Good morning, side hustlers! Today’s newsletter is short, sweet and packed with tips & tools to grow your side business.

In today’s edition, we have:

• 🛠️ 5 tools to get your side hustle off the ground

• 🗞 3 articles to get you up to speed in entrepreneurship news

• 🔥 Our inaugural “Hustler of the Week”

• 🧠 A thought piece about why it’s so important to be pursuing side projects in addition to your regular 9-to-5.

Let’s get to it!

🛠️ Tools for Side Hustlers 🛠️ 
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• Indie Zebra - A/B test your Product Hunt launch

• Yaara AI - Cut down your time spent writing content with this SEO optimized, 100% original content generator

• Supermanage - Prepare for 1-on-1 meetings with AI-generated briefs derived from discussions in Slack channels

• Circleback - Spend more time talking and less time typing with AI-driven notes and action items from virtual meetings

• LoopGenius - Grow your personal brand, side hustle or business with AI marketing tactics

🦓 Featured tool: Indie Zebra 🦓

Unsure of which version of your product launch would be most appealing to a potential user? Enter: Indie Zebra…

Take control of your launch by A/B testing different variations of your Product Hunt launch page and drive higher engagement and conversions. IndieZebra, helps you to stand out from the competition and access to your maximum potential.

🗞 Entrepre-News 🗞

• A recent study shows that the labor force does not look kindly on hiring failed entrepreneurs who try to return to their 9 to 5 as a “safety net.”

  • If you’re reading this, you probably have an idea for a startup (or even a full blown business!) and are looking for ways to get it off the ground. The beauty of today’s digital world is that we can use tools to automate the time-intensive aspects of growing a business from 0 to 1, so it isn’t so necessary to quit the ole’ 9 to 5, which could risk future employability. Read more.

• Y Combinator’s Demo Day for the Summer ‘23 batch was held this past week and, unsurprisingly, featured an overwhelming majority of AI-related companies.

  • While many may perceive this as a fad, it could also be seen as highlighting the fact that AI has enabled the last-step of automating or solving many historically “almost-solved” problems. Read more about YC’s Demo Day and how these recently launched products can help your side hustle here. Read more.

• Dr. April Willis, Principal Business Consultant & Coach at April Willis Consulting, recently wrote a piece about how to balance a side hustle with a day job.

  • Naturally, working on a side project in addition to an 8 hour workday is no easy feat, but Dr. April Willis breaks down how she was able to make the transition from employee to entrepreneur with confidence and security. In today’s tumultuous market, everyone is looking for some sense of security - even the biggest risk takers occasionally want to hedge their downside, and the side hustle economy is the perfect place to start! Read more.

🔥 Hustler of the week 🔥

🕒 Why We Go Beyond 🕒

A few years back, Packy McCormick, author of the Not Boring blog, wrote a piece about “The Great Online Game.” In it, he argued that the digital age in which we now live resembles a video game: by pressing on the right buttons on your phone or laptop at the right times, you could make billions.

Anyone can play. You can choose how to play given your resources and skills at the current moment. You can level up fast. Financial and social capital are no longer tied so tightly to where you went, who you know, or what your boss thinks of you. This game has different physics and wormholes through which to jump. It’s exponential instead of linear. - Packy McCormick, Not Boring, “The Great Online Game”

As we’ve seen over the years, through the likes of Elon Musk tweeting a $44B acquisition into existence, or the fact that a 10-year-old was Youtube’s highest earner for many years in a row, knowing how to “play the game” can lead to infinite potential earnings. The most intriguing part of the game, however, is that you don’t need an ivy-league degree or a strong set of technical skills. All you need to know - metaphorically and literally - is which buttons to press and when.

An innumerable amount of apps and websites are published daily with the sole purpose of enabling the average Joe to turn his ideas into reality without instilling in him the programming capability of a young Bill Gates. It has never been easier to start your own business without risking the security of your 9 to 5 - the Game has never had a more even playing field. If you opt not to start side projects, no matter how small or grande they may be, you are essentially choosing not to “play the game,” and the opportunity cost of such a decision is too great to justify.

Sticking with your boring old routine is a tradition of the past. It’s time to acknowledge that the Great Online Game is the new world order, and as New York Times bestselling author Mark Manson says, “you can’t win if you don’t play.” The best way to take part is by trying your hand at a side hustle, whatever that may be!

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