Let me be honest with you from the start: I’m not a tech expert. I’m not a successful entrepreneur. I don’t have a big following or a proven system to sell you.
I’m just an ordinary guy from China with a full-time job, a young son, and a habit I can’t seem to quit — trying to build something on the side.
I’ve been at this for years. And mostly, it hasn’t worked.
The Track Record Nobody Talks About
Here’s what my side hustle history actually looks like:
I built an English website about goji berries — yes, the little red fruits — and wrote over 800 articles over six years. I learned SEO. I studied Google Analytics obsessively. I kept going even when the traffic was basically zero. Then the domain expired and I just… let it go.
I built a Wix store selling roll-up piano keyboards. Invested around ¥2,000. Sold three units, made ¥450. Then COVID hit and I stopped.
I bought a course about selling on Temu. Did all the research. Never actually started.
I built a Chinese side hustle blog with over 1,500 articles. Then shut it down because I felt guilty — I hadn’t made real money yet, and selling advice about making money felt wrong.
That’s my honest track record. Four attempts. Zero financial wins.
So Why Am I Still Here?
Because something changed.
A few months ago I started using AI seriously — not just asking it simple questions, but actually working with it as a collaborator. I use Claude to help me analyze A-share stocks every morning. I used it to generate 60 pieces of social media content in a single day. I’m using it right now to write this post in natural English, a language I studied but never felt confident writing in.
For the first time in years, I feel like the gap between “what I want to do” and “what I’m actually able to do” is closing.
That’s what this blog is about.
What You’ll Find Here
I’m going to document everything — the experiments, the failures, the small wins, and the lessons that come from doing this as an ordinary person with limited time and no special advantages.
I’ll write about using AI for investing (I focus on A-shares, which might be interesting to readers who’ve never looked at the Chinese market). I’ll write about the side hustle projects I’m running in parallel. I’ll revisit my old failures and try to understand what actually went wrong.
I’m not going to pretend I have it figured out. I don’t.
But I’ve learned that there’s real value in honest documentation — more value than in polished success stories. When I read about someone’s “overnight success,” I learn nothing. When I read about someone’s six-year failure and what they kept getting wrong, I learn something I can actually use.
Why English?
Fair question, since my native language is Mandarin.
Partly it’s practical — English content reaches a global audience, and monetization opportunities (affiliate programs, ad revenue) are significantly better in the English-speaking market.
But it’s also something more personal. I want to leave a record that my son can read someday. He’s growing up in a world where AI will be everywhere. I want him to see that his father took it seriously — that he tried to adapt, to learn, to build something real.
Even if it takes another six years.
One More Thing
I know there are thousands of blogs about AI and side hustles. Most of them are written by people who are already successful, telling you how they got there.
This one is different. I’m writing it in real time, from the middle of the journey, with no idea how it ends.
If that sounds interesting to you, stick around.
—
*Have you ever started a project and kept going even when it wasn’t working? I’d genuinely like to know what kept you going — leave a comment below.*