I think everyone knows that they should have a side hustle, but so few people actually have a side hustle.

And I don't understand why...

It's not that risky. It's challenging. It's fun. It provides actual fulfillment.

If I had to sell someone on starting a side-hustle in 4 bullet points, they'd be:

• You'll learn new things
• You'll make more money
• You'll create and building something yourself
• You'll write off legit expenses against your W2 income

I've been a W2 employee for more than a decade, and I've side-hustled someway in each of those years.

I think it's a main contributor to how I got ahead. It's a cheat code.

I had exposure to 10x the amount of things my coworkers were working on...

How could I sell against Facebook without ever using Facebook?

Google knows this. They have a very specific "moonlighting policy" that says that as long as you don't do something that conflicts with your core role or work for any competitors, then it's gravy.

And if you're an employer, I think you should consider offering this up to your employees as well.

You'll gain a positive ROI from the outside learnings that your team gains. And as long as they are prioritizing their core responsibilities and working on own their times, why should this be an issue?

I bet it'd help with employee retention, satisfaction, and growth.

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While I was at Google, I managed the email program for a DTC brand.

(and yes... I got this approved by HR)

I worked directly with the owner/operator of the company and got to learn about the variety of decisions he had to make on a regular basis. Budgets, hiring, fulfillment, etc...

I also got to beef up my CRM and retention knowledge which then better enabled me to weave LTV based strategies into my Google Ads pitches.

I could also connect better with my clients and talk to them about things like Klaviyo, supply chains, CX, and more.

Oh, and I got paid to do this.

And with that income, I was able to write off legit business expenses. Internet, home office, cell phones, some travel, a new computer.

I also had something going on in the background that I could fall back on in case of layoffs.

Perks.

All of this on top of learning more about personal finances, running a business, marketing yourself, getting into new situations.

So, please....

Please, go and start something small on the side. I can guarantee you that first $100 that you make will feel better than a good perf rating.

And if you've been close to starting something... reply to me and I'll follow up in 30 days to hold you accountable.

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