Being ready for a website is an exciting step in every side hustle’s journey. Investing in a custom website is usually a sign that your side hustle is tracking in the right direction, picking up steam and ready for the next level. It’s also a reassuring signal to your audience that you take your business seriously and are ready to compete for their business.

But what happens when you’re not ready for a website?

It’s a conundrum a lot of side hustles experience, especially in the early stages of their business. Fortunately, there are still budget-friendly alternatives out there that can help you reach your business goals. In this blog post, I’ll share three ways you can use Flodesk to scale your side hustle — no website required.

But before we get into it, let’s cover a few basics.

What is Flodesk?

Flodesk is a popular email marketing platform for creatives and service providers. Unlike most e-marketing tools, Flodesk prioritizes design, offering a library of beautifully designed and easy-to-customize templates so you can send on-brand emails to your audience every time. On top of stunning newsletters, the platform also offers features like audience segmentation, workflow automation and analytics, so you can get the most out your marketing efforts. Flodesk is also the only email marketing platform that has flat-rate pricing; no matter how much your audience grows, your monthly rate stays the same.

Are you ready for a website?

As exciting as it is to have a custom-built website, it’s not something you should rush into. Not only can a professional website be a significant upfront financial investment, but there are also fees you’ll need to pay monthly and annually (for hosting, renewing your domain, etc.) to keep the site running. To top it off, websites also require routine maintenance, both from a technical and content perspective.

But as much as it requires budget and maintenance, a good website is one of the most powerful digital marketing platforms you can have in your brand toolkit — but remember, timing and strategy are everything! It’s important that your side hustle be ready for a website. (Not sure what “ready” looks like? No problem! Grab my free website checklist here.)

Flodesk alternatives

The good news is, if you’re not ready for a website, there are workarounds and short-term solutions that can help your side hustle grow without a website. Some of those fixes are possible with Flodesk — let’s look at three of them:

Set up a free “link in bio” page

If you have Instagram or TikTok, you probably know the term “link in bio.” But for those of us who have a lighter digital footprint, a “link in bio” is a standalone webpage that can house multiple links to different types of content. These pages are mostly used on mobile on social media, but they can also be accessed on desktop using a laptop or computer, making them a solid temporary alternative to a website.

Linktree is probably the most popular link-in-bio site, but Flodesk is another great option (and my personal favourite). Although it’s best known for its stunning email templates, the platform also has a link-in-bio option that’s 100% free and gives you way more features than Linktree’s free plan.

But what I love most about Flodesk’s link-in-bio is that it’s structured with business growth in mind. The platform includes built-in analytics, so you can track the number of visits to your link-in-bio as well as page conversions. You can also collect an unlimited amount of subscribers’ emails, which you’ll definitely want if you decide to launch a newsletter or sell directly to an email list (more on that below).

Best of all, Flodesk gives you loads of flexibility to customize your design (including using custom fonts) and URL, so that your branding stays strong and consistent, and your link-in-bio looks the best it possibly can.

Launch a checkout page

If you’re not ready for a website just yet, Flodesk Checkout is a great and cost-effective alternative to consider.

Checkout is a standalone sales page that you can quickly set up (no coding required) to sell digital products and take online payments, all in one seamless workflow. To get started, all you need is a digital product, a Stripe account and a Checkout plan.

I love Flodesk Checkout because it integrates directly with the platform’s email solution so that you can easily convert paying customers into engaged and loyal subscribers. Even if you’re not quite ready to add email to your marketing strategy, it’s a good idea to start saving subscribers’ contact info in Flodesk’s database for when you’re ready to launch an email list.

Build an email list

People love email — so much so, that it’s proven to have the highest ROI of any marketing channel. Whether your side hustle is ready for a website or not, email is a powerful tool to use in your wider marketing strategy. (By the way, if you’re not familiar with email marketing, you should check out my post here.)

With an email list, you can build an authentic relationship with your audience and earn their trust, which in turn, can lead to greater brand awareness and loyalty. Email gives you direct access to your subscribers and is a valuable opportunity to showcase the value of your expertise, service and products. Most importantly, unlike social media or even a website platform, you own your list and can take your audience from one email platform to another.

If you’re not ready for a website, you can use email to grow your side hustle by regularly sending engaging newsletters — valuable content, updates, promotions and special offers — to your subscribers. With Flodesk, you can even personalize your emails in order to build strong relationships with individual subscribers and use built-in workflows and automations to make sure you reach the right people at the right time. By providing consistent value and communication with your audience, you can drive sales and grow your business — all without needing a website.

Final Thoughts

Having a website for your side hustle is a major “level up” in your business, but that’s not to say that you can’t elevate your side hustle without one. Thanks to platforms like Flodesk, there are efficient and cost-effective solutions that you can lean on to bridge the gap as you continue scaling your side hustle.

If you’re curious to learn more about Flodesk and give it a try for yourself, the platform offers a free 30-day trial to get started. (Or, if you need no further convincing, you can use my unique referral link to get 50% off your first 12 months!). Give it a try, and be sure to comment below with your favourite feature!