I Tried 5 Different Side Hustles: This Is the Only One That Made Me Rich
Written by
Martin Dasko
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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It may be exhausting to go through different options when testing out side hustles. While you want to make some extra money, you don’t want to get stuck with a gig that isn’t worth the effort. You also may want to find a side gig that could bring in substantial income for you one day so that you could quit your day job. The good news is that experimenting with different gigs could help you find the perfect one to transform your finances and career.
GOBankingRates spoke to someone who tried many side hustles before they found one that made them rich. Lawrence Ng is the founder and CEO of SideHustles.com. The side gig that got him rich was digital marketing, which led to him starting a company around creating digital marketing tools that would reach millions of dollars in revenue.
The Side Hustles He Tried
Ng mentioned that he tried every gig he could when he was 21. This was about a decade ago, so some of the side hustles weren’t the popular ones of today, but he still tried numerous gigs until he landed on his true calling.
The side hustles included:
- Delivering food
- A paper route
- Office work to help with accounting and filing taxes
- Flipping cars
- Digital marketing
Ng said he was testing out these side gigs in hopes of finding one to help him create a legitimate income stream.
The Side Hustle That Made Him Rich
Ng enjoyed his final side hustle, which was in digital marketing. He helped clients with their online marketing needs as a digital marketing contractor. This was the stepping stone that led to him starting a company with a friend based on his realization that there was potential for turning the side gig into a full-time business.
So how did they get rich from this? Ng shared: “We created digital marketing tools that helped businesses make money and get more website visitors, which we profitably grew to over $200 million in revenues and then exited.”
Ng leveraged his experience with online marketing to start a company that would offer tools to help others with their goals. This business grew until it was bought out, and Ng was able to have a successful exit.
Lessons From Trying Side Hustles
What are the key lessons from trying out these different side hustles that eventually led to Ng finding the one that helped him get rich?
You Need To Figure Out Your Expertise
“What I learned from doing all these jobs was really important,” Ng reflected. “It helped me figure out what I was good at and what I liked to do.”
He learned he was proficient in digital marketing and had a natural knack for it. You may not know where your skills lie when you first start dabbling with side hustles. This is why you want to experiment with different ideas until you find one that seems like a fit.
Some Side Gigs Could Lead To More
“I started to see which of these jobs could grow into something bigger, like a business,” Ng noted. “And guess what? That’s exactly what happened with my side hustles.”
While the journey started as a way to bring in some extra money and test the waters with entrepreneurship, he found the one venture that could turn into a legitimate business. Some side gigs can help you pay the bills and increase your savings, while other ventures could turn into a highly profitable business.
Necessity Leads To Creativity
“I had student loans to pay off and family obligations to meet,” Ng said. “In my situation, it was crucial to find something that brought in steady and substantial income. Digital marketing seemed like a perfect fit.”
What You Can Learn FromNg’s Success
Here are a few additional lessons from Ng’s success with his last side gig that could help you decide if it’s time to turn your hustle into something bigger.
The Opportunity To Scale Is Crucial
“A major deciding factor was digital marketing’s potential to scale. With my other side hustles, they might have been scalable, but they either didn’t bring in enough money or I didn’t enjoy them much,” Ng said.
You’ll have to take yourself out of the equation to get rich from a side hustle. If a venture requires your time and effort, you may be unable to make a significant amount of money since this brings limitations.
You Want To Strike the Perfect Balance
“I found the ideal mix with digital marketing: a field where I was skilled, one that could meet my financial needs and an opportunity that I could scale up independently,” Ng explained.
The goal is to find a side hustle you’re passionate about and can profit from. You want to explore until you find this perfect balance of passion and profit.
You Don’t Need Funding To Grow Your Business
“What set digital marketing apart was that I could scale it up without needing a lot of resources,” Ng said. “As someone from an immigrant family, I didn’t have access to a lot of capital, and in Los Angeles at that time, investment capital was hard to come by. But with digital marketing, I could grow the business on my own terms, so we bootstrapped the company.”
While there may be times when you want to seek funding to grow your side project into a real business, it will help if you’re able to get the business off the ground without assistance from investors.
Closing Thoughts
“Try as many different jobs or side hustles as possible right now,” Ng advised. “It’s the best way to find out what you’re really good at and what you enjoy. This can lead you to the perfect job or business idea for your future.”
For Ng, it took him a journey of trying various ventures before digital marketing became his main focus and his main source of income. It goes to show that you never know which side hustle can lead to something more.
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