What It's About
Footprints in the sand lead a couple in Germany to a side hustle capturing moments in time in metal.
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
So in today’s episode, this question of “But what if my idea is taken?” comes up, and I hear this question all the time! So what if your idea is taken? Honestly, that’s probably okay—you just need to find your unique twist on it.
Fun Fact
Did you know the average American household spends $167 a year on jewelry? That’s a $2 billion niche just waiting to be side hustled.
Notes from Chris
Episode 224
Back in 2009, Stefan Boscheinen and his family were on vacation in Denmark taking a stroll along the beach. Along the way, they decided to stop and show their two-year-old son how to make hand and footprints in the sand, then watched as the waves rolled over the shore and washed them away again. After doing this a few times his wife turned to him and said, “If only there was a way to make the little prints last”. Shore-ly enough, this gave him a great idea for a side hustle. Upon returning from the vacation, Stefan and his wife took to scouring the internet to see what options there were for people to preserve these wonderful memories. To their dismay they found out that this wasn’t an entirely new idea; there were plenty of businesses offering jewelry and magic-ink options for people. Now, this is where many side hustlers would turn away and look for a new avenue with less competition. But not the Boscheinens. Upon closer inspection, he found the products on offer already just didn’t look right. It wasn’t clean cut or precise—a German’s worst nightmare—and wasn’t anything he’d ever wear or gift to someone else. Stefan knew he could do it better and made that the sole focus of his Side Hustle. When he finished school, Stefan has been trained as a metal worker and spent months trying to perfect a technique. Using a mix of 3D prints, metal working and countless numbers of his son's footprints he found a system that he could replicate time and time again. That meant the new family Side Hustle, Foya, was ready to go live to the world. This project first started in 2011, and over the next five years, Foya would continue to grow. Stefan was able to turn the Side Hustle into his full-time job, which he says allows him to pay more than his fair share of the household income. And Katja spends a lot of time running the back-end of the business and updating the company website to make it look just right.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Foya: Check out more of Stefan and Katja's custom jewelry options on their website!
- Wordpress: Stefan and Katja used Wordpress for their website, and here you can learn how to install your own Wordpress site in 5 minutes!
- WooCommerce: The customizable eCommerce platform that Stefan and Katja used to accept sales on Foya
- Shopify | How to Start a Jewellery Making Business: The Ultimate Guide: Learn more about how you can start a jewelfy side hustle of your own!
- USPS Mail Carrier Makes Clay Imprints for New Parents: How a USPS mail carrier and court interpreter created an $800/month hustle serving new and expectant parents
- Elementary School Teacher Pans for Gold in New Zealand: After changing continents multiple times, an elementary school teacher finds true love, settles down in NZ, goes panning for gold, and ends up making $40,000/year working mostly on the weekends
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Resources
CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE
Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.
Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today!
Learn More
GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS
Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time.
Quote of the Day
Sponsors & Gratitude
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To infinity and beyond,
