Wouldn't it be nice if you could supplement your monthly income with a side hustle? Problem is, how do you start? And how do you decide what it should be?
Enter Chris Guillebeau, New York Times Best Selling Author of four books, host of the daily podcast #SideHustleSchool, the man behind the annual festival in Portland, "World Domination Summit" and who by the age of 35 had visited every single country around the world (that's right all 193 of them!).
But more importantly, Chris has inspired thousands of people through his books, blog posts and live events and his new daily podcast: “Side Hustle School” teaches you everything you need to know to get started today.
But what you might not know about Chris is that it hasn’t all been easy: he too has experienced depression and he too knows what it feels like to experience massive failure.
In today's episode, Chris opens up about his journey and shares some invaluable lessons on how to start a side income generating project without quitting your day job.
In today’s episode you will learn:
Why Chris is terrible at predicting the future.
What happens when you reach your goals and why depression should be expected when that happens.
What gets in the way of people being inspired and taking action.
The most random story that never made it into Chris’ latest book.
How to start a business as an introvert.
If books are obsolete
DON'T HAVE TIME TO LISTEN? STAND OUT SNIPPETS
ON HOW TO OWN YOUR VOICE (+ SIDE HUSTLE)
“I think the thing to be worried about is no-one caring... I feel like most people who start blogging or podcasting or something, the much more common response is no response. That to me is worse.” [11:12]
“I try to not think about how I am perceived and what people think of me. I mean I do. But I guess I try to just be focused on what is in front of me, what I’m supposed to to do… I’m trying not to think too much about persona.” [13:11]
“A side hustle is an income generating project that you start without quitting your day job. It’s not a message of quit your job and be an entrepreneur…. Not everybody wants to be an entrepreneur.” [17:57]
ON ACHIEVING HIS GOALS AND DEALING WITH DEPRESSION
"It felt depressing, that’s definitely how it felt... No regrets. Something is going to change in my whole mindset and it made me kind of uncomfortable. It was very foreign to me because it was about an 11 year quest and the last five and six were very active… That had been part of my identity for a very long time.” [26:17]
“A bit of reflective practice (was helpful in moving forward).” [28:36]
“I am a very practical person and for me it’s about, what’s next. I am very forward motivated. I had to come up with some other goals because I am goal orientated.” [29:04]
ON HOW TO KNOW WHERE TO START:
“If you’re not sure what to do, maybe you start by experimenting and exploring a bunch of stuff and see what you respond to… Think about something that bothers you - what troubles you about the world?” [30:14]
“We all have strengths and weaknesses and some people struggle with how to connect their long term vision with what do I do tomorrow…. A lot of people will say it’s because fear of failure, fear of success and I think that’s valid. But I think it’s because they don’t know what to do next.” [32:23]
ON BEING AN INTROVERT
“Being an introvert is just about where you derive your energy from. You can gain the skills of being social, you can gain the skills of speaking. But you don’t have to - there’s also writing.” [43:27]
ON WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING
“Sometimes the best advice is to redirect and find something different. But you shouldn’t give up on your dream.” [46:23]
“You can do this, you are better than this and go out and follow your dream and don’t forget about other people while you are doing that!” [51:38 ]
SHOWNOTES
The Happiness of Pursuit: http://amzn.eu/7QjEjAs
Side Hustle School: www.sidehustleschool.com
Chris's website: Chrisguillabeau.com
I hope you enjoyed Chris’ tips on how to get started with you're very own side hustle. If you’re looking for more inspiration on how to get started check out my free video course here.
Mark