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I Tried a Side Hustle Course to Make More Money, and Here’s What Happened

A woman with short dark hair is lying on a mosaic floor that spells out "IMAGINE." She is smiling gently and wearing a sleeveless olive green top. The image exudes a calm and reflective atmosphere, suitable for someone making money after taking a "side hustle course."

Read about my experience, including how much I made and my takeaways from taking a popular side hustle course.

As a proudly frugal person, I shy away from buying online side hustle courses.

“With YouTube, TikTok, Podcasts, and Instagram, there is so much free content out there; 

“Why would anyone ever pay for an online course?” I always thought to myself. 

However, when a blogger I trusted came out with a side hustle course, I couldn’t resist giving in. 

In truth, I always wanted a side hustle, and all the free content I was consuming wasn’t getting me anywhere but overwhelmed. 

Find out what happened when I decided to buy an online course and take it seriously. Learn how I did it as a busy mom, my successes, challenges, and results, and my lifelong takeaways about online courses. 

How I Did the Side Hustle Course

I bought this course when I was pregnant with my second child. I went through it quickly, set up the side hustle, and then ignored it because, you know, life.

However, a few months later, I decided to go back to it and really focus. 

I loved the idea of making money from home. “Maybe I’ll be able to make enough to work from home indefinitely,” I thought.

I also saw people who started the course when I did but didn’t stop working on it like I had. Those people were really starting to see things take off.

Not wanting to be part of a statistic of people who don’t follow through on the courses they take, I dedicated as much time as possible to retaking the courses and implementing what I was learning.

While breastfeeding, I would listen to the video courses on my phone with my AirPods. 

Then, while my daughter was napping, I’d work on implementing what I had learned. 

I also took full advantage of the community that’s part of the course by asking questions all the time. I was eager to learn and absorb as much information as possible. 

My Biggest Challenges with the Side Hustle Course

Here were some of the biggest challenges I had to overcome.

Doing Things Outside of Your Comfort Zone is Hard

Most of the things I was learning were new to me. Sometimes, I would get overwhelmed with how much I needed to learn and how much more work I had to do. 

To avoid putting too much pressure on myself, I aimed to watch one video and implement one new thing every day. 

I found that the key to not giving up was to be consistent and make showing up a habit. I created a routine where I would watch a video in the morning while feeding my daughter or getting myself ready. Then, I would work to implement just one thing I had learned every single day when I had a few moments of alone time. 

Not Seeing Instant Results is Hard 

When I was first getting started, I didn’t see instant results. This made continuing to work on this side hustle challenging. However, I decided to track my inputs instead of outputs. 

For example, rather than tracking how much money I was or wasn’t making, I tracked how many new products I was creating and listing daily and weekly. I focused on the process, not the result. 

Finding Time is Hard

As a busy mom, it can be hard to find the time to work on another project above and beyond all the other things that need to get done in a day. As the primary caregiver, I struggled to focus on work when my kids were around. I found it difficult to multitask and learn or work on anything new when surrounded by constant distractions and interruptions. 

To deal with this, I would try to avoid working when my kids were awake. I found that when I tried, I’d be pulled in too many directions at the same time and not be successful with any of them. So, when my kids were awake, I’d be present with them. Then, when they were sleeping, early in the morning, or during nap time, I’d find time to work on my side hustle. 

My Biggest Successes With the Side Hustle Course

Here are some of the biggest successes I experienced. 

I Made A Lot of Money

While I set out to earn a little extra income, with consistent effort, I eventually surpassed my goal. On average, I make between $5,000 and $10,000 a month. Some months, I’ve even made over $17,000! This money has made a huge impact on my family’s finances and freedom. 

Best Month of Etsy Sales from Digital Products
Best Month of Etsy Sales from Digital Products

I Quit My Full-Time Job

Because of the money I made, I was able to quit my full-time job. I didn’t do it right away because my husband and I were worried that the success could have been seasonal or just a fluke. However, after working full-time and having my side hustle produce consistent passive income, we both decided it would be okay for me to give up my full-time job so I could spend more time working on my business and spending time with our kids.

I Learned The Keys to Business Success

Even though I studied business in college, I only fully understood what it took to succeed once I experienced both success and failure in business myself. My biggest takeaways from this side hustle course were to do market research before you create a product and not be afraid to get help from people who know more than you about a given topic. 

Lifelong Takeaways from the Taking a Side Hustle Course

I won’t constantly be enrolled in a new side hustle course. I don’t have enough energy to learn that intensely all the time. However, I expect to return to online courses often to learn skills I want to develop from experts I trust. 

If nothing else, this experiment showed me that online courses work as promised. They work especially well if you find a good creator who doesn’t gatekeep the best information, you complete the course, and you implement what’s recommended. 

So, if you’re looking for a side hustle course to jump-start your income, this course might be the opportunity you’ve been looking for. The creators of the course also have a great free workshop that you might want to check out.

Learn More:

Etsy E-Printables Side Hustle Course: Gold City Ventures Course Review

How to Start Etsy Business: Insane Tips from a 6-Figure Etsy Seller

Want more?

For more specific advice, check out my Ultimate Passive Income Startup Checklist. It’s the consolidated wisdom of my passive income journey and will benefit anyone starting their own passive income venture.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

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