1331
8 min 43 sec

Art Classes by Zoom Produce Pandemic Profits

An art teacher uses her tech savvy to offer online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching hundreds of viewers (and getting paid) through Facebook Live.
Art Classes Facebook Live Online Lessons Zoom

Subscribe Now For A Free Five Step Tutorial

What It's About

When COVID strikes an art teacher paints a new hustle with online lessons.

Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Low
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

Hear how COVID was a catalyst for Margaret to launch her hustle; “In my case, the tragedy that is COVID has opened so many doors and possibilities for me that I have learned to find the good in the bad. Take this time to find something that you love and share it with other people and you never know if that will be a moneymaker.”

Fun Fact

Zoom has experienced immense growth during COVID-19. What was once a tool purely for businesses is now being used in education, for hobbies and even fitness classes. Right now, around 300 million people use the software everyday.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1331

Margaret Blanchfield took up watercolor painting while she was a stay at home mom, and soon found herself quite adept at the practice.

As she honed her skills and began producing quality works, she wanted to share these talents with others. To do that, Margaret started teaching ‘Mommy and Me’ art classes in the makeshift studio she’d built in her garage. There, she offered a place where moms and their toddlers could learn together.

Through friends and word of mouth, this became a successful side gig that Margaret ran until the birth of her second child. That’s when she decided to brush things up and looked for a dedicated space outside her home.

After finding the ideal location, she called the space Sacramento Art Classes, and created a website to match at SacramentoArtClasses.com. She puts the choice of domain name down as her best business decision. By using such an obvious name, much of the marketing work was already done. The website naturally ranked high in Google searches, and parents and kids from all over the city came to learn how to paint.

The space was never a huge moneymaker, but it did bring in some side income which was helpful with two small children. It was even more important because, by now, Margaret had separated from her husband and was a single mom. Without the support of a dual income, she looked for additional ways to make more money.

While saddening, things weren’t all doom and gloom. Margaret loved teaching! It was a way for her to continue teaching art, without the high overheads and stress of having a dedicated space. Yet the change wasn’t over yet, as you might guess, something unexpected happened in the spring of 2020.

The shakeup meant Margaret started teaching remotely, which gave her new skills in technology she’d never been exposed to. She mastered Zoom and became an expert in remote teaching. She knew this wasn’t something to gloss over and, after thinking about it, began to paint a new picture in her life.

Margaret felt she could use her artistic, teaching, and technology skills to try something new. Specifically, she thought of offering art classes online via Zoom and Facebook Live. The lessons could be the same as the ones she used to offer in her old business. The only difference would be the method of delivery.

To test the waters, she wrote to an old email list of six hundred people she’d collected from her time running the studio. In addition, she posted a Facebook event and let her seven hundred Facebook friends know about it. To her astonishment, she amassed four hundred RSVPs!

Margaret is three months into this experiment turned legitimate side hustle and things have only improved. Her free classes now reach an average of three hundred attendees and, combined, she’s earning well over fifteen hundred dollars per month in addition to her teacher’s salary. She sees this is only the beginning and wants to keep growing.

What skillset do you have that you can rework and reposition during this strange, seemingly-never-ending year of 2020? I really believe there’s something out there for you, just like Margaret and so many others.

 
  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:


SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter


Download Episodes By Months:

Season 8 (2024): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 7 (2023): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 6 (2022): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 5 (2021): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 4 (2020): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 3 (2019): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 2 (2018): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 1 (2017): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

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! ✈️


Learn More

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!

Learn More

Quote of the Day
"If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, stop waiting and try it."
—Margaret Blanchfield #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!


Get Started Here!

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.




Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!





To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau