From blueprint idea to successful side hustle business

For many students, the dream of starting a business feels like a distant "million-dollar idea" waiting to happen. 

But for David Ahumada, an undergraduate student in the Price Faculty of Engineering, the path to success wasn't about waiting for a business idea; it was about finding the courage to take that very first step. 

David’s side hustle journey began in focusing on sustainable plant growth in the comfort of his own home. In the first steps of his business, his journey began with unlearning some of his technical instincts. As someone who was used to jumping straight into solution mode, the Stu Clark How to Start a Side Hustle course challenged him to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Stop solving, start listening

The standout moment for David in the course was realizing he had to stop thinking purely like an engineer. "I'm a person who is all about solving the problem first and then seeing if it works," he explains. This course taught him to slow down, stop solving, and listen to what customers want.

Throughout the six-week course under the guidance of Jeff Mitchell of Lane Two, David learned to shift from problem-solving to understanding the audience. Instead of relying on his own technical assumptions, he was pushed to speak with people to prove whether those assumptions were true. 

"Talking with people and actually trying to understand them and hearing them is definitely what I took from that course," he says.
 

Finding community in the hustle

Beyond the business strategy, David found that the Side Hustle Course solved a problem many student entrepreneurs face isolation. He admits that working on side hustle businesses can often feel lonely, especially when your only resources are

YouTube videos or books that offer no real way to connect.

"The Side Hustle Course gave me a community of people that I didn't know I needed," David shares. 
His favourite part of the experience was the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and mentors who were in the same position, which he considers the most valuable part of the entire system.
 

Passion over profit

For University of Manitoba students considering the "How to Start a Side Hustle" course, David's advice is simple:

"You don't need a million-dollar idea, you just have to start. All you need is one step in front of the other one.” 

By prioritizing his passions and applying what he learned in the Side Hustle Course, David encourages students to leap into starting a side hustle.