You know that moment when you decide to start an online side hustle and you picture yourself lounging in a hammock, sipping a piña colada, while the dollars just pour into your bank account?

Yeah, that's a lie. A big, fat hammocky lie.

Instead, it's more like deciding to build IKEA furniture without the instructions because, who needs those? You do. You really, really do. But there I was, thinking, "I'm a smart human. I have a college degree (in something completely unrelated), I can figure this out." Spoiler alert: It's a trap.

Day one, I'm all gung-ho, setting up a website, which I assume is like setting up an email account. It's not. It's like trying to solve a Rubik's cube that fights back. And then, when I finally got the website to look semi-presentable—after only seventeen hours, four coffees, and a small existential crisis—I hit 'publish', and wait for the magic to happen.

Crickets. Literal crickets were outside my window, mocking me with their chirpy little songs.

But here's the thing. In between the keyboard-smashing frustration and the 'why-does-my-logo-look-like-a-toddler-drew-it' moments, there's something kind of awesome about carving out your own slice of the internet. It's like declaring, "Here be my digital empire, behold my pixelated domain!" Sure, it's a domain currently frequented by me and possibly my mom (hi, mom!), but it's mine.

So, if you're out there thinking about starting your own side hustle, I say go for it. Embrace the chaos. Laugh at the absurdity of it all. And maybe, just maybe, one day we'll find ourselves in those hammocks, piña coladas in hand, laughing about the days we thought 'SEO' was a fancy way to misspell 'SO'. Until then, I'll be here, riding the entrepreneurial rollercoaster, hands in the air, screaming in terror and delight.

​Because let's face it, if it was easy, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun to blog about.