Most people looking for side hustle ideas go straight to the internet. They scroll lists, watch YouTube videos, and end up with the same ten options everyone else is considering.
David Powers found his by looking at the ground.
Powers is a veteran, coach, podcast host, and author of Streams of Income. Five years ago, he finally got the farm he had always wanted. And shortly after moving in, kudzu arrived with it.
Kudzu is a vine from Asia that has become one of the most invasive plants in the South. It grows a foot a day. It kills trees. It swallows buildings. Farmers spend serious money trying to stop it.
Powers tried the same. Cutting it, burning it, digging it up. It kept coming back.
So instead of fighting it, he listed it on Etsy.
He started with dried kudzu vine, marketing it to wreath makers. Demand was okay.
Then he tried the roots. That took off.
Today, kudzu is the most profitable crop on his farm, and it costs him nothing to plant because it was never planted.
“The first $1,000 month from a weed was a big moment,” Powers said. “I know so many farmers growing traditional things and they have trouble making that much sometimes.”
The real lesson here is not about kudzu specifically. It is about noticing what is already in demand before the crowd does.
Powers uses the Exploding Topics newsletter as part of his own research process, for his farm, his coaching clients, and local businesses in his area. He looks for things gaining traction before they become obvious, then figures out how to put his own spin on them.
“If the market seems crowded, if nothing else, it proves there is a market out there. You can differentiate a little bit and get that next big idea.”
That is exactly the mindset behind trend-first research. The best side hustle ideas are rarely brand new. They are overlooked versions of things people are already searching for.
David Powers did not invent the wreath market or the herbal supplement market (kudzu root is widely sold for its health properties). He just noticed an untapped supply sitting on his land and matched it to existing demand.
That combination of a real asset plus a rising search trend is a repeatable formula.
The asset is different for everyone. The method for spotting the trend does not have to be.
David Powers is the host of the Streams of Income podcast and the author of Streams of Income.
Want to find your own version of kudzu?
Exploding Topics tracks thousands of search trends before they go mainstream. It is how Powers spots the gaps his clients and competitors are missing, and how you can start looking at your own market the way he looks at his farm. Something overlooked. Something growing fast. Something everyone else is still treating like a weed.
Browse what is trending now at Exploding Topics.
