My Medium feed is a parade of success stories. “How I Made 10K in 30Days Using ChatGPT… This AI Side Hustle Earns Me $2000 Using AI…. This AI Side Hustle Earns Me 500 Daily.”
Meanwhile, I’m sitting here with a negative ROI — spending money on courses, tools, and subscriptions while my revenue column stubbornly reads $0.
I’ve done everything the gurus recommend. I’ve identified pain points. Created hyper-specific niches. Built products. But somewhere between “build it” and “they will come,” I’m stuck in no-man’s land.
My Two Best Ideas (That Haven’t Made a Dime)
1. “The Solo Female Traveler’s Guide to Wandering the World with MS”
As someone living with Multiple Sclerosis, I know this audience exists. We want to explore the world but face unique challenges — fatigue management, medication logistics, accessibility concerns. My planned products include:
- Pre-trip planning templates
- Country-specific accessibility guides
- Emergency protocol checklists
The irony? I can’t afford to travel and create this content because… well, see revenue column above.
2. “Shakespeare For People Who Hate Shakespeare”
Everyone says Shakespeare won’t sell. But millions of students are forced to read his work every year, and most hate it. I envision:
- Modern translations that actually make sense
- Character relationship maps (because who can keep track?)
- “What’s Actually Happening” scene summaries
Maybe it’s just not a good idea.
The Missing Piece
Here’s what I’m starting to realize: The people making money aren’t necessarily creating better products. They’re better at getting those products in front of people. While I’m perfecting my PDFs, they’re building email lists and mastering SEO.
Marketing isn’t just important — it’s everything. And I don’t know the first thing about it.
So am I the only one failing? Probably not. But I might be one of the few admitting it publicly.
If you’re in the same boat, know you’re not alone. And if you’ve cracked the code — seriously, drop a comment. Enlighten me with some easy to understand courses. Some of us are still trying to find the door.
