Multiple Income Streams: The Unsexy Truth
If you’ve been thinking:
“I need another income stream.”
But you’re also tired, busy, and living a real life, this live conversation will hit a nerve.
I went live with John Mulholland [https://substack.com/profile/452978295-john-mulholland] to talk about multiple income streams, what’s real, what’s hype, and what people never tell you about the work behind “passive” income.
John’s not a theorist. John built this while living a normal life. He was a teacher for 20 years, and while teaching, he was building side hustles in the background. Over time, the side hustles became the main hustle. That transition is the story.
It’s about building options.
The Nine To Five Club is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber.
John’s starting point (and why it matters).
John didn’t wake up one day with seven income streams and a perfect routine.
He started like most people:
* A job.
* A family life.
* Limited time.
* A desire for more.
* And a willingness to build something for himself.
He talked about doing sports coaching and side hustles alongside teaching, then later building a proper operations-heavy business: Fiesta Sports Coaching [https://fiestasportscoaching.co.uk/].
A big point he made (and I respect the honesty):
Running an operations business with staff, logistics, sickness, inflation, and cost pressure is harder than people think. It is not a cute Instagram side hustle. It’s a real responsibility.
The lie people still believe: “Work-Life Balance”.
John said something I agree with, even if it’s uncomfortable:
Work-life balance is not a stable destination. It’s different states of flux.
In the beginning, you are building something. That means sacrifice. That means evenings. That means saying no to comfort.
Not forever. But for a chapter of your life.
I called it what it is: work-life imbalance.
If you’re building a second life, your current comfort will be the price.
The real unlock: leverage (without losing your soul).
We got into one of the most important ideas in wealth building: leverage.
Not “use people” leverage. Real leverage:
* Build a team.
* Delegate tasks.
* Create systems.
* Automate what can be automated.
I shared my own example:
My Airbnb business looks busy from the outside, but because it’s systemised and delegated, I can be in and out in 10 minutes a day, and sometimes do nothing at all when there are longer bookings.
The point is not Airbnb.
The point is:
Income streams become sustainable when you stop being the bottleneck.
Why doesn’t school prepare people for real life?
This part is important.
John made a blunt but true point:
Most young people aren’t being taught what they actually need about business and money.
Not because teachers are bad people. Because most teachers have never:
* Run payroll.
* Built a business.
* Handled cashflow pressure.
* Sold an offer.
* Managed tax strategy.
* Dealt with real-world risk.
That gap is why John built Financial Certainty Family [https://www.skool.com/next-gen-wealth-academy-2044]:
To teach the stuff people are embarrassed to ask, and the stuff school never covered.
We also talked about something I wish every teenager understood:
Most people don’t fail because they lack knowledge. They fail because they’re afraid to fail.
And because comfort is addictive.
John said it on the live, and I’ll say it again here:
Comfort kills dreams.
The 7 types of income (simple breakdown).
This live was inspired by Christopher Lewis [https://substack.com/profile/319400589-christopher-lewis]’ framework on the 7 income types [https://substack.com/@financewithchristopher/p-187280915]. Here’s the simple version we explored:
* Earned income: your job, your wages.
* Profit income: buy or create something, sell for more than it costs (John’s business).
* Rental income: property cashflow (HMOs, serviced accommodation, buy-to-lets, etc.).
* Capital gains: buy low, sell high (property appreciation, business exits, even flipping items).
* Interest income: savings, bonds, funds, partnerships.
* Dividend income: shares that pay you.
* Royalty income: books, music, software, courses, and evergreen content.
None of these is “the answer”.
But if you only have earned income, you have one point of failure.
And the world is getting too expensive for that.
Two practical money lessons we both agree on.
1) Don’t invest money you can’t afford to lose.
This is not fear. This is maturity.
2) Inflation quietly robs people who only save.
We spoke about how money sitting in a bank account can feel safe, but lose purchasing power over time.
John made an important counterpoint, too: keep a cash buffer for emergencies so you don’t have to sell assets at the wrong time.
Royalties are more real than people think (and you already have a story).
This was one of my favourite moments.
We talked about books, royalties, and content that pays you repeatedly.
I shared a personal example: years ago, I made YouTube videos about alopecia after losing my hair, and people reached out from all over the world. It reminded me that everybody has a story that can help someone.
And then the funniest part: my son started selling my book at school.
Not because I pushed him. Because he wanted to.
That’s the kind of thing that makes me think: we’re all closer to “another income stream” than we realise. We don’t treat our ideas like assets.
The closing message (if you only take one thing).
You don’t need to quit your job tomorrow.
But you do need to stop pretending you can build freedom with only comfort.
Pick one income stream that fits your life right now.
Start small. Stay consistent. Learn from someone doing it.
And give it long enough to work.
Watch the full live.
If you want the full conversation (including the real talk on business pressure, mentorship, tax mindset, and what “passive” income actually looks like), watch the replay.
Your next move (choose one).
* Write down your current income streams (even small ones).
* Pick one to build this year.
* Decide on the weekly time block you will protect for it.
* Swap one comfort habit for one hour of building.
Thank you all for being part of my journey to my own multiple income streams.
Get full access to Nine To Five Club at ninetofiveclub.substack.com/subscribe [https://ninetofiveclub.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]
