Side hustles are no longer a secret. Everyone seems to have one in some form or another. Some people have Etsy shops, some walk dogs, others blog, and many sell everything from watches to face creams.
Side hustles are nothing new. Our parents and grandparents had ‘second jobs’ mowing lawns, babysitting other kiddos, or waiting tables. What’s the difference between them and us?

The internet.

The internet has created this vast pool of people to sell your products, services and yourself to. With the click of a button you reach hundreds if not thousands of people.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s absolutely wonderful! You can promote your house cleaning services, reach out to people in dog lovers groups to find new clients, and put the products you’re trying to sell on display for the world to see.
Online side hustles have the potential to create serious cash! There is money to be made out there and anyone can make it. I mean all it takes is some posts here and there, creating a presence, and putting what you’re selling in front of the right people.

It’s so easy! Or is it?…

I said I was quitting a successful side hustle, but I bet you’ll never guess my reasons why.
Since the beginning of our journey to financial freedom I’ve had some sort of side hustle. I’ve done everything from selling our own things online for a quick dollar to pulling furniture from the trash to refinish for our home or for a profit. Heck, I even started a mildly successful blog and wrote a ‘How To” on side hustling.

I never made a ton of money and surely never found anything that created fully passive income for our family. But… I worked hard, enjoyed what I was doing (most of the time) and helped our family get out of debt.

I found time in our crazy lives to fit in these side hustles even if it meant painting an end table on our kitchen island because it was too hot to have the baby in the garage where I normally worked. It wasn’t always easy, but they were fun little projects that I was proud of, that my husband was proud of me for.

My most recent side hustle has been my most successful. I swallowed my pride and joined a [gulp] MLM company with zero expectations. I simply knew I loved the products, did enough research to know the company didn’t require a large investment, and dove right in.

Within 2 months I had ‘double ranked’, earned a HUGE bonus, already built a small but powerful team, and made more commission than I made on the life of our blog and then some. I had thousands of dollars in essentially free product, loved the interaction with the group of women around me, and saw potential I had never dreamed of.

So what was the problem?

Did the facade crumble? Did they suddenly start pushing for sales or encouraging me to lure people in to selling the product? Did all of the ‘commission’ I earned suddenly end up costing me more than I made? Did I burn through all of my close friends and family and now was forced to randomly message kids I went to elementary school with?

No, no, no and no. In fact, NONE of the things I had worried about the MLM world proved correct. None of the things I had read in all of my FI and budgeting groups came true.

I had chosen a product and company I stood behind. People came to me based on my excitement and passion that I just couldn’t hold in. I had no problem booking parties, selling product or even finding new reps. I got in at the beginnings of an incredible company and was surrounded by the most supportive business partners one could ask for.

So again, what was the problem?

Remember how I said the difference between our grandparents’ second jobs and our side hustles was the internet? THAT was what was wrong.

While I loved what I was doing and found extreme pleasure in posting a product review then watching the orders pour in my mailbox, I ALWAYS had something I had to do. I needed to post, tweet, message, email and text someone back at all times. I was glued to either my computer or my phone.
It honestly didn’t feel like work. I was having fun, interacting with groups of new friends and making women feel empowered when they tried on my products. 

However, I didn’t understand why my husband wasn’t as supportive of this side hustle as he was of ALL of my others. I didn’t understand until I did.
While this side hustle was the most lucrative, it was also the one that took away from what we had worked so hard to achieve in our journey to financial freedom. Our time together.

Financial freedom is whatever you want it to be, but to our family financial freedom meant more time together, more travel, and creating lasting memories.

You see the other side hustles may have take just as much time, but the time was different. When I look back I don’t want to see my daughter staring at me scrolling through my phone. I want her to remember being covered in saw dust and paint while working on a piece of furniture we pulled from the trash. Want her to remember going to Camp FI and creating an adventure while listening to mommy and daddy proudly talking about their little blog. I want her to remember going from garage sale to garage sale finding toys then cleaning them like crazy to resell them. I want her to remember time and how precious it is.

Because how can I encourage others to create the life they want to live if I wasn’t living my own?

My latest side hustle was a wonderful opportunity. It had the potential to create an impressive income and it did so, even in a short period of time. However, it came at a cost more valuable to me than the money.
You see we have found our happy place financially. We have no debt, live well below our means, both have jobs we enjoy and choose to retire a few years later than we could because it means a more enjoyable life for our family. 

I am very thankful for my latest side hustle and still very proud of the women in the group around me. I know they will achieve amazing things and probably be calling me crazy when they read this. There is real money to be made, but I’ll let someone else make it. 

So what can we do to still make money passively?

Looking for ways to make money online without sacrificing precious family time? You’re not alone. While side hustles offer financial potential, finding the right balance is key. Our journey through various ventures, including the unexpected success of an MLM, taught us valuable lessons. While lucrative, the constant online presence demanded by certain endeavors took a toll on our family time. We realized that true financial freedom isn’t just about the dollars earned but also the moments cherished. So, how can you still make money online while prioritizing what matters most? Stay tuned for insights and tips to maintain a healthy work-life balance while pursuing your online ventures. Plus, discover how I’ve found digital marketing as a path closer to my goals of financial and time freedom.