This story is part of CNBC Make It’s Six-Figure Side Hustle series, where people with lucrative side hustles break down the routines and habits they’ve used to make money on top of their full-time jobs. Got a story to tell? Let us know! Email us at AskMakeIt@cnbc.com.

Emily Odio-Sutton remembers the exact moment she made her side hustle’s first sale.

She was in the lobby of a gymnasium at a kid’s birthday party near her home in Melbourne, Florida. One of her daughters had just taken a bite of Publix birthday cake, when her phone pinged: She’d sold a $22 T-shirt with a speech pathology-themed design on e-commerce marketplace Etsy.

“I can vividly see the cake, the balloons and remember thinking, ‘This can work,’” Odio-Sutton, 36, tells CNBC Make It.

Odio-Sutton started looking for a side hustle in 2022, after realizing her 9-to-5 job as an internal operations manager at a teachers’ book publishing company would prevent her from picking her daughter up from kindergarten. She started a print-on-demand shop, using Canva software to create designs for Etsy-friendly products like T-shirts and candles. Whenever a customer places an order, a manufacturer called Printify prints the design onto the product and ships it out for her.

Her Etsy store brought in $220,300 last year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Odio-Sutton estimates that 30% of those sales are profit. She’s used her side hustle earnings to pay off her entire $20,000 student loan balance, start investing in the stock market, open college saving accounts for her daughters and take a cruise with her husband, she says.

Last year, Odio-Sutton opened a second Etsy shop — selling downloadable event materials, like sign-up sheets and schedule templates — that’s brought in $17,200 in sales so far in 2024. And in June, she moved into a part-time role at the publishing company that makes $40 per hour, 20 hours per week.

She spends 10 hours per week on her Etsy shops, and often works from her laptop while sitting at her daughters’ gymnastics and swimming practice, she says. She’d prefer not to name her shops, to prevent potential copycats, she adds.

Here, Odio-Sutton discusses how to start a side hustle like hers, her formula for quick-selling designs and the biggest mistakes that she sees beginners make.

CNBC Make It: Do you think this side hustle is replicable? What are its starting costs?

Odio-Sutton: Yes, and I think that’s because there are so many ways to do it. Print-on-demand and digital-resource side hustles on platforms like Etsy have a built-in audience. It’s low risk, and you can really experiment with things and learn and take your time.

When I say low-risk, I mean you can launch a whole business for under $40. Canva Pro is $10 per month, Etsy charges $15 to open a shop and you can download research tools like eRank for $6 per month.

The biggest risk is time investment, because you do have to spend time to learn — and to get your shop established — to earn money.

A lot of people tout print-on-demand as a good source of passive income. What’s your workload like?

I have a good system for keeping my print-on-demand workload fairly light. I’ll batch design 10 candle labels one day, then make the listings for them on Etsy the next day.

My digital products shop, which has a lot of event-related printables like schedule templates and invitations, is almost entirely passive at this point. It’s limited customer service [compared to print-on-demand].

When you order a print-on-demand product on Etsy — for, say, a bachelorette party — you quickly see a lot of shops to choose from. Why do you think yours stands out?

You really can make a very good living by just having simple designs.

I’m not creative. I’m not a graphic designer. I follow what I’d call a template method: I do a lot of black-and-white designs, a lot of plain text. Then, if I have a template that sells really well, I’ll just go in and swap in new words.

I’ll go to ChatGPT and say, “Give me the top 100 careers” or “Top 100 hobbies in the U.S.” From there, I’ll do some design research on Etsy and Pinterest. My goal is more an emotional connection to the item, whether it’s funny, sentimental or relatable, as opposed to something really trendy.

I also Google memes. Like, I’ll look up HR memes. I had a social worker-themed candle about data and reports. You’re not going to find that at Target, or anywhere else.

You also work with a business, Gold City Ventures, to coach aspiring Etsy sellers. What’s the most common mistake most of your clients make?

First, they don’t narrow down enough. Is Etsy oversaturated? Yes, but only with generic listings. If you post a “mom” shirt, it’s going to be very hard to stand out. If you post a “twin mom Halloween” shirt, you’ll have a better chance.

The second piece is thinking you can post 20 designs, and that’s enough. You have to try, and fail, a lot, to figure what works. I have like 1,500 designs that I retired, because they never sold.

You have to invest time, research, experiment and stick with it to be successful.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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When I first heard about the concept of passive income in my 20s, I laughed at the idea. Growing up, I had never met anyone who made money this way. 

My mindset completely changed after a conversation I had with a woman I really looked up to. She earned passive income from her real estate business. Seeing someone who I knew and trusted achieve this seemingly impossible goal, made me feel like I could do it too — although it took some time to finally get there myself. 

Four years ago, I was dealing with postpartum depression and struggling with a 9-to-5 job in higher education administration that didn’t bring me joy. I decided to start selling digital products like business templates and party games on Etsy. To my surprise and delight, the side hustle started to take off. 

DON’T MISS: The ultimate guide to earning passive income online

As a 36-year-old mom of two, I now make $10,000 in passive income or more every month from four passive income streams. 

Here is my best advice for starting a successful side hustle: 

Passive income doesn’t mean no work. It means front-loaded work that pays off later. No matter what kind of side hustle or passive income venture you are starting, thorough research can help you avoid costly mistakes.

Many people get excited about their first idea or opportunity and jump at it, without running the numbers. For example, when I first started on Etsy I made budgeting templates. I found that these didn’t sell very well because there was low demand and high competition. 

It was only after I took the time to research keywords and trends through Pinterest and Google Trends in the space, that I started to create more specific — and more successful — items for the shop. 

I highly recommend doing financial projections and understanding the expenses you’ll have before you ever spend a penny. One of the main reasons businesses fail, or never begin to thrive, is because they run out of money. 

In many cases, this problem can be predicted and dealt with proactively if you take the time early on to project your expenses.

Building passive income streams requires an investment of time, and many people underestimate how much time they need to allocate upfront. 

It’s easy to get distracted by day-to-day responsibilities (especially as a parent or full-time employee), but they’ll never come to fruition if you don’t make time to work on your passive income projects. 

Schedule dedicated time each week to focus on and stick to your passive income goals. For example, when I first started, I would spend 8-10 hours each week developing the skills I needed for my business, and I did this for months. 

Once I became serious, I started spending 20-30 hours a week actively creating products. Now I spend as a little as 15 minutes a day working on it, responding to messages and client inquiries. 

Studying successful passive income earners has taught me that success doesn’t come from quick wins but rather slow and steady progress toward a specific goal over time. In short, consistency is key.

The beauty of passive income is that it allows you to earn money without everyday active involvement. Automation is your best friend in this process. 

Because I sell digital products on Etsy, the platform comes with the ability to deliver automatically once a payment is processed. I use Convertkit to automate my email marketing.

Automation can save you time and help your income streams remain steady. I’ve found that failing to automate means more manual and mental work, and less freedom.

No one achieves success entirely on their own. Seeking help from mentors, financial advisors, and experts can significantly boost your chances of success. 

I dabbled with side hustles for years, but it wasn’t until I found a course by Gold City Ventures while listening to a podcast that taught me how to sell digital products on Etsy that I successfully created a passive income business.

After taking the course, I was able to get my business up and running and making money in about a month. It took about nine months before I started making passive income consistently. 

Surround yourself with people who have the knowledge and experience you lack. They can offer valuable insights, keep you accountable, and help you avoid pitfalls. 

Most importantly, they can encourage you when you feel like giving up.

Relying on a single source of income can leave you vulnerable to market fluctuations and unexpected changes. I’ve talked to so many business owners who are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic because they put all their eggs in one basket: Their business. 

My passive income portfolio includes stocks, bonds, real estate, and my small business, which sells digital products on Etsy and on my website. 

Diversification is essential to spreading the risk and increasing the chances of consistent returns.

I’ve seen countless people get stuck in the planning phase, waiting for the “right moment” that never comes. I’ve made that mistake too.

I credit studying positive psychology in grad school with helping me break free of those fears. Marilee Adams’s book “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life” helped me develop more of a growth mindset and change my internal dialogue from asking questions like, “Why bother?” to more optimistic ones like, “What can I learn?” 

The truth is, there’s no perfect time to start, and failure is always a possibility. However, the sooner you take action in a smart way, the sooner you can learn, and the higher your chances of reaping the rewards. 

Even small steps, like starting to research and educating yourself, can lead to significant progress over time. It’s vital not to let fear of failure or analysis paralysis keep you from starting your journey to passive income.

Rachel Jimenez is an entrepreneur, professor and mom of two, with a passion for helping others achieve their personal, professional and passive income goals. She runs an Etsy store as well as a blog, Money Hacking Mama, where she shares financial wisdom and practical advice for women navigating their careers, businesses and life.

Want to make extra money outside of your day job? Sign up for CNBC’s online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams, tips to get started and real-life success stories.

Shohei Ohtani has delivered a season for the ages, becoming the first player in the more than 120-year history of Major League Baseball to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.

For one fan who was in attendance for the Japanese superstar’s record-breaking home run, Ohtani’s success may deliver a multimillion-payday.

That’s because the baseball that Ohtani crushed for his 50th homer on Sept. 19 is up for sale, with Goldin Auctions calling it “one of the most significant pieces of modern baseball memorabilia to come to auction.”

The starting bid for the historic ball — the most valuable from Ohtani’s incredible 6-for-6, 3-home-run and 10 RBI performance — is $500,000.

“This offered baseball is truly a one-of-a-kind specimen, a crowning piece for any game-used memorabilia collection,” the listing for the authenticated memorabilia reads. “The baseball exhibits excellent game use, with black scuffing and surface abrasions present throughout the white leather surface.”

The auction will run from Sept. 27 to Oct. 9, with extended bidding taking place on Oct. 16. You can view the listing here.

An eager buyer looking to skip the auction can do just that, provided they are willing to pay a whopping $4.5 million. But even that seven-figure sum might not be enough. If the bidding crosses $3 million, the option to purchase the ball will disappear.

The $3 million figure represents the highest price ever paid for a baseball when Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball sold in 1999.

If you don’t have several million dollars to bid on Ohtani’s home run ball, don’t worry. The Dodgers $700 million man recently signed a trading card deal with Topps which will include autographed and game-used memorabilia cards.

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U.S. News and World Report recently released its ranking of the best countries in the world based on quality of life.

To rank the 89 countries listed, U.S. News and World Report, global marketing and communication services company WPP and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania surveyed nearly 17,000 people worldwide from March 22 to May 23, 2024.

The best countries for quality of life were scored across the following metrics:

• Affordable
• Good job market
• Economically stable
• Family-friendly
• Income equality
• Politically stable
• Safe
• Well-developed public education system
• Well-developed public health system

One country noticeably missing from the top 10 is the United States. It ranked No. 22 in terms of the best countries for quality of life, but it did have the highest ranking ever in U.S. News and World Report’s overall ranking of the best countries in 2024 at No. 3.

The United States ranked poorly in the metrics used to rank the best countries for quality of life — No. 57 for affordability and No. 49 for countries seen as not bureaucratic, Elliott Davis, reporter at U.S. News and World Report, tells CNBC Make It.

“They did do fairly well when it comes to a good job market in the 13th spot,” Davis says. “In terms of perceptions, they aren’t seen as providing just quite as good a quality of life for its people as other countries.”

Denmark rose from the No. 4 spot in 2023 to No. 1 on this year’s ranking.

Denmark — along with Sweden and Norway — is part of the cultural region of northern Europe known as Scandinavia.

“Denmark is a country that generally performs well in the sub-rankings in areas like education, healthcare, political stability, economic stability, and more,” Davis says. “Denmark is seen as a place that provides for its citizens very well and provides a high quality of life for its residents.”

Though people in Denmark pay some of the world’s highest taxes — up to half of their income — this is balanced out by the fact that most healthcare in the country is free, childcare is subsidized, university students pay no tuition and receive grants to help cover expenses while studying, and the elderly receive pensions and are provided with care helpers.

Denmark also ranked as the No. 1 country where expats are most satisfied with their jobs, career opportunities, work-life balance and more, according to a July 2024 Expat Insider survey from InterNations, the online global community for people who’ve moved aboard.

Some 84% of expats in Denmark are satisfied with their work-life balance, compared to a global average of 60%.

In this year’s World Happiness Report, Denmark also ranked as the No. 2 happiest country globally. The country’s high ranking is due in part to its level of equality and sense of responsibility for social welfare, according to the country’s official website. These are two things that are closely linked to happiness, according to the World Happiness Report.

1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Switzerland
4. Norway
5. Canada
6. Finland
7. Germany
8. Australia
9. Netherlands
10. New Zealand

Sweden fell from the top spot to rank second in the world for quality of life this year.

Similar to Denmark, Sweden offers residents free healthcare and college education. The country’s people boast one of the longest life expectancies, with an average age of 82.8 years, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Davis says that though Sweden fell in the rankings this year, it performed well in other categories. It ranked No. 2 for caring about human rights and the environment. The only downside is that similar to Denmark, the country ranks towards the bottom for affordability.

Sweden also offers a unique parental leave policy. Parents are entitled to 480 days of paid leave when a child is born or adopted, and if there are two parents, each one is entitled to 240 of those days.

The cost of living in Sweden is on average, 9.4% lower than in the United States, while renting is 47.5% lower, according to Numbeo.

Davis also highlighted that Sweden is one of the four countries in the Nordic region that ranked in the top 10 of this year’s list.

“The region is perceived as providing a high quality of life for their people,” he says.

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Being in the groove, in the zone — finding “flow.” The feeling of being so engrossed in an activity that time slips away.

States of flow can lead to productive work sessions or explain your compulsion to endlessly scroll through social media. For the most part, they’re a good thing: People like being in flow states, says David Melnikoff, a productivity expert and Stanford Graduate School of Business assistant professor of organizational behavior.

Conventional wisdom dating back to the term’s establishment in the 1970s — by a psychologist named Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi — says that flow comes from finding a challenge that you can totally immerse yourself in. Melnikoff’s research counters that idea: If you want to be highly productive, you only need to take an uncertain situation and figure out how to exert some control over it, he says.

Think about a person playing a slot machine for hours, says Melnikoff. You might not think of them as being highly productive or engaging in a particularly challenging task, but they’re in a flow state nonetheless. The act of pulling the lever turns an uncertain outcome into a certain one.

Social media is designed to work similarly, says Melnikoff. “Social media is an emotional roulette wheel,” he tells CNBC Make It. “When we scroll, we spin the wheel to reduce our uncertainty about that question: How will I feel next?”

Perhaps counterintuitively, you can use that same concept to make yourself more productive, he says. Here are Melnikoff’s top three tips for intentionally getting yourself into a state of flow:

Reframe your tasks to add uncertainty

It may seem backwards, but the No. 1 way to induce flow is to increase uncertainty in your tasks, says Melnikoff. The more unknowns you face, the more opportunities you’ll have to turn each one into a certain outcome.

Most tasks can be reframed to add uncertainty, he notes. Trying to clear your entire inbox can feel overwhelming or unmanageable, so instead, set a timer for 15 minutes and see how many emails you can tackle within that time frame.

“If you want to foster flow in your own life, you really want to try to mentally represent or frame your tasks in ways that make your outcomes as uncertain as possible, so that by taking action, you can reduce as much uncertainty as possible,” Melnikoff says.

Avoid yes-or-no questions

Avoid asking yourself yes-or-no questions, says Melnikoff. When he sits down to write an academic paper, he doesn’t ask himself whether he can finish a specific section within the next hour. Instead, he asks himself how many words he can write within the next hour and makes it his goal to just keep writing until the hour ends.

Binary tasks, where the only outcomes are success or failure, aren’t very conducive to flow, Melnikoff says. Instead of wondering if you can complete all 12 items on your to-do list before 5 p.m., try challenging yourself to finish as many of them as possible.

“What you want to do is think about number of words as a continuous outcome that can be anything from zero to thousands and thousands, rather than a binary success, failure outcome which only has two and therefore is very certain,” Melnikoff says.

Think in terms of streaks

Think in terms of streaks, recommends Melnikoff. Challenge yourself by asking: How many consecutive questions can I answer? How many shots in a row can I make on the basketball court? What’s the minimum number of attempts I need before considering myself successful?

Since questions like, “Can I make my next five shots in a row?” have a yes-or-no outcome, you’re better off focusing on a more ambiguous number of consecutive successes or failures, Melnikoff says.

None of this is meant to replace your other productivity strategies, he stresses. Rather, these tips are designed to help you get through your to-do list or time-blocked calendar with more efficiency and less stress.

“If you have the privilege of being able to set aside a good chunk of time to do something, you should pretty much invariably be aiming to get into a flow state,” says Melnikoff. “People value the sense that they’re being productive and one with the activity that they’re engaging in. This sense of purpose and fulfillment makes people happier.”

Want to master your money this fall? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course. We’ll teach you practical strategies to hack your budget, reduce your debt, and grow your wealth. Start today to feel more confident and successful. Use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off, now extended through September 30, 2024, for the back-to-school season.

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