Companion page · For readers of the book
The Real AI Side Hustle.
A senior engineer's no-hype field guide to building a real side-income asset with AI tooling — proved out with real, dated, redacted numbers.
Welcome — if the book sent you here, you're in the right place. This is the living companion to The Real AI Side Hustle by Charles McQuain: your free resource pack and the tools I actually use. Everything stays here so it can stay current.
Out now on Amazon
Free resource pack
The toolkit from the book.
Enter your email and I'll send you instant access to everything below, plus a confirmation that lands the download link in your inbox so it's yours for good. You'll join my newsletter at the same time — but the resources are yours whether or not you stay subscribed.
- 01
The Prompt Library
The copy-paste prompts from the book, organized by stage — with one-click copy.
- 02
The Niche Validation Worksheet
Pressure-test a niche before you build a thing.
- 03
The Site Setup Checklist
Stand your site up correctly, step by step.
- 04
The Tool Stack Reference Card
The one-page reference of the tools and how they fit together.
- 05
The Directory Submission List
The directories worth submitting to, in priority order.
Get the resource pack
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Open the resourcesTools I recommend
What I actually use.
The book has zero affiliate links — every tool recommendation routes here instead. This is the honest list: what I use and what it's for, not what pays the most.
Disclosure
Some links below are affiliate links marked
sponsored — if you buy through one I may
earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I
genuinely use, and a commission never changes that.
AI & build tools
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My default model for writing, research, and reasoning.
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Second opinion and quick one-off generations.
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How I actually ship code — agentic coding in the terminal.
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Fast UI scaffolding when I want a front end in minutes.
SEO & research
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Keyword and niche research without the enterprise price tag.
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Deeper backlink and competitive analysis when it's warranted.
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CMS and on-page SEO for content sites.
Hosting & domains
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Affordable managed hosting for WordPress content sites.
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Where I deploy static and framework sites (this one included).
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Domain registration.
Platforms
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Self-publishing for the book itself.
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A storefront for digital products.
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Launch-day distribution for new products.
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Sourcing press and expert quotes.
Disclosure guidance · Living version
How I handle disclosure.
Appendix C of the book points here for the current version of how I disclose affiliate relationships, because the right language evolves. Here's the example I use today — clear, up front, and near the links:
"Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use."
The principles: disclose before the link, not after; keep it plainly visible, not hidden in a footer; and never let a commission shape the recommendation. For the authoritative rules, see the FTC's endorsement guides at ftc.gov.
Follow the build.
New resources, the tools I'm actually using, and the honest story behind the numbers land in my newsletter first. Every other week, free, unsubscribe anytime.