311
10 min 15 sec

Former Construction Inspector Earns $200,000 Helping Students Pass Exams

A teacher-turned-construction inspector aces his exams and creates a series of courses to help others entering the field.
Education High Profit Niche Ideas Online Courses Service

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What It's About

An inspector zeroes in on a niche field helping others and builds himself a lucrative side hustle.

Business Model
Service
Skills Required
Communication & Inspector Knowledge
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

When Gabe looks back on his side hustle journey, he says that the main reason for their success seems to be having multiple points of difference. When we asked him what kind of advice he had to offer fellow side hustlers, he recommended adding value wherever your competitors are lacking. He said that if you do this in different ways, you will have a great chance of success.

Fun Fact

One of the main skills of inspectors is reading building plans, and it's no easy feat (see screenshot for example)!To help his students learn, Gabe shipped physical plans to them that complemented the online teaching. He even added his best teaching notes right on the plans.

Notes from Chris

Episode 311

Gabriel Kramer’s side hustle story began in 2011. A former high school teacher who had burned out due to the lack of support from administrators—an all too common story—Gabe had begun a new career as a construction inspector. He’d heard about this career from a cousin, who helped him get a job as an entry-level inspector.

To advance in the industry, you have to earn certifications by passing exams. The more certifications you have, the more money you can make.

Over the next few years, he continued to gain experience, take more exams, and increase his earning potential further. So then came the next step, and the side hustle we’re focusing on today.

One of the main skills of inspectors is reading building plans. To help his students learn, Gabe shipped physical plans to them that complemented the online teaching. He even added his best teaching notes right on the plans.

This teaching aid was unique to the industry. There were some other people teaching cert study courses, but no one was doing that. Video marketing was another marketing strategy that was rarely used by anyone else. Therefore, after he created the first course, Gabe shot videos that covered material from the first exam entry-level employees are required to take. He uploaded the videos to YouTube, and SI Certs and their channel have given them a steady stream of traffic over the years. They recently reached 300,000 total views!

Today, Gabe still works 9-to-5 in the construction industry. We’re calling this episode “Former Construction Inspector” because he moved into business development, and then marketing director position, where he’s currently employed. He enjoys the job and isn’t thinking about working on SI Certs full-time, but he still invest times weekly to continue growing it. They’re on track to pass $200,000 in revenue for 2017 and the growth doesn’t seem to be slowing.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • SI Certs: Interested in fine-tuning your inspection skills? Head on over to Gabe's website—no construction hat required
SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

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Quote of the Day
"Add value where your competitors are lacking. If you do this in different ways, you will have a great chance of success."
—Gabriel Kramer #SideHustleSchool

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau