I Accidentally Found the Smartest Side Hustle for 2026. It's simpler than you think.

how I made $100K from simple digital products (while working less than I did last year)

I wasn’t trying to start another side hustle.

I already had a business. I was already busy. The last thing I needed was another thing to manage.

I started my Substack in mid-2024 because I was burnt out from doing 5-7 client calls every single day as a career coach and resume writer. I just wanted to write, help people, and build something that didn’t drain me.

No big plan. No monetization strategy. Just me showing up and documenting what I was learning about growing a newsletter.

Then the questions started coming.

• “How did you grow your Substack so quickly?”

• “How are you writing Notes that get so much engagement?”

• “How did you come up with your newsletter idea?”

At first, I’d answer them individually. Long DMs. Detailed email replies. I was happy to help.

Then one day someone asked: “Do you have a guide or something I could buy?”

Wait. People would pay for this?

That question changed everything.

Fast forward to today: over $100K in digital product revenue this year. Three simple products that people actually buy. A side hustle that runs while I’m doing everything else.

And it all started because I wasn’t trying to build a side hustle at all.

How I Consistently Make $5K / Month on Substack (Without a Single Paid Subscriber)

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Everyone’s searching for a side hustle (but most of them are terrible)

It’s almost 2026. Do you know what’s one of the top 10 Google searches every single year?

“How do I start a side hustle.”

People want to make extra income. I get it. We got bills to pay. Life is expensive. An extra $500 or $1,000 a month would change things.

So many side hustles though either end up costing you more money than you make, they take too much time, or they just simply fail.

Here’s the thing about most side hustles that nobody talks about:

They’re just another job.

• You start a coaching business? Now you’re trading time for money and scheduling calls around your actual job.

• You launch a course? Now you’re spending months creating 40 video lessons before you make a single dollar.

• You try freelancing? Now you’re hustling for clients, managing projects, and working weekends.

It’s exhausting.

And most people quit before they see any real money because they’re already burned out from their main job. Adding another time-intensive hustle on top of that? It’s not sustainable.

I knew I didn’t want that.

I already knew what burnout felt like from doing client calls all day. I wasn’t about to build another business that required me to show up live for people constantly.

I needed something different.

Courses are Dead. These 3 "Boring" Digital Products are What Your Readers Actually Want

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The side hustle that actually makes sense (build once, sell forever)

Here’s what I realized after someone asked if I had a guide they could buy…

I was already helping people for free.

I was already answering the same questions over and over. What if I just packaged that into something people could buy?

Not a comprehensive course or a coaching program.

Just a simple product that solved one specific problem.

So, I did exactly that.

I created a digital product around how to grow a newsletter in as little time per day as possible. Because I was already busy with my day job and business. I didn’t have hours to spend on growth strategies.

Then people kept asking about my Substack Notes. “How are you writing Notes that get so much engagement?” and “Why do your Notes seem to get more subscribers than mine?”

I created my Notes Growth Workshop. 45 minutes on video (plus a PDF guide) explaining exactly how I get 10+ subscribers every day by writing simple Notes.

That’s it.

I wasn’t trying to build a side hustle empire. I was just answering questions people were already asking and putting it in a format they could actually use.

Here’s the formula: Building an audience + creating simple digital products + spending a little time each day promoting it = that’s the smartest side hustle.

Here’s the part that surprised me: I worked less hours in 2025 and made more income than I did in 2024.

Let that sink in.

I Posted on Substack Notes 365 Days Straight. Here are the only 3 types that brought subscribers.

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How I accidentally made $100K (without meaning to)

My first product was $37.

It was basically a Google Doc with my system for growing a newsletter without spending all day on it. Nothing fancy. Just what worked for me.

I sent an email to my tiny list and made $800 in the first week.

I sat there looking at my Stan Store dashboard thinking “Wow, that actually worked?”

That $800 told me two things: people would pay for solutions to their problems, and I didn’t need thousands of subscribers to make money.

So I created another product. Then another.

My Notes Growth Workshop. My Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass. Template packs and swipe files.

All simple. All under $100. All solving one specific problem.

This year I crossed $100K in digital product revenue.

Some of that came from my email list. Some from LinkedIn. A lot of it came from people who found me right here on Substack, read my posts, and decided they wanted to learn my system.

And the best part is that I did all of this while running my other business. While writing my newsletter. While living my actual life.

Because once you create a digital product, you can sell it over and over again without doing anything extra.

I Studied 50+ Successful Digital Products - Here's the Exact Formula They All Use

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Why this beats every other side hustle (and it’s not even close)

Let me break down why this works when most side hustles don’t. Because the math actually makes sense.

Almost zero overhead costs

I pay about $100 a month for Flo Desk and Stan Store. That’s it.

No inventory. No ads. No physical products. No shipping costs. No employees.

Just me, my knowledge, and a couple of simple tools.

There’re tons of people out there bragging about their million-dollar businesses. Then you realize their profit margin is about 5% and they’re busting their butt everyday. It becomes a lot less impressive…

This? Almost zero costs.

Create once, sell it forever

This is the part that really made an impact in my life.

I recorded my Notes Growth Workshop once. One 45-minute video.

I’ve sold it hundreds of times. Same video. Same templates. No additional work on my part.

That’s the difference between a side hustle that scales and one that keeps you stuck trading time for money.

Every other side hustle requires you to do more work to make more money. This one doesn’t.

It runs while you’re doing literally anything else

I didn’t quit my business to do this. I didn’t go all-in and hope it worked out.

I built this while doing everything else. My newsletter. My other work. My actual life.

Digital products don’t care if you’re busy. They sell while you’re sleeping, while you’re working, while you’re on vacation, while you’re doing literally anything else.

I’ve made sales at 2am. On the treadmill at the gym. On weekends. On days I didn’t post anything anywhere.

The side hustle runs itself.

You’re solving real problems for real people

The best part? I’m not selling something people don’t need.

Every product I’ve created came from questions people were already asking me. Problems they were already struggling with.

I just packaged the solution in a way they could actually use.

That’s why it works. I’m not convincing anyone they need something. I’m offering a solution to a problem they already know they have.

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The exact steps to start this in 2026 (no fluff, just what works)

Okay, if you’re reading this thinking “I could actually do this,” here’s exactly how to start. I’ve done this multiple times now and this is the process that works every single time.

Step 1: Pick the one thing people keep asking you about

Stop trying to guess what people need. Listen to what they’re already asking.

What do friends ask your advice on? What do colleagues come to you for help with? What problem did you solve that others are still struggling with?

The answer is already in your DMs and comment sections. You just have to pay attention.

Step 2: Create the simplest version of a solution

Don’t overcomplicate this. This is where most people get stuck.

You don’t need a 6-week course with 40 video lessons. You don’t need a fancy coaching program. You don’t need months of preparation.

Create a guide. A template pack. A 45-minute workshop. A checklist. A swipe file.

Something people can use today, not something they have to spend weeks consuming.

Step 3: Price it between $27 and $97

Your first product should be an easy yes.

Price it low enough that people don’t have to think about it for three days. High enough that people will actually use it.

My first product was $37. Sold it to my small email list and made $800 in a week.

You can always create higher-priced products later (and you should, if you want). Start with something accessible that removes the barrier to buying.

Step 4: Sell it to whoever’s already paying attention

You don’t need 10,000 followers to make money from digital products. This is the lie that keeps people from starting.

I made my first sales with a few hundred people on my email list. Then to my LinkedIn audience. Then to people who found me on Substack.

Start with whoever’s already paying attention to you. Your email list. Your social media followers. Your newsletter subscribers.

100 people who trust you will buy faster than 10,000 strangers.

Step 5: Listen to buyers and create the next one

Here’s something you’ll learn along the way: your first product tells you what to create next.

After people bought my first growth guide, they asked about Notes specifically. So, I created the Notes Growth Workshop.

After that, they asked about digital products, so I created my Digital Product Masterclass.

Let your buyers tell you what they need next. Then create it.

This is how you build a product suite without guessing what to make.

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Want the complete system I used to grow from 0 to 15,000 subscribers and $5K+ per month?

Want to build a side hustle that actually works without burning you out?

Everything I talked about in this post (the audience-building strategy, the simple digital products, the system that runs while you sleep) it’s all inside my Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass.

I created this for people who want to make extra income but don’t have extra time to waste on side hustles that don’t scale.

Inside, you’ll get the complete roadmap for growing your newsletter, creating products people actually want to buy, and building income that doesn’t require you to work more hours.

This isn’t some get-rich-quick scheme or complicated funnel that takes months to set up.

It’s a straightforward system that works even if you have a full-time job, a business, or a life outside of this. You build it once and it keeps generating income.

If you’re ready to stop searching for the “perfect” side hustle and actually start building one in 2026, join 300+ writers inside the masterclass below:

Now it’s your turn. What side hustle have you been thinking about starting? What’s holding you back?

2026 is going to be the year you finally do it, if you decide it is.

Let’s make it happen.

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Question: What’s the one thing stopping you from starting your side hustle?

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📌 PS - If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience?

This spreads the word and keeps me writing content that will help you grow your Substack and “escape the cubicle” life.