Making Side Hustles Mainstream

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Arthur Wang, founder of Fud, about his entrepreneurial journey. Arthur Wang's family origins as Chinese American immigrants who ran restaurants influenced his entrepreneurial ambitions. He also inherited a passion for educating and helping others from his teacher relatives. This unique blend shaped his vision for empowering everyday entrepreneurs with Fud.Fud is an online platform empowering everyday entrepreneurs through community support and expert guidance. By connecting side hustlers to share knowledge and monetize their skills, Fud helps regular people build fulfilling careers outside the traditional 9-5 job. The app makes side hustling accessible for all.* During COVID, Arthur had trouble buying a pair of Air Jordan sneakers because of resellers buying up inventory. This led him to research sneaker reselling.* Though new to it, Arthur made money reselling sneakers as a side hobby. This reawakened his youthful entrepreneurial spirit.* However, he almost got scammed on eBay as a seller. He realized scams could discourage new resellers.* Arthur saw most reseller content focused on flashy wealth, not the details. He wanted to create a platform to teach reselling to avoid scams.* Beyond just sneakers, Arthur recognized a need to help regular "side hustlers" make money outside traditional jobs.* He aimed to create a supportive community celebrating all types of side hustles and helping people achieve financial freedom.* With his background in startups and digital media, Arthur founded Fud as a platform for educating and empowering everyday entrepreneurs globally."It's a very lonely journey too. You have to find people you trust because it can mess with your head. It's all about perseverance and grit to make it happen." — Arthur Wang As someone who has weathered the ups and downs of startup life for over two years now, Arthur shared invaluable insights on the realities of getting a business off the ground. My takeaways from our conversation: * Take risks and bet on yourself as an entrepreneur* We are irrationally biased towards risk aversion* Failure today is not catastrophic like in the past* Have courage to create weird outcomes* The world needs people willing to take risks* Advancement requires unconventional thinking* Don't let fear of the downside hold you back* Failure won't make you completely destitute nowadays* Overcome biases toward safety and security"It takes twice as long and twice as much money as you expect. It's hard. You have to really believe in your idea and have that founder-market fit." — Arthur WangI asked him, "What have been the biggest challenges or lessons learned for you personally as a founder of Fud?"One of the best pieces of advice from him for founders is:1. It takes twice as long and money as expected- Be prepared to invest significant time and funds- Have contingency plans for extended timelines2. Perseverance and grit are essential- There will be brutal days that test your resilience- Stay focused on your vision to push through3. Develop a thick skin- Rejection and ego hits are inevitable- Maintain self-belief and don't take failures personally"Just remember that we probably are biased towards risk aversion. We're probably biased a little too much towards safety. So it's okay to get out there and just kind of bet on yourself." —Arthur Wang Get full access to Startup Istanbul at newsletter.startupistanbul.com/subscribe