The Secrets Behind Successful Agency Side Hustles w/ John D Saunders
John D. Saunders is the founder of 5Four Digital, a web design studio and branding agency. He helps startups build profitable websites and teaches his formula to web designers looking to grow their agencies.
Managing Multiple Businesses
John manages multiple businesses alongside his main agency by treating his agency as a foundational business that powers other ventures. He has systemized his web design and branding processes to the point where he can duplicate the system for other businesses.
Black Illustrations
When John had the idea for blackillustrations.com, he treated it like a client project. The site offers illustrations featuring people of color in different ways, and the collection has over 80,000 downloads. He also runs blackwallet.org, a financial literacy blog with a best-selling book on Amazon.
Time Management for Side Hustles
For businesses generating 10-30K per month in revenue, John doesn't allocate significant time. But for tasks taking longer than 15-20 minutes, he creates processes and delegates to team members.
Personal Brand and Education
In addition to his agency, John has a personal brand and an online course called "Web Design Studio" where he teaches freelancers how to become agency owners in the web design space.
The key takeaway is treating side hustles as part of your agency's ecosystem — using the same systems, processes, and team to power multiple revenue streams.