Side hustles are no longer just about earning extra money. For many professionals, they've become a strategic part of modern career planning.

Here we break down why side hustles are becoming a normal part of professional life. We look at how building something alongside your career can help you stay relevant, build real assets, and create options beyond a single employer.

We walk through five reasons forward-thinking professionals are choosing to build side hustles intentionally. They can:

• Keep professional skills current, relevant, and adaptable
• Allow you to build assets you actually own
• Increase credibility and professional respectability
• Create a portable network that stays with you over time
• Provide leverage, flexibility, and long-term security

This episode will help you take a more deliberate approach to building a side hustle, not as a hobby or a backup plan, but as a smart extension of your career.

Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it!

Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things.

For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/180

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Tell us about your side hustle success story!

Most people don't fail because they lack ideas, talent, or motivation. They stall because they're waiting to feel ready.

In this episode, I revisit a powerful conversation from the very beginning of the Side Hustle Hero podcast with my first-ever guest, Joel Young. It opens with a simple but uncomfortable truth: you don't really grow until you're willing to fail ... in front of other people.

Joel shares how he got started recording voiceovers in his closet with almost no experience, no studio, and no certainty about where it would lead. That willingness to start before he felt ready eventually helped him become one of Fiverr's all-time top earners, with $2.7 million in earnings at the time of our interview.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• why waiting for confidence keeps most people stuck
• why practicing in private only gets you so far
• how starting before you feel ready builds real skill
• how reframing what you think of as "giving something up" can make working on a side hustle feel more empowering

If you've been holding back because you don't want to look foolish, make mistakes, or put yourself out there before you feel ready, this conversation will help you rethink what it really takes to get started.

Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it!

Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things.

For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/179

Connect with Joel:

Joel's Main Site

JumpStart Video

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Tell us about your side hustle success story!

Most "top 10 side hustle" lists recycle the same ideas with very little context. This episode takes a different approach.

These 10 side hustles are drawn from real conversations with guests who are actually doing the work. Some are simple and inexpensive to start. Others require more capital or coordination. None are ranked, because the right side hustle depends on your situation and circumstances.

The list includes mystery shopping, selling at farmers markets, printables, online courses, virtual assistant work, AI workflow consulting, fundraising, direct mail postcards, high-ticket dropshipping, and luxury restroom trailers.

The focus is on what's working heading into 2026, what often flies under the radar, and how people are building income without chasing hype.

Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it!

Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things.

For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/178

Connect with Joan:

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About Joan

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Tell us about your side hustle success story!

Why do so many people quit their side hustle, even when the idea itself isn't bad?

Today I break down 3 real reasons most people walk away from their side hustle and why quitting is often more about behaviour than talent, motivation, or market demand.

If you've ever started a side hustle, put in the effort, and then stopped (especially when the money didn't show up as quickly as you hoped,) you're not alone.

You'll learn:

• Why early income is a lagging indicator, not a verdict on your idea
• The three most common reasons people quit too soon
• How starting too big actually works against you
• Why lack of clarity around progress creates unnecessary doubt
• How isolation sabotages follow-through
• What to do differently next time so quitting isn't the default response

This isn't about pushing harder or working longer hours. It's about setting yourself up with the right expectations, structure, and support so your side hustle has a real chance to grow.

Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it!

Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things.

For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/177

Share this with someone who's tried before and is thinking about giving it another shot.

Connect with Joan:

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Tell us about your side hustle success story!

Building a business that is a profitable side hustle from the start is not about luck. It comes down to the decisions you make early and the discipline to stick with them.

Today I revisit my conversation with Mellisa Mills, founder and CEO of Millsie, formerly known as Spread'Em. Mellisa built her "cashew dip" company that has been profitable from day one and has grown into a multi million dollar business without outside investors.

This episode pulls together the most valuable lessons from our original interview, including:

• How Melissa tested demand before scaling
• Why she prioritized margins and cash flow over rapid expansion
• How reinvesting profits allowed the business to grow steadily and sustainably
• Why slower, more intentional growth can outperform build fast strategies, especially in product based businesses

Since this interview, Spread'Em has been rebranded to Millsie, a change driven by growth, clarity, and an expanding footprint in the United States.

If you are building a business or thinking about starting one and want a grounded, real world perspective on profitability, decision making, and figuring things out as you go, this episode offers practical insights you can apply immediately.

Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it!

Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things.

For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/176

Connect with Mellisa & Millsie:

LinkedIn

Millsie website

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If you keep telling yourself you want to start a side hustle, but weeks keep passing with no real movement, there's a reason. And it's not a lack of ideas, time, or talent. It's the silent mindset traps that play out in the background and quietly keep you stuck at the starting line.

After interviewing more than 170 side hustle heroes, I've heard the same patterns again and again. Today we break down 7 of the most common thinking mistakes that stop people from ever getting traction:

• Waiting to feel ready
• Overlearning instead of acting
• Staying busy with low-impact tasks
• Underestimating the value of your skills
• Comparing your Day 1 to someone else's Year 5
• Believing confidence must come first
• Falling into the all-or-nothing time trap

You'll learn how each one shows up, how to spot it in yourself, and what small, practical shift gets you moving. By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly which mindset has been holding you back, and the next step that will move your side hustle forward today.

Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it!

Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things.

For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/175

Connect with Joan:

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About Joan

Be on the show!

Tell us about your side hustle success story!

If you've been searching for remote side hustles but keep running into unrealistic promises of passive income and overnight success, this episode takes a different approach.

Here Joan shares 10 real remote side hustles to make money from home, based on actual examples from her first hand experience and past Side Hustle Hero guests. These are practical ways to make money from home that fit around full-time jobs, family life, and real schedules, without shortcuts or hype.

The side hustles are presented in no particular order and cover a mix of service-based work, creative income, digital products, and client-based roles. You'll also hear honest discussion about income ranges, startup costs, and what it actually takes to sustain each option.

Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it!

Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things.

For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/174

Connect with Joan:

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About Joan

Be on the show!

Tell us about your side hustle success story!

If you've ever wanted a simple side hustle with no upfront costs, this episode may spark something for you.

Rachel Smith and Dalton Joyner break down how they run "Community Postcards," a direct-mail model where they sell ad space on physical postcards, design the layout, and mail them out … all after advertisers have already paid.

You'll hear how the model works, why business owners say yes, and what you can realistically earn each month.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• how to start a postcard side hustle with zero upfront expenses
• the exact pitch they use to land $150 advertisers
• what to expect in terms of time, income, and workflow
• how to keep your risk close to zero
• ways this simple project can lead to larger recurring clients

If you enjoy connecting with local businesses and want something easy to test, this is a model worth considering.

Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it!

Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things.

For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/173

Connect with Rachel & Dalton:

Free Community Card Playbook Mini Course

Connect with Joan:

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About Joan

Be on the show!

Tell us about your side hustle success story!