Andy Frisella Explains Why To Stop Calling It A ‘Side Hustle’ And When To Make The Project A Full-Time Job

Written by Chris Illuminati on August 5, 2021

The term “side hustle” has been around for longer than people realize.

While gaining popularity in the last decade, thanks to the rising cost of living and people being unhappy with their current careers, the origin of the term side hustle dates back to the 1950s.

Starting a side hustle in 2021 is a smart move, no matter how well you’re doing financially, but a person might not want to refer to the side business as a “hustle” in front of a guy like Andy Frisella.

If you’re unfamiliar with Andy Frisella, he’s an entrepreneur, bestselling author, highly sought-after consultant, and public speaker. For four years, he hosted one of the most popular business and success podcasts globally – The MFCEO Project.

In 2020, he launched a new podcast, Real AF with Andy Frisella, that still covers business and success, but the show occasionally discusses and debates the biggest issues facing the country today.

Andy recently launched a recurring Q&A episode of Real AF where listeners can submit questions. During a recent episode, a listener asked about side hustles and how to figure out the right time to quit a full-time job and explore the side hustle as a career.

Here’s the exact question from the Real AF podcast.

“I’m working a job full-time but also have a respectable side hustle. How do you know when it’s time to leave the security of a full-time job and go all-in on yourself and take the side hustle to the next level.”

Andy’s response begins with a thought on money and the ability to pay the bills. His answer goes slightly off course when he’s forced to find a better term to use inside of side hustle.

“The term side hustle. I don’t like that terminology. It makes it feel like it’s not ever real. I would say ‘your project.’”

After giving the term a second thought, Andy Frisella goes all-in on his hatred for the popular term. Warning, Andy doesn’t pull any punches on his show and uses language not usually safe for work.

“Ugh, I hate that f**king term ‘side hustle.’ It sounds like you’re going to lose, bro. It sounds like you’re going to lose. It sounds like weak sh*t. So stop calling it your side hustle and start calling it your project.

‘Here’s my project. This is what I’m going to do.’ It just sounds more confident, doesn’t it?”

As for Andy’s advice on turning your project into a real job, the CEO gives a two-part answer.

First, when the project can cover all of your bills, it’s time to move into the project full-time. Second, in order to cover all your bills, it might be time to take a serious look at what you’re spending money on and cut corners to make your dream a reality.

“You should be reducing your cost of living, downsizing your apartment, doing whatever it is to cut stuff out and start living real lean. That gives you flexibility.”

To listen to the entire episode, check out Real AF with Andy Frisella wherever you listen to podcasts.