You did it. You pushed the button and are officially “live.” The mix of sheer terror and wild excitement you’re feeling right now is completely normal. However, what comes next is what separates a hobby from a business. The quiet that follows the storm of getting ready can be deafening, and it brings up a huge problem: What is the most important thing to do in the first 24 hours after launching your side hustle to turn this launch-day energy into actual, real-life momentum?
The “Launch and Pray” Mistake
The problem is that for most of us, our instinct is to lean back and wait. We post a single announcement on social media, text our partner the good news, and then… we pray. We refresh our email a thousand times, hoping that clients will magically appear. This “Launch and Pray” method feels safe because it avoids any risk of rejection, but it’s a strategy built on hope, not action. Consequently, that precious energy you feel after launching your side hustle fizzles out, leaving you feeling discouraged when the flood of customers doesn’t arrive.
The solution is to flip the script entirely. Instead of passively waiting for people to find you, you need to actively go to them. But this opens a new problem: How do you do that without feeling like a pushy, awkward, 1980s-era used car salesman?
Why Your First Move is Critical
The solution to feeling awkward is to realize you’re not “selling,” you’re sharing. The most powerful and effective action you can take after launching your side hustle is personal, one-to-one outreach. A social media post is a vague broadcast; a personal message is a conversation, and conversations are what build businesses. You need to personally and directly tell the people who are already in your corner that you’re open for business.
Of course, knowing you need to do outreach and knowing how to do it are two different things. This opens another challenge: What’s the actual plan? How do you organize this outreach so it’s effective and doesn’t take all day, and what on earth do you say?
A Personal Story: My “Launch and Pray” Disaster
Sitting here on a perfectly nice afternoon, it got me thinking about one of my first “brilliant” business ideas. I was all set to start my own installation business. I had the skills, the ambition, and I was ready.
So, I “launched.” And by “launched,” I mean I probably told my wife about it and then sat back and waited for the phone to ring. Unfortunately, The Doss Experiment didn’t exist back then, so I had no clue about the crucial things you’re supposed to do after launching your side hustle and I did exactly ZERO of them.
Spoiler alert! I got zero sales. Crickets. My groundbreaking business made a quiet ‘poof’ and vanished like a ninja in a smoke bomb. It had the lifespan of a housefly.
I was a little disappointed… okay, fine, I was a lot disappointed. I felt like a total failure. But here’s the funny part: that failure was the best thing that could have happened. It taught me that a good idea IS NOT enough. You need a plan for what comes next.
I’m still on the journey, but this time, I have a much better plan. We’ll see how it all ends up, but at least this time, I’m not just waiting for the phone to ring.
The Simple Plan for Your First Day After Launch
The solution is a simple, 3-step Momentum Machine that you can execute in under an hour. It’s designed to be strategic, personal, and highly effective.
Step 1: Finalize Your “Warm List” of 10 People
First things first, you need to know who you’re talking to. Your initial outreach shouldn’t be to cold strangers. It should be to your “Warm List”—the people who are already predisposed to cheer you on. Open a notebook and list at least 10 people who fit these descriptions:
- Supportive Friends & Family: Your personal cheerleading squad.
- Respected Former Colleagues: People you worked well with who know your skills.
- Community Connections: People from hobbies, local groups, or even online forums where you have a positive presence.
Step 2: Crafting Your Message
Now for the trickiest part. The new problem is what to write in your message. A generic, copy-pasted text feels spammy and will be ignored. The solution is a simple, three-part message that you can customize for each person.
- The Personal Connection: Start with a genuine, specific detail that shows this isn’t a mass message. For instance, “Hey [Name], it was great seeing you at the game last week,” or “Hey [Name], I was just thinking about that awesome project we tackled together…”
- The Exciting News: Clearly and enthusiastically share your launch. For example, “I’m reaching out with some exciting news! I’ve officially launched my side hustle, where I’m helping [type of person] with [the problem you solve].”
- The Simple “Ask”: This is key. Your ask is NOT “Please hire me.” Your ask is for their support in the form of referrals. For instance, “As I’m just getting started, I’d be grateful if you could keep me in mind if you know anyone struggling with [the problem]. Any referral would mean the world!”
Step 3: Hit “Send” (and Breathe!)
Finally, you have to actually send the messages. This is where you conquer the fear of rejection. Hit send on your 10 messages, and then you can truly celebrate. But what happens next? What if no one responds? This leads to the final, most important question: What is the true goal of this initial outreach after launching your side hustle, and how do you handle the results?
Understanding the Ripple Effect
The solution to the fear of rejection is to understand the “Ripple Effect.” The goal of your first 24 hours is not necessarily to land a paying client. The true goal is to start 10 conversations and drop 10 stones into 10 quiet ponds.
A social media post is a pebble dropped in a stormy ocean—it vanishes instantly. A personal message makes a clear impact, and its ripples spread. The person you message may not need your service, but their best friend, their cousin, or their boss might. Your 10 messages don’t just reach 10 people; they tap into the extended network of 10 trusted circles. This is how you create your own “luck” after launching your side hustle.
So, the new problem is simple: How can you make starting these 10 conversations as easy as possible? The solution is to have the perfect words right in front of you. To help you take action today, I’ve included the exact scripts you need in my free guide. The First Client Starter Pack has three copy-paste templates, including the “Warm Outreach” one designed for this very task.
[Click Here to Download Your Free First Client Starter Pack]
Don’t let your launch energy fade. Channel it into the one action that creates ripples. This is the most important thing to do after launching your side hustle. Now go make some waves.
“We all learned to walk one step at a time after MANY failures, but we all survived it because we didn’t quit!!!”
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