The Side Hustle Show

In Episode 27 of The Side Hustle Show, Jonathan Shank and I geek out over outsourcing, microsourcing, and crowdsourcing for side hustlers. This is an action-packed episode with some high-value takeaways for everyone looking to get started with outsourcing. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! Learn: Why side hustlers should consider outsourcing. Outsourcing as an investment in the business, rather than a cost. The broad range of jobs other people can do for your. Jonathan's A.P.P.L.E. method of outsourcing. How to craft your job description to set yourself up for success. How to screen the candidates, and when you might consider someone with limited feedback ratings. Why "grade inflation" is inherent on Elance and oDesk and the red flags to look for. Why you should "do it yourself" first (if possible) before hiring someone else. One smart strategy that I screwed up on during my outsourced writing project. The websites, tools, and resources to leverage your time and money to make something happen. Links: Elance.com oDesk.com Episode 12 of The Side Hustle Show w/ Josh Isaak Fiverr.com Virtual Staff Finder OnlineJobs.ph Fancy Hands (half of your first month w/ this link) Efficise My Tasker Jing (free screen capture software) Tweaky (out of business) WP Curve 99designs Be sure to check out Jonathan at Facebook.com/TheOutsourceGuy and YourFirstVirtualAssistant.com. If you have any questions or comments about outsourcing, virtual assistants, or our conversation in general, please drop a note in the comments below.

In episode 26 of The Side Hustle Show, I'm joined by Josh and Jill Stanton from ScrewtheNinetoFive.com. This pair is living the digital nomad dream, coming to us all the way from Chiang Mai, Thailand! Thanks to Adam from TropicalNomad.com for the intro! They earn a living running their location-independent affiliate marketing business from their laptops, and share the five keys to their success during our call. I can't believe we made it to episode 26 without having an affiliate marketing conversation! This has been my "main hustle" for the past 5 years. There are a ton of great, actionable tips here to get you started with an affiliate side hustle. In fact, we use one of my neglected sites as lens and a conversation piece to move through the discussion. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! You'll learn: 3 strategies for selecting a niche. How to do the keyword research and competitive analysis. Why Josh says, "competition is more important than search volume." 2 unique SEO strategies, in addition to guest posting. Some sweet content creation ideas to make your site more compelling without making it "sales-y" The most important thing to consider when building an email list. The 5 Pillars: Niche selection Keyword research / competitive analysis Traffic generation Content creation List building Links mentioned: Stop Building Affiliate Sites LiveChatSoftwareHQ.com Long Tail Pro (affiliate link) | My interview w/ Spencer Haws Open Site Explorer PRPowerShot.com ScrapeBox.com Xenu broken link sleuth | Article explaining this Marie Forleo Aweber Reachmail BadAssGuestBlogging.com What do you think? Could affiliate marketing be your ticket to quitting your job and working from exotic locations around the world? Be sure to stop by ScrewtheNinetoFive.com, say hi to Josh and Jill, and grab their free Art of Authority guide. Trust me, it's a good one. If you have any questions about the episode, be sure to leave a note in the comments below and I'll guarantee you get an answer from one of us.

Episode 25 -- we made it to the quarter-century mark! Learn how to create valuable and profitable time-leveraged online courses utilizing the skills and experience you already have. Vasavi Kumar, a certified life coach, shares her transition from a one-to-one business model to a one-to-many model that funds her lifestyle and freedom. This is a "meat and potatoes" conversation filled with both the strategies and actionable steps and tactics you can take to get started down this path today. Many thanks to Herby from BillionSuccess.com for the intro! Vasavi was kind enough to offer her 21-day Conquer course (normally $30) to Side Hustle Nation for free. Check it out through the link below and get a first-hand look on what a paid online course can look like. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! Get your learn on: Vasavi's pivotal "ah ha" moment (at just 4 years old). How she got fired from her first and only job after 2 weeks. How she landed her first coaching clients. How she found a mentor and why she invested over $100,000 in herself outside of traditional education. The paradox of "expansion by scaling back." The 3-step process for figuring out what you can teach. The technical steps and tools of putting a course together. How to set the courses up to run on auto-pilot. The power of in-person events. Vasavi's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. The 3 Step Process: Right down everything bad that's ever happened to you. Right down anything positive that resulted from those bad things. Consider the "bridge" of you got from bad to good. Is it replicable / teachable? Boom: course idea! Links: VasaviKumar.com Your free access to her Conquer course David Siteman Garland | The Rise to the Top Infusionsoft | Aweber | Mailchimp | Office Autopilot Lisa Nichols Spreecast Fiverr Udemy <-- for more on selling on Udemy, check Episode 16 Sellfy.com We also talk about the value of design and of building your personal and professional network. What do you think? Could you set up an online course as part of your side hustle strategy? Using her 3-step process, what would you teach? If you're liking The Side Hustle Show, show me some love w/ a 5-star iTunes review!

In this edition of The Side Hustle Show, Laurel Staples from GoFireYourself.com shares 6 questions and tips you can implement to determine the best side hustle idea for you. Laurel brings a wealth of business experience to the table, from retail to coaching to photography, and priceless education along the way. You'll walk away from this episode with some concrete actions to take toward building your business. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! Learn: How Laurel launched a brick-and-mortar retail store at the onset of the recession and why she ignored other people's fears and advice. Her unique "referral partnership" technique for getting coaching and photography clients. The 3 questions to ask yourself when evaluating your side hustle options. The 3 follow-up tips for choosing the best side hustle idea for you. Laurel's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation The 3 Questions: What lights you up? What talents and skills do you have? What do you want your ideal day to look like? The 3 Follow-up Tips: What problems/issues have you dealt with in your own life? Schedule "creative" down time Brainstorm with business owners For our full discussion and dialogue of each point, be sure to check out the full episode. Links mentioned: 79 Side Hustle Ideas You Can Start Today Your Perfect Average Day GoFireYourself.com What do you think? The idea of helping part-time entrepreneurs build their side hustle businesses definitely gets me excited, and hence the creation of this site. What does your ideal work day look like? Let me know in the comments and who knows, maybe we'll set up a skype call to see what steps we can take to make it a reality.

In Episode 22 of The Side Hustle Show, Jullien Gordon of SideHustla.com gives the detailed story about how he transitioned from employee to entrepreneur and built his speaking business into a 6-figure a year enterprise. I discovered his site through David Hutcherson from ThePowerofPartTime.tv, another awesome side hustler. Jullien is a super-smart guy, a talented speaker, and is deliberately shaping his own way in the world. I was really excited to have him on the show, and he'll definitely get you thinking in this one. Know what I was most surprised by? He considers himself an introvert. Me too! Even if you have no interest in public speaking, there are some important takeaways for every side hustler here as it relates to personal branding, pricing strategy, leveraging your time, and more. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! Covered in this episode: How a "bridge job" can set you up for entrepreneurial success. The easiest way to establish your personal brand (give yourself a "superhero name"). Suggestions on landing those first few speaking gigs. The single most important element of your website for aspiring speakers. How Jullien was selected to speak at TEDx (3 times!). The "open door" pricing strategy for speakers. How to anchor your rates against the value delivered. The "lightbulb" moment for side hustlers -- when they get that first check outside their day job. What Jullien would do differently if he had to start over. How to transition a speaking business into a more time-leveraged enterprise. Jullien's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. Links mentioned: Toastmasters APCA NACA NODA BPAID, Jullien's private coaching program My 3 favorite quotes: "We are part of the standardized test generation ... but life is not multiple choice." "Marketing is 80% of the game." "Go sell something!" To find out more about Jullien, check out his personal website, SideHustla.com, or hit him up on Twitter. Let him know you heard him on Side Hustle Nation. Want more? Check out one of TEDx speeches below. This one definitely had some good stuff in it. What did you think of this episode? Ever thought about doing any public speaking? Let me know!

In Episode 20 of The Side Hustle Show, local SEO expert and entrepreneur Adam Steele shares how local side hustlers can set their business up to generate more leads than they can handle. We discuss the exact tools and tactics to use to get to the top of the local search results. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In exchange for your 31 minutes, you'll learn: How Adam quit his job to start an online marketing agency. How to use Google Places without showing your home address. How to use Google Places without showing your personal phone number. The best ways to rank in Google for local searches today. Trust signals you can add to your site easily and cheaply. A smart and fast way to manage basic social media for your side hustle. Adam's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. Links mentioned: CreatureLocal.com wickedfire.com - online marketing forum known for somewhat "aggressive" tactics Google+ Local Adam's full meal deal post on local lead generation <-- Want the basics w/o listening? This is the spot. At the bottom of the above post, enter your email to get free access to Adam's list of 500+ local citation sources. Twilio Hootsuite schema.org If you want to learn more about Adam's company, check out Magistrate, Inc. Also, LeanMarketing is a pretty serious blog with tons of killer content. I even contributed a "lean marketing" post of my own there back in January. Did you like this information? Hit Adam up on Twitter and let him know!

In Episode 19 of The Side Hustle Show, Lee Drozak from MyOfficeAssist.com shares how she got started as a virtual assistant and how you can do the same. We talk setting up shop, getting your first clients, setting your prices, establishing a niche, and more. Quick background on this side hustle if you’re not familiar - a virtual assistant is not Siri, despite how much Apple wants to hijack the term, it’s a real-live person that works for you remotely as an independent contractor. This is a huge industry overseas in countries like India and the Philippines, with giant call centers staffed with low-cost workers. But you might be surprised to learn there is a thriving VA industry right here at home, and many VAs are side hustlers like you, or started their business as a side hustle. And we’re not talking about a race to the bottom on price either. According to a recent survey, nearly 90% of VAs charge $20/hr or more, and nearly 60% charge $30/hr or more. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In this episode, you'll learn: The "eureka" moment of working from home. How Lee got her first clients. How to get paid what you're worth. How to determine which virtual assistant tasks you love and should build your business around. Why industry certifications might be overrated. The best free resource for aspiring virtual assistants. Lee's #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation. Links mentioned: ivaa.org VirtualAssistantForums.com (Thank you, Tess, for the introduction to Lee!) Zirtual | eaHELP | Fancy Hands | Contemporary VA Elance VAclassroom.com Suzanne Evans You can connect with Lee on her site, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. What do you think of virtual assisting as a side hustle? Pretty basic, right? Identify your skills and find someone who'll pay for them. Kind of like a real job except you can do it from anywhere.

In Episode 18 of The Side Hustle Show, Spencer Haws of NichePursuits.com shares his detailed process for niche site creation and monetization, including idea generation, competitive analysis, content creation, link building, and much more. Spencer is the leading expert in this field, which is one of the most popular side hustles around. If you know a thing or two about WordPress (or are willing to learn) and can follow a few simple rules that Spencer lays out, there's no reason why you can't borrow his process to get started with a niche site or ten of your own. Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on iTunes! Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show on Stitcher! In this episode, you'll learn: One smart way to generate "seed" keyword ideas. Why worm farms and buffalo nickels hold a special place in Spencer's heart. The tools and metrics used to evaluate a niche. How Spencer overcame a $10,000/month ban from Google Adsense. Why rumors of the death of "exact match domains" are false. The link-building strategies Spencer uses to rank new sites quickly. Links mentioned: Long Tail Pro - Spencer's powerful and proprietary keyword analysis and competitive research tool. Use that (affiliate) link for $30 off. Elance Textbroker Pat Flynn's Niche Site Duel Google Keyword Planner Moz (formerly SEOmoz) Open Site Explorer LayeredLinks.com Ubersuggest Learn more about Spencer at his blog, NichePursuits.com or hit him up on twitter. And of course, you're welcome to leave a comment here as well and I'll make sure he sees it. What do you think? Are niche sites a viable side hustle? Have you ever built one (or several)? Let me know!