What It's About
A side hustle that really takes flight!
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
As you can probably imagine, starting something like this takes a lot of work, but it's something that Emily and Brooks love. If you're looking to start a side hustle of your own, they would recommend beginning small and just doing what you love!
Fun Fact
Emily and Brooks invested in some seriously unique equipment as the business grew. Their big showpiece is a giant chandelier, which aerialists can fly from. A classy touch for a class act!
Notes from Chris
Episode 452
Emily Tiller had always been a dancer. She trained classically, before taking up fire dancing and then aerial acrobatics as a way to keep fit. During some time in China, she began training daily and loved being up in the air. Then in 2013, she and her husband Brooks moved to Nashville. They were looking for ways to make extra money, so Emily sought out some aerial dancing gigs. It worked well—she could fit gigs around her job at a health company, where she worked as an executive account manager. She already had some basic equipment and outfits, and soon met other performers through local circus art communities who she could bring in to different gigs. Her act was called ‘Beyond Wings Circus’—and it had lift off. She built a free website using Webs.com, set up social media profiles on Facebook and Instagram, and reached out to venues and potential clients. By the second year, Emily was doing a gig every other weekend and bringing on an abundance of new performers. When she had her first baby, things really started to fly. She took maternity leave from her day job at the office and doubled down on Beyond Wings while rocking her son to sleep. Now with an army of hula hoopers, fire breathers, jugglers, aerial artists and contortionists, Emily is hitting the big time. Having taken $5,000 in their first year, Beyond Wings now brings in $60,000 a year and employs 14 performers full time. A few weeks ago, Beyond Wings ran nine performances simultaneously across four different states. Next, they hope to take their acrobatic extravaganza outside of Tennessee and expand across the US. They’re off to a flying start—and it looks like it’s all up from here.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Beyond Wings Circus: Learn more about Emily and Brooks' high flying act over on their website!
- Webs: Emily and Brooks used Webs to setup Beyond Wings Circus—learn more about it here
- Marketing Professional Produces Giant Puppet Performances for Extra Cash: By day, she works at a museum in Berkeley, California. The rest of the time, she builds giant puppets and produces performances for eager audiences
- Marketer by Day, DJ by Night Brings in Extra $30,000/Year: She had worked in the music industry, but she had never performed—until she discovered a hidden talent that pays $200/hour
- Couple’s Photo Booth Hustle Creates Memories and Cash: After being unimpressed by a lackluster wedding photo booth, a New York couple studies up and enters the market on their own
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Resources
CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE
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Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today!
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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
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To infinity and beyond,
