Month: February 2021

Side Hustle Spark 197: System to Generate Content Ideas

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Click the word cloud above for a two-minute curation of the post from socialmediaexaminer.com’s Matt Johnston: Social Media Content Ideas: A Perpetual Idea System

Why do I silent video curation when you could easily read the post?

  • Just a different approach to content.
  • Everybody learns and remembers differently.
  • I add a little highlighting which some of you may not want to mess with on your phone as you balance the scone and coffee. [In my case, it would be, while I spill the coffee as I break off a piece of the scone and watch the phone drop to the grimy floor.]
  • I am pointing out content more than directly teaching it.

Feel free, of course, to send request for content, links, freebies, resources.

Side Hustle Spark 196: Online course tips from 31 creators

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Thought I would follow up on yesterday’s post…

No matter that this was published in 2017, these tips from Smart Passive Income are still valuable.

NOTE: I found some contradiction between those who advise diving in with passion and building vs. validating first.

Maybe the solution is: Put some of that passion into your ‘pre-building’ promotion. [sales pages, lead pages, social media posts].

You might even repurpose some of that same content. Hey, just a thought.

Here are a few favorites…

1. Whatever topic you have in mind right now, make it 5 times smaller. The biggest mistake is to think you have to cover everything in one step. – Kerstin, Fluent Language School

2. Find one person and walk them through your exact process of the course you’re considering creating.  – Jeff Rose, The Online Advisor Growth Formula

3. Stop reading about it. Taking action is the best teacher! …The more I studied, the more overwhelmed I became. I finally stopped worrying about it… – David Wallimann, Guitar Playback

4. The number one tip I would give to course creators is start building your list immediately.
– Fleur Ottaway, Venture Digital: Get Results from Your Facebook Ads

5. Do not prepare an online course for selling. Create an online course for what you love to do and then sell it. You will earn a lot if you tell a topic that you love to do. – Resit, Master of Project Academy

Many thanks to Pat Flynn and SPI for mining a wealth of advice and expertise.

Side Hustle Spark 195: Online Course Tips (startupnation.com)

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Slacker that I am, I hadn’t checked back with StartupNation in a long while. As expected, I’d missed plenty.

The info in Dylan Ogline’s post may be old hat to some of you, but I’m thinking there are still folks out there who could use a few basic guidelines, along with this link to 7 Steps to Validate Your Idea for a Profitable Online Course .

A few more highlights from this post:

  • “…it’s a heck of a lot easier to create—and sell—a course on that topic than it is if you’re throwing a course together just because you can.”
  • “…you’re going to be up against powerhouse course creators and learning platforms like Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning and more…make sure you’re creating a tangible, results-driven course.”
  • “you need to be willing to try and fail as fast as humanly possible…That means you need to sell your course idea before you’ve even built it…Create a sales page that demonstrates a clear value and start putting it out there…”

Side Hustle Spark 194: “Hear me now!” and other Gary Vee gems

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Nothing like a verbal kick in the rear to get us going sometimes.

And who better to deliver it than Gary Vaynerchuk?

Here are a few Gary Vee quotes to consider today:

From  #AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur’s Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness

  • “…life shrinks and expands on the proportion of your willingness to take risks and try new things.”
  • “Don’t be afraid to break things. Don’t be romantic. Don’t take the time to breathe. Don’t aim for perfect. And whatever you do, keep moving. Reread this a few times . . .”

From Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion

  • “Even if your ambitions are huge, start slow, start small, build gradually, build smart.”
  • “Building and sustaining community is a never-ending part of doing business.”

From Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too

  • “Hear me now: you are better off being wrong ten times and being right three than you are if you try only three times and always get it right.”
  • “You just have to make the choice to actually do it. I am so tired of excuses. Why not try something new? Be optimistic, exhibit patience, shut your mouth, and execute.”

From Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy World—

  • “Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”
  • “What’s always in flux, especially in this noisy, mobile world, is how, when, and where the story gets told, and even who gets to tell all of it.”

And finally…

“There’s no such thing as perfect.
Chasing ”Perfect” is the shortest road to not achieving it.”

As always, I hope this helps a few of you out there.

Forge ahead!

Side Hustle Spark 193: Unleash the Ideavirus (Freebie)

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Seth Godin, a real wise guy, is also a very generous guy.

His April 19, 2018 post provides a link to his Unleashing the Ideavirus . (I realize ‘virus’ is an unwelcome word since last March, but hey, let’s look at it in a different context.)

And if you’re short of time, here is a summary of the book.

Enjoy. Hope you learn a little…or a lot.

Forge ahead!

Side Hustlers: Seek connection

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I liked this post from Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income newsletter:

5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can
Conquer Loneliness
and Feel More Connected

I especially like the ‘water cooler moments’ suggestion.

I don’t know you readers personally, but I’m guessing we’ve all felt a little isolated at one time or another.

Take care of yourselves.

Forge ahead…but within reason ;-]

Side Hustle Spark 192: How to be remarkable (Seth Godin)

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Hope you enjoy and benefit from this two-minute curation of Seth Godin’s How to be remarkable blog post.

If nothing else, this post should steer you toward his blog/daily email subscription.

Forge ahead!

And now, time for book recommendations…or shameless commercialism…or both. Okay, there are definitely book recommendations…

These seven books are go-to sources of inspiration and valued experience. These are affiliate links which, if you use to preview and buy the product, won’t raise the product’s price and will earn me a commission. At that point, I’ll be that much closer to buying that unclaimed island in the Caribbean. Please don’t ask for the island’s coordinates. It is mine and you can’t have it. ;->

These books cut across so many lines of productivity and accomplishment. Whether you use these links or go elsewhere, get your hands on these.

Side Hustle Spark 191: CNBC’s Ultimate Side Hustle Guide

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If you’re just starting a side hustle and want guidance on the macro issues (tax planning, financial planning/budgeting, timing of launch), CNBC’s Ultimate Guide for 2021 should be a good starting point.

Included in the post are these three videos:

  • Key questions you need to answer before starting a side hustle
  • This side hustle is so lucrative it can build your wealth by six figures
  • Five ways to keep your side hustle from taking over your life.

Valuable reminders from this post:

  • “Not to mention a side business can be the best way to get a taste of a future career you might want to ramp up later.”
  • “What are you the go-to person for at work? In your personal life?”
  • “Once you find an option you like — whether it’s freelance blogging, selling hand-knit hats or helping people declutter their garage — do a trial run.”
  • “…listen to podcasts focused on starting a business in a particular niche (you can find them through ListenNotes)”
  • “,,,stash 20–35% of all your side hustle money for taxes. That way, you’ll have enough money to pay for the income taxes and the self-employment taxes…”
  • “One common mistake for first-time business owners accustomed to having taxes taken out of each paycheck is to forget to pay quarterly taxes and find themselves in a world of pain when they find they owe taxes in April.”
  • “Three ways your side gig could mess up your taxes.”

Your tax bill could rise by the hundreds or thousands.

If you don’t keep those receipts, you could be in a world of hurt if the IRS decides they need more documentation.

If you make enough, you might well have to pay estimated taxes.

Here’s hoping you pick up a few tips or ‘oh, yeahhhh’ moments from this post.

Forge ahead, folks.