It’s Sunday, July 13, 2025, and in this week’s roundup, learn in 5 minutes or less:

Are you passionate about journalism and mentoring?

FT Schools is seeking university students to support our global network of Student Advocates.

As a University Mentor, you'll guide 60 sixth formers, help shape FT’s school outreach, and champion student voices, all while developing your leadership skills.

This paid, part-time role (12 hours/month, remote) lasts for 6 months.

We’re looking for motivated undergraduates or graduates who are proactive, organized, and interested in current affairs.

Apply here by July 11, 2025, with a CV and cover letter (tell them, you heard about this from the Careerguard 😉 )

Forget drop-shipping and digital products. The smartest side hustle in 2025 might just be buying a cash-flowing business that someone else already built.

When most people think “side hustle,” they picture long nights spent building a brand from scratch, struggling for visibility, and grinding for traction.

However, there’s a lesser-known and more strategic path: buying an existing small business, and it’s quietly becoming the ultimate career power move.

In a time when baby boomers are retiring at record rates and more businesses are hitting the market than ever before, a massive transfer of ownership is underway.

These aren’t just brick-and-mortar shops either, think laundromats, online shops, vending machine routes, B2B service companies, and content websites.

They already have customers, processes, and profits in place. What they often lack is fresh energy, modern thinking, and digital-savvy leadership.

That’s where you come in.

Building something from zero is risky, time-consuming, and expensive.

Buying a small, cash-flowing business skips the hardest part: validation.

You’re stepping into a system that works, and all you need to do is improve, modernize, and grow it.

The best part? Many of these businesses sell for 2x–3x their annual profit.

That means if you buy a business that nets $50K a year, you might pay $100K–$150K. There are even opportunities under $50K if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves.

With seller financing, SBA loans, and creative deal structures, you don’t always need a pile of cash to get started.

And unlike flashy side hustles, these businesses don’t depend on virality or algorithm changes.

They run on timeless demand, solid operations, and word-of-mouth.

It’s not sexy, but it’s stable.

If you’re exploring this path, focus on businesses that:

You don’t need to be an expert in the business’s industry; you just need to bring strategic thinking, operational discipline, and modern tools.

That’s where you create upside.

Owning a business, even on the side, creates a new form of leverage.

You get exposure to cash flow, tax advantages, and decision-making that builds your entrepreneurial muscle.

It also strengthens your resume, builds equity outside your 9-to-5, and opens doors to long-term wealth creation, without quitting your day job.

In an era where everyone’s chasing virality, buying a small, boring, profitable business is the ultimate contrarian move.

It’s not glamorous, but it’s smart, and it might be the most career-defining side hustle you’ll ever start.

Anokye - Co-Founder of The CareerGuard

Are you passionate about engineering? Project management?

Every year, we offer a graduate scheme in project management and engineering. Our graduate opportunities are rotational programmes, allowing you to learn about our vast business from experts whilst carrying out real work on real projects.

Our Graduates receive a competitive pay rate of £29,000, a welcome payment of £1,000, and can receive salary increases of up to £2,000 after each six-month placement. Graduates change placements every six months in order to gain a broad experience of the business. Placements are generally well-established, and Managers ensure that our Graduates have meaningful work throughout their journey.

Register your interest here and complete the form in its entirety…(tell them, you heard about this from the Careerguard 😉 )

Most professionals are trained to think in salaries. But entrepreneurs and investors think in cash flow.

That’s the consistent income a business or asset generates after expenses.

It’s predictable, it compounds, and unlike a paycheck, it doesn’t stop when you take time off.

Buying a small business opens your eyes to this new financial lens.

You’re no longer dependent on one employer.

You control a stream of income that can grow through optimization, marketing, or smart delegation.

That $1,500/month profit from a niche website, vending machine route, or cleaning service? It hits differently when you’re on vacation or in between jobs.

This week, start rethinking how you assess value.

Instead of “How much can I earn from this job?” ask, “What income can I build or buy that pays me consistently over time?”

Because wealth isn't built on effort alone, it's built on ownership.

Traditional career paths often come with invisible stressors, limited control, financial dependency, and rigid schedules.

Over time, those pressures stack up and wear you down. But owning even a small business can shift that dynamic.

Why? Because freedom of choice reduces anxiety.

When you control a cash-generating asset, even if it’s modest, it creates psychological safety.

You don’t feel as stuck, you’re less afraid to negotiate, and you stop tolerating toxic environments.

That mental clarity and confidence are a form of wellness most people don’t associate with money, but should.

Wellness isn’t always found in a gym, yoga mat, or mindfulness app. Sometimes, it’s found in ownership of your time, your energy, and your income.

Owning a small business might just give you the mental margin you didn’t know you needed.

The moment you become a business owner, especially of a side hustle, you realize something fast: your time is your most valuable resource, and if you try to do everything yourself, you’re not building a business.

You’re building another job.

This week, practice thinking like an operator.

Start delegating in your own life and work.

Use Fiverr or Upwork to outsource repetitive tasks.

Use tools like Zapier, Notion, or Canva to automate or templatize what you repeat often.

Focus your time on the tasks that create the most value, not just the ones that keep you busy.

Even if you haven’t bought a business yet, you can train yourself to think this way now. Delegation is a skill.

And those who master it are the ones who scale careers, companies, and income faster than everyone else.

If you're interested in buying a small business, one of the most important (and overlooked) skills to develop is due diligence.

It’s the process of evaluating whether a business is worth buying and whether its numbers, operations, and growth potential check out.

This means knowing how to read basic financials (P&L, cash flow statements), asking the right questions

Why is the owner selling?

What’s customer churn like? and assessing red flags (dependency on one client, declining revenue, owner-run operations with no systems).

These aren’t hard skills, but they require sharp thinking and a willingness to learn fast.

Start by analyzing businesses for sale on sites like MicroAcquire, BizBuySell, or Flippa.

Even if you’re not ready to buy, practice reading listings and spotting what’s solid vs. what’s sketchy.

The more you build this skill now, the more confident and smarter you’ll be when opportunity knocks.