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Happy Monday Reader,

Let's talk about something I don't say out loud very often.

I have been weirdly, genuinely obsessed with retirement planning since before I even had a real job. Like, teenage me was reading about compound interest and pensions for fun. Not because anyone made me, I just found it fascinating. Still do, honestly. That's probably why I ended up doing this for a living 😅

But here's the thing I want to be really honest with you about. I don't actually want to monetize everything I love. Some of my favourite projects are ones I keep pretty small and pretty separate from "the business." I run my Debrief Diary where I nerd out about list building and bundles, mostly because I love talking through the strategy of it, not because I'm trying to build a huge income stream there. I also have a rabbitry now (yes, an actual small rabbit farm, don't ask how that happened), which isn't profitable yet and honestly might not be for a while. That's fine. It's not supposed to carry my retirement plan. It's just something I enjoy.

I say all that because I think a lot of us get stuck on the idea that earning more means finding your One True Passion and turning it into a business. That's actually a pretty risky way to build income, because if the business part doesn't work, you've often ruined the fun part too.

So here's what I actually think is the easiest way to earn more on the side. Not your passion. Your everyday competence.

My mum is an accountant. For years, alongside her actual full time job, she had a small handful of weekend clients. Nothing fancy, no website, no brand, no big launch. Just a few people who knew she was good with numbers and were willing to pay her to do their books or sort out a mess once in a while. It wasn't glamorous. It was also completely reliable, for years, without her ever having to "become an entrepreneur" in the scary, capital letter sense of the word.

That's the model I want you thinking about this week. Not "what's my big idea." More like, what do people already ask you for help with. What do you already do for free, competently, without even thinking about it, that someone would happily pay you for.

If you're not sure, here's a quick prompt. Think about the last three times someone said some version of "can you help me with this real quick" outside of work. That's usually where the money is hiding.

A couple of tools that make this genuinely low effort to start, if you want to do something with it this week:

• Wave (free) for simple invoicing so you look legit without needing an accountant of your own
• A basic payment link through Stripe or PayPal so people can just pay you directly, no storefront needed
• Calendly (free tier) if what you're offering involves booking time with people

None of these require a business plan. They just remove the "how would I even get paid" excuse.

Talk soon,
Robyn

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