Matthew Metcalfe

This is why we side hustle.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Coming up with content ideas feels hard because you treat ideas as:
- Creativity
- Inspiration
- Novelty

But for business owners and founders, ideas are extracted, not invented. From your audience, data, failures and conversations.

Once you accept that, it stops being hard.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Ambition without action breeds frustration.

Focus on the actions. The results will take care of themselves.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Your life can change a lot in 1 year.

But most people underestimate what's possible in 12 months & overestimate what they can do in 30 days.

They want results now. When nothing happens fast, they quit.

Change compounds slowly. Stack days, be consistent.

Results will follow.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Side hustle income reality in 2025:
- If you make $500/month → You're in the top 25%
- If you make $1,000/month → You're in the top 14%
- If you make $2,000/month → You're in the top 9%

Most people (43%) make under $100/month.

Full breakdown in bio.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Today I launch the Side Hustle Newsletter.

First issue: The State of Side Hustles 2025.

Real data on:
- What people actually earn (this will surprise you)
- Which side hustle ideas are working right now
- Side hustle trends you should be thinking about

Subscribe link in Bio.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

2025 side hustle reality:
- Freelancing makes up 15% of all side hustles
- 27 million paid creators in the US alone
- AI-powered hustles are up 28% this year
- Average income $484/month

Tomorrow's Substack newsletter has the full breakdown of "The State of Side Hustles 2025."

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

What side hustles are people doing in 2025?

- 15% do Freelancing/consulting (highest earners)
- 15% drive for Uber/delivery apps (lowest per hour)
- 13% sell on Amazon/Shopify (most scalable)

The secret is platforms, but...

Platform choice = income ceiling. Choose wisely.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Spent 2 weeks digging into side hustles.

I learned:
- Which categories really make money
- Real hours people work
- Why 61% say they can’t afford life without one

The reality is very different to what you see online.

Full breakdown Sunday in the first Side Hustle Newsletter.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Most side hustle content online shows you the highlights reel.

But what are normal people earning?

The Average side hustle makes $484/month, the Median is just $151.

Over $1k/month? you’re in the top 11%.

The Side Hustle Newsletter launches Sunday with the full breakdown.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

@DarkHorseEntre1 True, hard to stay motivated

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

I spent the last 2 weeks compiling the latest side hustle data.

The findings are wild:
- 38% of US adults now have a side hustle
- Average earnings $484/month, Median is just $151/month
- 67% of people are burning out

First newsletter, State Of Side Hustles 2025, out Sunday.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

20 side hustles. 17 years. 11 failures taught me everything.

The failures? I chased "unique" and "trending" ideas.

The profitable ones? Boring, proven models that already had demand.

Lesson: Start with demand, not innovation. Replicate what works, don't reinvent the wheel.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Which one surprised you most?

Average monthly salary after tax (USD):

🇨🇭 Switzerland: $6144
🇸🇬 Singapore: $4923
🇱🇺 Luxembourg: $4918
🇺🇸 USA: $4232
🇮🇸 Iceland: $4100
🇶🇦 Qatar: $3884
🇩🇰 Denmark: $3551
🇦🇪 UAE: $3504
🇳🇱 Netherlands: $3483
🇦🇺 Australia: $3449
🇳🇴 Norway: $3321
🇨🇦 Canada: $3049
🇩🇪 Germany: $3031
🇬🇧 UK: $2932
🇸🇪 Sweden: $2760

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

“You won’t be replaced by AI, but you will be replaced by someone using AI”

The AI revolution isn’t coming…It’s here already.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Great entrepreneurs fear what they won’t gain more than what they could lose.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

@thejustinwelsh Taking days off is often when the magic ideas happen. Another word for it is “strategic downtime”

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

@CardinalMason Every business owner every week 😂

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

@WifiMoneyPlant Depends what you mean by “millionaire.”

Million dollar networth is a bit better than average in a lot of countries.

Earning a million dollars a year is different though.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Here ya go 👇

https://t.co/yiN7LgnmKs

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Productised services are a remote entrepreneur's dream.

Why?

Because they are predictable, scalable and often highly profitable businesses.

Here are 10 productised services that are crushing it right now 👇

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

Productized services are the most underrated business model.

I spoke with a friend who makes $1.5m a year from a productised service.

These are the top 5 takeaways 👇

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

There are tons of industries where productised services are dominating.

Tomorrow, I'm dropping 11 killer examples of productized services that are crushing it right now 🚀

Stay tuned!

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

10/ Hubsnacks

I love this idea!

Hubsnacks provides on-demand HubSpot services.

What’s the benefit?

HubSpot can be a pretty overwhelming tool. Hubsnacks basically ensures you extract maximum value from HubSpot, boosting your marketing success.

Hubsnacks is a great example of a high-ticket, niche-productized service.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

3/ Bench

Bench offers online bookkeeping services tailored for small businesses.

They are successful because of accuracy and peace of mind.

Clients receive accurate financial statements and tax-ready books every month, with predictable pricing that eliminates the need for an in-house accountant.

This is exactly what small businesses need.

[Matthew Metcalfe @oneaussiecow]

9/ ProofreadingPal

ProofreadingPal offers professional proofreading and editing services.

Clients receive polished, error-free documents quickly. It's also really affordable and convenient.

You just upload your document and they do the rest.