Have you ever gotten an email that seemed too good to be true — and almost deleted it? That's exactly what happened to me a few years back, and following that hunch instead of hitting delete turned into one of the most unexpected side quests of my career. Welcome back — hope you had a great 4th of July with the family (and kept all your fingers intact). Today I'm telling you the story of the time a random email led to recording an entire audiobook, and I'm breaking down the five filters I use to decide whether an unexpected opportunity is worth chasing or worth letting go.

Highlights

• The suspicious email that turned out to be a legitimate audiobook recording opportunity from a major New York publisher
• How I verified the opportunity was real using LinkedIn before committing to anything
• What the actual recording workflow looked like — including a director joining remotely via Zoom
• The five filters for evaluating any side quest: legitimacy, honesty, long-term potential, asset leverage, and family margin
• Why being upfront about your limited experience actually builds more trust with a client
• How to tell the difference between a side quest worth pursuing and one that's a distraction

Chapters

0:32 — Side Quest Idea

1:29 — Suspicious Email

2:33 — Verifying It's Real

3:18 — Taking The Gig

4:42 — Recording Workflow

5:31 — Why Say Yes

6:17 — Five Filters Intro

6:24 — Filter One: Legit Check

7:47 — Filter Two: Be Honest

10:18 — Filter Three: Long Term

11:37 — Filter Four: Asset Leverage

14:09 — Filter Five: Family Margin

15:36 — Quick Recap

16:31 — Share Your Side Quests

Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review!

For more information about The Side-Hustle Dad, visit our website at https://thesidehustle.dad

Remember, build the business, but be the dad!

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net.