If I started a side hustle tomorrow, here’s exactly how I’d do it…

Hello Friend!

When I launched my business, it was initially a side hustle.

I hadn’t quite left the day job, but I wanted to create momentum. So I did the three things many people do in those initial stages:

1) Branding
2) Website
3) LLC

And unfortunately… they didn’t produce much at all.

I spent $15,000 to “do it the right way” with a small agency. Honestly, it was exciting work because I was creating something from nothing. So it felt like I was moving forward.

But the sad truth was it was all just a “look & feel” exercise. Yes, the branding looked great. Cool fonts. Unique colors. Amazing logo.

The website was beautifully designed, too. I couldn’t be prouder.

Even my LLC, People Before Things, seemed destined for greatness. (At least in my mind.)

But none of it provided clarity to my target audience. The words on the website were fairly generic and could’ve been 100 other companies. Same with my solutions. Consulting. Leadership Development. Speaking. Nothing special.

There was virtually no discussion about the problems I solved. Or why it even mattered.

$15k generated about 5 website visitors a week, of whom 3 were probably me.

Knowing what I know now, here’s what I’d do differently if I were starting my side hustle tomorrow:

1. Get clear on the problem I solve
When starting a business, many people get overly consumed with their product and solution ideas. They jump right to, “I provide change management services,” or “I’m developing a SaaS solution for financial analysis,” or “I train corporate teams on better communication.”

But I’ve learned over the years that people don’t buy our solutions. They buy our framing of their problem in a way that says, “I get it.”

As an example: You shouldn’t have to spend two years of trial & error to start a business that replaces your “day job” income.

That’s the premise of my work in The Unignorable Business Studio. The “shouldn’t have to” statement helps you immediately understand whether you’re in the right place.

If I wanted to embellish on my website or in a LinkedIn post, I wouldn’t talk much about the solution. I would really focus on the costly money traps small business owners fall into, how starting from scratch is a painful process, and what it feels like to go it alone when you don’t have anyone to bounce your ideas off.

Speaking of LinkedIn…

2. Set up a strong LinkedIn profile in lieu of a website
LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world. They have an amazing amount of traffic, full of people who are partially looking for hacks and solutions to problems they’re currently experiencing.

Your website is not where prospects are hanging out.

In the last 30 days, 2,300 unique visitors have browsed my website. When I first launched my website, I would’ve thought that was amazing.

By way of comparison, I’ve had twice as many people look at my LinkedIn profile in the same time period.

With LinkedIn, you can enable your profile to do everything your website could do and more. Your banner image, a headline under your name, a featured section with 2-3 calls-to-action like “book a meeting” or “download my free guide,” and an about section which shares how you help people solve their problems… all of these things will position you with prospects who are hanging out in a huge professional mall.

3. Test your business idea with simple content
Once I was clear on the problem I help people solve, and I had a strong profile set up on LinkedIn, I’d toss some ideas out into the universe.

Think of these as experiments you design to test your hypothesis.

If you think people universally suffer from x problem, test it. Create a post about it or drop a comment in some other thought leader’s post.

Then pay attention to how people are engaging. I’m not talking about likes or reposts either. I’m talking comments. Are people affirming your position? Or are they offering a different angle on the problem you want to solve?

This is an easy way to understand whether you’re on the right track.

Two quick tips here. First, you don’t need a loud, boisterous TikTok-like video to be effective. Second, if you don’t post on LinkedIn frequently, it may take a few repetitions before the algorithm prioritizes your post in other people’s feeds.

A side hustle is a strong way to get started
When you’re ready to leave your day job but feel financially reckless to walk away, you can still create momentum on your business idea.

You don’t have to spend $15k to get your idea into the universe and to know if people would be willing to pay for your help. You don’t need a website. You don’t need fancy branding.

If you’ve been stuck in the starting gate, I know this approach can work for you because I’ve seen it work for so many others.

Your move!

Your coach, Chris

P.S. If you’d like structure, accountability, and community while using the process above, please consider The Unignorable Business Studio. This is the program I wish I'd had when I launched my first business, and it would’ve cost a third of what I initially spent. We are actively recruiting for our May cohort, which starts May 12. We only allow 12 in the room, and you will get high-touch coaching and support for 10 weeks. You’ll walk away with a flagship offer, clear positioning for that offer, an optimized LinkedIn profile (done for you), and full support in market testing your ideas.