The Three T's of Side Hustles
Time, Talent, Treasure: the three questions that pick the right side hustle for you.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 92%
Dunlap's Three T's framework filters side-hustle ideas through Time, Talent, and Treasure. Time asks how many hours you realistically have, since many would-be founders look at their calendar and find none. Talent asks whether you'll leverage a skill you've already built (faster to launch) or cultivate a new one (slower). Treasure asks whether you actually want to make money from this thing, and crucially how fast you need it, since not every hobby should be monetized and entrepreneurship rarely pays quickly. The three answers together point you toward the right kind of hustle.
Origin
Dunlap teaches this exercise in Financial Feminist, drawing on her own path: Her First 100K began as a side hustle to her marketing nine-to-five and didn't pay her bills until year four.
Core principles
- 01A side hustle must fit your real available time, not your fantasy calendar.
- 02Leveraging an existing skill launches faster than building a new one.
- 03Not every hobby should be monetized.
- 04How fast you need the money should dictate which hustle you choose.
How to run it
- 1
Time
Honestly assess how much time you realistically have and are willing to give to a side hustle.
Watch out Many people commit before checking their calendar and discover they have no time to spare.
- 2
Talent
Decide whether to build on a skill you've already cultivated or develop a new one, knowing the latter takes longer to get off the ground.
Pro tip Leveraging an existing skill like social media or graphic design lets you charge sooner.
- 3
Treasure
Confirm you genuinely want this to make money, and clarify how quickly it needs to, since that reshapes what you should choose.
Watch out Not every hobby needs to be monetized; some things should stay joyful and unpaid.
- 4
Match hustle to timeline
If you need money soon, pick fast-paying work like catering or barista shifts; if you can wait, pursue the long-term venture.
Watch out A business often won't pay real money for years, so it's the wrong choice if you need cash now.
In the wild
Dunlap started Her First 100K on the side of her marketing job, leveraging her existing social-media and storytelling talent. She didn't see substantial money from it for years.
→ It didn't pay her bills until year four, illustrating why the Treasure question about timing matters before quitting anything.
Common mistakes
Ignoring the Time question
Committing to a hustle without checking your real calendar leads to burnout or abandonment.
Monetizing every hobby
Forcing every joyful activity to earn money can drain the joy and misjudge what should stay a pastime.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone weighing a side hustle for extra income or as a path to entrepreneurship.
Not ideal for
Someone who needs cash immediately and should take a quick-paying second job instead of a long-build venture.
From the transcript
“I call it the three T's time Talent treasure time how much time do you realistically have for this thing”
“I wish somebody had told me when I was 22 that not every hobby needs to be monetized”
From the episode
Tori Dunlap: Unlocking Financial Freedom, the REAL Cause of Money Problems and How to Defeat Them for Good
Tori Dunlap