He Tried 30+ Side Hustles Before 3 Actually Paid Off, with Cody Berman

#735: Cody Berman failed at more than 30 side hustles — from a disc golf manufacturing company to sweaty bike deliveries in the Australian heat — before three of them got him to financial independence at 25.

Cody is the bestselling author of Retire by 30, who reached financial independence at 25 by stacking income from real estate, digital products, and the stock market.

In this episode, we discuss:

How a nest-egg approach to financial independence differs from a cash-flow one

A simple framework for sorting any side hustle into one of four types

Why calculating real rental cash flow means more than rent minus mortgage

Why the gap between what you earn and spend matters more than your returns

How a failed side hustle can still hand you a skill that pays off later

Why rebuilding an old idea from scratch can prove your skills weren't luck

How to know when a side hustle needs more time versus when to quit

Whether you're juggling five side hustles or just starting your first one, this episode will help you figure out which ones are actually worth your time — and which ones to let go of.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements.

(00:00) Meet Cody Berman

(03:27) Two paths to FI

(05:51) Big piles feel scary

(07:09) Cody's FI numbers

(08:12) Hustling on the train

(11:58) The side hustle graveyard

(14:56) Four side hustle types

(19:47) The rich own assets

(37:17) Biking Uber Eats in Australia

(44:20) Skills are future currency

(45:33) AI makes doers stronger

(52:36) The gap is everything

(58:54) Valentine's printables pay off

(1:07:54) House hacking slashes costs

(1:12:45) Life after FI

🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED

👉 Grab the free 10-day guide to figuring out which side hustle is worth building next: https://affordanything.com/fiire

👉 Retire by 30 by Cody Berman: https://amzn.to/4gwGSYm

👉 The Financial Independence Show (Cody's podcast): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-financial-independence-show/id1434155196

👉 The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss: https://amzn.to/4vXfsj6

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