What’s in This Email 📩

They wait for the perfect idea, the perfect time, and the perfect plan. Meanwhile, someone else is making money by taking action.

This newsletter is packed with real, achievable side hustles that can actually work. No fluff, just execution. Let’s get to it.

Here’s what we’ve got this week:

• 🚀 Achievable Side Hustles – Stop overcomplicating it. Here are side hustles you can start right now, including options for travelers and creatives.

• 📖 The Read: Million Dollar Weekend – Noah Kagan’s no-nonsense guide to launching a business in just a weekend. A playbook for taking action.

• 📺 The Stream: Mo – Netflix’s Mo is a hidden gem, blending humor and struggle while shining a light on Houston, Texas.

• 📸 The Gear: Sony A6400 – A powerful, travel-friendly camera perfect for content creation, side hustles, and leveling up your visuals.

⚡ Now, dive in and start building something. Because the only failure is waiting for the perfect moment. That moment is now.

Newsletter News 📰 

⛔ DMARC Settings Fixed! If you didn’t receive the last few emails, that was my bad. 

I messed up the DMARC settings, meaning some emails were going straight to spam or not arriving at all.

That’s now fixed, so you should be receiving everything properly going forward.

📂 New Archive Access! When you subscribe, you now get access to an archive where every past issue of this newsletter is stored.

That means if you missed anything, you can revisit previous editions anytime. No more FOMO—just all the content, ready when you are.

Achievable Side Hustles You Can Start Right Now

Side hustles are no longer just a way to make a little extra cash—they’re a legitimate way to take control of your life, create financial security 💰, and even build a long-term business 📈.

But not all side hustles are created equal. Some require too much upfront investment💸, while others are so niche that they take years⏳ to turn profitable.

The key is to find something realistic, achievable, and aligned with what you already know and enjoy.

Whether you’re looking for extra income 💵 or a path to total freedom 🏝️, here are some side hustles that actually work.

1️⃣ Leverage What You Already Know

One of the biggest mistakes people make when looking for a side hustle is thinking they need to start from scratch.

But what if the key to making money is already in your hands? 🏆

If you have a skillset you’ve spent years mastering, why not monetize it?

For example, as a writer ✍️ and film producer 🎬, I personally support my Colombian nomad lifestyle and pay for my studio 🎧 through screenplay doctoring, language translation, and helping others with visa issues.

(the visa to stay in the country, not the Visa 💳 people use to pay me for my help 😉).

I don’t need to reinvent the wheel—I just apply my existing expertise in a new way.

(If you are interested in those services, please reach out!)

Think about what you're already good at. Do you:

✅ Have professional experience? Offer consulting, coaching, or done-for-you services.
✅ Know a trade? 🛠️ Freelance work in that industry can be lucrative.
✅ Have a creative passion? Sell artwork 🎨, photography 📸, or digital products.
✅ Speak another language? Offer tutoring or translation services.

Turning your expertise into a side hustle isn’t just easier—it’s smarter 🧠.

2️⃣ Photography-Based Hustles 📸

Photography is one of the best side hustles because it has multiple revenue streams 💵 and low startup costs (especially if you already own a camera, like my Sony A6400).

📸 Stock Photography: Upload photos to Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Unsplash+ and get paid every time someone downloads your work.
 🎉 Event Photography: Weddings 💍, business conferences💼, real estate 🏡, Airbnb listings—all lucrative niches.
 📲 Social Media Content Creation: Small businesses and influencers constantly need high-quality visuals. Offer a simple content package and build a client list.

3️⃣ Digital Product Selling 📂💰

A passive income dream—create once, sell forever. 💸

📝 Notion templates, e-books, photography presets
🎓 Course guides and mini-webinars
 📆 Downloadable planners, checklists, and worksheets

Marketplaces like Gumroad and Etsy make it easy to get started.

4⃣ Side Hustles You Can Do While Traveling ✈️🌍

Some side hustles work best on the go, making them ideal for travelers and digital nomads. If you want to make money while exploring new places, try these:

📚 Freelance Writing: Many travel bloggers, businesses, and news outlets need fresh content.
 📞 Remote Consulting: If you have business or marketing expertise, Zoom coaching calls can be done from anywhere.
🏟️ Tour Guide or Airbnb Experiences Host: Platforms like Airbnb allow locals or travelers to host experiences in different cities.
🎓 Online Tutoring / Language Lessons: Teach English, Spanish, or another language via platforms like iTalki.
 📱 Remote Social Media Management: Help brands grow their Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter presence from anywhere.

5️⃣ Find Allies 👥

Most successful side hustlers don’t go it alone. Finding just one mentor, partner, or collaborator can dramatically speed up your success and keep you accountable.

🤝 Network with Like-Minded Hustlers: Join Facebook groups, LinkedIn communities, and forums where people are already succeeding in your niche.

📢 Let People Know What You’re Doing: The easiest way to get clients or partners is simply telling people what you do—on social media, in person, or even through a simple “help me spread the word” request. See what I did above! 😉

🎭 Collaborate with Creators: If you’re building a brand, partner with influencers, podcasters, or YouTubers who align with your hustle.

💡 Learn from Experts: Take online courses, listen to podcasts, and follow people already crushing it in your field.

6️⃣ The Best Local Hustles That Require No Online Presence 🏠

Not every side hustler needs a laptop 🖥️ and a Wi-Fi connection 📶. Some jobs require just showing up and getting paid:

🐶 Pet sitting or dog walking
 🧹 House cleaning or home organizing
 🪑💰‍ Furniture flipping (buying, restoring, and reselling)
 🚗 Car detailing or mobile mechanic services

Many of these can be started with almost zero investment, making them some of the fastest ways to start earning immediately💸.

Side hustles aren’t about waiting for the perfect idea—they’re about execution 🚀.

Whether you’re leveraging a skill you already have, turning your travels into an income stream, or picking up a camera and creating, the best time to start is right now.

The only failure is waiting for the “right time.” ⏳ That time is now. 🔥

Trivial Trivia Break

Read

Million Dollar Weekend: A No-BS Guide to Starting Something That Works

I've always been skeptical of business books. Too often, they’re filled with motivational clichés that offer little actionable value.

They tell you to think big 💡, hustle hard 💪, and never give up 🚀—as if mantras alone will manifest success.

Noah Kagan’s Million Dollar Weekend is different.

Kagan provides actionable steps 🛠️—practical frameworks to build a business from scratch in just a weekend. If you engage with the exercises as he outlines, you’re setting yourself up for success. No theory. No fluff. Just execution. ✅

In fact, A TEXAS NOMAD, uses a lot of the principles from this book.

The idea of launching fast ⚡, testing ideas in real time 📊, and iterating based on immediate feedback 🔄?

Ok, so yes, I let slip figuring out the DMARC settings that ensure emails didn’t go to spam 📩. But now, it’s fixed! I think.

The most important thing is we are launched 🚀. Tweaks can come later.

What Makes It Work?

• Execution Over Perfection – Instead of wasting weeks perfecting an idea, launch immediately, see what sticks, and refine as you go.

• Sales First – Sell the product before you build it. If people won’t pay, move on.

• Overcoming Fear – Fear and analysis paralysis hold most people back. Action is the cure. 

Key Takeaways

• Embrace Discomfort – Get comfortable with rejection 🙅. The more you ask, the closer you get to “yes.”

• Community Building – Your audience is your most powerful business asset.

• Challenge Assumptions – Many great businesses exist because someone challenged conventional wisdom.

📖 Who Is This Book For?

👨‍💻 Aspiring entrepreneurs who don’t know where to start.
🎨 Creators, freelancers, and side hustlers ready to monetize their skills.
✈️ People who want freedom—whether that mean: working remotely, traveling, or setting their own schedule ⏰.

If you read this book and do nothing, it’s worthless ❌. But if you read it, do the homework 📑, and complete the challenges it contains, as I have, you’ll be ahead of 99% of people waiting for the “perfect moment.”

Success isn’t about having the best idea—it’s about execution 🎯. Kagan cuts through the noise and provides a blueprint for making things happen.

Read it. Apply it. Then take action. 💥

Stream

🌆 Houston rarely gets the spotlight it deserves. Despite being the fourth-largest city in the U.S. (soon to be third), it's often overlooked in film and TV.

Given that I was born and raised in Houston—not that my existence is going to boost its recognition anytime soon, but for the sake of context and authenticity.

That’s why Mo is such a revelation—a deep dive into Houston’s culture, humor 😂, and the everyday challenges of its people, wrapped in a semi-autobiographical story of a Palestinian 🇵🇸 refugee.

Created by Mo Amer and Ramy Youssef, Mo follows Mohammed "Mo" Najjar as he navigates asylum 🏛️, identity 🆔, and survival in America 🇺🇸.

Amer brings raw authenticity to the role, portraying the constant hustle of an undocumented immigrant with dark humor and heart.

One of Mo’s greatest strengths is its subtlety. A standout moment is when Mo shares a cigarette 🚬 with an Israeli 🇮🇱 chef.

They seem like they’ll get along—bonding over food 🍽️, the restaurant industry, and the shared grind of their work.

That is, until they realize one is Israeli 🇮🇱 and the other is Palestinian 🇵🇸.

Or maybe it’s because the chef happens to be dating Mo’s ex 💔.

Either way, the message seems clear: men would get along just fine if it weren’t for religion and women.

I’m joking, of course… kinda 🤷‍♂️.

The tension is unspoken, yet profound—a reminder that conflict is often imposed on people who, in another world, might have been friends.

Season two takes Mo on an unexpected detour—Mexico 🇲🇽.

Stranded longer than anticipated (something I can relate to after my own extended stay in Colombia 🇨🇴), he scrambles for cash 💵 in any way possible: wrestling 🤼 in Lucha Libre as "The Palestinian Bear," running a falafel 🌯 taco truck, and even joining a mariachi band 🎺.

The side hustles aren’t just comic relief—they emphasize the desperation and adaptability of immigrants everywhere.

The show shines in its ensemble moments, especially the Thanksgiving 🦃 dinner scene, where cultures clash and intertwine over food and family.

Mo’s brother, Sameer (Omar Elba), delivers a standout performance, particularly in his struggle to be understood as an autistic man in a psychiatrist’s office.

One poignant line from that dinner—"The land accepts us wherever we die"—speaks to the heart ❤️ of Mo.

It’s a story about displacement, belonging 🏡, and carving out home wherever you can.

They’ve announced Season 2 is the last, but this show has more legs than Palestinian olive oil 🫒. It deserves more.

Give it a stream, add another view to the Netflix algorithm; help keep this story alive. Houston barely gets namechecked in the arts—when it does, we need to make it count .

Gear

📸 Sony A6400 Review: The Perfect Travel and Side Hustle Camera?

Is the Sony A6400 the ultimate camera for travelers and content creators? Let’s break it down.

Why the A6400?

The Sony A6400 is a mirrorless APS-C camera that packs serious power in a compact body. It’s small enough to travel light ✈️ but powerful enough to capture high-quality photos and 4K video.

Unlike bulky DSLRs, the A6400 won’t make you look like a tourist with a mark on your back or, as they say in Colombia, dar papaya.

Pros:

✅ Compact & Lightweight – Perfect for travel, daily carry, and street photography.
✅ Fast Autofocus ⚡ – Sony’s Real-Time Eye AF 👁️ and lightning-fast focus tracking make this camera a beast for action shots.
✅ 4K Video & Flip-Up Screen 📷 – Perfect for vlogging or capturing cinematic travel footage.
✅ Interchangeable Lenses 🔄 – Adaptable to any situation, whether it’s landscapes, portraits, or action shots.
✅ Durable & Weather-Sealed 🌦️ – Holds up in various conditions, making it great for outdoor shooting.

Cons:

❌ No In-Body Stabilization 🚶‍♂️ – You’ll need a gimbal or steady hands for smooth video.
❌ Rolling Shutter in 4K 🏃‍♂️ – Fast movements can cause distortion in video mode.
❌ No Headphone Jack 🎧 – Audio monitoring requires external solutions.

A6400 vs. Other Cameras

How does the A6400 compare to its competitors?

📷 A6400 vs. A6700 – The A6700 improves on stabilization and low-light performance, but the A6400 still holds its own for price-conscious buyers.
🎨 A6400 vs. Fujifilm X-S20 – Fuji’s colors and film simulations 🌈 are gorgeous, but the A6400 wins in autofocus speed and overall video performance.
📱 A6400 vs. iPhone 16 Pro – While smartphone cameras keep improving, they still can’t match the versatility and depth of field control of an APS-C sensor.

💼 Side Hustles You Can Start with the A6400

• 📸 Stock Photography – Sell high-quality images on Shutterstock or Adobe Stock.

• 🎥 Freelance Videography – Offer travel videos, real estate tours, or social media content.

• 🏆 Event Photography – Weddings, corporate events, or Airbnb photography can be lucrative gigs.

• 🎬 Content Creation – Build a YouTube or TikTok presence with professional-looking footage.

The Sony A6400 is a powerful, travel-friendly camera with pro-level features, making it an ideal choice for content creators and side hustlers. If you need something compact but capable, this camera won’t disappoint.

👍 Recommended for: Travelers ✈️, vloggers 🎙️, entrepreneurs 💰, and anyone looking to level up their content.
❌ Not for: Those who need in-body stabilization or extreme low-light performance.

Is the A6400 your next camera?

Outtro

🔥 And that’s a wrap!

Hope you enjoyed edition #4 of A Texas Nomad! If you did, don’t keep it to yourself—share it with a fellow traveler, dreamer, or side hustler. 🚀💌

🔗 [Share the Nomad Life ➡️]

📱 Follow along for more:

👉 Instagram: @edwardmcwilliams2

👉 Substack: @edwardmcwilliams

See you next week—stay curious, stay bold, and keep exploring!

Happy trails and happy hustlin’,