Protein Shake Lover Chomps Crickets For Six-Figure Income

This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.

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Oh my gosh, you guys, welcome to Side Hustle School. Got something pretty cool for you today. Well, first of all, it's 14 days to go until the Side Hustle book is out in the world. But also, did you think yesterday's story was awesome about that Target store manager that's making $45,000 a month on the side? I did too, but guess what?

This is amazing week on Side Hustle School because today's story is also pretty incredible. Now, way back on episode 46, I told you about the live cricket drop shipping hustle, one of our most popular earlier episodes about this guy who ships crickets all across the country without actually handling any inventory. Well, 200 episodes have gone by since then. It is time to revisit crickets, but this is a little different because what if you could eat crickets? Doesn't that sound great?

No, of course not, it sounds terrible. But apparently crickets are the new protein powder. This is not a joke, it's a money farm made of crickets, which literally cannot advertise itself anymore because it keeps running out of inventory. I'm not making this up, folks. Today's story, protein shake lover chomps crickets for six figure side hustle is coming right up.

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Alex Drysdale was serious about getting fit and staying healthy. Tired of being the skinny kid in high school, he adopted a strict regimen of diet and exercise, eventually jumping into bodybuilding and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. To everyone around him, Alex was a man of discipline and drive. His full-time job as a railway specialist, however, was not on his bucket list. It didn't help him stay healthy or fit, nor did it allow him to exercise his creative muscles.

He spent nine long years working on the railroad, but when his friend in Spain offered to mentor him on starting an e-commerce business, he knew it was time to leave. In a bold leap of faith, he packed some belongings into a backpack, bought a one-way ticket to Spain, and was off. In Barcelona, he learned to set up an e-commerce website, all the while keeping an eye out for an idea that would turn into a business. He knew he wanted to focus on something that would be environmentally sustainable, but other than that, he was pretty open. And nothing really seemed to stick out at first.

But eight months into his move, he came across inspiration in an unlikely place, his Facebook feed. It was around that time that a respected friend published an article on protein bars containing a unique ingredient, crickets. Curious, Alex read the article, and he claims he was sold in less than two paragraphs. The cricket protein used in the bars was far more nutritious and sustainable than any protein he'd ever encountered. As a bodybuilder, he was pretty sure nobody was making cricket protein powder, and a thorough Google search confirmed this.

His path seemed clear. This was the idea he was gonna turn into a side hustle, if not a full-on business. Alex moved back home to Canada, ordered some dried and ground crickets, and gathered some flavoring agents from the supermarket. And then the experimenting began. He tested his protein blends on reluctant friends and family, no word on whether he had to pay them to try it.

He says they were skeptical at first, but the flavorful and supposedly delicious protein eventually won them over. He spent the next three or four days researching how protein powders are produced and distributed. He discovered that most are created through co-packers, which we've talked about several times on the show. A co-packer is basically a company that will take your recipe and compile the finished product for sale. Excited to get the ball rolling, he assembled a massive list of co-packers and started calling them up.

At first, he was rejected. Then he was rejected again. For some reason, the co-packers didn't want to add thousands of insects to the same facilities where they mixed other food. And he says that a few of them even got angry because they thought he was prank calling. He finally arrived at the final co-packer on the list and dialed their number.

Guess what happened? They said no to. But just before hanging up, they told Alex to call another facility down the street from them. So he did, and the rest was history. This facility was pro-cricket, eager to take on the project.

So by now, things are falling into place. He had his product, a co-packer, and a vision to change the world. He also had a Squarespace website and a Shopify store, and he paid just $25 for a simple logo. In fact, his total startup costs were under $2,000, most of which was used to develop the protein powder. Now it was time to turn his idea, which had acquired the name Crick Nutrition, into a revenue-generating project.

He set up a Kickstarter campaign and was approved, but then six hours before the launch, Kickstarter deleted his campaign. Without giving any reason, it was another example of the anti-cricket bias he continued to experience. But he didn't give up. Instead, he turned to Indiegogo, who said, "Chirp, chirp, bring it on," and they agreed to handle the crowdsourcing for his first major production order. Upon launch, he called and texted every single person in his network.

The first few sales came from friends and family, but later in the day, strangers started ordering. In fact, by the end of the first day, Crick Nutrition had raised the goal of $10,000. By the time the campaign was complete, he had over $16,000 in orders from 200 backers in 22 different countries. The cricket revolution could not be stopped. Around this time, Alex began exploring AdWords and Facebook ads.

AdWords ended up being a complete flop. It was too complicated and fickle for Alex to learn in a short period of time. Facebook saw some reward, but not anything worth chirping about. He then turned to advertising on influential podcasts, where he saw great order spikes when episodes aired. In fact, on average, for every $1,000 he spent on podcast ads, he generated $1,500.

It was a true no-brainer, and by the way, I should probably say that Crick Nutrition is not a sponsor of Cytosol School. My closet is definitely not stocked full of complimentary cricket powder, much to my great disappointment. In those early months of starting out, Alex began to travel to pitch Crick Nutrition to retailers. Shockingly, most were skeptical and agreed to sell his product only on consignment, which meant that he wouldn't get paid for six to nine months. Alex didn't love that idea, so in his mind, all that searching was a colossal waste of time.

However, after he started advertising on podcasts and the business began growing at a strong pace, retailers who are genuinely interested have been approaching him. He says these brands are much easier to negotiate with since they understand the merits of cricket-based protein. They're already on the cricket train, which by the way, this year, the cricket protein hustle will clear six figures, and this tremendous growth has also created an interesting problem and an incredible solution, because the traction his marketing has generated has actually outpaced Alex's production of powder. His suppliers can't keep up. They've never had a demand for so much quantity before, apparently, but Alex is on a mission, and soon, he's gonna start his own cricket farm, so that he can literally grow his ingredients.

He'll be able to produce all the protein powder his customers could ever want. It really is a money farm made of crickets. Alex just wait 'til this episode airs, and also, along the way, he's changing how people think about green smoothies forever. [Music]

Wow, what to add to the six-figure cricket hustle story. Man, it's tough 'cause this story has it all.

An origin story, a unique product, crowdfunding, and, of course, crickets. I honestly have very little commentary I could add, except to say, "Alex, congratulations," and the next time I buy protein powder, I'm gonna make sure I check the label carefully. Rejected titles for this episode included, "Turn Your Crickets Into Cash," "Chirp, chirp, is that money I hear in my backyard," and, "Sorry for all the dead crickets in your smoothie." It really is nutritious. Today's show notes are at sidehustleschool.com/248. Inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better.

I'm Chris Guillebeau for Side Hustle School. [Music]