Embracing Side Quests: Finding Opportunity in Unexpected Places
Have you ever gotten an email that seemed too good to be true — and almost deleted it? That's exactly what happened to me a few years back, and following that hunch instead of hitting delete turned into one of the most unexpected side quests of my career. Welcome back — hope you had a great 4th of July with the family (and kept all your fingers intact). Today I'm telling you the story of the time a random email led to recording an entire audiobook, and I'm breaking down the five filters I use to decide whether an unexpected opportunity is worth chasing or worth letting go.
Highlights
- The suspicious email that turned out to be a legitimate audiobook recording opportunity from a major New York publisher
- How I verified the opportunity was real using LinkedIn before committing to anything
- What the actual recording workflow looked like — including a director joining remotely via Zoom
- The five filters for evaluating any side quest: legitimacy, honesty, long-term potential, asset leverage, and family margin
- Why being upfront about your limited experience actually builds more trust with a client
- How to tell the difference between a side quest worth pursuing and one that's a distraction
Chapters
0:32 — Side Quest Idea
1:29 — Suspicious Email
2:33 — Verifying It's Real
3:18 — Taking The Gig
4:42 — Recording Workflow
5:31 — Why Say Yes
6:17 — Five Filters Intro
6:24 — Filter One: Legit Check
7:47 — Filter Two: Be Honest
10:18 — Filter Three: Long Term
11:37 — Filter Four: Asset Leverage
14:09 — Filter Five: Family Margin
15:36 — Quick Recap
16:31 — Share Your Side Quests
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For more information about The Side-Hustle Dad, visit our website at https://thesidehustle.dad
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This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net.
