. These people are miserable and will do anything they can to tear other people down. They are not worth your time.
“Putting myself out there is scary” - Yeah, it can be. But you cannot grow if you don’t get out of your comfort zone. When you look back after leaving your comfort zone, you’ll find it wasn’t so scary out there after all.
With those roadblocks out of the way, you are now free to create. Here are some additional resources to help guide you through:
Podcasts To Subscribe To
Specific Podcast Episodes To Listen To
Books To Read
Breaks down branding for businesses simply and concisely while giving you the tools to do it for your own business.
Pretty much any book by Seth Godin is going to be great, but “This Is Marketing” takes it to another level. If you are new to business or a well-seasoned entrepreneur, this book will give you a ton of ideas.
Even if you are not creating a business with the idea of selling, this book frames a better way of creating and running a business.
Running your side hustle doesn’t have to be hard. This book streamlines the management of your business and will give you insights into creating the life you want to lead.
Email List To Subscribe To
This might be the best newsletter I’ve ever subscribed to. The value that is sent out on a given week amounts to more than what most business schools teach in a semester. Check out the article library for actionable tips and insights on a number of topics. I can’t say enough good things about this site.
Tools and Platforms
Easy website creation along with resources to build out your business. This tool will cost money but you do get a grace period to build your website and see what SquareSpace can do.
If you want to create a course for people to buy, Teachable is a great platform to do so. They make it very easy and streamlined for you and your students.
One of the best ways to build an email list is through Mailchimp. Simple and intuitive to use.
If you’re building an online community or membership site, Might Networks is the way to go.
The “Attract” tool allows you to easily create great-looking lead magnets. Their “Drip Scripts” tool gives you a framework to write high converting email sequences. Those are likely going to be the most valuable. Signing up for an account also opts you in for Bryan’s blog posts and he provides a lot of value in these.
Money
Accounting software that can also send invoices and process payments. It makes accounting fairly easy but there is no free tier.
Another accounting software. Not as robust as Quickbooks but does have a free tier.
A more intuitive way to send invoices to clients. It can also process payments.
Accept credit card payments in person and online.
Most of the online payment processing use Stripe as it’s back-end processing system.
Graphics
Writing
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About The Author
Shaun Melby, CFP® provides fee-only financial planning and investment management services in Nashville, TN. Melby Wealth Management serves clients as a fiduciary and never earns a commission of any kind. Shaun has over 10 years of experience as a financial advisor in Nashville.