How To Turn Your Side Hustle Into a Thriving Online Business

Read this if you're ready for a higher income, more opportunities, and peace of mind.

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Being a digital entrepreneur for the past seven years taught me that the differences between successful online businesses and frustrated content creators are relatively small.

Contrary to what I thought, building a thriving digital business isn't about fancy tools, complicated processes, or expansive growth strategies.

It's about keeping things simple and following a path that feels aligned with your values and preferences.

This is particularly important if you're running a one-person business because you'll eventually juggle numerous responsibilities.

If you're creating content as a side project and are struggling to properly monetize your work, one of the following might be true:

• You have multiple income streams, but none leads to a significant income. Instead, they're mostly draining your time and energy because you don't know what to focus on.

• You know that you lack a proper monetization strategy, but you don't know where to start and how to go from constantly churning out new content to finally getting paid for your hard work.

• You're afraid to start because you think turning your content into a profitable business is too hard. You're not good with tech and believe it's not possible for you to successfully monetize your ideas, knowledge, and audience.

No matter which of these is true for you, you're not alone.

As the founder of a global community with tens of thousands of writers, I talk to hundreds of creators each month, and most of them have similar thoughts and fears.

And to be fair, your fears are valid.

Turning your side hustle into a proper business and being able to do what you love does sound scary.

But luckily, it doesn't have to feel that way.

Half a decade in this industry taught me that the process can actually look quite simple.

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Fewer Platforms, Larger Audience

If you're serious about growing your income online, you need to focus.

You need to let go of activities that cost time but don't lead to results. Instead, you must be intentional about how you use each hour of your day.

This will allow you to make the most of your content without working dozens of extra hours each week.

I never understood creators who constantly churn out new content.

My #1 goal as an entrepreneur was to be free. This doesn't only mean being financially free, but it first means having the freedom to use my time based on my own needs and wants.

What's the point of earning a little more money if you're constantly glued to your screens and anxious about creating new content?

That's not how I want to live.

And I guess you don't want that either. So here's what to do: The first step is deciding what you'll ignore.

Most creators are active on too many platforms because they're afraid of missing out.

As soon as they hear about a new content platform, they sign up and spend dozens of hours republishing their content.

This is toxic because it gives you dopamine rushes (because you feel like you found "the next big thing") without ever paying off.

In the end, you just lose time.

Instead of chasing those shiny objects and trying to be present everywhere, become a master of *one* platform, so you can grow your audience with confidence and ease.

Every platform is unique, and the truth is, creating content per se won't lead to a sustainable income anyway.

That's why you need to build systems on top of your content. And that's only possible if you can minimize the time you waste on additional platforms.

Once you've mastered the basics and have built a reliable income, you can expand to additional platforms.

I started my content creation journey by writing on Medium, and I still write there to this day.

But over the years, I also founded a Facebook Group and started on Substack, so I have multiple ways to communicate with my audience and share my message.

In a nutshell: If you want to build a sustainable and profitable online business, you can't keep on adding new platforms to your plate.

Instead, you want to focus on mastering one platform, so you can create content effectively and have more time for the next steps.

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The Money Has To Come From *Somewhere*

If you want to monetize your work as a creator, you need to embrace the fact that the money has to come from somewhere.

I see so many creators who are frustrated about their income but afraid of doing the things that'll lead to money.

So let's get this clear once and for all: As a creator/writer/digital entrepreneur, your income comes from people or businesses.

As a creator, you do the same: You make money by providing a specific value to individuals and/or businesses.

Here are a few specific examples of what this can look like:

• You create branded content for a business and charge for the work you do. I did this for a few brands and charged them per long-form post I wrote.

• You include affiliate links in your content, so you earn a commission when audience members follow the call to action.

• You create and sell your own products or services to either individuals or businesses.

I personally prefer the last path.

It's what I do and preach because it leads to the highest level of freedom.

By creating your own paid offers, you can detach your time from your income.

Over the last three years, I created three main offers for my audience—online programs with video lessons, worksheets, and group coaching calls. And I've generated multiple six figures through these offers without spending a penny on ads.

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This Is Where Your Money Will Actually Come From

As mentioned above, your income needs to come from *somewhere.*

If you decide to create your own educational resources (like courses, books, coaching programs, etc.), the money will come through your customers.

And this brings us to the core of a successful online business: Your community.

You can create the most fantastic digital course with beautiful slides, perfect workbooks, and top-notch videos, but if you don't have an audience that trusts you and wants to buy from you, you'll fail.

Most creators are afraid of selling digital products because they think it'll be too complicated, and they don't have what it takes.

Yet, the truth is that your greatest asset is a loyal community.

I made dozens of mistakes when I offered my first paid program.

My pages weren't looking nice, I had broken links and typos, and I received some emails from potential customers who spotted errors.

And I'll be honest: Realizing that you made a mistake sucks.

It feels horrible.

But what feels worse is not getting paid for your efforts.

Over time, I learned to go with the flow and improve things on the go.

In a nutshell: The core of a thriving online business is the community. If you want people to pay for your work, you need to make an effort upfront by serving them through useful free content.

In the next step, you need to set up a reliable method to communicate with your audience. An inevitable part of every successful digital business is a newsletter.

However, a newsletter is worthless if you don't use it.

So while creating outstanding content for your audience, you also want to ensure you keep the conversation going via email.

In the beginning, you can start with a (bi) weekly newsletter where you share your latest content and some additional thoughts about news in your niche/industry.

Over time, you might be able to create a more flexible schedule and come up with more creative newsletter ideas.

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This Is The "Secret Ingredient" Most People Are Looking For

Most people who try to build online businesses fail because they're too busy looking for "secrets."

They believe there must be a hidden strategy, tool, or method that'd magically lead to a higher income.

But I need to disappoint you.

The only "secret" is following a simple plan and staying consistent.

Success requires consistency.

And that's what makes it so difficult to achieve for most people.

If you can do the boring stuff long enough, you'll eventually succeed.

Over the last 2.5 years, I've sent over 400 emails to my subscribers.

Writing those emails isn't always fun or exciting, but it's a crucial part of my business because it's how I build trust and relationships.

I've also published more than 500 articles since starting back in 2018.

Not all of them were fun to write, but they eventually led to the level of freedom I have today.

In a nutshell: If you want to take your side hustle to the next level and finally scale your income online, stop chasing shiny objects and focus on the basics.

Embrace that your income will come from somewhere and that selling is not bad as long as you're confident about what you sell.

I know that my programs change the lives of hundreds of people each year. That's why I can confidently promote them over and over again with joy.

Focus on serving your audience on one platform.

Create content that's outstanding and unique.

Differentiate yourself by building strong relationships through your newsletter.

And sell products or services that help your audience solve a relevant problem.

If you follow those four steps, you'll eventually end up with a thriving online business that'll allow you to live life on your own terms and gradually scale your income.

Go do it.