The 30-Minute Startup: How to Launch a Side Hustle During Your Lunch Break [and Escape the 9-to-5]
Start a Business in Your Lunch Break
I read a stat once that the average person has at least 1 million dollar idea a day. A common misconception of the startup scene is that you have to have money/funding/capital before you can start a business. Even starting a side hustle requires careful planning and organization.
Reality: you can start doing something with your current skill-set with zero dollars of startup/input costs and you can figure it out in 30min, even if you have no idea where to start or what to do.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for an easy, cost-effective way of starting a business or a side-hustle. You want to increase your income and make some extra money. But you’ve never done it before and it seems really complicated and expensive. Amirite?
That was me.
After spending a year trying to figure out what my next venture would be, I scoured the internet and social media for ideas. I spent months trying to piece together fragmented information from all over the place, trying figure out what I should do. It was exhausting. And painful. And it didn’t get me any closer to launching a business idea. Instead, I was crippled with information overload, which only lead to further procrastination in the pursuit of perfection.
What I finally realized is that more is in fact not better. I learned that relentless action and imperfect execution are THE combination of progress, and, ultimately, success.
My year of fumbling lead me to this framework that I now deploy on the regular. I tested this framework on myself. and I’ve managed to hack my way into a system that flushes out business ideas for me in 30 min flat. Don’t believe me? I dare you to try it.
The secret? Start where you’re at. Ask yourself this:
What are you already good at?
What do you already get paid for by an employer?
What are you passionate about?
Answer these 3 questions and you already have 3 business ideas. Don’t over complicate it. Start simple. If there's something you want to do later, do it now. There is no "later".
A lot of procrastination in starting a business comes from a lack of clarity. You have thoughts and ideas, but no way of sorting through them and taking action. So you sit on them. And keep thinking. This process forces clarify and gives you a starting point. Clarity comes from execution, not thought, or more ideas. When you take action, you suddenly have skin in the game, and that can be a shot-in-the-arm.
Starting a business can feel overwhelming and complicated, especially if you’ve never been in business or even managed a business. But we want to add an income stream so, what now?
I can already hear it: But what about target audience? What about business strategy and structure, pricing strategy, or market research? I hear you. But execution eats strategy for breakfast. Those things will come after, but it will never come if you never start. So action and starting is the #1 priority. And that’s what we do here. A no-excuses, quick and dirty execution so that you can move past the fear and procrastination and move forward.
This process will help you build momentum. We build the frame. Once the frame is built, you’ll feel compelled to complete the project. It’s a sneaky way to trick your brain. Before it even knows what just happened, you’re off to the races. And now that you’re in the game, you may as well play to win, right?
Why You’ve Struggled to Start Before
If you’ve never been able to start before, it’s not your fault. Human brains are wired for safety and familiarity, not risk-taking. It’s easier to hold onto an idea than to take action. Over time, those ideas lose their spark, and you’re left wondering why you didn’t start sooner.
This framework bypasses your brain’s procrastination loops by forcing you into action. By the time your doubts kick in, you’ll already have momentum—and that’s the secret to success.
My Story: Overcoming Procrastination and Overload
After a year of trying to figure out my next move, I was stuck. Social media flooded me with “perfect” strategies, and the more I researched, the more paralyzed I became. Information overload turned into procrastination. And perfectionism? That was just fear in disguise.
Then I had a breakthrough: action beats overthinking every time. You don’t need all the answers to get started; you just need to start. When I stripped it all down to the bare bones, you only need 4 things, and money isn’t one of them. Using the 4 Ds framework I developed, I went from idea to execution in record time. I built InvestedMom.com and launched my course, helping others increase their income—while increasing my own. Let’s break it down step by step.
Let me show you exactly how this works by walking you through my own journey. The skill I started with? Increasing my income. The result? A course called "How to Increase Your Income" hosted on the blog I built at InvestedMom.com.
Here are the 4 Ds of a successful startup, these are your 4 pillars.
The 4 Ds of the 30-Minute Startup Framework
Every successful business boils down to four simple pillars:
Discovery - Finding Your Idea – What will you offer?
Development - Crafting An Offer – What problem will you solve, and how will you package it?
Delivery - A Distribution Method – How will you get your product/service to customers?
Deployment - Finding Your First Customer – Who will pay for it?
That’s it. Everything else—branding, scaling, and long-term planning - it can all come later. This framework strips it all down to the basics, allowing you to get started immediately.
I built InvestedMom.com and launched my course, helping others increase their income—while increasing my own. Let’s break it down step by step.
In the spirit of taking action, let’s get started!
Take put your workbook, grab a pen (not a pencil) and set the timer. We’re going to do this together in 15min flat
Step 1: Discovery – Finding Your Idea
Don’t overthink it. Set a timer for 5 minutes and answer these questions:
What are you already good at?
What are you paid to do at your job?
What are you passionate about?
What do you spend your free time on?
What do people compliment you on?
Write your answers down quickly—no erasing, no second-guessing. Pick the one that excites you most. You’re not aiming for the perfect idea, just one you’ll stick with long enough to see results.
Here’s a strategy for helping you choose:
Pros of choosing what you’re good at:
You’re already good at it, it’s established. People pay more for goods and services that are good.
Cons: Just because you’re good at it, doesn’t mean you enjoy it. Doing something that you’re not aligned with eventually leads to burnout. Ask me how I know…
Pros of choosing something you’re already getting paid for:
It’s confirmation and validation that this idea is already viable and there’s a market for your idea. Someone’s already paying you for it, which means there are likely others willing to pay too.
Cons: Maybe you don’t love it. If you’re doing it just to make ends meet and collect a paycheque, doing more of it is not going to be a good time.
Pros of choosing an idea you’re passionate about, that gets you excited:
You already love it. Chances are, you’ll stay motivated and it’ll bring you joy to spend time on it. Don’t waste your time building something you hate. It will feel like work.
Cons: Overstimulation. It can become distracting, but as long as you implement a system with discipline built in, you should be good.
Pros of choosing an idea you already spend a lot of time on:
You’re not wondering where you’re going to get the time from (a big excuse many people use to delay bringing their brilliant idea to life/market). You’re already invested.
Cons: what’s the underlying reason you’re spending so much time on this already? Is it avoidance? Is it a responsibility you can’t get out of? OR is it because it’s something you enjoy. If so, bingo! You might have a winner. Is it escaping? Now you’ll have no where to escape to. Also, just cause you live it doesn’t mean someone will pay you for it. But, seeing other people doing something they’re passionate about is infectious and ppl love supporting people who are really into their shit.
Choosing an idea based on how you’re perceived:
You be unaware of this, but you might be good at something you don’t even recognize within yourself. Other people (potential customers) have already validated that there’s something there…
Cons: it’s not something you connect with and you don’t want to be a people pleaser. Let me rephrase: Your decision should not be based on solely pleasing others. Your giving your power away and if it doesn’t fill your cup, you’ll be left feeling drained and exhausted. This creates an environment of scarcity, the opposite of what you need to manifest your goals.
Notice how your decision making process has NOTHING to do with what’s going to make the most money? That’s right! Because where energy flows, money grows. But energy comes before money, and passion, joy, gratitude and abundance is what cultivates and fosters good vibes. So focus on choosing an idea that manifests good vibes for you, and the rest will fall into place in a much more aligned way.
Here’s how I answered these questions:
What am I good at? Finding ways to make more money and optimizing financial habits.
What do I already get paid to do? Organizing and communicating complex financial strategies.
What am I passionate about? Helping women feel financially empowered.
What do people compliment me on? My ability to teach and simplify financial concepts.
Idea: Teach a course on "How to Increase Your Income."
Your turn: Write down your answers and pick one idea. Don’t overthink it—choose the one that excites you the most.
Step 2: Development – Crafting Your MVP
Now that you have an idea, it’s time to create your Minimal Viable Product (MVP). This is a simplified version of your product or service that you can launch quickly to gather feedback and validate your idea. AI tools like ChatGPT can speed up this process. For example:
Use ChatGPT to brainstorm a product description.
Generate marketing copy or social media posts.
Create a basic outline for your service or digital product.
“I help [target audience] solve [problem] by [solution].”
The goal isn’t perfection—it’s to get something out there that people can engage with.
Here’s what I did:
For "How to Increase Your Income", my MVP looked like this:
Product: A 4-module online course teaching actionable strategies to boost income.
Offer Statement: "I help women learn simple, actionable strategies to increase their income without feeling overwhelmed or burnt out."
Delivery Method: A course hosted on a basic website (InvestedMom.com).
Pricing: Free beta launch to gather feedback, with plans to charge later.
To develop the MVP, I used AI tools to speed up the process:
ChatGPT: Helped outline the course modules and generate descriptions for each.
Canva: Created simple visuals and slides for the course.
Leia AI: Built a clean, functional website to host the course.
Step 3: Delivery – Setting Up Operations
Keep your operations simple and lean. Here’s what you need to get started:
A Way to Get Paid: Use Stripe, PayPal, or Venmo.
A Way for People to Contact You: Set up a basic email or social media account.
A Way to Collect Leads: Use a free email marketing tool like Mailchimp or Beehive.
That’s it. Don’t worry about fancy websites or expensive tools. You can build as you go.
Delivery is all about how you’ll fulfill your promise to customers. For "How to Increase Your Income", here’s how I set it up:
A Way to Get Paid: Initially free, but I set up Stripe for future payments.
A Way to Contact Me: Created a contact form on my website.
A Way to Collect Leads: Used Beehive to capture email addresses for those interested in the course.
By keeping it simple and streamlined, I was able to get everything operational in under an hour.
Step 4: Deployment – Finding Your First Customers
Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. Pull out your phone and create a TikTok or LinkedIn post like this:
“Hi, I’m [Your Name]. I help [Your Target Audience] solve [Problem] by [Your Offer].”
Hit post. Now, reach out to friends and family with a simple message:
“Hey, I’m starting a new service/business helping [audience] with [problem]. Do you know anyone who might need this?”
Your first customers will often come from your network. After that, use free or low-cost marketing methods like social media, email lists, or local meetups to grow.
Here’s how I found my first students for "How to Increase Your Income":
Leverage Your Network: I emailed friends, family, and professional connections with this message:
"Hi! I’m launching a free course to help people increase their income with simple, actionable strategies. If you or someone you know is interested, check it out at InvestedMom.com!"
Social Media Post: I shared my story on LinkedIn:
"Ever feel stuck trying to figure out how to make more money? I’ve been there. That’s why I created a free course, 'How to Increase Your Income,' to help others learn the strategies that worked for me. Check it out here: InvestedMom.com."
Collaborations: I reached out to bloggers and influencers in personal finance, offering guest posts and free access to the course in exchange for promotion.
Within a week, I had my first 50 sign-ups.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Here are three traps to avoid when starting out:
Overthinking Your Idea: Action beats perfection every time.
Building Before Selling: Test your idea with an MVP before investing too much time or money.
Procrastinating on Marketing: You don’t need to be “ready” to start promoting—just start.
Scaling Beyond the MVP
Once you’ve validated your idea, you can refine and scale. Here’s how:
Improve your offer based on customer feedback.
Build a simple website using tools like Leia AI or Squarespace.
Automate processes like payment and email follow-ups.
The key is to evolve naturally as your business grows.
Free Resources to Help You Get Started
Email Marketing Tools: Beehive, Flodesk, or Stan
Website Builders: Leia A.I., Wix, or Squarespace
Case Studies: Learn from others who’ve started small and grown.
Conclusion: Start Where You’re At
Building a business or side hustle doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. The 30-Minute Startup Framework isn’t about creating a perfect business—it’s about taking action, building momentum, and learning as you go. By following the 4 Ds—Discovery, Development, Delivery, and Deployment—you can launch a side hustle in 30 minutes flat —without overthinking it.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re already ahead of 99% of people. The next step is simple: take action. Start now, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve in just 30 minutes.
If I could build InvestedMom.com and launch a course with no money, no fancy tools, and no perfect plan, so can you. Set your timer, grab a pen, and start your 30-minute sprint. I can’t wait to see what you create!
Let’s get to work!