Notes from Chris

Episode 1387

Collin Coates was still in college when he bought his first Jeep, and instantly took to it. The vehicle’s ability to go anywhere across any terrain had a lot of appeal to a guy who loved the outdoors. Over the next year he made some minor modifications and then decided to sell it. Having enjoyed the process, he bought a new Jeep almost straight away.

He enjoyed the second one as much as the first. This time, he spent two years upgrading it, before—you guessed it—selling it and buying a third.

This ability to build unique Jeeps began to give him a reputation among the fanatical community of Jeep lovers—and yes, that’s a thing. So much so that he was able to negotiate with a local 4x4 vendor, who offered him some free parts in exchange for including a little promotional artwork on his latest vehicle. He carried that momentum forward, making deals with a few other aftermarket manufacturers to sponsor him for various components.

That was the moment his side hustle engine began to rumble. He wanted to come up with ways to make enough money to cover his Jeep hobby, and maybe even make a little extra on top. So he came up with an action plan.

Collin named his new brand Built2Wander, and he engaged the four-wheel-drive on the next phase of his plan. He cold-called a few new vendors and pitched his idea to their marketing department. To his surprise, they were interested—or at least willing to see his proposal. So as soon as he got off the phone he sent them a pitch in writing. It outlined the marketing materials they’d receive in exchange for the parts provided. The first vendor returned the signed proposal in no time at all.

He repeated this process with a few more vendors, slightly modifying the terms for each as requested. By the time he was done, he essentially had his fourth Jeep customized completely free. Now that he had traction, he took the idea of brand building more seriously.

One contact he made was with a large media company that specifically produces content for motor vehicle enthusiasts. The head of the company agreed to sponsor Collin’s current Jeep build, and was thrilled when he saw how well it turned out. A few months later, to Collin’s surprise, the company came back and offered him the chance to host a new vlog series on their YouTube channel. This resulted in increased exposure for Collin and extra dollars in his pocket.

And this bottom line is far from bottoming out. Collin now has several clients and generates up to six thousand dollars per month. He isn’t slowing down either—now he’s launched an apparel line and eCommerce store to complement the main business. It’s all proof that by making the right connections, anyone can offroad themselves into side hustle success.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Collin and his custom builds at his website, Built2Wander.com.

SEE ALSO:

• Car Enthusiast Sells DIY Tune-Up Kits: A longtime side hustler creates a series of products for fellow car enthusiasts.
• Man Buys Tesla, Rents It Out to Cover Monthly Payments: When an Ontario man finds himself dreaming of a car he can’t afford, he buys it anyway—then rents it out half the time to earn an extra $15,000 in 2017.
• Car Parts Employee Finds Shocking Surplus Suspension: When a young marketer feels like he isn’t taken seriously at work, he sets the wheels in motion and starts selling car suspension systems on eBay.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work! Yours in the revolution,

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