The Side Hustle Show #714: My 2025 Progress Report – What Worked, What Didn’t, and What’s Next?

Host: Nick Loper
Air Date: December 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid, year-end solo episode, Nick Loper takes listeners behind the curtain of Side Hustle Nation, reflecting on the triumphs, challenges, and experiments of 2025. He delivers an open "progress report," sharing what worked, what fizzled, and what's on the horizon—from podcast and YouTube strategies to website trials, email list growth, digital products, and even personal health and reading habits. This detailed recap serves up actionable insights and honest lessons, all with Nick's trademark transparency.

1. Podcast & Content Production (00:01 – 16:30)

Major Milestones & Stats

• Side Hustle Show hit over 700 episodes, sustaining a 6-episode-per-month cadence.
• Averaged 220,000 – 230,000 downloads/month (about 100,000 unique listeners).
  • "Imagine standing at the 50 yard line in front of a stadium of 100,000 people. And that's pretty nerve wracking." (02:01)
• Ad sales, managed by the YAP Media network, filled all inventory—crucial with website income down.

Production Tweaks & Tools

• Upgraded to a Shure SM7DB mic for simplicity and better sound isolation (03:20).
• Integrated a custom Claude AI project for editing suggestions based on past Side Hustle Show transcripts.
  • "Me and Claude don't always agree on what to keep and what to toss, but it probably speeds up the process a little bit." (05:09)
• Show notes writing process streamlined with Claude AI summaries, freeing up time for editing, images, and links.

Video & YouTube Initiatives

• Now recording special YouTube intros inspired by Whitney Bonds and Chad Carson to create platform-specific hooks (07:00).
• Plans for 2026: Selling both audio and video sponsorships as YouTube introduces dynamic ad insertion.
  • "I think YouTube is probably the best platform for audience growth right now, at least for me." (08:00)
• Observes a trend: More people now look for podcasts on YouTube than via traditional apps.

Audience Growth

• Invested $30,000–$40,000 testing podcast promotion channels; Audience Lift and Pod Roll are most cost-effective.
• Allocates a portion of podcast revenue for steady listener growth.

Top Podcast Episodes of 2025

• "Ladders of Wealth Creation" (Replay with Nathan Barry)
• Anthony Kologe’s vending machine journey (Ep. 662)
• Business Idea Giveaway with Steve Chu (Ep. 657)
• “4 Types of Passive Income” (Ep. 672)
• Pat Flynn rates passive income ideas (Ep. 675)
  • "Those are some of the ones that performed best on the audio side. In terms of downloads, I think those were all over 40,000 downloads a piece." (11:31)

2. YouTube Channel: Experiments & Reflections (16:31 – 22:45)

Formats Explored

• Product reviews (long shelf life, potential affiliate income).
• Repurposed website content (targeting specific keywords).
• Trending topics established by other channels, with his own spin.

Notable YouTube Learnings

• "Look at competing channels for the videos that have popped and... try to recreate that magic in your own style." (18:05)
• Video production is time-consuming; not every video delivers ROI.

Editing & Creation Workflows

• Long-time part-time video editor for podcasts and shorts.
• Occasional Fiverr freelancer and DIY edits with ScreenPal; leverages Pictory AI for stock and script-based videos.

Best Performing Videos

• FlexJobs review: “Off to an okay start”
• "Get Paid to Watch Videos" (approx. 9,000 views), repurposed from website content.
• “Websites That Actually Pay You” and a trimmed-down bank bonuses guide.

Roadblocks

• Scripting is the major bottleneck; attempts with AI-generated scripts fail to match Nick's voice.

• Built a YouTube script generator using Claude's "Vibe code," which combines top-performing video hooks with original Side Hustle Nation content, though voice/tone is an ongoing challenge.

  • “[AI] doesn't sound like me just yet, but I made my very first Vibe coded project.” (21:08)

3. Website & Email List: Winds of Change (22:46 – 41:55)

The Website: Declining Traffic & Revenue

• Like many content sites, sidehustlenation.com suffered long-term declines in organic traffic and ad revenue due to AI search answers, Reddit surfacing, and Google updates.
  • "It's been a slow, drawn out erosion of traffic and revenue over the last couple of years... the website side of the business is probably the most passive and probably the most profitable portion of the revenue." (23:37)
• Barely any new articles published outside of podcast case studies; energy focused on updating high-traffic legacy content.

Paid Traffic Experiment: Arbitrage Trials

• Tried Google Ads + affiliate arbitrage—like his very first online hustle—but couldn’t achieve profitable scaling.
  • “Just could never get [paid traffic] to work... a big expensive L for the year.” (26:20)
  • "The attribution told me a pretty scary story that the money I'd been spending on Google Ads for years was probably not profitable and probably not even close." (26:58)

Email List: Growth Slowdown & New Strategies

• Shrinking subscriber base for the first time ever, as fewer new signups offset unsubscribes (a side-effect of lower website traffic).
• New initiatives:
  • Creator Network in Kit: Netting over 1000 signups via co-registration during other newsletter signups.
  • Facebook Group Partnership: Paid the admin of a large delivery driver group for each email opt-in (hundreds/month), until sudden group shutdown. Open to repeating with other group owners.
  • Refined Discovery Service: Experimenting with engaged-subscriber acquisition at ~$1.50 per.
  • Episode-specific lead magnets (e.g., local directory file, AI-Assisted Brainstorming worksheet, Side Hustle Selector tool)—driven about 500 signups!
  • Emphasizes: "You're the person I want on the email list. The podcast listener. You know me so much better than the person who got, you know, recommended Side Hustle Nation from another creator." (32:49)

Community & Teaching

• Four live educational webinars this year (Home Services Academy, LinkedIn marketing, vending machines, flea market flipping)—less than planned but valuable for audience engagement.
• Wants to appear as an expert for other communities' workshops.

Products & Bundle Sales

• Created an online workshop: "Scale My Awesome Side Hustle (SMASH Masterclass)”, covering the growth levers of traffic, conversion, and economics.
  • Launched through the BC Stack bundle; generated ~$9,000 in sales and ~500 new subscribers.
  • “Participating in bundle sales like this one can also be a powerful list building strategy.” (37:40)

4. Experiments & Local Engagement (41:56 – 47:17)

Neighborhood Outreach

• Attended a local vendor fair to boost community presence; used a branded booth and promo materials.

• Son sold 3D-printed toys at the booth and outsold Nick's books, leading to a comment:

  • "It was the book that held a certain level of esteem and perceived authority... If you're contemplating self publishing or adding a book to your product portfolio..." (46:00)

• Plans to update his permafree Side Hustle book (last revised 2019), which has been downloaded over 150,000 times.

New Monetization: Facebook Content

• Entered the invite-only Facebook Content Monetization program (inspired by Jeff Rose’s success).
  • Nick repurposes viral memes, charts, tweets from other platforms and posts ~20/day with custom captions—yielding a best day of ~$40.
  • "If I could hit that consistently, that would be around $1,200 per month."
  • Notes time investment vs. payout and plans to eventually delegate this to a team member.

5. Conference Travel & Industry Trends (47:18 – 52:30)

Conference Highlights

• Attended Podcast Movement (Dallas) and FinCon (Portland).

  • Noted "few solo creators" at Podcast Movement; mostly software, agencies, and networks now.

  • At FinCon, observed the “disappearance of the creator middle class,” whose livelihoods depended on SEO traffic.

    • "Those entrepreneurs had either pivoted to another model or they simply weren't there, which was kind of sad to see." (50:02)

  • Two top topics: AI and video.

Productivity Takeaways

• Inspired by an AI session on cataloguing repetitive tasks to build agents/automation tools.
• Also attended Rhodium Summit; looking ahead to a fresh annual planning session, aiming to free up hours consumed by weekly podcast production.

6. Family, Kids’ Side Hustles & Health Projects (52:31 – 58:30)

Family Projects

• Kids launched a "Dude Perfect"-inspired trick shot YouTube channel.
  • "They're having to practice persistence... learning video editing." (54:55)
  • Shared their excitement: "102 views. We went viral!"

Health & Fitness

• Embarked on a pull-up challenge (add one per day), made it to ~80/day before scaling back due to injury.
  • Motivation: "The net result is, you know, I do way more than the zero pull ups I'd done for years prior to that."
• Inspired by Peter Attia’s “Outlive” to bulk up resistance training and protein intake; got two DEXA scans to track improvements.
  • Also uploaded health data to ChatGPT for analysis—found the advice deeper than most doctor’s visits.
• Read "Die with Zero", sparking reflection on wealth, lifestyle, and how to best use savings as a family transitions to “coast FIRE” and his wife's retirement.

7. Reading Reflections: Narrative Nonfiction Obsession (58:31 – 01:04:38)

• Shifted focus from business books to narrative non-fiction: adventure, survival, and history stories.
  • Favorite reads: "The Wager," "Island of the Lost," "Skeletons on the Sahara," "The Wide, Wide Sea," "The River of Doubt," "Gold Diggers."
  • Thematic thread: Uncommon adversity, problem solving, and survival.
  • "So those have been some of my favorite reads for the year...If you've got any recommendations in that genre, definitely hit me up." (01:03:12)

8. Final Thoughts & Looking Ahead (01:04:39 – End)

• No “hockey stick” growth—just steady progress and gratitude.
  • "Just doing my thing, trying to share cool and creative side Hustle stories and really grateful to be able to do it." (01:04:58)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Imagine standing at the 50 yard line in front of a stadium of 100,000 people. And that's pretty nerve wracking.” (02:01)
• "The website side of the business is probably the most passive and probably the most profitable portion of the revenue." (23:53)
• On failures: "I can chalk that one up as a big expensive L for the year." (27:23)
• On community: "You're the person I want on the email list. The podcast listener." (32:49)
• "It was the book that held a certain level of esteem and perceived authority. I just thought that was interesting." (46:00)
• "If I could hit that consistently, that would be around $1,200 per month." (48:55)
• On survival narratives: "I can absolutely relate to that. It was, it was pretty cool." (56:19)
• "No hockey stick growth to report. Just doing my thing, trying to share cool and creative side Hustle stories and really grateful to be able to do it." (01:04:58)

Key Takeaways for Listeners

• Honest look at the challenges facing online entrepreneurs: SEO volatility, content discovery shifts, and platform dependencies.
• Creative pivots: Diversifying with AI tools, live education, new monetization, and leveraging bundles and cross-promotions.
• The importance of audience: Email and podcast trump random SEO traffic for trustworthy relationships.
• Experimentation is ongoing—some flops, some wins, many lessons.
• Life is more than business: family, health, and personal growth matter as much as hustle.

Further Resources & Links

• Full show notes, referenced episodes, lead magnets, and favorite books listed at sidehustlenation.com
• Subscribe for Nick’s picks on the year’s best side hustles in the next episode.

Stay in the Loop:

• Email: sidehustlenation.com/join
• Facebook Page: Side Hustle Nation
• YouTube: Side Hustle Nation Channel

Episode Mood: Down-to-earth, experimental, no-nonsense, and deeply appreciative.
For aspiring and established side hustlers alike, Nick’s transparent 2025 look-back is packed with real, actionable business insights—plus a much-needed dose of realism and optimism.