Side Hustles For Dummies is a great book in the dummies series for those looking for new ways to make a few bucks. Alan Simon is a serial side hustler for more than 40 years.
“My first side hustle was a software and consulting business back in the early 1980s, while I was a U.S. Air Force computer systems officer,” Simon explains. “I wanted to make a little extra money, but my primary reason was that my Air Force job was writing missile attack alert software at Cheyenne Mountain on ancient mainframes in an obsolete programming language. I wanted to teach myself the new personal computing technology that was starting to get popular.”
Get yourself paid and broaden your skillset with this everyday guide to side hustles
Consulting and software turned into Simon’s first book (How to be a Successful Computer Consultant, McGraw-Hill, 1985) which then led to many other side hustles while Alan mapped out a career as a consulting executive: 30 other business and tech books, college teaching, seminars and training, video tech courses, writing novels, and even farming and horses. Now comes Alan Simon’s latest side hustle and his most recent book in publisher John Wiley’s popular “For Dummies” series: Side Hustles For Dummies.
“The world of side hustles exploded when the COVID pandemic began,” Simon explains. “The so-called ‘Great Resignation’ has led to millions of people leaving traditional full-time careers, with many of them relying on one or more side hustles to make a living.”
Side hustles include widely known gigs such as driving for Uber or Lyft, delivering restaurant meals or doing grocery shopping and home delivery, running an online boutique, and creating and monetizing Internet content. Other side hustles are more unique, such as building a portfolio of money-making side gigs around baseball and sports cards or becoming a “micro-influencer.” Simon’s new book helps aspiring side hustlers navigate and make sense out of the world of side hustles.
“The first couple chapters present a comprehensive picture of today’s world of side hustles and help the reader figure out the best matches for their motivations, interests, and personality. Suppose someone wants to start a side hustle based on a longstanding interest in fashion. Should that person start an online boutique, or create a series of fashion-related videos? Or start writing a blog? Or maybe all three? Then, whichever path the reader takes, dozens of key decisions need to be made. Side Hustles For Dummies steps the reader through key milestones and decision points in many different types of side hustles.”
- Find out whether you need investment capital and learn what your new time commitments will be
- Learn to create a business plan and patch any holes in it before you get started
- Discover how to incorporate a vibrant side hustle into your already busy life
- Learn how to adjust your side hustle to meet changes in your personal life and the overall business climate
Key considerations for any side hustler include staying out of trouble with one’s day job, whether to solo or dive into a side hustle alongside a friend or family member and eventually deciding when and how to expand – maybe even turning a side hustle into a full-time business – or knowing when to take one’s side hustle activities in a different direction. Side Hustles For Dummies covers all of these critically important topics and more.
Side hustles are for everyone, from high school and college students to full-time professionals to retirees. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to pursue your latest passion, hobby, or interest—or you’re just in the market for some extra income—Side Hustles For Dummies is the easy-to-read, no-nonsense guide to creating a rewarding and engaging new life.