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… Or it certainly won’t quickly.
In 2023 it seems as though we are surrounded by YouTubers, influencers and self-proclaimed millionaires guiding us to start our own business - our ‘side hustle’.
Whether this is Ali Abdaal suggesting we start a personal blog, Nicholas Cole telling us to write online or Oliur (UltraLinx) proposing we create Notion templates to make millions, there is no shortage of internet personalities suggesting we start an online side hustle.
And why wouldn’t they? With minimal overheads and near-infinite scalability, it’s the perfect opportunity to make money without any risk… right?
Not quite.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be extremely sceptical about opportunities like this, the all gain no pain type, and yet… we are still interested.
So with a healthy dose of scepticism, we cautiously begin writing online, expecting minimal progress but remaining hopeful.
The days, weeks and months go by without so much as a single comment on your work.
But you’ve read Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins and watched the latest Tony Robbins speech on YouTube - you’re feeling motivated and don’t quit easily! And so you continue.
While most of us do not expect to make millions writing within a few weeks, I think it is fair to assume that people want some return on their work within the first few months or dare I say years - be that £100, £10 or £1.
But in my experience, making your first £1 online is difficult, very difficult and much more difficult than the vast majority of influencers would have you believe.
While it is possible to make millions writing online, it certainly isn’t probable.
That being said, it’s not all doom and gloom. Though times have changed, this isn’t necessarily for the worst - and I am here to provide you with some reassurance. But first…
A Brief History of Hustling
Before I discuss how times have changed, I’d like to preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of Ali, Nicholas and Oliur, and all three have inspired me throughout my online side hustle journey.
That being said, when any of the above people suggest starting an online side hustle, irrespective of what this is, one thing always comes to mind.
That their side hustling began a long time ago. Some might say, at a better time, before the likes of ChatGPT came to take over the world!
Quick side note - I thoroughly appreciate that all of the people mentioned below not only started at the right time but also had a ridiculous work ethic to match their ambitions, I am not by any means suggesting their success is solely down to luck or timing. But I digress…
Ali Abdaal started his first company 6med in 2013 - 10 years ago.
Nicholas Cole began writing online in 2014 - 9 years ago.
Oliur set up his first business in 2014 - also 9 years ago.
And just to hammer this point home - Tim Ferriss set up his blog in 2006, a whopping 17 years ago.
My point here is that the online side hustle landscape has changed considerably since then, I mean… 2006 was the year The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift was released - need I say more?
Consequently, much of the advice given by online side hustlers may not be applicable in 2023. How they got where they are now won’t necessarily get you there in the future.
With regards to writing in particular, the online writing niche has never been more saturated - thanks to ChatGPT and other AI tools pumping out 15 articles a day. Therefore the advice people are giving now may not work now, as their growth occurred in a vastly different environment.
The harsh reality is that competition for online writing is at an all-time high, and many successful writers had already built an online portfolio before the majority of the competition arrived.
Okay so there may be more competition, but that’s no reason to give up - and surely the risk of writing online is pretty low, compared to say… a brick-and-mortar business right?
Low Risk, High Reward?
With minimal startup costs and the potential to share your work with millions of people - what’s not to love?
While the above certainly is true, one (perhaps obvious) thing to keep in mind when writing online…
While your potential audience is no longer restricted to your geographical area, neither are your competitors.
This means that you are now no longer competing with the 1,000 people in your city - you’re competing with the 1,000 best writers in your niche. Competing for those all-important eyeballs.
You are now competing with people who have 5x your experience, 3 degrees and a bigger advertising budget (quick side note - if you’re looking to advertise your work online, I highly recommend reading the book The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib.
But the risk doesn’t necessarily come from your competition, after all, people can indeed read multiple articles in one day.
The risk comes from the time investment. The risk comes from opportunity costs and the things you are not doing when writing.
See, if you’re considering writing online solely for the money and do not enjoy the process of reading, writing and sharing your work online, you should stop.
The progress is slow, and generating income is even slower. If money is the goal and you need extra income, get a second job. But if you truly enjoy writing then…
It’s Not All Doom and Gloom - The Unexpected Benefits of Online Writing
While increasing your income by writing online can be very difficult, this only refers to one outcome - making money. It neglects all of the other benefits of writing, benefits such as:
Lifelong learning - to improve and inform our writing we have to learn, be that through books, experience or courses, and learning is fun! Not to mention being a prolific learner can go a very long way to improving your life personally and professionally.
Transferable skills - as you progress through your online writing career, consider the transferable skills you’re acquiring - because in many cases it won’t just be writing you are doing. It’ll be SEO, website design, marketing, research and networking among other things - all very useful skills to have in the 21st century.
Cultivating discipline - to make money online a lot of grit is required, with potentially weeks or months of work with little to no progress. But developing the discipline muscle doesn’t only apply to writing online. It’s transferable, and once you get used to progress taking a long time, any progress you make in other areas of your life feels like a bonus.
Meeting like-minded people - some of the most intelligent and thoughtful people I’ve ever met I met online, and sometimes advice is worth more than money.
Alongside the above benefits, I’d highly recommend accepting that you’re in for the long haul. Not necessarily for life, but certainly long enough to hone your skills and get to the point where you start to make progress. At this point, you can decide whether or not to continue.
In the words of the great Naval Ravikant:
“If it entertains you now but will bore you someday, it’s a distraction. Keep looking.” - Naval
Write for the love of it, for your personal growth and to meet incredible people, not solely for the money.