Side-Hassle Do and Don’ts

I don’t like long blog posts. So here we go.

This year I have dropped;

Small selling sites that just took my focus away i.e. Zazzle, Spoonflower, and the biggest of them all – Amazon. By dropping, I mean not creating new products and leaving it ‘as is.” And I have also dropped, and I mean completely dropped, my website. I had high hopes for that, especially after listening to numerous videos on blogging and selling on your blog. Had a nice WordPress website, pages, posts, images – for a year. That is what I gave it. Also shelved some courses that I thought I would be using but – nahh. Also done nothing on Instagram. To my surprise, I have noticed that my friends still have not grown as they expected and I have lost only 40 subscribers. So, yes I did not regret not spending any time on Instagram.

Of course, all of these above can work and work for people but they did not for me. I have limited extra time to give it and limited resources. That is why we call it a side hassle right?

What I am keeping. Again, as many years previously – Pinterest and YouTube ( I forgot Etsy, yes still keeping it). The growth is there. I have not monetized either of them but I do see value in these two.

In general, I have noticed these things:

1/ It is often recommended to spread out but this did not work for me. there was no cumulative effect. Rather focus on what works and give energy to that. Figuring out new things and platforms should be done only if you have that time on your hands.

2/ Often is said – keep on going, you are so close to winning. This I found really annoying. I would recommend choosing a realistic timeframe and then if it does not work, scrap it. For example, I website I have had on for over 2 years 🙂

3/ Buy and do courses only from people you have been watching for years. If it shows as not being useful, at least you will be left with a good feeling that you have supported someone you like.

4/ Keep a cohesive look of your shop/product – people will automatically assume you are a brand.

5/ Give things your unique spin. This one will become harder and harder because of AI but if you can figure it out, you are a winner. After AI saturation there is going to be a huge demand for authenticity. If you can tell and show your story – that is a great bonus to everything. Storytelling will be big no matter which century you are in.

6/ You will learn more from small YouTubers or creators. They are more willing to share their knowledge and they still have a real passion for things which the big ones often lose.

7/ Keep up with the latest in technology but don’t have a shiny thing syndrome – that proved to be very costly.

8/Someone who makes the tutorial ”a show” is more successful than others.

Deep and detailed tutorials and not holding anything back are a lot more appealing and trustworthy. Aim to be a micro-influencer.

9/ Focusing on one thing first is better than doing ten things simultaneously.

I think that is all for 2023. I should probably come up with 10 or 12 points – but I am not using ChatGpt to write this 🙂

As always, have a good one friends!