About Alex Vale
Hi, I’m Alex. I spent years thinking about starting a side hustle. Then I finally did.
I work full time and have a background in engineering and IT. Earned on the Side is my attempt to discover what can be built during the hours left over from an ordinary working week. I write under the pen name Alex Vale, but the person, experiences and results behind this website are real.
Where it started
The idea I kept putting off
For years, I wanted to start a side hustle. I liked the idea of building something of my own, learning new skills and creating an additional source of income that was not entirely dependent on my day job.
The intention was always there, but the action was not. Work was busy, everyday responsibilities took over and starting something new continually slipped to the bottom of the list. I kept telling myself that I would begin when work became quieter, when I had more time or when I had found the perfect idea.
None of those things happened. There was always another reason to wait, and eventually I had to accept that the day-to-day grind was not going to pause and create the perfect opportunity for me. If I genuinely wanted to do this, I would have to make time for it.
Taking action
What finally changed
Reading None The Wiser: How to Create Real Magic in Your Life and Manifest Your Best 24/7 by David Charnock had a real impact on the way I thought about starting. It made me question how long I was prepared to keep talking about the idea without doing anything to make it happen.
The book encouraged me to think more deliberately about what I wanted to achieve and the part I had to play in making it happen. It did not give me a guaranteed formula or suddenly make the process easy. What it gave me was the push to stop treating a side hustle as something I might begin one day and start treating it as a project I could act on now.
In 2025, I finally bit the bullet. I decided to begin with the knowledge and resources I already had, accept that I would make mistakes and learn the rest as I went. Earned on the Side is the record of what happens next.
Learning as I go
Learning everything from scratch
Although I have a technical background, I am completely self-taught when it comes to building an online business. I did not begin with a proven system, a large audience or years of experience in affiliate marketing.
That has made the process challenging, but it is also what makes the journey worth documenting. Starting a business for the first time involves far more than having an idea. There are unfamiliar decisions, unexpected costs, technical problems and plenty of moments when something that looked simple turns out to be anything but.
I have already learned a great deal from setting up my own business and trying to turn ideas into something practical. Some decisions have worked. Others have wasted time or sent me in the wrong direction. I expect there will be plenty more of both.
I am not presenting myself as someone who has already solved it. I am sharing the perspective of someone learning through experience and becoming more capable with every stage of the process.
The ambition
What I am trying to achieve
My plan is to dedicate around 10 to 15 hours each week to building the project alongside my full-time job. That is enough time to make meaningful progress, but limited enough to force me to think carefully about where my effort goes.
Over time, I want to use AI and automation to reduce repetitive work and make the project increasingly efficient and self-sustaining. The aim is not to remove the human judgement behind the website. Products still need to be used, offers need to be checked and published information needs to be accurate. Automation should support that work rather than replace it.
My long-term financial target is to generate up to £4,000 a month in additional income. I know that is ambitious, I am a long way from achieving it and there is no guarantee that I ever will.
That uncertainty is important. This is a genuine target, not an income promise or a claim that the same result is available to everyone. I would rather document an ambitious attempt honestly than pretend success is inevitable.
Personal recommendations
Why I share recommendations and referral offers
Earned on the Side is not only about what I am trying to build. It is also a place where I can share products, services and resources that I have personally used and found helpful.
Starting or running a small business can involve a surprising number of decisions. Choosing the wrong account, software package or service can waste both time and money. When you are learning as you go, a genuine recommendation from someone who has already used a product can make that decision easier.
The cost of living has also made savings and introductory offers increasingly valuable. A useful referral code might provide cashback, reduce the cost of a service or give someone additional time to decide whether a product is right for them.
I will only feature offers connected to products or services I have personally used. I will explain the available benefit, identify any important conditions and make it clear when I may also receive a referral reward or commission.
A referral relationship does not guarantee a positive recommendation. Trust is more valuable to this project than a short-term commission.
Reporting honestly
What I will share
I want Earned on the Side to be honest without publishing every detail of how the business operates. I will share meaningful progress, setbacks, lessons and performance information where it is appropriate to do so.
I will not disclose private commercial information, the identities of every project or the complete methods behind the business. There is a sensible distinction between documenting the journey and publishing the entire working model.
Everything I do publish will be based on my own experience. If something is an opinion, I will present it as an opinion. If a figure is reported, I will explain how it was measured. If a link could earn a referral benefit or commission, I will disclose it.
I am not a financial adviser, business coach or side-hustle guru. I am simply someone who spent years thinking about starting, finally took action and decided to share what I learn along the way.
What helped me start
This is only the beginning.
The target may be a long way off, but the first meaningful step was deciding to start. The next step is to keep showing up, put in the hours and find out what can genuinely be achieved.
I have already benefited from books, websites, tools, services and advice created by people who started before me. I have collected the resources that have genuinely helped me take action, develop new skills and make better decisions. I will continue adding to the collection as the project develops.