How to Build a Side Income While Working a 9-to-5 Using AI & Skool
- ziemteam
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
If you're working a full-time job and trying to build something online, you've probably said this at least once:
"I don't have enough time."
I get it.
I'm a full-time teacher.
I have a family.
I host a podcast.
I create content.
I run an online community.
And I'm constantly experimenting with different ways to create income beyond my regular paycheck.
That's why I really enjoyed my latest conversation with Virgel Nel on the Network Marketing Insider Podcast. He has Ai Side Income 4 Busy Folk
Virgel is a full-time professional working in a busy nursing department in Cape Town, South Africa.
He's also building an online business.
And he's doing it in the same hours most of us have available:
Before work. After work. Nights. Weekends. And those little pockets of time in between.
Our connection call actually turned into a podcast episode because we realized there were too many good lessons not to record.
Here are some of the biggest ones.
Stop Waiting Until You Have More Time
Virgel broke down how he fits building his business into an already busy week.
Some nights are family.
Some are personal priorities.
Some are focused work nights.
And weekends give him additional time.
When he added it all together, he realized he could carve out roughly 12 hours during a seven-day week to work on what he's building.
That caught my attention.
Because 12 hours doesn't sound like much.
But think about it over a year.
12 hours × 52 weeks = 624 hours.
What could you build with 624 focused hours?
A YouTube channel?
A Skool community?
An affiliate business?
A blog?
A digital product?
A podcast?
Probably more than you think.
You don't necessarily need to find another 40 hours every week.
You need to get serious about the hours you already have.
Your First Attempt Will Probably Be Messy
Virgel shared a painful lesson during the episode.
After spending weeks creating videos for his Skool classroom using Loom, he accidentally deleted several of them.
Gone.
Anyone who creates content knows how frustrating that is.
A 10-minute finished video doesn't take ten minutes to create.
There's planning.
Recording.
Editing.
Uploading.
Organizing.
It would have been easy to say:
"Forget this."
Instead, Virgel looked at it as a lesson.
Now he knows to keep backups.
And thankfully, he learned it early.
That's online business.
Things break.
Content flops.
You lose files.
You build something nobody wants.
You spend hours working on an idea and discover there's a better way.
The people who eventually succeed aren't the people who avoid every mistake.
They're the people who keep building after making one.
Don't Build Your Online Business in a Cave
This was probably my favorite part of our conversation.
Virgel and I met because we were both participating inside other communities.
We talked.
We connected.
Then we scheduled a call.
And that call became this podcast episode.
That's why I continue talking so much about relationships.
You can spend six hours trying to create the perfect piece of content...
Or you can spend part of that time actually talking to people.
Ask what they're building.
Learn what they're struggling with.
Find out what they know that you don't.
See who you might be able to introduce them to.
Those conversations can create content, referrals, partnerships, customers, podcast guests and opportunities you never planned for.
That's exactly why I believe:
You don't need thousands of followers. You need the right relationships.
AI Can Give a 9-to-5 Professional Leverage
AI came up several times during our conversation.
Virgel is using AI tools as part of building his side business.
I use AI constantly too.
But there's an important difference between letting AI replace you and letting AI help you.
I use it to help organize ideas.
Clean up writing.
Brainstorm content.
Create images.
Develop systems.
Plan events.
Repurpose content.
And save time.
But I still want the finished product to sound like me.
That's important.
If you're a busy professional with only 5, 10 or 12 hours available each week, AI can help you get significantly more out of those hours.
Just don't outsource your personality along with the work.
If you're struggling with what to create, check out The Complete Beginner's Guide to Content Creation and 50 Content Ideas for Teachers Growing an Online Business here on the blog.
Both will give you plenty of places to start.
Build in Public Instead of Pretending You've Made It
Something Virgel said really stood out:
He's building in public.
I love that.
You don't have to pretend you're already making $50,000 per month.
Show people the journey.
Here's what I'm trying.
Here's what worked.
Here's what failed.
Here's what I learned.
Here's what I'm doing differently tomorrow.
That's content.
And it's real.
People can follow the journey instead of only seeing the polished result at the end.
That's also one of the best ways to build trust online without being salesy.
You're not constantly screaming:
BUY MY THING!
You're allowing people to see what you're doing and decide whether they want to come along.
There Are Multiple Ways to Create Income From One Ecosystem
We also talked about something many new Skool users don't immediately think about:
You don't necessarily need one income stream.
Your community itself can potentially generate membership revenue.
You may be able to earn affiliate commissions by recommending other communities you genuinely believe in.
And you can potentially earn recurring commissions by referring new community creators to platforms you use.
Then there are your other products, services, digital tools, coaching, sponsorships, referrals and partnerships.
That's why I've become so interested in recurring income.
Making $100 once is great.
Making $100 every month from something you've already built is different.
Then imagine stacking several of those income sources together.
$50 here.
$100 there.
$200 somewhere else.
Eventually, you're not depending on one thing.
That's what I call Beyond Bills Income.
Not necessarily quitting your job tomorrow.
Creating enough additional income that you're no longer depending entirely on one paycheck.
Your Offer Matters More Than Another Course
We also talked about something I wish more new community owners understood.
They get excited about building the classroom.
Course #1.
Course #2.
Another module.
Another video.
Another resource.
Meanwhile, someone visits the About page and still doesn't understand:
"Why should I join?"
Before building another 30-video course, get clear on your offer.
Who do you help?
What problem are you solving?
What will someone accomplish?
Why should they care?
That's something I've been working hard on myself.
Because more content doesn't automatically create a better community.
Clarity does.
Social Media Gets Attention. Relationships Create Opportunities.
This connects directly to another article I recently wrote:
Community vs Social Media: Which Builds More Income?
I don't think you need to choose one.
Social media gets attention.
Your blog gets discovered.
Your YouTube videos demonstrate what you know.
Your podcast lets people hear the conversations.
Communities bring people together.
Then real conversations deepen those relationships.
That's the ecosystem I'm trying to build.
One piece supports another.
And that brings me back to how this podcast episode started.
It wasn't scheduled as some massive marketing campaign.
It started with two people connecting.
We started talking.
We realized the conversation could help other people.
So we hit record.
That's content creation.
That's networking.
That's relationship marketing.
And that's how opportunities start.
Three Golden Nuggets From This Episode
1. Find the Time Instead of Waiting for It
You might not have 40 extra hours every week.
Find five.
Find ten.
Use those hours intentionally and see what happens over the next year.
2. Use AI to Accelerate Your Work, Not Replace Your Voice
AI can help you create faster, organize ideas, build systems and repurpose content.
But people still need to connect with you.
3. Start More Conversations
Don't spend every available hour creating content and wondering why nobody knows you.
Talk to people.
Help people.
Ask questions.
Follow up.
You might discover that your next opportunity isn't another post away.
It's another conversation away. Join Ai Side Income 4 Busy Folk
Keep Learning: Read These Next
If this article helped you, don't stop here.
I've been building a growing library of articles designed to help teachers, 9-to-5 professionals, creators and community builders create more opportunities online.
Read these next:
The Complete Beginner's Guide to Content Creation — Start here if you want to create content but aren't sure what to post or where to begin.
50 Content Ideas for Teachers Growing an Online Business — Fifty practical ideas you can start using immediately.
How to Build Trust Online Without Being Salesy — Learn how content and genuine conversations can build trust without turning every interaction into a pitch.
Community vs Social Media: Which Builds More Income? — A deeper look at why I believe attention and community should work together instead of competing.
And keep exploring the Network Marketing Insider Blog for more articles about online business, Skool, content creation, affiliate marketing, recurring income and relationship building.
This article only scratches the surface of my conversation with Virgel.
On the Network Marketing Insider Podcast, you'll hear the full discussion about building an online business around a full-time career, using AI, creating content, Skool communities, affiliate income, mistakes we've made, and why conversations can create unexpected opportunities.
Subscribe, watch the latest episodes, and don't just watch quietly.
Comment. Share. Connect with the guests.
That's where the real value starts.
If you want another place to meet entrepreneurs, creators, business owners and people building additional income streams, come join us inside Evolve Now Social.
It's about more than dropping links.
Get involved.
Meet people.
Have conversations.
Find people you can help.
You never know which relationship will open the next door.
I'm also continuing to build and support the TLP Projects around online income, affiliate opportunities, community, content and recurring income.
If your goal is creating income beyond your paycheck, keep an eye on these projects.
The goal isn't to chase every shiny object.
It's to find the right opportunities, learn how they work, take action, and start building income-producing assets that can compound over time.
If you're a 9-to-5 professional, you don't need thousands of followers.
You need the right 10 relationships.
Inside Connection Creator Academy, I'm helping 9-to-5 professionals build their Power 10 in 30 Days—10 meaningful relationships that can create new opportunities in business, career and life.
No awkward networking.
No collecting 100 business cards.
No pitching strangers five minutes after meeting them.
We follow a simple Daily Builder Loop:
POST 1 → HELP 2 → CONNECT 1
Your goal?
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And if you know another teacher, nurse, 9-to-5 professional or busy parent who's been saying:
"I'd love to build something online, but I don't have the time..."
Share this article with them.
Maybe they don't need more time.
Maybe they just need to start using the time they already have.
Action Creates Momentum.
Connections Create Opportunities.
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