Weekend Workshop: Money Math Made Simple

Episode 2948

This new segment is all about helping you learn the key steps to a new side hustle in 2025, one step or concept per week. It includes activities, examples, and more—and of course it’s all free.

We’ll be using the book SIDE HUSTLE: From Idea to Income in 27 Days (available wherever books are sold). But if you don’t have the book, that’s ok; I’ll be taking you through the key steps along with listener stories and examples throughout the year.

Today’s Topic: Money Math Made Simple

Learning Objective: Profit forecasting doesn’t require an MBA or complex spreadsheets.

You can figure out if a side hustle will make money using basic math on the back of a napkin. The key is understanding one simple equation:

Expected Income − Expected Expenses = Projected Profit

Consider Tahsir’s car rental story. He started by renting out his personal car on a sharing platform. Before diving in, he did some quick math:

• Average daily rental rate: $35
• Days rented per month: 29
• Monthly rental income: $1,015
• Monthly expenses (insurance, maintenance): about $300
• Monthly profit: $715

The math was so promising that he eventually expanded to renting out 16 cars. But it all started with that simple calculation showing his first car could be profitable.

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Don’t just make one projection — create three scenarios to better understand your potential:

Conservative Estimate
This is your “what if things go slowly” scenario. Use lower prices and fewer sales. This helps you understand if the hustle is still worthwhile even with modest success.

Realistic Estimate
Based on typical market conditions and average prices. This is your most likely outcome, at least in the beginning.

Optimistic Estimate
Your “everything goes right” scenario. Don’t get carried away, but consider what’s possible with strong demand and efficient operations.

For example, a dog walking service might project:
• Conservative: 3 walks/day at $20 each = $60/day
• Realistic: 5 walks/day at $25 each = $125/day
• Optimistic: 8 walks/day at $30 each = $240/day

Action Exercise

Grab a napkin (or piece of paper) and create quick projections for your side hustle idea. Start with your most basic offer and work through these steps:

• Write down your planned price
• List every expense you can think of
• Calculate your profit per sale
• Estimate how many sales you might make per week
• Multiply to find monthly potential

Quick Self-Check:
• Is your conservative estimate still worth pursuing?
• What could you adjust to improve the numbers?
• Does the time investment match the potential return?

Remember: These are estimates, not guarantees. The goal is to understand if your idea has real profit potential before investing significant time and money.

Yours in the revolution,