What It's About
Ukulele player strums up a lucrative career outsourcing himself around the world.
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
Ukulele-playing is far too competitive in Hawaii, but it clearly works elsewhere. What else is like that? Stroopwaffles in Holland, or flannel shirts in Seattle … wherever there is a surplus of something (or some provider of talent), you might be better off taking that thing or that talent elsewhere.
Fun Fact
The ukulele has long historical origins, with the first one made in 1879. While it was first made in Portugal, the ukulele has found its way into Hawaiian culture and has become an important part of its music—its name translates roughly to ‘jumping flea’.
Notes from Chris
Episode 938
When he was thirteen, Hawaiian native Andrew Molina fell in love with the ukulele. After his first lesson, he realized just how much he loved the feel and the sound of the instrument. From then on, he started telling himself that he would practice hard so that he could travel the world and perform. Throughout his years in high school, Andrew would work at his craft. He would play a couple of songs at malls but found that he wasn’t making as much progress as he hoped. As he had grown up admiring and then imitating some of the famous ukulele players, Andrew realized that he didn’t have any particular style he could call his own. This made him so insecure that he quit playing in his last year of high school—the very same instrument that he had fallen in love with just a couple of years ago. But Andrew knew there was something amiss from his life. He wasn’t interested in the typical path where he would go to college and then get a regular job, just like everyone else. The thought of finding a different direction spurred him to go on. The first step that he took was to record his own album. This was in 2012, and Andrew had just left high school. The CD would act as a business card, albeit an expensive one, and would be a way for him to get introduced to potential clients for gigs. Fortunately for Andrew, his father was supportive and funded the $8,000 it cost to record the album using the money he had set aside for him to go to college. The next year, the album was released. As Andrew had predicted, the album did eventually help him land his first gig. A restaurant reached out and asked him to play. This was when he knew he could say he played the ukulele professionally since he would actually be getting paid. While his task was only to play background music, Andrew used this as a springboard into bigger events, such as festivals in Hawaii and other local gigs. He soon had four gigs a week lined up for him. While Andrew had made some headway, he wasn’t satisfied just playing background music. He wanted to play in front of an audience and connect with them. He reached out to some friends, who helped put together a mini-tour for him, where he got to travel to California, Oregon, and Washington. Although this first tour wasn’t very profitable, his goal was to build up a following. Desire and perseverance kept him going even though it was difficult, with many people telling him his dream was unrealistic. It didn’t help that Hawaii was the birthplace of the ukulele. Few people in the islands were particularly interested in the instrument since it was so common. To get around this hurdle, Andrew continued to plan tours outside Hawaii, traveling in the mainland United States, then to Europe and Asia as well. He would play at a different place each night and hold ukulele workshops during the day. Fast forward to 2018, and Andrew has been featured on the cover of the UK’s Ukulele magazine. All ten subscribers loved seeing him there! Although income is sporadic, a three-week tour can now bring in $7,500—a rate he can live off of, as long as he tours on a consistent basis. He also teaches virtual lessons by Skype to aspiring ukulele players wherever they are.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Andrew Molina Ukulele: If you're interested in learning more about this musical side hustle, head on over to Andrew's website!
- WordPress: Andrew used WordPress to set up his site for Andrew Molina Ukulele, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes
- Musician Turns Drum Lessons Into Six-Figure Podcast: It starts with a drum set that his brother’s band left at his house for a month when he was a teenager—and it develops into a lifelong love of percussion and a major moneymaker
- $10,000 Side Hustle Helps Musician Land Full-Time Job: A classically trained musician creates affordable options for music students in search of quality music demos
- Saxophonist Hustles His Way to Back Injury Recovery: When a chronic back injury sidelines an Australian IT professional, he pulls out his saxophone and establishes three new sources of income
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