After 8 months of failing at everything, I finally hit $1.4k/month with a super "boring" side hustle. Some thoughts.

Hey everyone,

Been lurking here for a while and seeing all the side hustle posts, so figured I'd throw my story into the mix.

For the first few months last year, I was basically lighting money on fire. Tried all the usual suspects: dropshipping, print-on-demand, even convinced myself I could learn to code an app overnight. Spoiler: I couldn't.

Around March, I got so fed up with the grind and losing money that I just stopped. I started digging through forums and sites about small, simple business models instead of chasing the next big thing. Stumbled on a post about local service businesses from tinyidea and something just clicked.

I started a super simple "errands and home help" service for my neighborhood. Think grocery runs for the elderly, assembling IKEA furniture, helping people hang pictures, that kind of stuff. I literally just printed out some janky flyers and dropped them in mailboxes.

It's been a slow, steady grind, but I'm now consistently clearing about $1.4k a month. It's not 'quit your job' money by any means, but it's covering my rent and groceries, which feels unreal.

A few things I realized the hard way:

1. Stop trying to build an empire on day one. I spent so much time on fancy websites and logos for ideas that nobody wanted. This time, I didn't even have a website, just a phone number. Prove people will actually pay you for something before you try to scale it.

2. The internet is LOUD. Your neighborhood is quiet. The competition online is insane. You're fighting against the whole world. But in my local area? There were only a couple of established handyman services, and they were often too busy for small jobs. I found a gap they weren't filling.

3. A happy customer is your best salesperson. Seriously. All my early paid ad tests were a waste of money. My first real growth came when one lady I helped told her two neighbors about me. Those three jobs were more valuable than any ad I could have run.

Anyway, just wanted to share a small win. It's a grind out there. What are you all working on? Any wins (or frustrations) to share?