Book Report – Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau

Chris Guillebeau defines a side hustle as “a moneymaking project you start on the side, usually while still working a day job.” It’s safer than telling your boss just where to shove it and then scrambling to replace that steady paycheck and those precious benefits. This is hardly the author’s first rodeo, having unleashed other popular books, ideas, and podcasts onto audiences hungry for ways to generate – or supplement – sources of income. What’s special about Guillebeau and his recently released book Side Hustle is that it’s not just about the Benjamins; it’s also about generating feelings of empowerment, confidence, and security as one considers future opportunities. He encourages the reader to envision how great it would feel to eliminate debt, splurge on a special vacation, or even start an emergency fund all from putting in part-time effort into a solid idea. His mission is to get us on that path in under a month – 27 days, to be exact.

Sound reasonable? You start by dreaming up an idea that ultimately ticks three key qualifying boxes: it’s feasible, profitable, and persuasive. As for feasibility, you have to be restless with energy and excitement about the next steps you’ll take to launch soon. When it comes to profitability, we’re talking about an offer that can be easily explained, solves a problem, and for which people will pay a healthy sum (relatively speaking). And lastly, regarding persuasiveness, your approach must come at the right time when the laws of supply and demand dictate that potential customers accept ponying up for what you’re selling. So, if you can execute quickly and you’re pumped & jacked about the possibilities, Guillebeau would wonder what you’re waiting for. His book takes what  could surely feel like a mountain and breaks it into 27 daily molehills, making tasks feel manageable and even fun, reminding the reader that “you aren’t trying to build a Silicon Valley startup and make money for a million investors; you’re doing this to make money for yourself.”

As you wind your way through the book and its weekly missions – selecting, perfecting, launching, regrouping, refining – it becomes obvious that with grit you’ll get the job done with all the bases covered. For example, on Lucky Day 13 you Create Your Hustle Shopping List which includes ingredients like building a simple and inexpensive website, creating social media profiles (registering on all networks but focusing on just one or two), and choosing a payment system. Nervous? Don’t be. Guillebeau holds the reader’s hand throughout and offers the “oh, duh” reminder to lean on your inner circle for assistance. Rather than “spray and pray,” he says to carefully pick ten people to help you spread the word, knowing full well that everyone’s busy so it’s key to be direct and specific about the request. Yes, you should follow up – once – if you don’t hear back and keep on moving when people politely decline. He says don’t be “that guy” who either asks complete strangers to assist or stalks friends and family. (I’ll add don’t be surprised when jealousy plays a role because as we all know some of our supposed best contacts will resent the gumption to actually take action on such a gutsy goal.) Guillebeau packs his book with so many of these dare-to-dream insights that some may even wonder if they could charge a subscription service fee for writing book reviews. Naah.