This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Greetings and welcome. This is Chris Guillebeau for Side Hustle School. Once again, today I have a different kind of story for you. I'm gonna call it a life transformation story, which in some ways every side hustle story is about life transformation, but this is about someone who changes their entire form of work. Now, as you know, the major emphasis on the show is focusing on people who have day jobs and then create this extra income project, because I firmly believe you don't have to quit your job to do that.
That is definitely my focus, but I also hear from a lot of people in transition, including those who've been laid off or fired from their jobs, or otherwise just kind of want to take a complete 180 and do something totally different. And often when these things happen, it's an experience when people take stock and say, you know, what do I really want to do with my life? Maybe my choices to this point have been defined by someone else's agenda. Maybe I just kind of stumbled into something. I did what was expected of me.
What is it that I really want to do? So here's a story of someone who reinvents themselves, eventually creates a six-figure income, but all of that was after rejecting a different lifestyle and then losing their job. So whatever your situation in life, but especially if you're in a point of transition, I hope you find it interesting and take something from it. And that story is coming up in just a moment. [Music]
Like most of us, Simon Cool's story begins many years ago.
But for this episode, we're just gonna jump back to when he was 25 years old, working in the wine industry in Alberta, Canada. Simon was working with some amazing people, learning a lot and drinking a lot of great wine. He had recently completed the Wine and Spirit Education Trust level four diploma, which is an internationally recognized wine standard. And for all intents and purposes, he set himself up to have a thriving career in the wine industry. But just a couple of years in, he was burned out and disillusioned with the extravagance of that industry.
This fact might be illustrated by a phone call he received one Monday morning. His boss had called to discuss a dinner at a restaurant that was one of their best clients. The dinner was a celebration of closing an oil deal. There were only six people at that dinner, but the tab at the end of the night was $18,000. Now Simon believed that there was nothing wrong with celebrating, spending money on yourself, even going all out.
But for whatever reason on this particular Monday, the extreme extravagance of that dinner struck Simon as wrong, especially in a world where so many go hungry. And again, at least for him personally, he could no longer find the motivation to move up in an industry that promoted that kind of luxury. He wanted a simpler life, more authenticity in his interactions, and a sense of accomplishment in his workday. So he quit. Simon and his wife Deborah moved to British Columbia, where he got a low paying job in a winery.
He was still using his hard earned wine skills, but the slower pace and natural setting is exactly the lifestyle they were looking for. The transition was challenging at times, but overall they were happy with where their decision was leading them, at least until six months after starting that new job when Simon got fired. Yep, that's right, he was fired. After the shock and disorientation wore off, he discovered that he qualified for an intense three week business plan workshop. Each week of the workshop focused on a different topic in a hands-on way.
First about marketing, then operations, then finances and so on. At the end, he got a careful review of his business plan by a group of mentors. At this point, he wasn't interested in having a boring office job. Also Deborah, his wife, had some consistent chronic health issues. So he knew whatever he did next, he had to make it work.
And as he put it, "Turns out getting fired was the best thing that could have happened to me." He thought back to a day in Alberta when he had spent some time working with a friend who had a window washing business. He realized this was a high profit margin business with repeat clients that can be scheduled. But before he jumped in with both feet, he did some market research the old fashioned way, simply picking up the phone and calling around to see if there would be any demand for his business. This research led to landing some actual work before the business was even open. So Simon knew he was onto something.
So he decided to try serving the window washing and painting needs of Vancouver Island. The startup costs for this project were almost nothing. He designated some tools and supplies that he already owned, but mostly focused on what to him was the most important part of marketing, doing face-to-face meetings and making sure people knew about his new venture. He also delivered mugs with tea and instant coffee to make his visit more memorable. His strategy was that mugs are much harder to lose than a business card.
Plus, if someone isn't worth investing $10 in to make a good impression, they probably aren't worth calling on in the first place. Simon estimates that those face-to-face meetings were important, but ultimately over 75% of his business came from happy customer referrals. And with those referrals came more jobs. For the painting jobs, buying paint is the most expensive part, but since it's customary to ask for deposit for the job, the materials can be paid for without any out-of-pocket costs. This allowed Simon to keep costs to a minimum, especially that first year.
And that first year he brought in $36,000 in income. He eventually dropped the window washing part of the business, focusing only on painting, partly because it was less seasonal, but also because he didn't want to have to work evenings and weekends. The business has changed and evolved, but he keeps in mind the reason why he started this in the first place, a simpler life, authenticity, and interactions, and a sense of accomplishment in his work. Since he first made this big transition, Simon's philosophy and practices have translated to more than a million dollars in income. This most recent year, the business brought in $150,000.
He's not only been financially successful, but this summer he was featured in Pro Painter, a Canadian magazine for professional painters that probably has at least a dozen subscribers. And again, Simon appreciates the professional and financial success he's experienced, that the flexible schedule and ability to scale the business up or down has been invaluable over the years. It's also allowed him to start new projects, including a photography business and a consulting business helping other contractors. Losing his job was the best thing that ever happened. Walking away from his ladder climbing career in the wine industry back in Alberta was a major decision, but he felt like he couldn't live with himself if he continued down that road.
And then when he lost his new job just six months in, he now looks back and says, "I'm so glad that happened. I'm so glad it gave me an opportunity to build something for myself." I actually had the chance to meet Simon when I was in Victoria, Canada for my last book tour. He was the photographer at that event, using one of his new skills and passions. And I always admire people like Simon who make active decisions, who don't just react out of fear when they have a difficult situation in their life, even though fear is a very natural emotion and we all experience it. But obviously Simon was very intentional, first of all, about his values, but then about what kind of life he wanted to create.
So my encouragement to you, I know we have a lot of folks out there listening in different situations in life. I totally understand it and respect it as well if you're happy in your job, just trying to create something on the side. But if that's you, maybe you know someone in a more difficult situation who is trying to figure out, "Okay, what do I do with my life?" So maybe actually the encouragement is for that person. Maybe there's something you can pass on to them. You can say, "You know, it might seem difficult right now, but it is gonna be okay." You probably do have options and opportunities.
And even if you don't see it right now, there probably is something better out there for you. So don't fast-track that discovery process too much. Even though you feel the urgency of your current situation, also try to think long-term. Try to think about the kind of life that you want to have. And one way or another, that's why I'm making side hustle school every day this year, getting ready to go out on the road this fall on a major tour, talk with listeners and readers all over the world, because I really believe in these values.
And I believe in doing whatever you can to create freedom and independence for yourself. So that's what I'm all about. Thank you for joining me for this journey. As always, inspiration is good, but inspiration combined with action is so much better. Come say hi online at sidehustleschool.com or social media @chrisguillebeau on Twitter or Facebook.
And I'll look forward to keep bringing you more stories. One more is coming up tomorrow. I'm Chris Guillebeau for Side Hustle School.
