Notes from Chris

Episode 283

If there’s one thing all drivers can agree on it’s this: bad parking is a cardinal sin. Entering an almost full parking lot to find someone has double-parked across the last available space is enough to make sane people go crazy, and maybe even leave a nasty note. But for designer Peter Vandendriesse, none of this was doing enough to solve the problem.

Peter wanted a way to change how people communicate about bad parking and create a “delightfully distasteful” way to start the conversation.

The idea was simple: create a series of magnets that could be stuck to a bad parker’s car, and then passed on from that driver to the next bad parking job they see. Thus moving the conversation forward, doing no damage to cars and still giving drivers the opportunity to vent their frustrations. As Peter says, 100% of people enjoy the satisfaction of slapping a magnet on someone’s car who has improperly parked.

Some of my favorites include, “Colouring books must have been hard for you,” “Airlines would charge you double for this,” and "Titanic. The Hindenburg. This parking job."

Do Your Park (a clever play on "do your part") is currently averaging about $25,000 a year in income, mostly through seasonal online sales as the product makes for a perfect stocking stuffer. Peter has recently bought some of the equity from his partners and is looking at ways to increase the year-round income from the product. This will include an increased marketing push, and getting the product featured in more retail stores in his new home of Los Angeles.

But if it’s current rate of growth is anything to go by, this side hustle has a parking spot reserved around the world. Just don’t park outside the lines!

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Do Your Park: Find a healthy way to express your frustrations with bad park jobs while still getting the point across. Check out Peter's magnet creations on his website or visit his product page on Amazon!
• Shopify: Peter used Shopify to set up his store for Do Your Park, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
• Trello: The free, communication platform that Peter and his co-founders used to brainstorm phrases for the magnets

SEE ALSO:

• Copywriter Carves 140 Characters into $50,000 in Cash: A creative director and copywriter makes an April Fool’s joke that turns into a long-term income stream
• Hand-Stamped Feminist Jewelry Earns $25,000 Side Income: She’s loud, she’s proud, and she’s wielding a hammer to smash the patriarchy with her hand-stamped feminist jewelry line
• “Game Night in a Can” Makes $75,000 for TV Producer: A crowdfunded project to bring LA comedy to households across the country becomes a big success

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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