How to Start a Side Hustle - 9 simple steps to starting your own side hustle

Starting a side hustle sounds exciting, but it can also feel confusing. I've broken down everything I've learned into nine simple steps that'll help you start without losing your mind (or weekends).

Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

If you're wondering should you start a side hustle, here's the short version:

• you don't need fancy tools or a business plan, just start your side hustle journey.
• pick something you actually enjoy doing
• start small, even if it's one tiny project a week
• be honest about how much time you really have to dedicate to your side hustle every week
• don't jump on every new trend you see online
• use what you already own, your laptop, phone, whatever
• expect slow days and weeks, it's part of the game
• keep it fun so you don't end up hating it
• learn small things every week, it adds up
• set small goals you can actually hit, not wild dreams

starting a side hustle isn't about quitting your job tomorrow, it's about building something that slowly starts paying you back.

In the last seven years, I've tried almost every kind of side hustle.

some worked, some flopped hard.

but every one of them showed me one thing, you can make money outside a job.

1. Know what you actually want

Before you start something, the first obvious step is to know what you want to do. Figure out your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, passions and hobbies, etc. Without this it becomes tough to find out what you can do.

If you skip this part, it's like shooting arrows in the dark. You might hit something, but probably not what you want.

So take some time to figure out what you wish to do.

Think about what skills or hobbies already come naturally to you. Writing, designing, cooking, editing videos, anything can be turned into a small side hustle if you start small.

here's what that might look like -

• dropshipping
• content writing
• data entry
• copywriting
• virtual assistant tasks
• online tutoring
• print on demand

If you don't have an interest in marketing for products, dropshipping is probably going to be bad for you and you'll end up wasting a lot of time on it.

So figure out what you wish to do. Write it on a paper or your notes app or your journal.

If you're considering content writing, check out my Beginner's Guide to Start Content Writing, which covers step-by-step how to get started and find your first gigs.

2. Start small and realistic

When you've decided what you want to do, for example in my case it would be content writing. I'd say start really small. Something that you can finish in a couple of hours to a few days max. Don't aim for the stars just yet. It is a side hustle not a full-time job.

You are not going to build an empire. Your goal is probably going to be like earning your first 100$ on the side.

If you want more realistic ideas, here are 9 Realistic Side Hustle Ideas I personally tried that are actually worth your time.

This can be outside of your full-time job, or after your school/college, or maybe if you are a stay at home mom, or even a retired elderly person who just wants to do something on your spare time.

Make small actionable goals and act upon them, divide your work in small tasks which you can easily do.

For example, my content writing would be divided into the following tasks:

• Read old drafts or stories
• Plan future plots or arcs
• Build characters backstories and flaws
• Worldbuilding, setting, mood, rules, tone
• Brainstorm titles or themes
• Research small details
• Schedule writing time and actually stick to it

I have a fiction writing side hustle so the above tasks work well for my schedule. I can divide them per week and action whenever I have free time on my hands.

3. Be honest about your time

I work a full-time job.

I can't spend 5-6 hours a day on my side hustle. I just don't have that kind of time.

between the gym, daily steps, writing, family, and everything else... there's barely any room left.

and that's fine. most people are in the same boat.

I usually put in about an hour a day, sometimes more, sometimes none. on weekends, I stretch it to 3-4 hours for writing, promotions, or quick reddit updates.

most people can spare 1-2 hours a day for their side hustle. but as your life fills up with more things, you've gotta get smarter about how you use that time.

4. Avoid chasing trends

I can't emphasise this point enough. I have wasted a lot of time chasing trends. Earlier I wanted to write a gaming blog. Then I wanted to start a gaming channel, coding channel, Valorant shorts clips and whatever. But none of them worked. I was not a hardcore gamer. But I tried it because there was good money in it.

As you can guess, it didn't work for me. I wasted a lot of time and earned nothing. I did learn how to edit short videos, but it is still outdated knowledge as tools have improved and became easier.

Pick one topic you genuinely want to do and stick to it.

I came to realise that the fiction writing I was doing for free for six years could also become a side hustle. So I decided why not stick to what I was already doing and simply get paid for it.

5. Use what's already in your hands

I didn't purchase a new laptop or fancy writing tools. I still use google keep and google docs to write my stories and publish them when ready.

Only recently I've decided to pay for AI tools to automate repetitive tasks to make my work more faster.

You don't need to pay for anything unless your side hustle actually needs that equipment or service or the software.

6. Expect slow months

Yeah, can't really deny this. I've seen months where I didn't see any revenue. It felt like my reddit was shadowbanned. But in reality, it was just a slow month.

when the money stops showing up
you won't earn every day and that's okay.
even the best side hustles have quiet months.
your job is to keep showing up anyway.

You will have to keep pushing through those days. Keep improving, getting efficient in your work and be ready when the slow days are over.

7. Keep it fun and alive

The best part of my content writing isn't writing the content itself. It is interacting with my audience and responding to the comments. Reading to the reactions people give after reading the chapters.

I get to learn new things about my own characters, get new ideas, laugh at funny stuff people post.

Don't be serious all the time.

The writing sometimes feels like a chore, it feels like I can't take a break. Not literal, not mental. Because if I take a break, I lose my audience. I could lose all subscribers. After all they pay to read my stuff.

I can't go on vacation and expect to take a break. So even if I travel, I usually write and try to finish as many paragraphs as I can.

I've thought about dropping my side hustle for sometime now, but everytime I think that I've worked so hard for it, if I drop then I won't be able to rebuild it.

So you've gotta find ways to make your side hustle fun.

8. Learn as you go

If you really want to make your side hustle sustainable in the long run then you need to find ways to get efficient at what you do. Learn new ways to make your life easier.

I found ways to improve my characters. I gave them deeper backstory. I added flaws to my characters. Usually these flaws reflected my own flaws which became easier to write about.

I learnt to introduce temporary characters to add a small arc to my story. Went back in the past to show an experience my character had, etc.

Learning these small things have helped me improve my work significantly and this directly helps me get more readers who will potentially subscribe to my paid service to read exclusive stories.

As I am working on sidehustlesindia.com, I've been more active on reddit, promoting it. When I share my side hustles and how they worked. People keep DMing me, asking how they can do what I do.

But honestly this is what I dislike most about them. They want to get where I am without spending the time I did doing it for free.

They think they'll simply copy my idea and make it and start earning money. But the reality is, people don't pay to actually read my stories. They pay to get to know my characters. Because I've learnt how to paint a good picture of a life people want to relate to.

But no one wants to learn how to do that. Because it takes time.

So if you can do it, you'll be ahead of the majority of people who are just looking for get rich quick schemes.

9. Set a small goal

Finally, don't aim to earn 10,000$ a month. Set a small goal. Maybe 50-100$ a month. I didn't withdraw from patreon until I reached 300$ in my account. All from subscriptions, people paying to read exclusive stories.

Even reaching that 300$ took me around two and a half months. Writing day and night, interacting with readers, rewriting stories, longer paragraphs, more and more promotions.

Looking for passive income methods? Read how you can make money with Amazon KDP in India.

Start small.
stay consistent.

you don't need a viral moment, you just need one small win that reminds you, this thing works.

And that's really all it is, starting, failing, trying again, and slowly finding what fits you. Your first side hustle doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to exist.