Side hustle experiment: dropshipping (don't do this lol)

Dec 31 min read

Wasted 3 months and like $800 trying to start a side hustle while working full-time with two kids. I had this fantasy of making an extra $2k/month. Reality: I had no time, was exhausted constantly, and my margins sucked. Only sold 2 items. My wife basically had to threaten me to shut it down because I was grumpy all the time and not present with the kids. Just wanted to save you guys the trouble. If you're thinking about side money, pick something that doesn't require active inventory management lol.

11 comments189 views

Comments(11)

CCliff B.RegularDec 3

What actually got you to pull the plug at 3 months? A lot of people keep throwing money at stuff like this because they've already sunk the 800.

TTim K.RegularDec 4

Dropshipping looked so easy in those YouTube thumbnails huh. Glad you're being real about this instead of pretending it was all part of the plan.

KKenny W.RegularDec 5

Same. Tried this shit while my kids were like 5 and 7. I was a ghost at dinner. Wife finally just asked me what I was doing and I realized there was no good answer.

DDave K.RegularDec 4

This is the post every dad with two kids needs to read before they start their "side hustle phase." You had no time, were exhausted, AND still needed to be present at home. That math doesn't work.

RRob K.RegularDec 4

Honestly the real side hustle as a working dad with kids is just... sleep. That's the premium product

SShane K.New DadDec 5

The exhausted constantly part hits different when you've got a family. That $800 is brutal but at least you figured it out in 3 months instead of 3 years

CCarl L.RegularDec 5

dropshipping in 2024 is wild. You'd need like zero responsibilities to make that work. Props for killing it early instead of hemorrhaging time

HHank C.RegularDec 5

This is the reality nobody talks about. The Instagram "5am side hustle grindset" guys don't have a 4yo asking them for juice at 11pm

PPete A.RegularDec 5

I respect the self-awareness to write "don't do this lol" though. A lot of people would just ghost the post and pretend it never happened

OOmar S.RegularDec 6

Did you try explaining to your family why you were checking your phone so much during those 3 months, or did you just not tell them until it crashed?

GGabe R.RegularDec 6

The $800 tuition on "I don't have time" is actually pretty cheap if it saved you from burning out harder. At least you quit instead of grinding it out for 9 more months.