Financial Freedom Journey: My Life With 5 Side Hustles and A Full Time Job

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This is Part 1 in My Financial Freedom Journey Series. Stay tuned for a breakdown on each of my side hustles and how this project develops along the way!

Is The Financial Independence Trend a Scam?

In the personal finance world it seems like everyone online is talking about starting a side hustle and developing different streams of income. They make it sound so easy – just monetize your hobbies and you’ll start making extra money in no time.

But is it really that simple? Is passive income really a thing? Can you really make money without working a traditional 8 to 5 job?
I decided to find out for myself. I started 5 side hustles while still working at my full-time job. And I want to take you on that journey with me.

We’ll explore whether passive income is really a thing, if it’s possible to make extra money without working around the clock, and what the best side hustles are for developing income streams.
But is it worth it? I’m not sure yet. I’ll keep you updated as I continue on my journey to financial independence.

My “Side Hustle” Journey

One day, I woke up and told my husband, “I want to start a blog, I heard that people can make money off of them and I want to give it a go.” He simply responded, “Knock yourself out”…

At the beginning of this ordeal, I thought to myself. ‘Well I love to write, I already fill out countless journals with pointless thoughts and I have a strong affinity for planning and organization. I can share my message on the internet with whoever wants to read it.’

In general, it began very simply. All I wanted was to write and have a medium. But then, I started going through the Youtube rabbit hole and I started getting sponsored ads on Facebook and Instagram about blogging courses and how you can make money with a blog, how you can start affiliate marketing, and all the potential in the online world (you know the type…)

My Descent Into Side Hustle Madness…

All of a sudden, my head started to spiral. I am a dreamer by nature and this was the little push I needed to just take the first step. Suddenly, my job didn’t feel good enough for me. I started dreaming of having the freedom of not having to go to the office every day, staying home, working the hours I wanted to work, and working out of a hotel room by the beach without having to worry about getting vacation days authorized.

Sounds amazing doesn’t it? I started hearing all the success stories, seeing income reports of people that have achieved this mythical financial freedom. People claiming to make $40,000 USD per month from their blog, people calling themselves creators and how they use affiliate marketing and brand deals to make top dollar. It was too much to take in but I just couldn’t stop consuming all this information…

This was me:

Oh Internet, And Your Infinite Rabbit Holes…

Furthermore, I started to research how I could make this a reality. I could start a blog about my favorite thing and the thing I do best: Planning and organization. Additionally, I could also start a course on how to get organized and organize a small business. I was getting so excited about the possibilities that I started to spiral down into what I call “side hustle madness.”

Then I started to think about all of the things I could do to make money on the side. I could start a consulting business, or become a virtual assistant, or start a blog and sell digital templates. I could start an Etsy business and sell digital art.

The possibilities were endless! Every single time, I researched one thing, I landed on something completely different until, I just said, “Ok, let’s start this thing!”

My Sources Of Inspiration

With all the information out there, who do you trust? How do you know where to begin? For me, ultimately the person that inspired me to just go for it was Jen Glantz. Uniquely, one of my favorite podcasts is called AllTheHacks and I was listening to an episode on side hustles. You can listen to it here.

This person Jen, was doing so much! She had a newsletter, a bridesmaid-for-hire business (I was just as intrigued as you), she is an author, and the list goes on. To any person, this may seem crazy but to me, it sounded like she took risks and was enjoying every moment of it. I decided I wanted to be like her.

However, she was not the only one. There are countless people who are living this lifestyle where they generate different streams of income and live a balanced lifestyle. I will list the ones I came across who I believe provided valuable information:

Online Personalities That Share Side Hustle Strategies

• Gillian Perkins talks about starting online businesses and provides helpful tips on everything from the equipment and software you will be needing to the process behind it. She teaches sales funnels, Youtube, online courses and more. This is a video I found very interesting.
• Jaspreet Singh from The Minority Mindset is someone who gives great financial advice. I saw his video on side hustles.
• Erika Kullberg is also an online personality with several streams of income and she discusses side hustle ideas here.

*Please keep in mind that the videos I linked here are a little outdated. They are the ones I watched to get started but I am sure that they have newer videos on their channels now.