Side Hustle Struggles: Finding What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)

The Allure of the Side Hustle: Chasing Shiny Objects

Okay, so, let’s be real. We’ve all been there, right? Scrolling through Instagram, seeing someone making a killing selling handmade candles or drop-shipping some gadget, and thinking, “Hey, I could do that!” The siren song of the side hustle is strong. It promises financial freedom, creative fulfillment, and the chance to finally escape the 9-to-5 grind. I’ve definitely been sucked in more than once. The funny thing is, the reality is usually… well, a lot less glamorous. For me anyway.

I think it started with the pandemic. Suddenly, everyone was online, and the possibilities seemed endless. I jumped headfirst into learning about affiliate marketing, spending hours watching YouTube tutorials and reading blog posts. I even created a (terrible) website with the intention of promoting eco-friendly cleaning products. Ugh, what a mess! I got so caught up in the technical details – setting up the website, understanding SEO – that I completely forgot about the actual product and, you know, marketing. I spent all this time, got nowhere, and now I have a domain I’m not using just sitting there…

I’m not alone here, am I? The idea is so appealing, right? An extra income stream, a way to use your skills, a hedge against… everything. But the execution. That’s the hard part.

My Epic Etsy Fail: A Lesson in Humility

After the affiliate marketing debacle, I decided to try something more “hands-on.” I’ve always enjoyed crafting, so I thought, “Why not open an Etsy shop?” I envisioned myself becoming a crafting queen, churning out adorable knitted hats and personalized mugs.

I bought a ton of yarn, spent way too much money on a fancy mug press (which, by the way, is now gathering dust in my garage), and got to work. The knitting was… okay. Slow, but okay. The mugs, on the other hand, were a disaster. I kept burning the images, or they’d come out blurry, or the colors would be completely off. And the smell. Oh god, the burnt plastic smell that permeated my entire apartment for weeks.

The final straw? I spent an entire weekend knitting a ridiculously cute baby hat, listed it for what I thought was a reasonable price ($25, including shipping), and… crickets. Not a single view. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Honestly, I think my mom was the only one who even saw the listing. After a month of frustration, burnt mugs, and yarn scattered everywhere, I shut down the shop. I just couldn’t deal with the stress. Was I the only one confused by this? I thought I had a winning idea.

The worst part is, I still have a mountain of yarn and that darn mug press staring at me, a constant reminder of my failed Etsy dreams. And, okay, maybe I still make the occasional mug as a gift, but I’m definitely not selling them online anytime soon!

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Finding My (Slightly Less Glamorous) Niche

So, after a couple of spectacular side-hustle failures, I started to re-evaluate. What was I actually good at? What did I enjoy doing? And, perhaps most importantly, what could I realistically commit to without burning myself out? The candle making dream? The drop shipping fantasy? Forget about it. I needed something more aligned with my actual skills and interests. I took a long, hard look in the mirror (figuratively, of course. Actual mirrors are scary).

Turns out, I’m pretty good at writing. I’ve always enjoyed it, even if I don’t always consider myself a professional. So, I started freelancing as a content writer. It’s not exactly glamorous. I spend most of my days staring at a computer screen, writing about things like enterprise software and dental insurance. Who even knows what’s next? But it’s consistent, it pays the bills, and it’s something I can actually do without wanting to pull my hair out.

It’s not passive income, by any means. It takes effort, and there are deadlines and revisions and all that jazz. But it’s also flexible. I can work from home, set my own hours (within reason), and choose the projects I want to take on. And, honestly, seeing my work published online, even if it’s just a blog post about cloud computing, is kind of satisfying.

The Key Takeaway: Start Small, Be Realistic

If I could go back and give my younger, side-hustle-obsessed self some advice, it would be this: start small and be realistic. Don’t quit your day job to sell knitted hats on Etsy until you’ve actually sold a knitted hat! Don’t invest a ton of money in fancy equipment until you know you can actually make a profit. And for the love of all that is holy, don’t let the fear of failure paralyze you. It’s going to happen eventually; you will fail at something. It’s kind of inevitable.

I mean, I’m not saying don’t dream big. I still have visions of financial freedom dancing in my head. And I’m still experimenting with different ways to make extra money. (I’ve been dabbling in online surveys lately, which are surprisingly lucrative, if mind-numbingly boring.) The truth is, finding a side hustle that actually works takes time, effort, and a healthy dose of trial and error. It’s kind of like finding a good pair of jeans… or a good partner. You have to try a few on to see what fits.

If you’re as curious as I was about passive income, you might want to dig into learning how to trade crypto (responsibly) or, like, invest in dividend stocks.

And remember, it’s okay to fail. It’s okay to shut down that Etsy shop, delete that terrible website, and admit that maybe, just maybe, you’re not cut out to be a candle-making mogul. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes, keep experimenting, and never give up on the dream of finding a side hustle that actually, you know, hustles. Good luck to all.