Real Struggles I Faced While Building a Side Hustle (And How I Got Through Them) 🌫️

Side hustles are often portrayed as shiny success stories: “I made $10K a month!” or “I finally quit my job!”

But once you start your own, you realize something else:

The real battle begins after you start.

I’ve faced countless doubts, burnout moments, and quiet internal struggles while building my side hustle. In this post, I want to be honest about some of the challenges I’ve faced—and how I worked through them.

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1. I was too tired after work to do anything

I really wanted to make progress, but my body just refused. My brain would say, “Let’s go,” but the moment I sat on the couch, my eyes would close.

💡 What helped:

• I shrunk the goal: “Just 30 minutes.”
• Some days, just writing a title in Notion counted as a win.
• What mattered most wasn’t quantity—it was not breaking the chain.

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2. Reactions from friends and family

This one’s actually from a close friend of mine. For me personally, I’ve had to be the breadwinner since my early twenties due to family circumstances. Thankfully, I’ve always had emotional support from those around me.

But most people aren’t so lucky. When my friends started their side hustles, many were met with half-supportive, half-skeptical reactions like: “Shouldn’t you just rest instead?”

💡 What helped:

• Stop explaining. Just show results.
• Find your community online—people who get it.
• If you have friends who are hustling too, talk to them instead. Because it’s lonely to do it alone.

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3. That “Why am I even doing this?” moment

This one hits hard.

No income. No feedback. Just me and a screen. You start thinking: “Wasn’t I better off doing nothing?”

💡 What helped:

• I looked back at my habit tracker and routine logs.
• I stopped measuring results and started valuing effort.
• I reminded myself that progress is a form of success—even if no one sees it yet.

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4. I couldn’t focus no matter what

I’d sit down to work, and five minutes later I’d be watching YouTube. Even after putting my phone away, my mind would wander.

💡 What helped:

• I blocked out time first, not tasks.
• For example: 10pm–11pm = only open side hustle tools (e.g. ChatGPT)
• At first it felt forced, but over time, my brain started recognizing it as “focus mode.”

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5. The fear that no one would ever see what I made

Blog posts, videos, templates… I’d spend hours creating something—and then it would get zero views.

And suddenly, I’d feel embarrassed. “Should I just keep this private? Is this even worth sharing?”

💡 What helped:

• I treated my early work like a practice notebook.
• I shifted my mindset from publishing to journaling.
• And honestly? Most people aren’t even watching—which made it easier to let go of the pressure.

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🧘 Final Thoughts: There Is No Perfect Day

Side hustling is messy. Some days you’ll fall off. Some days you’ll question everything. But if you keep going, you’ll slowly become stronger.

Every small win—and every quiet failure—is part of your foundation.

If you keep showing up, even just a little, one day you’ll look back and realize you’ve built something real.

And if you’re struggling now, just know— You’re not alone. Keep going. Your breakthrough might be closer than you think.