Makers & Movers Series: Nick Loper (Side Hustle Nation)
1. Introductory Insight
What is your name, and what is your side hustle or business?
Nick Loper, founder of Side Hustle Nation
Briefly describe your business or side hustle.
Through the Side Hustle Nation website and Side Hustle Show podcast, we showcase legit ways to make extra money and start a business in your spare time.
How long have you been operating your business?
Since 2013.
2. Business Journey
What inspired you to start your business?
A side hustle let me escape Corporate America, and I was excited to help other people do the same.
How did you transition from idea to execution?
I planned a two-pronged content strategy: a blog and a podcast. Within just a few months, it was clear the podcast was gaining traction much faster than the blog. The stories of real-life side hustlers finding success resonated with listeners.
What were the initial challenges you faced?
The biggest challenge facing any new content creator is the awareness problem: you might have great stuff to share, but no one knows you exist!
I tried my best to network with other entrepreneurs, bloggers, and podcasters, and ultimately built a strong community among the early listeners. It’s important to note that the business was still making very little money, but I enjoyed doing it and felt excited to keep going.
3. Strategic Moves
What does a typical day look like for you?
I start each day with a workout, usually either yoga or resistance training. After dropping the kids off at school, I get to work around 9:15. (From home.)
I have lunch with my wife and put in another few hours of work in the afternoon before bailing out to go pick up the kids around 3:30.
Each day is a little bit different, but I spend my time:
- Recording podcast episodes
- Maintaining the library of written content on the site
- Drafting email newsletters
- Mapping out future content
How do you manage and prioritize tasks?
Each night, I identify my top 3 priorities for the next day. (I believe this is such an important and powerful practice I created The 3 Question Journal to help other people implement it as well.)
What tools or systems do you use to run your business?
Lots! And the list has evolved over the years.
Here are a few of the big ones:
- WordPress + GeneratePress + Beaver Builder – these power the Side Hustle Nation website
- Riverside – for remote podcast recording
- Descript – for video editing
- Pictory – for AI-assisted video creation
- Kick – for bookkeeping
- Kit – for email marketing
- Asana – for task management
4. Financial Insights
What was your initial investment?
Less than $500 for sure. The SideHustleNation.com domain was $100 from the previous owner. I paid a freelance service around $200 to do some customization on the website. My first podcast mic was around $60. Media hosting for the audio files was $15 a month.
How has your revenue grown over time?
Pretty steadily, with a few bumps in the road.
How do you manage cash flow and profitability?
We’ve always instinctively lived below our means without any strict budgeting. But that’s also the beauty of online content businesses: they’re pretty low overhead.
It’s not uncommon to have 75% profit margins, so cash flow isn’t an issue.
5. Growth & Outreach
What marketing strategies have been most effective for you?
Some of the biggest spikes in podcast listenership have come following a guest appearance on other relevant shows, but I didn’t have to proactively seek those out. Instead, I just consistently did my thing, and the other hosts took notice and invited me on.
After several years, I put a concerted focus on learning and applying an SEO strategy for the website, which helped drive significant traffic and revenue. (Recent algorithm changes and search landscape changes have reduced this.)
But as far as the broader strategy, my game plan has been to produce high-value evergreen content that can hopefully serve people for years.
What marketing channels have been most effective for your business?
Podcasting, SEO, email marketing, and YouTube.
Have you leveraged social media or other platforms for growth?
Very little. I love the Side Hustle Nation Facebook group, but otherwise spend very little time on social media. Instead, I prefer to focus on longer-form evergreen content.
6. Challenges & Lessons Learned
What significant challenges have you encountered?
I feel like every day brings new challenges: algorithm updates, declining traffic, trolls and haters, content demands, tech problems … but it’s your job as the business owner to figure it out.
Even though it’s stressful in the moment, none of it is life-threatening.
How did you overcome them?
One framework I’m trying to embrace is “who, not how.” Someone, somewhere, knows how to solve whatever problem you’re facing. It’s just a matter of finding them (and sometimes paying them) to help. Sometimes, that takes the form of content creator peers, mastermind group members, members of the Side Hustle Nation community, or professionals on Upwork.
What lessons have you learned that you’d share with aspiring entrepreneurs?
It’s rarely “smooth sailing.” Stuff breaks, things go wrong, and there’s always another fire to put out. And that’s normal — it’s not that you’re doing anything wrong.
Your job as the business owner is always going to be to figure it out. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right?
7. Future Plans
What are your short-term and long-term goals?
In the near term, I’m trying to build up the backlog of Side Hustle Show episodes in preparation for taking most of the summer off with my kids.
Longer term … life’s good. I don’t have any specific goals like “make $1M next year” or sell the movie rights. If I can continue to serve Side Hustle Nation, I’m happy to do it.
Are there any new projects or expansions on the horizon?
I’ve started kicking around a couple of new book ideas, but nothing concrete yet.
How do you plan to scale your business?
I’m always trying to grow my listenership, as I’ve found that it’s a powerful “lead domino” that leads to good things down the road.
8. Personal Insights
How do you balance work and personal life?
This is one of those ongoing challenges. Even when I’m not working, I’m often thinking about it because it’s been such a big part of my life and identity for 10+ years.
Still, I’m pretty diligent about not working before taking the kids to school or after they get home. Sometimes I have to sneak in an extra hour after they go to bed, but I’m getting better about skipping it.
What motivates you to keep going?
It’s fun and rewarding! I get a kick out of scooping and sharing new side hustle stories, discovering new ways to make money, and hearing from audience members about their results.
If you could have dinner with any entrepreneur, who would it be and why?
I’m not sure. I’d probably be nervous to sit down with anybody super famous.
9. Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Give yourself permission to experiment, even if you’re fairly confident it’s not going to work. A guest on The Side Hustle Show put it this way: “No one starts perfect. But no one who’s successful didn’t start.”
What do you wish you knew before starting your business?
A podcast probably isn’t a business, but it can be content marketing for a business. Took a long time to figure that one out!
How can one stay resilient during tough times?
Mind your margins. A mentor of mine told me, “mind the nickels and dimes, and the dollars take care of themselves.” If you keep your business and personal expenses low, life is so much less stressful, and you can weather periods of lower income.
10. Fun Rapid-Fire Round
What’s your favorite productivity hack?
Doing at least one thing to proactively move your business forward every day.
If your business had a theme song, what would it be?
It’s gotta be Every Day I’m Hustlin’, right?
What’s a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
I once took cold showers for 500 days in a row. It started when a Side Hustle Show guest challenged me on air to give it a try, and I found it to be a weird but somewhat helpful practice. I think the idea is acknowledging the discomfort, breathing through it, and getting fired up to face whatever other challenges you’re going to face that day.
How can people follow your business?
Subscribe to The Side Hustle Show in your favorite podcast app.. (Or take the free quiz to get your personalized playlist.)
You can also start a free 5-day $500 Challenge here.
