563
9 min 8 sec

Bartender Earns Extra Income With “Revenge By Mail” Postcards

Want to embarrass your frenemy? Send them an awkward, anonymous postcard congratulating them on a purchase they didn’t make. This bartender and yoga teacher earns an extra $100/day from her inventive idea!
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What It's About

Postcards for your enemies, and you know, your frenemies.

Business Model
Service
Skills Required
Creativity & Marketing
Complexity
Low
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

Kelly had some really great advice: when you find an idea you like—"Don't say, 'I wish I'd thought of that!' Rather, ask yourself, 'How can I put my own spin on that?' It can seem like every good business idea is already taken, but learning about existing, profitable side hustles can be the most valuable brainstorming tool."

Fun Fact

When postcards were first invented, many people saw them as an unacceptable invasion of privacy. Over time, they become much more acceptable—though not usually for the kinds of things that Revenge By Mail features!

Notes from Chris

Episode 563

Kelly M. is a bartender, yoga teacher, and mobile notary in San Diego, California. She’s always had a few different things going on, but until this year she’s never had a side hustle in the form of an online business.

Her new project, Revenge By Mail, came about when she heard about a guy who offers shipments of glitter to someone you don’t like or just want to play a joke on. It was such a simple (and low-cost) product. Kelly thought it was brilliant, but she didn’t think it was something she would pay for as a consumer. She would, however, pay money to harmlessly embarrass her “frenemies.” So she took the glitter idea and made it her own.

The concept of Revenge by Mail isn’t really about taking revenge on someone. It’s more about playing a prank or joke on someone. Kelly used her rudimentary design skills to create a series of fake promotional postcards. They came from made-up companies and congratulated the recipient in an embarrassing way.

For example:
  • —From BargainBrides.com: “Congratulations on your mail-order bride, Jim!”
  • —From the My Little Pony Friendship Club: “Welcome to our newest member!”
  • —From XXL Male Enhancement: “Congratulations, you’ve reached Gold level status. Your package is on the way!”
These are a few of the tamer ones. For her most popular postcard, you’ll have to check out the notes. I’ll just say it congratulates the recipient on being a frequent buyer of a personal product.

These days, she’s bringing in around 10 orders a day at $10 each, making an average of $100 a day. The time commitment is about 10 minutes a day—not a bad wage!

This experiment has got her thinking about what’s next. She’s already working on her second online project, hoping to build more passive income. If you ever need to take Revenge By Mail, or just play a prank on someone, maybe you should order a postcard.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Revenge By Mail: Don't get mad—get even! Send your frenemies one of Kelly's quirky and embarassing postcards

  • Reddit | Funny Subreddit: The subreddit that Kelly posted a picture of her postcard in that lead to an increase in traffic and sales

  • Shopify: Kelly used Shopify to set up her site for Revenge By Mail, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

  • Vistaprint: The platform that Kelly uses to print out all of her postcards


SEE ALSO:


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

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️


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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!

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Quote of the Day
"Don't say, ‘I wish I'd thought of that!’ Rather, ask yourself, ‘How can I put my own spin on that?’ Learning about existing, profitable side hustles can be the most valuable brainstorming tool."
—Kelly M #SideHustleSchool

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau