What I finally realized on my fourth attempt after failing at side hustles three times.

I still remember the night I gave up on my third side hustle.

It was the spring I turned 25. My sixth year in the workforce. While those around me were getting married, buying homes, or changing jobs to advance their careers, I was the only one feeling the anxiety of, "Is this all there is? Am I just going to keep burning out as a corporate employee?"

I thought that if I could earn money through a side hustle, I would have just a few more options.

But I failed three times, every single one.

📌 Table of Contents

1. That night I thought, "I guess it wasn't meant for me"

2. I will honestly tell you about all three of my failures

3. The "single fundamental misalignment" I realized before my fourth attempt

4. Why introverts are forced to fight on the wrong playing field

5. The "only three things" I changed for my fourth attempt

6. Showing it with numbers: Why the fourth time was different

7. The criteria that distinguish a "sustainable side hustle" from a "draining side hustle"

8. A roadmap for earning money without social media, without showing your face, and while staying an introvert

9. The "first 30 minutes" to get moving starting tonight

10. I will honestly answer frequently asked questions

11. Finally. To you, who are about to start your fourth attempt

1 | That night I thought, "I guess it wasn't meant for me"

I still remember the night I gave up on my third side hustle.

I had spent three months trying my hand at social media affiliate marketing. I posted every day, replied to comments, and worked hard to increase my followers. But my earnings were almost zero. I was at my physical and mental limit, and that was the night I decided, "I'm done."

"I guess I just don't have the talent."

"I guess this isn't for introverts."

"I guess I have no choice but to live as a regular office worker."

Those three thoughts were looping in my head.

If you are feeling the same way right now, let me say this first.

It is not that you "lack talent" or that it "isn't for you."

You were simply "fighting in the wrong field."

That was the case for me.

After three failures, there is something I finally realized on my fourth attempt. It wasn't a "problem with the method," but a "problem with how I chose the field."

In this article, I will write honestly about those three failures and the "realization" I finally gained on my fourth attempt.

First, I will talk about my three failures without hiding anything.

2 | I will honestly tell you all about my three failures

It is a pretty embarrassing story. But I am writing it because I don't want you to repeat the same mistakes.

❌ Failure 1: The story of being stuck with inventory in reselling (sedori) (Age 22)

My second year as a working professional. The first thing I started when I thought, "I'm going to make money with a side hustle," was reselling.

Sedori is a business of "buying things cheap and selling them high." It's like the idea that things sold at convenience stores can sometimes be sold for more online.

I made a small profit in the first month. Getting carried away and thinking, "This might actually work," I increased my inventory, which led to price competition and a market crash. Before I knew it, my 3-tatami mat room was filled with boxes of unsold inventory.

Loss: approximately 60,000 yen. Plus, three months of time.

❌ Failure 2: The story of how I regretted buying an expensive information product (age 24)

Two years later, I decided to try a side hustle again.

I watched a YouTube video titled "500,000 yen monthly income! A side hustle even beginners can do" and attended a free seminar. Before I knew it, I had signed up for an online school at a "special price of 180,000 yen."

I took out a loan.

The content was about "gathering followers on Twitter and Instagram and earning money through affiliate marketing." It involved daily posts, daily comment replies, and daily engagement by liking others' posts.

I am not good at social media.

In three weeks, my mental health was in tatters.

Result: 230 followers, zero revenue. Only the loan remained.

❌ Failure 3: The story of how I burned out in three months with SNS affiliate marketing (age 25)

What I tried again, thinking "this time for sure," was affiliate marketing using social media.

Affiliate marketing is a system where you introduce products or services on your own social media or blog and receive a commission when they are purchased. It's that thing where you post on Instagram saying, "I use this," and earn revenue if it sells through your link.

But I am an introvert, and I was just terrible at the "being watched" and "worrying about reactions" aspects of social media.

Every day, I kept wearing myself out thinking, "Is this post weird?" or "Nobody liked it, how embarrassing," and I gave up after three months.

The night I mentioned at the beginning, where I thought, "I guess it wasn't for me again," was this one.

When I line up these three failures, I notice something.

They were all "side hustles that required social media or content creation."

I had kept choosing "things that were said to be profitable" without ever once considering whether I was suited for social media.

This realization became the starting point for my fourth attempt.

Next, I will talk about the "fundamental misalignment" that was common to all three failures.

3 | The "one fundamental misalignment" I realized before my fourth attempt

After failing three times, I took a break from side hustles for about a month.

During that time, I wrote down in a notebook why I had failed all three times.

As I wrote, a pattern began to emerge.

That was it.

Both reselling and SNS affiliate marketing were things that were said to be profitable. But I had never once considered whether they were right for me.

It might be easier to understand if I use cooking as an example.

Hearing that steak is the best-selling menu item right now, you try to start a steakhouse even though you aren't good at cooking. Naturally, it doesn't go well.

But if you think about what you are good at cooking, you might realize that you actually make bento boxes every day and are good at making Japanese simmered dishes.

Side hustles are exactly the same. Choose what you are good at and can do without stress, rather than what is profitable right now. This was the first thing I did on my fourth attempt.

For those who say, "But I don't know what I'm suited for," I will pose three simple questions.

"What tasks can you continue without pain?" (Reading, writing, researching, organizing, creating) "Are there any fields you are considered knowledgeable about in your main job or daily life?" "Which is easier for you: working silently alone or working while talking to others?"

The answers to these three questions will be hints for the side hustle genre that suits you.

In the next section, I will delve into "why introverts are kept fighting in the wrong fields."

4 | Why are introverts made to fight in the wrong fields?

The internet is overflowing with information saying, "When it comes to side hustles, it's all about SNS" and "You need influence to earn money."

Why does this happen?

The answer is simple. Many of the people sharing information about side hustles are earning their income through "SNS-based businesses."

For them, "posting on SNS" is the pillar of their income. That is why there is so much information claiming that "SNS is important."

If you ask a fishmonger, "What should I have for dinner tonight?" they will say, "Fish is good." It's not a lie. But it doesn't mean there are no other options.

The exact same thing is happening in the world of side hustle information.

For introverts, posting on SNS is draining.

Creating content every day, being swayed by reactions, and chasing trends. This is an "extrovert's game" where one excels at directing energy outward.

Introverts have their own game.

Working silently alone. Focusing deeply to create high-quality work. Communicating carefully while thinking about the other person. Digging thoroughly into one thing.

These are all abilities required for "skill-based side hustles" such as web writing, design, video editing, and data organization.

Introverts are strong when they stand in the right field.

This realization was the starting point for my fourth attempt.

In the next section, I will talk specifically about what I actually changed on my fourth attempt.

5 | The "only 3 things" I changed on my fourth attempt

I haven't made any drastic changes. I only changed three things.

Change 1: Narrowed down my side hustle genre to 'No SNS required, skill-based'

I removed all side hustles that required social media from my list of candidates.

Affiliate marketing, Instagram management, YouTube, and live streaming. I didn't even consider these as options from the start.

Instead, I chose to be a Web writer.

The reason is simple: it almost perfectly matched my characteristics of 'not minding reading text,' 'liking to research,' and 'being able to work silently alone.'

Change 2: Made 'completing one job' my initial goal rather than 'earning money'

What my three previous failures had in common was that I was 'trying to earn money quickly.'

On my fourth attempt, I changed my initial goal from '10,000 yen per month' to 'getting one piece of feedback.'

Even if it was just 800 yen per article, that was fine. I wanted to complete one job and have the client tell me it was good. That was my only goal for the first three months.

Using a tree analogy, in my previous three attempts, I had the goal of 'harvesting fruit' and skipped planting roots. On my fourth attempt, I decided that the first two to three months would be a 'root-planting period.' That's all.

Change 3: Changed the 'person to compare with' from others to 'my past self'

Every time I looked at social media, information like 'that person is earning 100,000 yen a month' or 'this person quit their job' would catch my eye, and I would corner myself.

From the fourth attempt on, I decided 'not to look at social media for any purpose other than gathering information.'

The only person I compare myself to is who I was yesterday.

Did I make one more proposal than last month? Did my acceptance rate go up compared to last week? I only look at those things.

Just by changing these three things, the quality of the experience changed completely, even though it was the same 'Web writer' side hustle.

Now, I will show you the actual numbers.

6 | Showing you with numbers: Why the 4th time was different

I will honestly disclose everything.

4th attempt: Monthly earnings record

1st month: 800 yen

I registered on CrowdWorks, rewrote my profile, submitted 7 proposals, and got 1 accepted. 800 yen per article.

That's about 22 yen per hour. But I still haven't forgotten the moment I went from zero to one. The 800 yen that was deposited made me happier than any salary I'd ever received in the past.

2nd month: 14,400 yen

I received a request for continued work from the client in the first month. The message said, 'Your previous article was good, so I'd like to hire you again.'

At the same time, I signed a contract with a new client. A total of 6 articles for 14,400 yen.

3rd month: 31,000 yen

I tried negotiating my rate for the first time. When I sent, 'If I can accept this as ongoing work, could you pay 1.5 yen per character?', they replied, 'Understood.'

Negotiating was scary. But when I actually said it, they agreed easily. I thought, 'I should have said it sooner.'

4th month: 52,000 yen

I had 4 clients and my monthly income exceeded 50,000 yen.

And this month, I paid off the remaining balance of the loan (180,000 yen) I had taken out for my previous 3 side hustles, using only the earnings from this side hustle.

6th month: 100,500 yen

For the first time, my monthly income exceeded 100,000 yen. Zero social media. Zero face reveals. These are numbers achieved only with CrowdWorks and note.

What changed?

It's not that my talent blossomed. It's not that I acquired any special skills.

I simply 'acted in the right field, in the right order'.

Three failed attempts, the fourth successful attempt. Side hustles chosen: SNS-based, Skill-based (writer). Initial goal: Earn money quickly, complete one job and get a rating. Comparison target: Other side hustlers, my past self. SNS usage: Daily posts, almost zero. Revenue after 6 months: Zero, 100,500 yen per month.

What created this difference was not the 'amount of motivation,' but the 'design of the direction'.

In the next section, I will share specific criteria for distinguishing between sustainable side hustles and exhausting ones.

7 | Criteria for distinguishing between 'sustainable side hustles' and 'exhausting side hustles'

After failing three times, I learned one thing.

Exhausting side hustles share common characteristics.

Three characteristics of exhausting side hustles

Characteristic 1: It is based on the premise of 'overcoming' things you are bad at

You are asked to show your face even though you are bad at being in front of people. You are asked to post long texts every day even though you are bad at writing. You are asked to make sales calls even though you are bad at talking to people.

The 'effort to overcome weaknesses' sounds like the right thing to do. However, in side hustles, choosing a 'field where you can utilize your strengths' lasts overwhelmingly longer than continuing to struggle with things you are bad at.

Characteristic 2: It is a 'system where income becomes zero if you stop working today'

If you stop posting every day, your followers decrease. If you stop sending out content, no one will find you. These types of side hustles are in a state where you 'cannot stop unless you keep running.' Like a bicycle, if you stop pedaling, you fall over.

Characteristic 3: It relies on 'tools or platforms' rather than 'your own skills'

Side hustles where everything becomes zero if a specific SNS ends or a specific tool becomes unusable have an unstable foundation.

Three characteristics of sustainable side hustles

Characteristic 1: A state where it is 'not painful' to do continues

It doesn't have to be fun. But being 'not painful' is the minimum requirement. No one can continue painful work every day.

Feature 2: "Skills" accumulate within you

Writing skills, design skills, programming skills. These remain as "your assets" even after you stop the side hustle. Improving your skills through a side hustle is a return beyond just the monetary compensation.

Feature 3: There is a mechanism where unit prices increase as "achievements" accumulate

As your achievements increase, your unit price rises, and you become more likely to be hired for higher-paying projects. Choosing a side hustle where skills and achievements snowball is what leads to long-term stability.

Looking at it through this criteria, almost all side hustles in "Web writing, design, video editing, and IT skills" are classified as "sustainable side hustles."

In the next section, I will organize what I have conveyed in this article as a "concrete map."

8 | A map for earning money without SNS, without showing your face, and while remaining introverted

Even if you think, "Alright, let's do this," if you don't have a map, you won't know where to head.

Here, I will organize what you have learned in this article as a "map."

Map: 4 phases from 0 yen to 10,000 yen per month

PHASE 0 (Before starting): Decide on your "strengths" and "suitable side hustle genre"

Answer the following questions and narrow down your genre to one.

"What tasks can you continue without pain?" "What fields are you considered knowledgeable in through your main job or daily life?" "Which is easier for you, working alone or collaborating?"

Choose only one genre that best fits the answers to these three questions. Do not choose multiple. This is your first decision.

PHASE 1 (First 2 weeks): Registration, profile, and first proposal

Register for free on CrowdWorks or Lancers. Write your profile using "concrete words." Submit proposals for the first five projects.

It doesn't matter if you aren't hired. The goal is to create the fact that you "took action."

PHASE 2 (1st to 2nd month): Acquiring your first project and evaluation

Apply only to jobs that welcome beginners. Give your all on the first one to get a rating (review).

Pay is secondary. One good rating will dramatically increase your chances of being hired for the second and third jobs.

PHASE 3 (Months 2-4): Ongoing projects and increasing your rate

Once you have a good rating, ask for ongoing work. After building trust for 3 months, negotiate your rate. Increase your client base to 2-3 companies to stabilize your income.

Take this map and start moving tonight.

In the next section, I will provide specific guidance on the 'first 30 minutes you can spend tonight.'

9 | The 'first 30 minutes' to start moving tonight

If the feeling of 'Okay, I'll try it' doesn't turn into action today, it will disappear by tomorrow.

So, please use just 30 minutes tonight.

First 10 minutes: Write a 'personal strengths inventory memo'

Open the memo app on your smartphone and write down the following.

'Skills or experiences from your main job that you think you are better at than your peers or juniors' (2-3 items). 'Fields you are more knowledgeable about than others due to hobbies or daily life' (1-2 items). 'Tasks you can do quietly on your own that don't bother you' (1-2 items).

A total of 5-7 notes will be the 'raw material' for your side hustle.

Next 10 minutes: Register for free on CrowdWorks

Access crowdworks.jp and register with your email address. You can do the profile later. The priority is to create the state of having 'registered'.

Last 10 minutes: Just 'look at' 10 job postings

You don't have to propose. You don't have to apply. Just observe. The goal is to get a sense of things like, 'Oh, this kind of work exists,' or 'I might be able to do this myself.'

When these 30 minutes are over, you will have become someone who has started a side hustle.

10 | I will answer common questions honestly

For those who think, 'I want to try it,' but hear a voice in their head saying, 'But...', I will answer some common questions.

Q. I'm in my eighth year as a working professional; is it too late to start a side hustle now?

It is not too late. In fact, it is an advantage.

Your eight years of professional experience are a 'treasure trove of material for a side hustle.' The skills, knowledge, and industry experience you have cultivated in your main job can be applied directly to choosing a side hustle genre.

A 'writer who can write about the reality of 10 years in the XX industry' has overwhelmingly more scarcity value than someone with zero industry experience.

Q. Is it reckless for me to try a fourth time after failing at side hustles three times?

Three failures are simply information that 'three methods didn't work for you.'

If you try a fourth time using the same method, it would be reckless. But a fourth attempt that incorporates changes—such as 'changing the field,' 'changing your goal setting,' or 'changing your comparison criteria'—is something entirely different.

The experience of failure is a strength because you know what 'not to do next.'

Q. Won't my side hustle be discovered by my company?

By selecting 'ordinary collection' (the method of paying taxes yourself) when filing your tax return, you can minimize the impact on your company.

If your employment regulations prohibit side hustles, I recommend checking the rules first.

Q. What should I do if I don't get hired for my first project?

Not being hired is 'feedback.'

Analyzing 'why you weren't hired' and applying that to your next attempt is the only way to increase your hiring rate. If you propose 10 jobs and get hired for one, that is enough. At first, that kind of hiring rate is normal.

11 | Finally. To you who are about to start your fourth attempt

On the night I failed for the third time, I thought, 'I'm just not cut out for side hustles.'

But looking back now, what I wasn't cut out for was 'that way of doing a side hustle,' not 'side hustles themselves.'

Let me tell you one thing, as an introvert.

The idea that 'quiet people' are at a disadvantage is a story about extroverted games.

In the game of increasing social media followers, extroverts certainly have the advantage. The energy to keep posting every day, the ability to respond sensitively to people's reactions—these are things extroverts excel at.

But 'focusing deeply to create high-quality work,' 'thinking carefully about the other person,' and 'steadily building things up one by one'—these are introverted games.

Web writing, design, and video editing are all introverted games.

If you stand on the right field, you are strong.

In this free article, I have given you the entire 'map of thinking' to start your fourth attempt.

A detailed guide on 'how to actually walk using the map' is available in the paid article.

In the paid article 'You can get jobs even with zero social media presence. The 3 methods I used.' (1,000 yen):

• The '7 elements of profile renovation' to triple your hiring rate, along with real examples before and after renovation.

• The '5-part structure' for winning proposals and 7 templates you can copy and use as-is.

• The '5 steps to repeat business' to get requested by name, and the exact text for follow-up messages.

• Concrete action steps for the 'trust-building method' that lets you raise your rates without saying a word.

I have revealed all of these. It is content that guarantees you can 'start moving from tonight.'

But the first thing you should do today is just the '30-minute start guide' in this article.

Tonight, start by writing down "5 of your strengths" in your smartphone's notes app.

That is the first step of your fourth attempt.

I am rooting for your fourth attempt.

About the author

27 years old, 8th year as a working professional, introvert. After three failures with reselling, high-priced products, and SNS affiliate marketing, I achieved a monthly income of 100,000 yen on my fourth attempt as a web writer. I earn money without showing my face, with almost no social media presence, using only CrowdWorks and note. I am currently sharing information with the theme of "earning quietly, but surely."

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