30 Days of Focus Can Change Your Life

Each week I'm sending you a side hustle idea, stories of entrepreneurs who’ve executed successfully, and resources to learn how to do the same

THIS WEEK'S THOUGHTS:

I try to make sure I shut down by no later than 7p each day.

Some days it's earlier and on those rare occasions, I'll have to work later.

I do this, though, so Tiffany and I can have dinner together, catch up, and then binge whatever trash floats our boat at the moment (I think we can all agree this is the worst season of Love Is Blind ever).

Recently, we watched a slightly better than mediocre Netflix rom-com starring Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon.

If you’ll remember, a few weeks ago I sent an email about the “Three Dominant Questions to Improve Your Life”. It suggested that when faced with something new ask yourself the below questions and it will greatly impact your future:

1. How can I use this?
2. Why must I use this?
3. When will I use this?

At the 41:00 minute mark, I asked Tiffany if I could pause and take a quick note. I saw something in Ashton’s conversation that spoke to me. (note: if this had been even slightly better than slightly better than mediocre, asking Tiffany to stop a movie so I could take notes would have turned this into a lesson in ways to worsen your life).

Ashton’s character was having a conversation where he said that Reese had gone from being the smartest person he knew with tons of ambition to telling herself that she had told herself a story that pulled her away from her dreams and her goals.

The story she told herself led to the reality she was living. The life she was living wasn’t what she had wanted for herself.

I thought “how / why / when can I use this?”. Which leads me to today’s message.

This made me think of you.

As you read this, I wonder what story you’re telling yourself.

What is it that you believe to be true about yourself?

Because, whatever it is, I believe a whole lot more.

The point of this newsletter isn’t about “money”. It’s about freedom. I believe that you deserve to be free to do the things that fulfill you.

But, freedom doesn’t come without discipline.
It opens up a whole new world.

I hope you’ll walk away from this and start telling yourself that your story is just beginning.

Up until now were the first chapters.

The middle of your story is now.

Now you are disciplined enough to see and worthy enough to receive the outcome you want.

The end is seeing that outcome and living life on your terms.

As always, I'm sharing my thoughts as a way to help you. If it helps you, it could help someone else. So before diving into this week’s side hustle idea (below) feel free to share:

SIDE HUSTLE IDEA: Contract Yourself Out

You read that right.

But, it sounds like a lot of extra work, doesn't it?

Who wants to work a full-time job and then do some additional work on the side for someone else?

Someone who wants to build something that they own. That's who.

Diversifying your revenue streams isn't easy. It's not for the weak. There's no magic faucet to turn on that will fill your coffers with gold. It takes work.

But, we are seeing a shift in the ways that companies operate.

Some quick stats for those of ya that like data:

• Tech layoffs have exceeded 240K in 2023 (50% higher than 2022 according to MarketWatch)
• 37% (nearly 4 in 10) of companies that had layoffs started to fill those gaps with contract work (source)
• Listings for contract jobs have increased by 26% (source)

But, here's the big stat you want to know. More than $2.5B flows through UpWork every single year.

That’s some serious moolah!

That money is being spent across more than 145K+ employers (and 30% of the Fortune 500).

And, they’re looking for skills that can be taught in an online course in a weekend or two - copywriting, influencer marketing support, data entry, powerpoint help… the list goes on and on.

If you're not building your contract experience, you're missing out on a massive opportunity to add serious money to your annual income.

To jump start your efforts, I recommend this video by Shawn O’Dowd. He gives phenomenal value. The short version of his video is that you want to game the platform to get your first reviews, as quickly as possible.

1. Set up your profile. Keep the time you spend on this limited to 15 minutes or less. Don’t get caught in the “procrastination in pursuit of perfection” cycle.
2. Search for jobs with the terms “today”, “immediate”, and “immediately”.
3. Go to the filters and check that “payment verified” is turned “on” and that the number of proposals is set to “less than 5”

These three steps will greatly increase your likelihood of getting a job on UpWork, because these are people who are looking for help ASAP and haven’t gotten a lot of bids, yet.

And, I know because I tested it out and gained an extra $2K just by walking through his steps (let me know if you want me to break this down).

Who else is doing this well? Where can you get ideas and learn? I gotcha:

You’ll have to put in the time on this.

It’s sales.
It’s a numbers game.
It will take weeks of submissions to get your first accepted gig.

But, once you’ve gotten reviews, those weeks will turn into days to get your first $1K.

I'm certain over the next 10 years the hiring landscape is going to change and companies are going to want to outsource a lot more to reduce overhead.

This is your opportunity to build your own freelance business and be ready for the shift.

Side hustles can eventually become your main hustle.

With a serious desire and a focused effort, you can eventually build something of value for yourself.

It may not be this week's example, but there are as many interests as there are people on the planet. And, there are as many ways to make money as there are interests.

Let's uncover yours together.

You got this!
Mark