3 Big Mistakes Employees Make When Starting a Side Hustle (And How to Fix Them)

More and more employees are looking for a side hustle to supplement their income or eventually replace their 9-to-5. But while the ambition is there, most end up sabotaging themselves before they ever see results.

How do I know? Because I run Faceless Tuber School, where I’ve helped dozens of employees start faceless YouTube channels that now make anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000 a month. And I see the same beginner mistakes come up again and again.

Just yesterday, I had a one-on-one call with a new member of my program, Calvin. He had all the enthusiasm, but he was making three big mistakes that I’ve seen countless others make too. The good news? Once you recognize them, you can avoid wasting months (or years) and finally start building real momentum.

Let’s start with the first mistake, the one that keeps most employees stuck in frustration.

Mistake 1 – Expecting Results Without Enough Input

Calvin’s biggest frustration was that his YouTube channel wasn’t getting views. He felt like the algorithm was “rigged” against him. But when I looked at his channel, I noticed something important: he had only uploaded one video.

Not only that, but his thumbnail was the wrong size, with half of it cut off. Meanwhile, his competitors were posting daily, refining their thumbnails, and building momentum over months or even years. It’s like going to the gym once and being upset that you don’t have a six-pack.

The reality? You can’t expect big results with tiny inputs. One video is not enough data to measure performance.

The fix: Commit to a fair testing window. I recommend posting at least 15 videos in 90 days before analyzing results. This gives YouTube enough content to understand your channel, and it gives you enough practice to start improving.

Mistake 2 – Winging It Instead of Following a System

On our call, I asked Calvin if he had completed the homework I gave him before booking. The task was simple: watch a few training videos, fill in the worksheets, and bring them to our session so I could review his niche research, content ideas, and execution plan.

He told me he had done it, but when I asked him to pull up the sheets, nothing was filled in. Instead, he had gone off on his own, tried using different tools I don’t even teach, and uploaded a video that wasn’t aligned with the program.

This is a huge mistake I see over and over. Beginners think they’re saving time by “winging it,” but in reality, they’re adding confusion, overwhelm, and wasted effort. It’s like buying a GPS for your car, ignoring it, and trying to navigate with a hand-drawn map instead.

Here’s the truth: the fastest way to succeed is to pick one proven roadmap and follow it exactly. You don’t need ten different strategies. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You need structure, consistency, and discipline to stick to the plan long enough to see results.

The fix: Whether it’s my program or another you trust, commit fully. Watch the lessons. Do the worksheets. Execute step by step. Don’t mix and match random advice from YouTube or Instagram. The people who see results are the ones who stick with one system until it works.

Mistake 3 – Lacking Mastery and Patience

The third mistake Calvin made is one I see all the time: expecting mastery without putting in the reps. He was frustrated about not getting views, but with just a single video uploaded, and even that video having a broken thumbnail, it was clear he simply wasn’t skilled yet at the basics.

This is normal. No one becomes a pro on day one. Some of the most successful creators I’ve worked with had to post 50, 100, or even multiple failed channels before they hit their breakthrough. The difference is they stayed in the game long enough to get good.

Think of YouTube like any craft. A musician doesn’t learn an instrument in a week. An athlete doesn’t master their sport after a single practice. The same goes for building a channel. Each upload is a rep. Each thumbnail you design, each script you write, each analytics review you study, they all compound into mastery.

The fix: Redefine what “success” means in the early stages. Instead of expecting instant income, focus on improvement. Did your second thumbnail look better than your first? Did your retention rate improve from 20% to 30%? Those are wins. Over time, those small wins stack up into big results.

Patience isn’t glamorous, but it’s the real secret. If you give up too early, you’ll never know how close you were to your breakthrough.

Conclusion

Most employees don’t fail at starting a side hustle because they lack ambition, they fail because they set themselves up with the wrong mindset and expectations. Calvin’s story is a perfect example, and it highlights three mistakes I see constantly:

1. Expecting instant results without putting in enough inputs.

2. Winging it instead of following a system that’s already been laid out.

3. Lacking mastery and patience to improve through consistent reps.

The good news? Each of these mistakes is fixable. If you commit to giving YouTube automation a fair testing window, follow one proven roadmap, and focus on improving with every upload, your chances of success multiply.

A side hustle isn’t built overnight. But with time, structure, and persistence, it can become the bridge to freedom, just like it has for my clients who now earn $3K–$15K/month while still working their jobs.

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