Ok, we’ve been basically doing this thing for a while now, and I’m going to be honest, I’ve probably had more fails than wins. This can get really discouraging. But I’ve also learned a lot, and I’ve had to do a bit of a mental health check and say “You know what that’s business”. More shit will fail than will win. It’s not about me. I’ve also had to stand back and say “Well… I do have a couple of rackets that are working to at least some degree.”
I have a couple of rackets that seem to be working more often than not:
- Surveys – This was a guaranteed $20 – $40 per week depending on how hard I pushed this stuff.
- Focus Groups – This averaged out at $100 per month if I get one per month (so $25 a week)
- Selling VHS / DVDs – this averaged at $80 per month (or around $20 a week)
- Trading online – this averaged at around $150 fairly consistently
Now bear in mind, I earn $1000 per week (after tax) in Australian dollars. The shit thing is that in this country this is NOT enough to lead an easy existence. This is enough to live but I’m basically always broke or worse still running up credit card debt. Through these side hustles, I’ve increased this by $150 per week (sometimes even $200 a week) in a fairly consistent fashion. This means that I can put a little breathing room between myself and being broke. My fridge is fuller rather than emptier. It means my car always has petrol in it versus being in danger of running out. It means I can buy nice beers instead of wine in a box. I can throw some extra money towards my missus and the baby. It means my quality of life has taken a major boost just for the sake of a little extra money coming in every week.
Now I don’t feel so bad about the fails. I feel really positive about the future and while it’s taken me a bit longer than I’d have liked, it’s already making some huge differences in the standards of living I’ve achieved. It’s not time to give up but maybe I should pat myself on the back, enjoy a cold beer in the sun and be thankful for what I’ve achieved so far.
Here’s the kicker, its also allowed me to put a little (not much) in the bank, and I can also throw some money into the next idea I have to start scaling up what I’m doing to the next level. I actually put a little extra money into my retirement account. THE IMPORTANT THING IS I CAN NOW PUT MONEY INTO MYSELF AND MY FUTURE. But that’s another story.