Even though they say money can’t buy happiness, we all want to earn more — and employers use raises and bonuses as a tool for motivating their workers.
However, according to author and speaker Dan Pink in his bestselling book Drive, compensation isn’t the only — or even the main — key to worker happiness.
This month I conducted the first (annual?) Side Hustle Nation member survey, and was grateful to see more than 100 responses!
To incentivize responses, I gave away a free side hustle strategy session and made sure the survey was mobile-ready so it could be done on a phone.
One of the requests projects was a “public coaching” effort, which means I need an audience volunteer. If that sounds like something that would be useful to you, read on.
The Simpsons is one of the most entrepreneurial shows on television. Throughout its more than 500 episodes, the characters engage in, and interact with, dozens of small business ventures.
(I was going to call this “Evergreen Business Lessons from Evergreen Terrace” — but I figured not everyone would recognize Evergreen Terrace …
So there I was in my entry-level job earning barely enough to cover car, gas, home, and all the necessary stuff, yet my friends were out 3 nights a week without me.
Frustrating.
My income just wasn’t good enough for my lifestyle.
I started coaching youth soccer, pulling from my playing experience (not coaching) from college, and I was getting a side-stream of income.
In September I had the opportunity to speak at our local TEDx event, making the case that millennials are the most entrepreneurial generation in history.
And it’s true; 1 in 3 of us has already started one or more businesses.
Over the weekend I got word that the “official” video from the event was live and ready to share. (It’s about 13 minutes — embedded below.)
This was my first public speaking gig since high school graduation.
This is my first attempt at an annual review.
Why go through this exercise?
It’s time to evaluate what happened this year, to see you achieved your goals, and to ask if you’re happier or otherwise better off than you were a year ago.
So am I?
Bryn and I just got back from a couple weeks in Spain and Portugal. We had a great time exploring the sites, trying the food (and wine!), and playing digital nomad a bit.
Exposure to different cultures always triggers some new creative thoughts or ideas, and so here are a few of my notes from the trip.
(And if interested, you can check out my notes from last year’s 5-week journey to Japan and SE Asia.)
This is a tough post to write.
This summer I pulled the plug on ShoeSniper, my original side hustle and my longest running and most successful business.
A moment of silence.
It wasn’t an easy decision, but I was confident it was time to move on. I think this is an important story to share because most of what you read in the entrepreneurship world is about perseverance and “never giving up.”
Like I’ve mentioned, I’ve got a soft spot for cold callers, and a warm place in my heart for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts (since scouting was good to me), so combine the two and I’m already pulling out my wallet.
The other night our neighbor’s grandson came by in his Cub Scout uniform, almost too shy to even speak, to sell some popcorn products as a fundraiser.
The whole thing got me thinking about how the Girl Scouts are a million times better at this fundraising hustle.
Time is our most valuable commodity, and it’s uniquely egalitarian; we’re all dealt the same 24-hours each day.
But it’s also a non-renewable resource — once it’s used up it’s used up.
That means we have to be conscious of how we use our time, of how we invest it.
And I’ll use the word “invest” rather than the word “spend” because I believe side hustling time, business-building time, is an investment — an investment in your future that will, with any luck, result in MORE time down the road.
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